I just got back from leading a grade 12 field trip to Hoi An, Danang and Lang Co Beach. Our whole school goes on 4-day field trips, and this year I served as Field Trip Coordinator. It was hectic getting students signed up and working with other trip leaders to plan the itineraries, but, Read More
Vietnam’s tourism industry is booming. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism recently revealed that 658,325 international travelers flew into Vietnam in July alone, representing an increase of 28.5% from the same period during the year before. Travelers from other China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan made up the bulk of the country’s visitors. It, Read More
I’m often contacted by people wondering what to pack for a move to Vietnam. Here is a list to get you started. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find a printable, editable Excel sheet packing list you can use. If you’re moving abroad with a toddler, check out my more extensive list of, Read More
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
I’ve been to the U.K. three times as a budget traveler, but during all of those trips, I was single and spent my time at hostels. However, since we now have a two-year-old son, we’d now be looking for family friendly destinations that won’t eat up our entire annual travel budget in a week., 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