Ho Chi Minh City with Kids: A Family Guide to Surviving and Loving Saigon

Why do we travel so much? For us, it’s about feeling alive and exploring environments that stand in stark contrast to our everyday lives. We are particularly drawn to the vibrant, chaotic cities of Southeast Asia. If you are planning a multi-country trip, be sure to check out our comprehensive South East Asia guide for families featuring our top 10 favorite destinations.

Returning to Vietnam in 2026 was a deeply personal journey. I first fell in love with this country back in 2006, captivated by its rawness. This time, however, we weren’t solo backpackers—we were a family of four with two children under the age of five.

Traveling with toddlers is exhausting, and quite frankly, we weren’t mentally prepared for the high-octane energy of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), also known as Saigon.

Returning to Vietnam: From Solo Traveler to Family of Four

Vietnam is a country I fell in love back in 2006, there was a rawness and messiness that fascinated me. I was hoping the country and people didn’t disappoint this time round, when we returned with our two young daughters. Of course I knew this time it would be an altogether different experience.

I won’t lie, travel with two children under the age of five is tiring and stressful at times. After having   some down time over Christmas in Penang, Malaysia and we felt ready to pack our bags and be on the move again. That being said, I’m not sure we were prepared mentally for the busy metropolis of Saigon also known as HCMC.

Where to Stay: Avoiding the “Shoebox” Trap

We landed in the early evening tired and irritable, but happy to be exploring a new city and country. Our accommodation was booked very last minute, a family room in small hostel, the Saigon Bed Station Hostel, just outside the main tourist district. The hostel wasn’t really suitable for families, the room was a shoe box, with no where for our energy filled toddlers to play, but we had booked two nights here and were determined to make the most of it.

To our delight though the location of our hostel was a blessing in disguise, we had managed to end up in a very local neighbourhood, with no tourist restaurants within a 100m radius. This was the sort of travel Marco and loved and often craved. When we walked out of our hostel and were hit with that excited and slightly uneasy feeling, where you didn’t really know what to expect, but it’s important to just use your instincts and explore.

Authentic Pho and Toddler Tantrums

Eating is a national pass time in Saigon – amongst the fast paced life and business, we found a village type atmosphere which was so welcoming, and an unexpected surprise in such a huge sprawling city.

Maya rushed across the lane to see a little baby sat with his mother on fruit stall. Her curiosity is always leaves me with my heart in my mouth. I know we only have ourselves to blame, we were creating two little explorers they are being conditioned with all this travel. 

Our first few hours in the city, was the usual combination of confusion and discovery, the excitement of seeing a new city a new country was present, but the tiredness of our journey creeping was also there  and tempers were fraying. As we sat down for our first meal the famous Pho noddle soup. 

Now, I’m not talking about any Pho, this particular restaurant was the real deal- how did I know you may well ask? Well when a restaurant has one whole room dedicated to boiling the meat broth with five huge vats boiling away. The other big give away, was the basket of fresh green leaves piled on each table, ready to be added to your bowl of meaty broth and noodles. Of course I had high expectations and it didn’t disappoint. You could tell the broth had been slowly simmering for hours it had that intense but smooth flavour, I sipped the broth and could feel it slowly nourishing my body.

Whilst trying to enjoy this delicious authentic dish I wrangled the kids. I was so intent on enjoying our first night in Vietnam we could’t have chosen a more authentic place for first night.

Sadly, Maya had other ideas and her tiredness had taken over and full on tantrum was brewing, yes, these were the bad moments of travel with small kids. Emotions cannot be hidden and children don’t wait to be behind closed doors. The screaming and shouting started and we had to contain her as the tables were so tightly packed together and full of greenery and chopsticks and various forms of chillie, I was worried she was going to knock everything on the floor.

So instead of enjoying our pho, in a calm and leisurely manner sucking up the atmosphere, I gulped it down. So we had to end our evening rather abruptly and get back to our shoe box room to sleep.

Exploring the Narrow Lanes and Local Seafood in Ho Chi Minh City

Our second night in Vietnam we had more success with the girls, again our hostel was a blessing in disguise being in such a local neighbourhood. Before dinner we decided to wander the narrow lanes and see what we could learn with the hope of stumbling upon a good place to eat.

Our biggest obstacle and danger was dodging scooters, who really didn’t care much for pedestrians, the trick was to keep moving if you stop you confuse them (if you’re heading there, you definitely need to read our guide on the art of crossing the road in Saigon!). As we wandered the narrow lanes and back streets, we got a real glimpse of how people lived.As we wandered the narrow lanes and back streets we got a real glimpse of how people lived. There was a whole street of tiny one room dwellings no bigger than a store cupboard. 1.5 metres by 2metres, we saw elderly couples and even young families of four living in these tiny spaces. I noted how they were all spotlessly clean and tidy, the lucky ones had a small mezzanine upstairs. It was surprising how well they made them work and seemed to be very functional.

After wondering, down a narrow lane, we realized we had done a full circuit and were back near our hostel. We had decided to follow our noses and heard some loud music and bustling of people coming from an inner court yard.  We wandered into the court yard and realized they were serving seafood, there were big counters full of ice filled with prawns and shellfish. It was packed with local people most young professionals, with thought it must be good if its so busy.

After sitting down, at the standard tiny plastic kids size chairs and stainless steel table, 3 waitresses rushed over to help us. The menu was only in Vietnamese, but it did have photos of the dishes, so with a lot of help from our band of waitresses and some sign language, we weren’t sure exactly what we had ordered, but were expecting a surprise.

The food arrived quickly and it seems our order had got lost in translation, as  about half the dishes on the menu were brought out. But after the first mouthful we didn’t want to to send anything back, everything was melt your mouth delicious, from the perfectly cooked squid in a delicate sweet chili sauce, to clams cooked in their shells with crushed peanut sprinkled over the top. Then there was the clam and rice soup that we had ordered for the girls, but we Marco and I ended up eating nearly all of it.

At the end of the meal every last scrap was eaten and we even mopped up all the sauces with delicious French bread they make all over Vietnam. We had a great culinary introduction to Saigon, and had set the bar high for other delights we would be tasting during our stay.

Quick Tips for Saigon with Toddlers

• Transport: Use the Grab app for car rides to avoid the heat and traffic stress.
• Food: Look for restaurants with high turnover and fresh herbs on the table. Read also our guide of the Top 10 Street Foods in South East Asia.
• Safety: Keep a firm grip on little hands near the busy roads!

If you’re still deciding if Vietnam is right for your next trip, check out our 8 reasons to visit Southeast Asia for more inspiration.

Watch: Our Ho Chi Minh City Family Travel Vlog

In Part 1 of our Saigon travel series, we go beyond the local neighborhood and head into District 1. We explore the central markets, visit the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, and give you a real look at the ‘backpacker district.’ Whether you are planning a family trip to Vietnam or are just curious about the local street food scene, we hope this vlog gives you a taste of the vibrant energy that defines Ho Chi Minh City.