Senior Travel in Vietnam

Having more time and money than young people, senior people have better reasons and are more affordable to explore the world, especially to the places on their bucket list. Vietnam is a great destination for seniors: a safe environment, beautiful natural scenery, delicious food, profound culture, and long history, besides, respecting the elders is a traditional Vietnam virtue. Senior travelers will be well taken care of in Vietnam and enjoy a happy time in the journey.

To help the senior traveler to have a better travel experience and choose proper destinations, we have sorted out useful information in the following.

How to Choose Destinations

When choosing a destination in Vietnam, the senior traveler should consider three major factors: accommodation, transportation and altitude of a destination.

A good sleep will make you have enough energy for the next day and a comfortable bed is very important for those who have a well-accommodated hotels will definitely improve the travel experience. Except for the very remote places, most of destinations have starred hotels around them. Convenient transportation is very important in travel. For senior travelers, places where are reachable by flights and bullet trains are recommended. Flight and bullet train are more fast and more comfortable than other transportation means. Some remote place in western Vietnam can be only reached by coach, and travelers often spend more than five hours on the road. High altitude places like Phan-xi-Pang mountain are not suitable for senior people, and senior people are easy to have altitude sickness in these places.

From the above, when senior travelers choose destination in Vietnam, places with comfortable accommodation and convenient transportation are better choices. Destinations with severe environment and high altitude are suggested to be ruled out of the itinerary. Most cities in Vietnam, like Hanoi, Saigon, Danang, Hue, Hoian, and Halong Bay, etc. are all good destinations to experience Vietnam culture and natural scenery. While high altitude destinations like Hagiang, Mu-cang-Chai, etc. are not recommended for senior travelers.

For senior travelers, taking a cruise is also a good choice. The most popular cruise travel among senior travelers is Halong Bay Cruise, which has a slower travel pace and can save energy for the travelers. On the cruise ship, travelers don’t need to carry heavy luggage to find accommodation, and they can just enjoy the stunning scenery along Halong Bay and have a leisure time on the ship.

Best Travel Time

Vietnam shows different faces in each season, and every season has its own beauty. However, for senior travelers, it’s better to avoid the following time: winter (refer to the winter of Northern Vietnam) and Golden Week holidays.

In winter, temperature of the Northern Vietnam is quite low, normally below zero. Most northern cities, like Sapa and Hagiang will meet heavy snowfall during this period. There is no doubt that snow scenery is very beautiful, especially the snow scenes of most Phan-Xi-Pang Mountain, Mauson Peak, Mu-Cang-Chai. However, the cold weather is not good for senior people’s health.

Golden Week in Vietnam refer to the first weeks of the Vietnam lunar New Year (Spring Festival), May (Labor’s Day holiday) and October (National Day holiday). Vietnam will encounter its tourism peak during these times, and many attractions will be crowded by domestic tourists. Thus, it’s suggested to avoid these times and choose non-holiday time to visit Vietnam to avoid the crowds.

Private Tour or Group Tour (Bus Tour) ?

If you book a Vietnam tour package with us, you’ll enjoy a private tour, which means private guide and driver will work for you, and using private car service will make your trip more comfortable, flexible and enjoyable. Senior travelers are more suggested to choose private tour than group tour. Though group tour is more economical than private tour, however, travelers will share guide with other tourists, and long-distance bus is often used to transfer the group tour travelers. While private tour travelers can be well taken care of and their demands will be fully heard and satisfied by the private guide. Senior travelers are recommended with private tour to have a better travel experience and more comfortable and enjoyable tour.

Safety in Travel (Tips)

Safety should be firstly considered in travel for travelers, especially senior travelers. Due to physical limitations and being the numero uno on a thief’s hit list, senior travelers need to pay more attention to the safety in the travel.

Insurance

Travel insurance is very important for senior travelers who are easier to fall, get hurt and sick than young people, or need extra medication. Travel insurance usually costs about $10 ~ $20, not too much, but it can make sure you’ll be covered if something goes wrong.

Hotel

Hotel is a safe place and most people lock their valuables in the room when they go out. But for people with bad intentions can always find ways to unlock the room and steal the valuables. One tip to avoid this is that don’t hang the “clean my room” sign when you’re out. This sign will just tell other people you’re not in the room and give the thieves a hint knowing when to conduct the act of stealing. Travelers can call the front desk to ask the hotel send staff to clean the room when going out.

Food

Senior people have more sensitive tummies and many of them are restricted from sweet, spicy and greasy food. To maintain a good health condition, senior travelers are suggested to have light food in the travel. Vietnam food is delicious and varied in flavors; however, some of the cuisines are not suitable for senior people, like spicy Hanoi Cuisine and Hue Cuisine. Cold food, like ice cream and ice-cold soda are also not recommended for senior people for they may cause diarrhea. Fresh vegetables and fruit should be more consumed to avoid constipation.

Medication

There is a chance that travelers can’t purchase the same medicine they usually take at home in Vietnam, so taking enough medicine with you is very important (enough means taking extra amount of one or two days in case of a delay). Try to write down your medicines names and find out the medication name you take in Vietnamese if possible. Medicines for air and car sickness, jet lag, diarrhea, acute gastritis and allergy should also better be taken with you. Band-Aid is also necessary when you get small cut.

Money

Normally, senior people can afford more valuables than young people. However, if you wear expensive jewelries and watches in travel, that will make you a more obvious target of thieves. It’s advised to keep your nice jewelry and watches at a minimum amount. As for cashes and credit cards, travelers can split them into several pockets, and put only a small amount of cashes into the wallet that you used most often to pay for the small purchases on the road.

Shoes

A pair of comfortable shoes is essential in the travel, especially when you need to walk a lot. The best choice is athlete shoes, and flats are also helpful the senior people stay steady. Shoes with heels, even small ones, can make senior people easier to fall or sprain an ankle.

Practical Tips

1.Check Weather before You Go

Before you leave for Vietnam, it’s better to check the weather of your destinations and then, pack suitable clothes and gears according to the weather condition. Even it’s in summer, you’d better take some long sleeve clothes for many places may have a big temperature difference in day and night.

2. Service for Special Passengers

Airlines provide special service for senior people over 65. Senior people can apply for the special service when they purchase the ticket. Ground personnel from the airlines will assist the senior passengers with the check in, security check and boarding. During the flight, senior passengers will enjoy special service from the flight attendants. For those who need wheelchair or bring wheelchair to the flight, the airlines will provide it for free or carry it for free