{"id":33902,"date":"2019-04-08T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=33902&preview=true&preview_id=33902"},"modified":"2025-03-25T04:07:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T17:07:19","slug":"accessible-family-travel-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/accessible-family-travel-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the family travelling the world with three kids (and a wheelchair)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We travel to ensure we are keeping and forging connections with new people, as well as with each other. As a family of five living in Melbourne, Australia, we aspire to adventure as often as we can, and would describe our travel style as backpacker \u2013 with some luxury thrown in as a treat \u2013 and try to explore places that are less popular or touristic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our first trip to Vietnam<\/a> was in 2009. At the time, Andrew and I had two children (aged 4 and 9 months old) and we decided to get married on the beach in Mui Ne with our closest family and friends. We spent a month travelling through this amazing country from south to north, jumping on and off trains and motorbikes, exploring the cities, beaches and hills. I carried my daughter in a sling and fed her amongst the hill tribe women in Sapa, while Andrew and Cooper loved trying all the new foods that were on offer. It was a country that seemed to have it all, to suit all types of travellers and we couldn’t wait to get back!<\/p>\n

\"AEXPLORE INTREPID’S RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES IN VIETNAM NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Now, in 2019, we travel with our three children:\u00a0Cooper (14), Pepper (10) and Woody (7). Together we have explored 30 countries and the list of where we want to go keeps growing, as we each form our own opinions as individual explorers (right now we have Spain<\/a>, Portugal<\/a> and Morocco<\/a> at the top of the list). Asia holds a special place in our hearts and we have plans to explore Myanmar<\/a> this coming July; Japan<\/a> is always on the list too.<\/p>\n

We travel a little differently to most people. Cooper, our eldest son, uses a wheelchair as he received a brain injury at birth. He has a variety of mobility devices, so our travel planning is a little less spontaneous than most, and we need to research destinations so we know what to expect.<\/p>\n

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT INTREPID’S ACCESSIBLE ADVENTURES HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"AOften it\u2019s the locals who open up their hearts \u2013 and often arms their and muscles \u2013 to help Cooper be included in it all. Throughout our travels, we\u2019ve found that the places where disability isn\u2019t as widely accepted is where people have thanked us for starting the conversation, and allowing disability to be more visible.<\/p>\n

IF YOU HAVE ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS, OUR TEAM CAN PUT TOGETHER THE PERFECT TAILOR-MADE EXPERIENCE<\/a> FOR YOU. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE<\/strong><\/p>\n

We returned to Vietnam in 2018; we spent two weeks exploring the southern part of the country, from Ho Chi Minh City up to Hoi An.\u00a0One of the highlights of Hoi An was a street food walking tour. One of our favourite ways to explore a new town is by walking, and what better way than eating too?! We joined up with our guide Ha, who spent four hours introducing us to local foods, and teaching us about Vietnamese culture. Another thing I love about walking tours is that they can be great for wheelchair access; all the shop fronts and markets we visited were easy to navigate with a wheelchair too.<\/p>\n

\"TwoINTERESTED IN A FAMILY ADVENTURE THROUGH VIETNAM? CHECK OUT OUR 13-DAY FAMILY TOUR HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

We decided to add to our adventure by catching a sleeper train from Hoi An back to Ho Chi Minh City. I love trains, as you don’t have to wait in line at an airport, there\u2019s no passport control, no luggage limits and the scenery is often breathtaking. I love the connections made on trains too, meeting locals and other travellers, and hearing so many great stories. I don’t often sleep that much, but the kids love the rocking motion and always sleep well! To get onto the train we carry Cooper, fold up his chair, and stow it under the cabin table.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0WHAT TO EXPECT ON AN OVERNIGHT TRAIN IN VIETNAM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"AThe Mekong River area of Vietnam is spectacular and the perfect place to balance out beach and city time.\u00a0 The highlight of our trip was visiting the morning river markets at 5am and eating freshly prepared noodles and pork on a long boat. Seeing people selling all types of fruits, meats and vegetables from the side of boats while the sun rose was amazing. We arranged this before arriving in Vietnam so that our guide and driver could meet us as soon as we hopped off the train. We hired a large van for transport so we could pop Cooper\u2019s wheelchair in the back easily, and take it in and out at each stop we made.<\/p>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID\u2019S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A few tips for wheelchair travel<\/h3>\n