Hello Blog, it’s been a while! We’re still travelling*. We’re continuing to have an amazing experience and our kids continue to delight and frustrate in equal measures. We left Vietnam before Christmas. We were there for a nearly a month. So, you could say I’m either 6 month or 7 months late with this blog post! Vietnam feels like an eternity ago. The time is magnified as I wrote this post sat in the rain of the Chilean Patagonia region, longing for a return to sunshine and warmth.  

Everyone loves Vietnam…or so we had been told. Vietnam wasn’t a case of love at first sight, indeed I’m not sure I’ve fallen in love. But reflecting back we enjoyed our month in Vietnam and had some truly memorable experiences. We will probably return but not as quick as we would to Laos or other countries on our travels.

It was challenging to know how to spend our time in Vietnam, as the climate varies dramatically as you move further north. During December we experienced 3 seasons with tropical conditions in the south, the rainy season in the centre and winter in the north of the country. Perhaps swayed by the weather, but our favourite area was definitely the south. We loved the Mekong Delta. And Ho Chi Minh City (known locally as Saigon) was a vibrant swirl of motorcycles and craziness. 

Arriving in Vietnam

We arrived from Phnom Penh (only hours after being granted entry visas) on the cross-border bus. A supposed 6 hour journey, the addition of cross border rigmarole and duty free made it a 9 hours door-to-door trip. Still the bus versus flight won, as the cost of the short hop on a flight was about 10x the cost of the bus. Fortunately the kids were brilliant on the bus and made use of the first class in-bus entertainment system – i.e. our iPad and games from their rucksacks. 

Wonderful, and cheap accommodation

Vietnam certainly offered the best value in terms of accommodation. Nightly costs only reached close to our budget in Hoi An, other than that our accommodation typically cost €35 a night. Honestly, we’d recommend everywhere we stayed, so for anyone visiting hopefully these recommendations help:

• Ho Chi Minh – Mecozy Apartel in District 5 looked out over Landmark 81. The property was a 20 mins Grab taxi to the city centre, but there was an abundance of bars, restaurants and supermarkets on our doorstep.
• Ben Tre – Cocoland Homestay is an exceptional homestay set in the heart of the Delta. We swam in the pool, borrowed bikes and ate far too much.
• Can Tho – Green Village Mekong was another homestay in an exceptional setting. The kids loved Cam who worked there.
• Hoi An – A new slice of luxury at G Boutique. Set a few kilometers from the centre it was peaceful, and best of all we had the rarity in Asia of separate bedrooms. 
• Hue – Centrally located the La Perle hotel was perfect. The kids have never eaten so much fruit and juices…all freely available when you need.
• Hanoi – The Acoustic Hotel & Spa helped us mark Jennie’s birthday with their fab service, amazing breakfasts and roof top bar.

Pleasantly surprised by Ho Chi Minh City

Few people we’d met spoke fondly of Ho Chi Minh City. But Jennie and I were both fans of the hustle and bustle. And ask the kids for their top 3 things in Asia, and they’ll undoubtedly mention the children’s playground in Central Park near Landmark 81 (one of the world’s tallest buildings). Out of interest, the other 2 are watching Frozen II and a visit to the Unicorn Cafe in Bangkok. Just the type of spiritual and informative top 3 we hoped for when we embarked on Our Big Family Adventure.

HCMC was our base for 1 night upon arrival from Cambodia, and again for 3 nights after visiting the Mekong Delta. Taking advantage of being a big city, we had the opportunity to mix local cuisine (we love our Vietnamese summer rolls and pho) with some great poke bowls and pizza. We also hit Gap and H&M to replenish the worst of our dust stained wardrobes. As for a shopping experience perhaps the most intriguing shop we encountered was ‘Fanny’, which boosted of being ‘super premium and 100% natural’. On closer inspection it was an ice cream shop, but Jennie had already laid down the law. It was off limits 😉

HCMC boasts your standard attractions for kids like the zoo and there are plenty of museums and several landmarks. We decided to walk around the city centre firmly holding onto the kids hands, and ticked off the Independence Palace, Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The latter was closed for renovation (perhaps in sympathy for its namesake in Paris).

Learning about the Vietnam War

We continued our immersion into the conflict history of SE Asia, spending time at the War Remnants Museum. A museum heavy on pictures of the Vietnam War and the affects of Agent Orange, but a museum that should really come with an age warning for parents that haven’t done sufficient research (note to self). That said we adopted our typical divide and conquer technique. I spent an hour in their excellent children’s indoor play areas dressing up and building with duplo with Rory and Elsie, and Jennie and Molly viewed the exhibits. Molly returned traumatised from the graphic Agent Orange photos. At which point we switched with Jen assuming childcare and the kids moving from their air conditioned indoor sanctuary to look at the tanks and other military equipment in the museum grounds.

HCMC is also the base for Cu Chi Tunnels. The network of tunnels used by locals to avoid detection, transport military supplies and attack enemy fighters during the Vietnam war. We surfaced early to avoid the throngs of tourist buses and caught a Grab to take us 90 minutes north. Fortunately our driver agreed to stick around, as catching a taxi back would have been a challenge. There are two tunnel complexes (Cu Chi and Ben Dinh) that can be visited. We headed for the more touristy (or so we’ve read) Cu Chi Tunnels and took a tour from the engaging guides.

The kids, in particular Rory, loved crawling through the tunnels, which unbelievably have been widened. It is staggering that people could navigate the miles of tunnels during the war. The kids enjoyed the tunnels, but also learning about the traps and ingenious ways of avoiding detection in the tunnels. For most visitors we expect the shooting range visited midway through the tour is a highlight, not for the Price Family. We had tears as we passed. The kids didn’t like the noise. Which was ironic, as Jennie and I often don’t like their noise, which at times can be louder than an AK47 being released.

Watch out for motorbikes and your flip flops

What do we remember the most about Ho Chi Minh City? Motorbikes! Motorbikes with entire families riding on them. Motorbikes seemingly careering towards you as their occupants multi task on phones as you navigate crossing roads. Motorbikes on pavements to avoid one way restrictions or traffic jams. I should have a taken a photo, but life felt too precious to wait on the pavement to get run over.

When you visit Vietnam teach your kids the local road safety. When stepping out of a shop – look left and right, don’t run when crossing a super busy highway! And then when you leave promptly make sure they forget all the habits they’ve picked up.

Needless to say, you need to keep your wits about you, not just for the motorbikes. I inadvertently had my perfect Havaianas ‘fixed’ by an opportune street seller who superglued them…in the process expecting payment for his service and requiring me to purchase a new pair of flip flops. Similarly when it comes to taxis, on the rare times we took a taxi off the street, less scrupulous drivers would flick the meter to a higher rate…giving all the more reason to use Grab.

Our love affair with Mekong continues

Our few days in the Mekong Delta were a last minute change having seen the weather around Hoi An was somewhat like a British summer (wet and cool). In search of continued heat and renewing our Mekong adventure (after starting thousands of miles away on the Thai / Laos border) we reduced our time in Hoi An and booked a couple of Mekong Delta homestays. First in Ben Tre a quieter part of the Delta and secondly on the outskirts of Can Tho, the largest town in the Delta. 

Both Cocoland Homestay and Mekong Green Village are among the cheapest places we stayed. However, they were incredible and come with a huge recommendation. The food and hospitality were exceptional, the accommodation was authentic and in perfect surroundings.

Overall our 4 days in the Mekong Delta were a mixture of relaxing by the pool, bike riding through the picturesque river delta and even fishing for dinner. Most of the time we were in the perfect isolation. The only real exception was an early morning excursion to the bustling Cai Rang floating market. More noodles, fresh fruit and coconut juice…but this time served on the water.

Getting around the Mekong Delta

With all the riding you would expect we had the perfect set up for kids. Sadly there were no child seats for the bikes. However, Elsie has become a master of holding onto Jennie while perched on a bike rack. And Rory is like a portable heater in 30 celsius strapped on my back in an Ergobaby carrier.

If the accommodation was up there with our favourite during the entire trip. Our transportation between the homestays ranks up there with our most local (read horrific) experiences. Catching the local bus from Ben Tre to Can Tho ticked the box for budget travel. It also ticked the box as an overcrowded delivery vehicle complete with cockerels screeching cock-a-doodle-do. On the plus side the kids were quiet as they didn’t want to wake whatever other livestock was sat on the bus between their feet.

Fortunately our travel to and from the Mekong Delta was better. The kids loved the double decker Futa sleeper buses, although lying on a bus feels strangely claustrophobic.

After 3 months of heat in South East Asia, we were in for a rude awakening. For the next couple of weeks we headed to the cooler climates of north Vietnam.