This list is directed toward expats moving to Vietnam with toddlers, however you may find it a useful starting point for other destinations. In July 2012, my husband and I moved from the US to Vietnam with our 18-month-old son. Here are some of the things we’re glad we packed OR we wish that, Read More

When booking family vacations, I obsess over finding good value accommodation that’s both interesting for adults and practical with young children. I found Van Lan Riviera Villas on Agoda, where it had high ratings but only 3 reviews, one of which was in German. The property had no website and no contact email listed,, Read More

An Bang Beach is about a 10-minute drive from Hoi An. With older kids, you could take bicycles, however I decided to save my two-year-old’s “sun time” for the beach as the road from Hoi An to An Bang doesn’t offer much shade. A taxi ride should cost between 100,000 VND ($5) and 150,000VND, Read More

We had booked a family vacation to Hoi An before my husband tore his ACL and ended up spending school vacation in Bangkok for surgery. It was going to cost too much to change the tickets to another date when we could all go, and nobody was interested in buying them, so I asked, Read More

Yesterday was the first day of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam, so we ventured out to the city center in Saigon to see what people were doing. The roads were quiet. It took about half the time it usually does to get to the corner of Truong Dinh St. and Nguyen Thi Minh, Read More

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and our Vietnamese friends and neighbors are busy celebrating Tet. At our son’s preschool, they had a colorful Tet celebration. Our nanny bought Gabriel a traditional silk ao dai. The kids also practiced dancing with dragon costumes. Many people travel during Tet to go, Read More

Our favorite activity when we visited Nha Trang was visiting Thap Ba Hot Springs. Although the name “Thap Ba” can refer to an entire area where thermal spa treatments are available, THE Thap Ba Hot Springs at 15 Ngoc Son, Ngoc Hiep, is a specific place with very large facilities, several pools, and many, Read More

During our December break we went to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s south central coast. It was a one-hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City, and definitely worth the trip. Here are some photos to show you what kind of things you can do during a family vacation in Nha Trang. The photo above is, Read More

Our school will be going on 3 day/2 night field trips in April, and I’ll be chaperoning the upperclassmen. I’d like to connect our trip to ecotourism and/or oral storytelling, so I’ve spent some time browsing for tour companies that offer homestays and hold to principles of ethical and responsible travel. Here are some, Read More