We're planning on spending 2 weeks in Vietnam this summer. In the past, we've spent the summer vacation in Thailand (Bangkok and Samui) - we want to try somewhere different this year.

Now we are thinking of Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa, Hoi An...a combination of these places, perhaps not all of them. Can anyone recommend kid friendly hotels and sights...or other places in Vietnam that are great? We'll have 2 weeks, no jet lag.

Thanks! Kim

I am a college student, so I don't know about kid-friendly hotels.

However, I don't think you should go to Sapa with a 6 years old. I went there on a weekend tour last summer and it required a lot of walking on mountainous terrains. It wasn't a good tour, anyway. A good visit to Sapa will require much more walking, climbing and riding on motorbikes.

You should definitely visit Hanoi and Ha Long. My co-worker took her 2-year old daughter to Ha Long for a few days last summer, so I guess it is a kid-friendly place. While in Hanoi, you can make day trips to places like Huong Pagoda, Thay pagoda and the handicraft villages around Hanoi.

I'd suggest you also visit Hoi An and Hue. This year, the Hue 2004 Festival, the national festival, will be held on June 12-19th, so if you can go during this time, it'll be a lot of fun.

If you have time, you should also visit Da Nang. There are very nice beaches there.

Have fun and feel free to ask me more questions. (A bit about myself: I am originally from Vietnam and just went back there last summer so hopefully I'll be able to answer your questions regarding sightseeing in Vietnam)

Thank you for the information. As is typical with us, we have changed our plans at least 10 times since I posted, and will probably change them at least 10 more times! The plan of the moment is to go to the states for a month during August, and travel closer to home in Asia over New Year's holidays.

I would like to hear more about Sapa...as it's the place that sounds most appealing to us, including my daughter. She loves walking, running, sports...she's strong and non-complaining about physical exertion (unlike me ). Is the only concern for kids the hiking/trekking issue or is there some other reason you wouldn't bring a child to Sapa? Actually, she'll be 7 by that time too, not that it makes a difference. She loves the idea of the overnight train (Victoria Express) to Sapa.

I've seen some posts (here or elsewhere, can't remember exactly where) that the beaches are terribly dirty with lots of garbage and such. Did you find that to be the case? I'm accustomed to trashy beaches, as it is the norm in Japan, but would prefer to spend holidays at a beach that I didn't have to worry about going barefoot on. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

I highly recommend the Furama Resort as a home base in Central Vietnam. Although 'kid friendly' is not quite part of Vietnam's tourist trade lexicon, the hotel would be very nice for a family and is only 30-50 minutes north of Hoi An and within a day trips reach of Hue. See http://www.furamavietnam.com/

Physical exertion was my only worry about bringing a child to Sapa. But if your daughter loves hiking, climbing and trekking, then you should definitely bring her to Sapa. I personally love that place a lot. The view is breathtaking. It's worth the long trip up there. You should make time to visit the ethnic tribes, too.

I found most of the beaches in Da Nang and central Viet Nam to be quite clean. I think the dirty beaches that people talk about are in Vung Tau and Long Hai (a bit farther south) but the situation has improved quite a bit there, too. I also agree with Dave about Furama. It's a very very very nice resort. You definitely should stay there if you are going to be in central Viet Nam.

Thank you both for your recommendations. I looked at Furama's website and it does look nice.