Ahhh I remember the trip I took with my baby in tow to the wonderful place known as Vietnam. I must admit I thought it would be quite difficult to do and while it had its ups and downs it did turn out to be a great trip.
There was so much to do and so much to see . Not to mention the array of street food options that we had to choose from while we visited. And my child didn’t have a difficult time adjusting to being around so many people at one time.
But while I have nothing bad to say about our visit to Vietnam I must give parents some advice when they think about taking their child to Vietnam. Hopefully, these tips will help you to prepare properly before heading over there.
Don’t be alarmed it’s not advice that is meant to scare you away from visiting. It is merely advice that parents should use to map out there visit and be aware of exactly what you need to take with you as you head out of the country and into Vietnam.
Without further ado, here are the tips and little pieces of information that I have to offer to all my world traveling families!
For the love of babies
If you thought Americans loved babies and all of their roles and their cute cheeks then you’ve absolutely never visited Vietnam. These are people that love themselves some babies and children in general.
Now living in the states it is common for people to bend over your stroller and comment on how entirely adorable your child is. They may even go as far as to tickle a toe or two while they are peeping into the carriage. This will be nothing compared to what you will experience when you are overseas.
You should prepare yourself for everyone to want to interact with your baby when they see them. They will want to pinch their cheeks, make faces, talk to them, and if they are old enough they may even want to play with your child for a little while.
People will want to hold the baby and walk around with them sometimes they will even give them candy. If this makes you uncomfortable smile politely and keeps walking, but be aware Vietnamese people are very friendly and mean no harm, they just can’t help their love of babies.
Red light green light
Traffic in Vietnam is crazier than a driver with road rage in New York. Traffic works as well as the way water flows around oil it simply flows. There’s not much stop and go just constant movement of traffic.
If your worried about traffic remember that people in Vietnam pride themselves on not hitting anything. Therefore when taking traffic on if you see a gap run for it. Now with a child, this can be potentially scary so make sure you follow a few simple rules before stepping into traffic.
Look both ways before crossing the street and when you find a lull in the traffic begin your trek across the street. See crossing the street in Vietnam is about finding a lull in traffic all the way across until you get to the other side.
Or you could just wait for a local to walk across the street and stay as close to them as possible. They may find your apprehension to cross the street funny, but in general, they will do their best to help you get across safely.
Bottled water
No offense to those that live in Vietnam, but it is not recommended that you drink water from the tap while you are visiting. This is because the water is not particularly clean and you can get sick if you choose to consume it.
Becoming sick during vacation can easily ruin the trip altogether. Bottled water is very cheap in Vietnam so it’s better to be safe than sorry and spend a few dollars purchasing bottled water for all your drinking and teeth brushing needs.
This is with the exception of ice. If you notice that the ice is being made in a machine then it is perfectly okay to have ice added to your beverage to keep it cold.
Tea is an alternative
When you visit a restaurant here in the states you’ll notice that water is free. While tea and other soft drinks may cost you upwards of $2.53. When you visit Vietnam opt to drink tea because most restaurants there offer tea do diners for free.
But the whole tea is free the use of napkins is not free. You will be charged by the restaurant for the use of napkins just like everyone else will be. They give you your napkins wrapped in plastic-like to go silverware usually is.
Street food
You should do your best to attempt to eat as many of the street food as you possibly can. There are so many wonderful smells and flavors that you can enjoy as you watch the food being cooked right there in front of you.
If the food has water on it make sure to brush that off and for safety measures because you are traveling with children to ensure that your vegetables are cooked. By doing this it will guarantee that all the germs are killed.
Rip-offs
Because you are a tourist and are not accustomed to traveling and spending money in Vietnam businesses will try to rip you off. So before you head overseas make sure you brush up on a general sense of what the rates are overseas.
And when you get there ask your hotel receptionists and other guests about sensible prices when it comes to things like clothes and cabs.
Baby gear
You shouldn’t travel with a ton of things in tow because you can always stop at a convenience store for things like disposable diapers and wipes. They are fairly cheap to purchase there and if you’re concerned about baby food you can also find those at the store as well.
Although the brand of food might be slightly different from what you used to purchase. And if your still not entirely sure about the baby gear you can find any gear for baby here.
Valuables
Earlier we did say that the people of Vietnam are very friendly people. And this is mostly true, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on your valuables. You don’t need to walk around paranoid about being robbed, but we do advise you be aware of your surroundings and keep your things close.
You can feel safe leaving your passport with the hotel that you are staying at. This is convenient because by law police have to know where you are due to the strict conservative rules of the country.
Also when you go out for the day to try to only take the amount of cash that you need for the day with you. Other than the usual awareness that you would have when you are in the states try to enjoy the trip.