A family trip is a different trip

Every trip below can run with children; the day trips from Saigon suit ages five and up, the longer routes are built with short drives and at least one beach or pool stop.

We pick family hotels for the afternoon rather than the lobby. That means a pool deep enough to be fun and shaded enough to use, connecting rooms or a suite rather than an extra bed squeezed in, and a location where you can walk to dinner. In Hoi An that points to the river villages outside the old town; in Saigon to District 3 or Thao Dien; on Phu Quoc to the calmer beaches rather than the busiest strip. Tier 2 hotels cover this well in most places, and it is one of the few themes where we sometimes push a family towards Tier 3 for one base in the middle.

Food is rarely the problem parents expect. Vietnamese cooking puts the chilli on the table rather than in the pot, so most dishes arrive mild. Rice, noodle soup, grilled pork, spring rolls, pancakes and a great deal of fruit are all easy wins. Our guides order “không cay” — not spicy — as a reflex, and they know which stalls are clean enough to take a seven-year-old.

On health: see a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you leave for vaccinations and advice. Dengue is carried by day-biting mosquitoes, so repellent in the afternoon matters more than at night. Sunburn and dehydration are the complaints we actually see, and both are about hats, water and not being outside at noon.

• Passports valid for six months beyond your return date, for everyone including babies.
• Travel insurance that names every child and covers medical evacuation.
• A travel clinic appointment six to eight weeks ahead.
• A lightweight booster seat if your children still need one.
• Sun hats, high-factor sun cream and a repellent suitable for the youngest age in the party.
• A list of what each child will and will not eat, sent to us so the guide has it on day one.