Has anyone been to vietnam is it good where should i go and im going with a 10 and 14 and 17 year old?

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nowhereman

mad clow is still having flash backs, excuse him.

viet_forever_more

Hi, I have just recently returned there to visit my relatives. There are so many places to choose in Vietnam.

My favourites would be:

Ha Long Bay (Ha = Descending, Long = Dragon)

Sai Gon (do not call it Ho Chi Minh City if you are anti-communist!)

Can Tho and the Mekong (Cuulong | Cuu = 9, Long = dragons) River. The Vietnamese name for the Mekong river is Cuu Long similar to Kowloon in Cantonese. Same meaning. Although the waters are quite severely polluted, so too the cities, that won't detract you from the many wonderful experiences of an Oriental nation.

The Mekong delta provides great tours in the rice basket of VIetnam (It's where 50% of all Vietnam's rice production is). The Mekong was once Khmer land and attains many old structures. Once you get there, you cannot leave without trying the BOWLS of tropical fruits. For fruits, head here!

For cheap shopping, head to Chinatown (Cho Lon - Big Market) region in Saigon. Saigon has changed drastically since I was last there (besides the population growing form 5 to 6.5 million). It makes you forget Vietnam is still one of the world's poorest nations although 2nd only to China in economic growth.

If you would like to go sight-seeing, the ancient city of Hue (Central Vietnam) or Hoi An is a must see. Nha Trang is a haven for beach lovers and Hanoi is a sleepy yet growing city of over 3.5 million.

Ha Long Bay is a tranquil part of Vietnam. Close to Hanoi, you can enjoy the red sunsets of one of the most beautiful heritage sites in the world. (The sunsets are an awe).

As is the case in any nation, crime in Vietnam is there but not too concerning. Corruption is a problem though but fight it! Do not give in to the communists whose families take in all the aid money for their own benefits.

The cuisine of Vietnam varies, however the best cuisine can be found from the centre downwards. (Northern food is crap!)

Even a bowl of Hu Tieu or Pho (originally northern) can be enjoyed anywhere. As mentioned, tropical fruits are abundant in the south. The economic boom has seen Saigon emerge as one of the largest economic hubs in South East Asia. The government is planning to complete a subway (metro) and skyrails by 2020 (not clarified).

Also currently under construction are dozens of new high-rise buildings in Saigon and the highways connecting the Mekong delta (Can Tho city) to Saigon. Can Tho not only has the highway being built, it also has two of its biggest ever engineering feats.

1. The Can Tho bridge which is to be the longest suspension bridge in South East Asia. Originally it was to be 2,750m in total length.
2. The renovation into a new International airport (Binh Thuy).

Within a decade or so, Vietnam will have great economic growth and these projects should help the people as much as the tourists to get around.

- RECAPPING -
If you want...

Culture - Experience the mountain tribes or one of the many culturally rich towns/cities like Hoi An (A Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese inspired town), Hue (the ancient capital) and others...

Fun and leisure - Try Saigon =)

Shopping - No need to answer (Saigon)

Cuisine - Do abit of travelling.

Fruits - The Mekong Delta.

Beaches and resorts - Try places like Phu Quoc island and Nha Trang.

Business - Saigon, Hanoi, Can Tho.

Also try these places...

Da Nang, Da Lat (great landscape) and much more!

flightmedicine

Vietnam is one of the nicest places you will visit. The people are great, the food fantasic and the scenery is unbelivable.
Here is a good forum for you to check.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293921-i8432-Vietnam.html

I think you will enjoy the site and will learn a lot from reading and asking questions on it. cheers and good luck.

rick m

It would help greatly if you narrowed down the area in Vn that you are going to. I'm a part time resident of Ben Tre, SE of Saigon, so of course I would suggest a Mekong river tour. There's about a million things to do in Saigon, shopping, museums, parks, galleries, the zoo and a couple of water parks. The beaches are fabulous through-out the country (except Ben Tre, because of all the silt from the river). Also, Cu Chi tunnels and Cat Tien national forest should hold their interest.
sorry I can't be of much more help, I haven't traveled very far from our home.
Enjoy your trip!

Kim B

Vietnam is a wonderful place, especially for children. The people there are so friendly and they absolutely WORSHIP children. That said, the attention can get a bit wearing after a while, so that's why making sure you spend time in areas of the country apart from HCMC and Hanoi is important in having a good holiday.

I would suggest that if you're travelling with kids ranging from 10-17 years of age, make sure you visit the following places;
- Halong Bay - lots to see, the caves will also excite the kids
- Hoi An and Hue - more tranquil and very safe for riding around on bicycles
- Nha Trang - awesome beach
- Dalat - some wonderful golf, but also great waterfalls and kitch theme-type parks
- HCMC - Saigon waterpark - hours of fun on collosal waterslides and a cool wave pool

For a bit of community conscientiousness, try visiting some orphanages or Christina Noble's Children's Foundation. Spending time with some of these people is very inspirational. Who knows, you and your kids may even want to help out for a day somewhere, maybe even at the orphanage that Angelina Jolie got her latest adoptee from!

Travelling by plane is a little more expensive, but very cheap compared to travelling the same distances in Australia. It also saves the trouble and hassle of open tour buses and frees up time to see more of this beautiful country.

Oh and one last thing - try and stay in hotels with a pool as the pool will entertain the kids and keep them safe and pre-occupied. You can even find some hotels with nice pools for under $40 per room per night!

Enjoy the trip - going over the Christmas holidays is a good time to go.

incagirl

YES! vietnam is fantastic. I spent 3 weeks in the southern part and it was a dream come true. I would suggest you check out the Lonely Planet website. They have message boards just for vietnam, and I've often seen people with children ask about places to take them. I don't have children, so I'm afraid I can't be any help there. The weather in December is usually pretty good, so you're going at a nice time.

outback6666

vietnam is great . took my 10 year old daughter for 3 weeks last year had a ball. the best experience you could give your kids is a overnight train to sapa from hanoi , a homestay with the local people and a trip to bacha markets , overnight junk boat at halong bay is a must also. hoian in central vietnam has a nice beach and history at My Son and Hue. down south cuchi tunnels is a must and a night or 2 in the mekong delta.
of course there is plenty of things to see and do the hanoi and hcmc. we booked a private tour through tnk travel. just fill out the form on the net for where and how long and your budget and they will do a package for you. have a good trip

mad clown

yes i was there in 1967 to 68 i was an a platoon and yes we kocked down alot of VC`s i never did like it much ...it rained alot and alot of foot infections in the jungles there .. i lots alot of good buddies .MIA god be with you

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