CindyMay Wang wanted to take a toddler on a stress-free holiday in Vietnam and found an organised family tour was just the ticket It was an off-the-beaten track destination, I'll admit, and we did get a lot of "why there?", which I could not answer before we left but now I can.Travelling anywhere with a child is daunting. So much could go wrong - and that's just meal times. There is also no guarantee that they will find lengthy monologues from tour guides of any interest whatsoever.Instead of spending the months leading up to our departure for Vietnam planning, I simply booked a Family Adventure Tour, which removed any stress about accommodation being child-friendly and left me open to pester Home Affairs about the unabridged birth certificate, which was not forthcoming.story_article_left1Stronger parents than me have done much of our tour on their own and I salute them but would only consider that myself once my child hit double digits.Vietnam was great, the people were friendly and travelling felt safe - even though we had been warned about pickpockets in the larger cities, we saw and felt no threats.The culture is so different to ours. In the city streets, almost everyone keeps their faces wrapped in cloth as they cling to the handlebars of mopeds, motorbikes and electric bicycles.I could write page after page about our action-packed journey, each day filled to the brim with delicious flavours, frenetic city energy and sights that deserve large wall space in any home or office.One highlight was spending a day and night on a boat in Ha Long Bay. The sandstone rocks jutting out of the tranquil sea are surreal compared to the rambunctious waves of our Durban seaside.I asked if any of the locals kayaked around these and was a ll but laughed at. Our guide, Thuy Nguyen, said the locals only used this area for fishing and that "recreation" was something one did if one had a full tummy.During our voyage, we surveyed the natural ebb and flow of the locals' life by the sea; dogs on home rafts; vessels moored to floating hubs.It was winter and, up north, we Durbanites needed long sleeves at times. The sky stayed an overcast white until we pulled back into port, when a few drops of rain fell. In spite of the skies, we saw why the place is one of Unesco's natural wonders.Another highlight was a motorcycle tour through Hué (pronounced "who-way"). Helmet on, my six-year-old sat in front of the driver on a scooter (125cc, mind you), holding tightly to the rear-view as if she was doing the steering.block_quotes_start The king used to hold these entertaining fights for his subjects on the banks of a river while he and others watched from rafts block_quotes_endWe puttered through busy streets, somehow managing to miss all the people and animals who nonchalantly stepped into our path, driving up the wrong side of an empty highway and onto the foot paths between rice paddies.The view over the fields while the sun climbed into an azure sky was truly a delight.We stopped off at a farming museum in which a little, old lady showed us all about how they used to grow, harvest and polish the rice before modern times hit Vietnam.She also showed us how they would shunt water from lower paddies to higher ones. Human energy was the key. She even had a "rice-paddy back hunch" to prove it.full_story_image_hleft1Then we were back on our bikes to continue along little foot- and cycle-paths, past houses whose fronts never see a motor car, through to the elephant- and tiger-fighting pit.Grotesque in concept, the story goes that the king used to hold these entertaining fights for his subjects on the banks of a river while he and others watched from rafts. In one fight, the tiger was more interested in swimming over to the king than fighting the elephant. So, fearing a repeat, the king had the pit built so everyone could watch from the top.Of course, because the elephant represents royalty, the elephant could never lose. They handicapped the poor tiger by cutting its claws off before the fight, and so the elephant always won. The fighting arena saw its last battle in 1919.story_article_right2One of our last tours was the Cu Chi tunnels. Our guide for these was a man who'd worked for the wrong side during the Vietnam war, a communications guide for the US Army. His opinion of communism, the war, the people and the country brought a wider perspective to that of dear Thuy (our guide in the north).Fourteen days was a long time to be on holiday and Thuy said the "non-family" tour of the same route took 10 days. I was glad for the extra space in the itinerary - one whole day lounging by the pool in Hoi An Silk Village Resort.After travelling for a bit more than a week, a day of time-out with our swimming-mad child was just what the holiday needed.When Thuy asked our little princess if she'd enjoyed Vietnam and if she'd return one day, she said, "Yes and no." When quizzed about the no, she was delightfully to-the-point: "The flight is too long."It was indeed a holiday of a lifetime.Share your travel experiences with us in 'Readers' World' and you could win R1,000We need YOUR high-res photo - at least 500KB in size - and a story of no more than 800 words. ALL winners receive R1,000. Please note only the winning entrants will be contacted. E-mail travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za..