Family-Friendly Travel Destinations: Vietnam [家庭旅行记：越南]

By Trevor Marshallsea

In our 'Family-Friendly Travel Destinations' series, we highlight the best trips for you to take with your kids. This week, Trevor tells Urban Family what his family liked most about visiting Vietnam and why your family should visit.

If a holiday is supposed to end on a high, which suggests it started from a somewhat lower point, then I planned Vietnam like a genius. After a horrific experience at an airport hotel in Hanoi (I won't say it's the worst hotel I've stayed in, but it is), the rest of Vietnam experience was superb.

The Famiana Resort on Phu Quoc Island was marvellous, with all you need for a relaxing week at a resort: a nice beach (even for this Australian beach snob), including inflatable play structures for the kids, a good pool, lovely grassed grounds, and superb Vietnamese food all day, as well as the French-influenced wine and cheese list.
Phu Quoc - best known as the home of fish sauce - is an unsung gem of Southeast Asia, where you'll find a vibrant village and market and a thriving pearl trade. While our snorkelling day trip was underwhelming (crowded, and not much to see), the island is recommended as a developing location, and with a sparkling new airport.

Hanoi had changed greatly in 10 years. My wife kept insisting we should get to the Old Town. I kept insisting we were already in it. There's a lot more bustle these days, but that's a sight in itself. You watch, and dodge, regiments of motor scooters charging down roads five abreast, while you buy your charming and cheap wares, from silk tablecloths to ceramics and wooden bowls.
Again, the food was stupendous; we had pho coming out our ears. Besides a range of fine to very local eating options, the Old Town also has many interesting art shops that sell compelling old propaganda posters.
No visit to Hanoi would be complete without seeing its famous (and slightly odd) water puppets. We day-tripped out of town to see silk and pottery production, which was engrossing for the kids. One night I took one daughter to a performance of 'Beethoven's 9th' in the Hanoi Opera House, a charming miniature of the Paris Opera, which was a great though not very 'Asian' thing to do.

We ended (on that high) at UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay. It's crowded but a must-see, for the staggering sight of limestone karsts rising from the sea, and to witness the water-based lives of the inhabitants. The sight of their kids operating motorboats to get home from school had ours in awe. Dau Go and other caves are well worth a look.
For its cultural diversity, natural beauty, food and relative economical value, I'd rank Vietnam as my favorite Southeast Asian destination – regardless of the airport hotels.

TipsInsider tip: Avoid Hanoi airport hotels
Best age group: 7-12 years
Travel time from Shanghai: 3 hours
Suggested minimum stay: 7 nights

> More Family-Friendly Travel Destinations online, click 'read more' at the bottom.

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如果你和我一样，假期开始的时候一直过得索然无味，但在接近尾声时想留个愉快的念想，那么去越南旅行简直是我做过最天才的计划。除了在河内一家机场酒店的糟糕体验之外（我不想说这是最糟糕的，但的确没有更糟），越南之旅简直无与伦比。
如果想要轻轻松松地待上一周，富国岛上的法米亚那度假酒店（Famiana Resort）一定是不二之选：一个完美的海滩（即便是身为澳洲、对沙滩挺挑剔的我来说，也得承认），还有一些供孩子们玩耍的气垫装备，一个不错的游泳池，旁边的草坪也打理的得当，当然，全天候供应的越南美食和法式葡萄酒以及各类奶酪让人无法挑剔。
因鱼露而出名的富国岛似是东南亚的一颗遗珠，但热闹吵嚷的本土集市和日渐盛兴的珍珠交易更常常令旅客驻足。虽然我们白天在这座拥挤的岛屿上穿梭，也没有什么壮观的风景，但是作为一个发展中的区域，还是非常推荐大家前来。岛上目前还正在筹建新的飞机场。

过去10年间，河内发生了翻天覆地的变化。我的妻子坚持要到老城区一游，而我坚持说服她：我们已经在老城区里了。显然，现在这里要比以前热闹得多，但这本身也是一番特别的景象。任你眼观六路，身手敏捷的躲开摩托车大军，然后在买完几轮物美价廉的货物（丝绸桌布和陶瓷碗、木碗之类的）后，却发现又有4辆摩托车与你并驾齐驱了。

说到吃，必须再次重申，实在是太美味了；我们的胃都快装不下越南粉了。除了各式各样的当地美味餐厅，老城区还有不少艺术商品店卖以前的宣传画报，非常有意思。

到了河内怎么能错过最著名（也稍微有点诡异）的水傀儡。我们上午出城去参观了丝绸和陶器产品，孩子们最爱这个了。有天晚上我带了两姐妹中的一个去河内歌剧院看《贝多芬第九号交响曲》。这个看似有点像迷你版巴黎歌剧院的建筑看起来虽美，但感觉和“亚洲味”不甚融合。

此行的愉快念想要数造访位列世界文化遗产之一的下龙湾。就冲着从海面上升起的蜿蜒不齐的喀斯特地貌和见识依水而居的当地住民生活，游客再多也是非常值得一去的。看到当地的孩子们骑着摩托车从学校奔驰回家，我们甚是敬佩。除了最出名的藏木洞，还有许多其他洞穴也值得一看。

从文化多样性，自然风光，饮食和消费水平等方面考虑，我觉得越南是我最喜欢的东南亚旅行地——机场酒店，就不去说他了。

贴士亲测建议: 不要住河内机场酒店
最佳随行年龄段（孩子）: 7——12岁
从上海出发（历时）: 3小时
最佳旅行天数: 至少一周

> 更多全家旅行分享，请点击下方“阅读更多”

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