Vietnam… One of the must sees of our last year’s November trip. We planned it to be our third and last stop, as important as Cambodia and Laos. At the end of the day it turned out to be our second and most problematic stop… But I already wrote about that a long time ago and won’t write again. Today we look at Vietnam as a place to go with a child.
What problems can I encounter? How should I prepare? And what kind of attractions will amaze my little one? For all of you getting ready for the trip, for those who like exotic holidays, but also for those who only go to the Polish seaside and Mazury because of their fear of the exotic countries. Because you know, anything can happen… You know what? Nothing will happen! Apart from great holidays of course! 🙂
PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRIP:
the most amazing swimming pool ever – Intercontinental Asiana Saigon
Vietnam was a peculiar stop in our plan. On one hand I assumed that it’s going to be a place more civilised than Laos and Cambodia and I won’t have to be afraid of the illnesses such as typhus or malaria (completely stupid and irrational fears of a standard Polish mother with exuberant imagination). Therefore I was looking forward to getting to Vietnam healthy, without diarrhoea etc. That would be a huge success!
On the other hand our own MSZ (Internal Affairs) scared me with the information published on their website: “Newest epidemiological data shows that there is a risk of dengue fever, rabies and A type influenza infection. Hand, foot and mouth disease spreads all over the country and children are especially vulnerable to it. WHO recommends vaccinations for A and B type jaundice, dengue fever, lyme disease, typhoid fever and tetanus. People arriving from countries under epidemiological threat are obliged to undergo a test and fill the health forms at the border.” That sounded really serious! Especially this hand, foot and mouth disease that is dangerous for children made my heart beat faster and wonder…
We decide to treat the Ministry’s words as a warning only and not change our plans nor adopt a negative approach. We vaccinated ourselves for what we could and what seemed important – jaundice, typhoid and tetanus. We decided to shield ourselves from dengue fever with an anti-mosquito spray – in the end we have not met one mosquito! In November Hanoi wasn’t too hot and in Ho Chi Minh City there were no mosquitoes standing in our way despite the heat! As I already wrote in Cambodian entries, we didn’t care much for the rabies, we look after Maks enough to prevent him from contacting animals.
We packed our medical kit according to our custom – ready for everything, but sensible and that’s what we recommend for you. Knowing that you have painkillers, fever, diarrhoea and cuts medicine along with mosquito bites relievers for your kid makes you feel relieved during the trip.
AVAILABILITY OF CHILD PRODUCTS:
If you’re flying from Poland, stack some diapers and powdered milk. If you’re travelling from Thailand or Cambodia (like we did) do the same thing! I don’t know if it was my bad luck or what but it was very hard to find thm both in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City! We walked around Hanoi a lot but we didn’t encounter any supermarkets and you can forget about diapers or milk in small shops! We finally found the milk in mountainous Sa Pa – there’s a lot of tourists there and therefore they had the milk! The diaper situation was so bad that I had to buy little packets on Bangkok airport! Therefore remember: contrary to Cambodia and Thailand, in Vietnam diapers and milk may be a challenge..
favourite cats in Madame Hien restaurant in Hanoi
HYGIENE:
Hygiene – the second thing after illnesses brought up by the opponents of exotic trips with children. Is Vietnam dirty? It depends. For us it wasn’t because we already visited Cambodia, Mexico, Thailand and India. Walking around Hanoi you develop different approach regarding the cleanliness than in Warsaw. You feel different especially on the streets. Crossing the street is a hard fight. No one is going to stop, even if they see you on the pedestrian crossing with a child or a pram – the scooters will just try to pass you by. It’s even more different during rush hour – the scooters attack you on the pavements then!
When it comes alimentation and hygiene, we try to be cautious. We don’t give Maks street food or food from little joints that don’t look clean. I know that a lot of people love the street food in Asia, but I prefer rest assured. 🙂 I don’t want to put Maks’ mood at risk or fight with an illness, diarrhoea or vomit. I prefer to be cautious even if it costs a little bit more…
A NIGHTTRAIN WITH A 2-YEAR OLD!
In Vietnam we also had one of the most extreme of our trips – a night train trip from Hanoi to Sa Pa. No extra conveniences, a compartment for 4 and a single couchette for me and Maks. Well, I never took a night train in Poland or anywhere else and here we had such an opportunity! An adventure – that was our approach and that’s what we told Maks!
The trip wasn’t that great though. It took 12 hours instead of 8-9 and it was so shaky that even Maks, who doesn’t have motion sickness, complained about his stomach. For me it wasn’t much of a sleep because he was jostling and throwing me off the couchette! I prepared for the worst on our way back but the trip was much better – we arrived on time and Maks slept through most of it!
What do you need to take for such trip? Lots of milk in cartons if the child drinks, because it is more convenient than mixing, pouring etc. Also, some crisps, fruits, maybe a sandwich of some sort? Obligatory sandwiches for parents, something sweet to survive, something to nibble on (you can buy delicious salted almonds on the marketplace in Sa Pa!!), cola or… beer! A computer, a book, something to draw on for the little one (if you’re waiting for the train to finally leave after awakening) and the irreplaceable iPad! 😀
About Sa Pa – you really should pay a visit. The night train is really worth the risk! Local, colourful tribes such as Hmong or Dao, little villages in the mountains, beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately November wasn’t the best time to go to Sa Pa. The following months as well. Rain, rain, rain. Therefore, if you’re going to Asia and expect only 30 degrees heat, remember to take a jacket, a beanie for the kid, an umbrella and a cover for the pram. Don’t take wellingtons! You can buy them on every stand by the street – they’re cheap and can make a great souvenir!!! 🙂
after 12 hours on a night train to Sa Pa – a bit tired!
CHILD’S ALIMENTATION:
We stopped worrying about the alimentation in South-East Asia after our trip to Thailand. Obviously, now Thailand seems like an unreachable ideal when it comes to the products quality, yoghurt, fruit and flavoured milks availability, but when it comes to the diversity of restaurants and other eateries to satisfy the little one’s hunger, Vietnam is quite alright.
We’ve eaten in small, cheap restaurants in Hanoi, in a Korean eatery, but also in some charming places that combine Vietnamese and French cuisine such as Madame Hien.
What’s there for a child? Rice obviosly! Cooked solo, fried with chicken and shrimps or with sauce. You can find the international children’s delicacy – western pastas in Old Quarter in Hanoi and even in far Sa Pa. Buy some bananas and tangerines from the market place for a dessert and everybody will be happy! 😀
PS. iPad or a smartphone of some kind is useful if you want to have a dinner almost for two! Most restaurants had WiFi connection and that’s how Peppa and other cartoons saved many of our evenings. 🙂
fried rice with chicken and shrimps – Madame Hien, hanoi
a moment of relaxation at the table
ENTERTAINMENT:
There was a lot of activities for Maks in Vietnam. I get the feeling that he can easily keep himself occupied anywhere in the world and therefore we don’t carry too many toys with us, even if it’s a short car trip… Lately, we started taking a bag of toy bricks for short trips, because there’s nothing more engaging for Maks and it lets his parents have an extra 30 minutes for lying down, reading or… blogging!
In Vietnam Maks only had the toys we managed to squeeze into our bags for a month long trip + what he managed to convince us to buy on our way. Not much altogether.
games for boys – in the Army Museum in Hanoi
for small and big boys
What did he like the most?
1) Army Museum in Hanoi and planes, tanks and old cars – every boy likes that!
2) decorative statues and ponds in nice restaurants in Hanoi. e.g. Madame Hien
3) handicraft of Sa Pa tribes – a colourful monkey sits by his bed until this day!
4) tangerines – he cared more about peeling them than about eating which surprised his nursery nanny after we returned
5) animals, animals especially….wait for it…”bisons” in Ta Pinh and Tavanh villages around Sa Pa
6) vaaaaaast areas to run around – especially around Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum museum or near Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi – favourite running tracks and some new acquaintances. 🙂
resting after running around – Hoan Kiem lake – Hanoi
a place to run around and play football
meeting in front of the Mausoleum
biology lesson in Ta Phin
wellingtons are a must in Sa Pa!
„bisons, bisons!”
you can play everywhere – especially in beloved Pan Pantaloni pants!
PS. Apart from the Visa situation, we didn’t have any bad experiences in Vietnam. Flights with Vietnam Airlines (Siem Reap to Hanoi, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok) were calm, timely and trouble-free. The food was delicious – not a single stomach problem. No running noses, even though it was cold and wet in Sa Pa. It’s a pity that we didn’t have more time (and a visa for a longer stay) to let Vietnam amaze us! 🙂
PS 2. So move on somewhere further than Polish mountains, Mazury or the seaside – there’s so many places to see and the kid is not a problem here
0 Comments