Hello, we are Thuong, Chris and Henry (3 years old boy) – a Canadian and Vietnamese family living in Hoi An for the past 4 years.
We live a simple life running the Yogi Mom Homestay, traveling in Southeast Asia, and teaching yoga (mom) and chess (dad) locally and online.
One of the benefits of running a homestay is that we get to welcome many families to Hoi An and help them make arrangements for their stay here. We’ve had children as young as five months travel internationally to stay with us, and naturally parents have many questions about what to expect, what to pack, what can and can’t be purchased locally, etc.
We thought it would be helpful to compile some of the most common questions we hear and share our perspective on bringing young children to Hoi An. So without further ado…
Q: How big is Hoi An, how do we get around, and what are the best areas to stay?
A: As residents, the area we commonly consider to be Hoi An and where we spend most time moving around falls between An Bang beach and Old Town, which is approximately 5km north to south. Within this area, there are many distinct parts of Hoi An offering unique landscapes and cultural experiences. These include the many beaches, the Tra Que vegetable village (a large area with many homestays and coffee shops), the vast and beautiful rice fields, and of course the Old Town. In our experience, family life tends to center around the beaches and rice fields, with the Old Town as more of a destination for day/night trips.
Nearly all locals (including expats) move around by gas or electric scooter. Bicycles are also popular, especially as Hoi An is basically flat, but are more weather and sun dependent. A $2.50 Grab car ride will basically bring you from any point to any point within the commonly visited areas of Hoi An. Check out our Homestay on Airbnb
Q: What do I do if my kid (or an adult) gets sick?
A: The short answer is that there are several English-speaking clinics and hospitals in Da Nang that can handle all your outpatient needs as well as short-term inpatient stays. These include Family Medical, VinMec and Hoan My Hospital.
The longer answer is that there are resources within Hoi An that can also be accessed easily in English. For one, we are lucky to have a French pediatrician, Dr. Jeremy from What’s Up Baby Doc, who lives full-time in Hoi An and takes house calls for a very reasonable fee. Another thing to know is that pharmacies in Vietnam are quite unlike Western pharmacies, in that almost all medications are available without prescription and for very low cost. If you know what medications you need you can generally just show up to a larger pharmacy and purchase it without issue.
Q: Should I vaccinate my child before visiting Vietnam?
A: This is of course a highly personal question and we don’t wish to impose a recommendation. If you are coming from North America or Europe and your child has already received their routine vaccinations, the most common advice we have heard from doctors abroad is to ensure your child is vaccinated for typhoid, hepatitis A and tuberculosis (BCG). These shots are all part of the routine childhood vaccination protocol for children born in Vietnam today but may not be included in your home country protocol.
Q: Is tap water safe?
A: Households in Hoi An generally get their water supply from the municipality or a deep water well, depending on where you live. It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask your landlord or property manager.
Our family has city water and we have no concerns using tap water for bathing, brushing teeth, and preparing rice, but we never drink it even if boiled. We always drink reverse-osmosis distilled water that we get delivered in 20L bottles for about $2 a bottle.
When we go to restaurants, we feel safe drinking the house water or tea that is served to us, and we do not stress about ice.
Q: How food friendly is Hoi An for kids? Is the street food safe?
A: Hoi An is a culinary destination and the food is fantastic! If your child is very picky, there are plenty of Western eateries serving standard fare. But let’s be honest, you didn’t come to Hoi An to eat burgers and fries. The street food is amazing and generally clean and fresh, but obviously use judgment to make sure everything passes the eye test.
Our son eats both Western and Vietnamese food, but his favorite foods are mostly local dishes: Hoi An chicken rice, beef pho noodles, banh mi sandwiches, and banh xeo (Vietnamese rice pancakes, pan-fried, served with pork or shrimp). Be sure to try the two types of specialty noodles local to Hoi An – My Quang and Cao Lau.
The two main tips we will share for children are to 1) always request non-spicy (even non-English speaking staff will understand hand-waving and ‘no-spicy’) and 2) always request no sugar when ordering beverages. Even fresh squeezed orange juice will often have a shot of sugar syrup added if you don’t request no sugar.
Q: How’s the weather? I heard Hoi An has a rainy season – should be avoid visiting at that time?
A: Hoi An has three seasons, spring, summer, and wet. The spring and wet seasons are our favorite, and we usually try to travel a little bit during the summer when it is too hot.
The wet season roughly spans from October through February, but this does not mean that it is always wet! October and November are generally ideal weather, when temperatures have cooled and skies are slightly cloudy which brings relief from the UV. From time to time, once every couple of weeks, there could be a thunderstorm, tropical storm or even a typhoon, which might mean anywhere from 1-3 days of rain and some flash flooding. From December through February, the storms are generally gone, but light rain occurs somewhat frequently, and it’s common for days to have a mix of sun and shower. At times, there could be 2-3 days of near constant drizzle or light rain; local residents put on a poncho and get on with it.
The spring is the best season, from March through early May. The weather is warm to hot and generally without rain.
Summer stretches from late-May through September. It is hot and humid and people adjust their lifestyle to schedule their activities in the morning before 10:00 and after 4:00 in the afternoon (it’s great beach weather, but not at midday as the UV is too high). Many people choose to take an afternoon nap after lunch or just lay low at home for a few hours.
Q: What should I bring? Should I pack a stroller? A car seat?
A: Here’s what you should not bring: your maximum luggage allowance stuffed with a month’s supply of nappies, common medications, extra clothes, snacks, etc. Almost everything you will commonly need is easily available in Hoi An. If you can’t buy it locally, you can order it online and have it delivered to your door in less than two days. This includes essential items like baby formula. Pack light, and save space for the many things you’re going to want to bring back home with you.
A stroller in Hoi An (or really, in most of Vietnam) has only limited utility, as most places do not have proper sidewalks and it’s not a very pedestrian friendly place with so many bikes zooming around. If you will be staying in the rice fields, it might get some use strolling through the beautiful walking paths, but if you’re planning to be mostly by the beach or in Old Town, I would leave the stroller behind.
For children under 2, what you really want is a backpack/chest harness where you can carry your child on your front or back. This is great not only for walking, but also provides a flexible option if you are riding on a scooter or in a car.
Q: I’m worried about bringing my infant to Vietnam. Will it be too difficult?
A: Traveling with an infant is never easy, and you know your child best. What I will say is that raising our son in his infant years was an absolute joy in Hoi An. Everywhere we went, people wanted to help. Walk into a restaurant and there’s a fair chance the staff will come over to coddle your child, ask whether they can hold them, or even offer to watch them for a few moments while you drink your coffee and finish your breakfast. It’s definitely a perspective changing experience to have people you don’t know come up to you and ask to hold your child, but it comes from a place of deep love for children.
There are numerous baby goods shops in town and local delivery to your door is easily arranged. Most restaurants have high chairs to accommodate dining.
Stay With Us in Our Hoi An Homestay
Our 3 story, 5-bedroom home is nestled away quietly in the rice fields of Cam Chau, 10 minutes from the beach and 15 minutes to historic Old Town.
We are looking to host traveling families throughout the year on the third floor of our home.
The space has two full-sized bedrooms, each with queen-size bed, en suite bathroom/shower, and a private balcony with rice field view. There is also a well-lit working desk and laundry facilities.
Our house also has a yoga studio (which doubles as a playroom) which you are welcome to share with us.
Our priority is to connect with like-minded families and share experiences, make connections, and learn from each other. As long-term residents of Hoi An, we will be happy to open up our community to ensure you have a great stay here.
Please contact us for more information.
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