BozAround

Munsterkids originated in Australia, from the fictional trouble-maker character Mikey Munster, a skinny street kid from the town of Dunster. You gotta read the whole story to understand the music, art and street culture behind this very cool kids clothing brand. Oh, and their pants have one of the best cut on the market. Even I find my Marcelo coolio in his blue petrol skinny jeans from Munster Kids. Rich and Sam have moved to Vietnam a year ago and they’re sharing here some good tips on traveling around the country with a family. I think that BozAround will be there sometime in 2011 so what better timing for this interview…

We’re a family of 5:  Rich and Sam and our three boys  Jax (7 ), Zai (4)  and Kash (2). We’re originally from Cronulla in Sydney, where we spend most of our spare time at the beach or at the park. Last year, we decided to move to Vietnam for some new experiences and to work more closely with the factory we use for Munsterkids.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY FOR A FAMILY VACATION

1. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Spend a day or two looking around town, there are plenty of good restaurants , markets etc.

2. Go to the famous Mekong Delta and take an overnight cruise along the river. Visit the Cu Chi tunnels (a famous battleground) about 1.5 hrs away from city centre, interesting but it might not be suitable with very young children.

3. Head up to Hoi An, a one-hour plane ride on the east coast. It’s an amazing little town and our favourite place to hang out on holidays. Nice beaches, galleries, restaurants , shops , tailors etc. The place has so much character.

Picturesque Hoi Anh above and below…

4. From Hoi Anh head up to Hanoi, it’s a fascinating city to visit, and then to Ha Long Bay .

5. From there to Laos, otherwise head over to Siem Reap in Cambodia and go to Angkar Wat – It’s an easy trip to the temples strewn through the jungle .

CHILDREN’s FAVORITES

They love going to the beach ! Our favourites are Mui Ne 200km away from HCMC , Qui nhon (a short flight away) and Danang half way between Hanoi and HCMC.  They also love going to the small fishing villages where there is plenty to explore. We take visitors to Suoi Tien Park north of HCMC, where you can feed crocodiles with fishing rods. There are about 2,000 of them in the lake!

The crocodile lake above, and the fishing boats of Qui Nhon below…

EAT

In HCMC, we love The Boathouse on Sunday afternoon for fish and chips and some live music by the river. Jaspas on Dong Khoi is great for home style meals and chicken nuggets. The Deck is a bit more special and quite creative, but still ok with kids and it’s great to enjoy cocktails by the river. Just the 2 of us, we’d go to Shri which has wonderful view of the city and good food.

SLEEP

And in Hoi An (flying to Danarg airport), the Nam Hai is wonderful for a luxurious break.

SHOP

In HCMC, you need to experience the craziness of Benh Tan market! Saigon Square also has an interesting selection. Bring back some bamboo bowls and plates which come in lots of beautiful colours. The silk pjs are also very nice. Otherwise, for a more pleasurable shopping experience you need to visit L’Usine on Dong Khoi st. Its an amazing space consisting of a cafe , gallery , and retail..they also stock munster!!

SMART TIPS

Be careful crossing the road and always make sure the taxi driver puts his meter on..the traffic is crazy! Always bargain when shopping but remember they are very poor so sometimes you may be arguing over $1 so be mindful and respectful of the people and the culture.

In HCMC,  you can find Munsterkids at L’Usine on 151 Dong Khoi Street in the City District 1. As for the rest of the world, tryKidostore Sydney, Tinypeople QLD, yoyamart NY, Alex and Alexa UK, Gingerbread Kids Hong Kong or one of the many more listed on their website.

Ps: I love the fact that Munsterkids has a collection for the Northern Hemisphere, and one for the Southern Hemisphere. You don’t get much more global than that! And check out their T4T inititative to support kids in orphanages in Vietnam and Cambodge.

Ps2: Today in the NY Times there’s a piece about the region of Ha Giang in North Vietnam. The journalist travelled around with his wife and 11months old daughter, “a region of beauty and ethnic traditions”.  Sounds very appealing too.