Vietnam and Cambodia for the insane

Call us insane but we are planning a trip for our family of seven (kids aged 4, 8, 10, 14 and 16). My wife and I have travelled extensively around South East Asia but never with all the kids.

The plan at this very very early stage looks something like this.

Hanoi
Ha Long Bay
Nha Trang
Dalat
Ho Chi Minh
Kampong Cham
Siem Reap
Bangkok

I know there's a couple of places we're skipping but we've been to Central Vietnam and Phnom Penh, and we can't fit every thing in.

Any suggestions, tips and recommendations would be appreciated. Also love to hear from anyone who has dealt with the logistics of travelling with five kids.

Thanks

We spent a month in Cambodia last year and three weeks in Vietnam. Both were really easy countries to travel in with kids and I think you will have a wonderful time.

You haven't mentioned how many weeks your trip will be? Are you planning on flying some of those distances or catching the train/bus?

We actually preferred Cambodia to Vietnam. It was a lot easier in Cambodia to find people who spoke English well, pharmacies were easier to find, the kids liked the local food better, travel distances were smaller and towns/cities was quieter. It probably didn't help that we were silly enough to visit Vietnam at the height of their summer when it was ridiculously hot and humid. Sightseeing when it's 42 degrees and 90% humidity is not a lot of fun! But just logistics wise we found Cambodia easier and more fun with the kids.

If you are going overland from Ho Chi Minh, perhaps look at a southern route around Tonle Sap to Siem Reap rather than through Kampong Cham. We really enjoyed Kampot/Kep for the quiet villages, caves to explore and lazy days on the river, Battambang for the bamboo train and learning how rice paper/stickyrice/silk is made and of course Siem Reap. It's a longer route than the one you are planning so it may not work but we really enjoyed these places.

Good luck deciding!

If you have a couple of months to spare, then it looks like a good itinerary. But it will be hard work otherwise, with all those kids! How much time do you have?

We have travelled quite a bit with our 5 children,how wonderful it is and now I am sad it has come to an end as we have 3 that now have left school and working.We spent Dec/Jan in Vietnam and Cambodia with our 5 ,much preferred Cambodia,less tourists and more laid back,sooo loved siem reap even though it is one of the most visited sights in the world,it retains such charm and friendliness,I see you are also an Aussie,we live in Sth East QLd so feel free to PM me and we could swap phone numbers,Happy planning,kindest cheers,Carol.