Family holiday: Thailand/vietnam

[zippyswife]

Considering and pricing up a once in a lifetime holiday with the kids 9,12,14 to Thailand/vietnam next Easter. I always try to do things on a budget do this would be no different. Would like somewhere not too busy/touristy but with enough to do- night markets, beaches, temples… any recommendations?

i don’t know if such a place exists but ideally a hotel with a pool which had some organised games on in the day so the boys can burn off some energy and not complain of being bored! But not sure if that’s more of a campsite thing!!

Surely the children are old enough to entertain themselves

Budget?
Water sports ?
What other sightseeing are you interested in?

@PickledPurplePickle you would have thought so but eldest has ADHD and can get harder work if not occupied.

budget 10k max (not sure if this is even achievable on this budget)

We are pretty active so trekking, adventure, water sports, but also beach/pool, not interested in nightlife other than the markets really. Pre kids when we went to Thailand we just enjoyed driving round to non-touristy fishing villages etc and exploring like that so maybe a bit of similar.

I'm also thinking of Vietnam for a family holiday next Easter and trying to work out what is doable in 2 weeks. I've done an advanced search and there are quite a few threads with advice on with potential routes and activities- boat trips, cooking courses and the like. That's as far as I've got though!

I'd suggest Hoi An in Vietnam. Lovely food, stunning old town and markets, beaches nearby, cultural day trips possible to Hue, etc.
You might want to do a two or three centre holiday? Hanoi/Halong Bay also worth visiting. HoChiMin was good too, war museum was thought provoking, good markets, day trips to mekong delta, war tunnels.

@turtletum sounds like a good place for me to start researching- thank you

I'd look at a multi centre trip starting in the north of Vietnam in Hanoi and taking the train to Hoi A then onto Ho Chi Min city before heading across to Cambodia to Ankar Wat. Not necessarily in that order though. If you want a tour look are trialfinders for inspiration, also the coop travel have some excellent options, we booked through them this year. Can't recommend a specific hotel as mine are older

You would need to check suitability for the dc but something like this and bolt on a hotel beach resort?

www.trailfinders.com/tours/south-east-asia/vietnam/tour-cambodia-experience

Remember they don't include flights

I second Hoi an - lots to great restaurants, temples, nice little shops, markets and good value hotels. Easy to combine Hue. Hanoi is good for markets, water puppet theatre, temples. HCMC- interesting museums, cu chi tunnels are fascinating and you can access on a river trip which is great as traffic can be horrendous.
I have been to Vietnam many times and always had a fabulous time.
Vespa adventures would be fun for your dcs too.

I was googling Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam trips last night. Totally crazy prices for organised tours but having watched Race Across the World we're confident we can just fly and then semi rough it/backpack for the budget and adventure!
I didn't get far but plan on using the organised tours as a way to build a bit of an itinerary to then price up independent travel for a week/10 days with a 3-4 day beach stay to relax before heading home. I'm looking further ahead so my kids will be 15 & 13. I'm hoping that the 'traveling' element would negate any restlessness and boredom!

You can definitely do Vietnam for significantly less than tour op prices. Overnight trains are a good way to travel but do spend more for nicer sleeper carriage. Internal flights can be fairly reasonable too. We did a mix of hostels, hotels and home stays (B&Bs).

I'd suggest starting in HCM, with around 3 days in each location, finishing in Hanoi and Halong Bay cruise.

I would go to trailfinders and ask their advice. They will discuss it with you and plan an itinerary based on your ideas. I found them excellent and did decide to use them and booked a holiday to Thailand (which we didnt go on for unrelated reasons) but you are in no way beholden to them. It really helped me as i was clueless. It cost about £9500 . this was for july 2024 for 4 people to bangkok, chiang mai and koh samui in good accomodation for 12 nights. I booked an elephant experince too but the other excursions i booked with khanom travel

I've not booked with them as I tend to travel independently, but I like the stubborn mule website for family itinerary ideas. Stubborn Mule Travel - Worldwide Family Holiday Specialists
Do you really need a hotel with organized games if you are going to Thailand/Vietnam? Won't you be out doing/seeing stuff? With a bit of relaxing by the pool too when you're done?

Viet Jet is good value for internal flights. I have also done the overnight sleeper from Hanoi to Sapa. Hiring a car and driver is also good value- we did this from Hoi An to Hue.

Its a fairly well beaten path from Hanoi to HCMC. Seat61 has all you need to know about the trains if you are considering doing it yourself. If you want to go beyond Vietnam, there is no train from Saigon to Phnom Penn but the website tells you about it here. I have also had repeated successes with Rome2Rio: discover how to get anywhere if youre game for buses.

Southern VN: HCMC, Mekong Delta…
Central VN: Danang, Hoian…
Northern VN: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa or Ninh Binh…