Table of Contents
If you are planning to take your kids to South East Asia in 2025, then this is the guide for you. In this article, we are going to share and recommend the best country for family travel in Southeast Asia.
To minimize subjectivity and make this article more useful to you, we will share our top three Southeast Asian countries for family travel. This article is based on our own experience traveling Southeast Asia full-time with our kids for the past few years. We have considered a wide range of factors, including the cost of travel, the style and quality of accommodation, the availability of kid-friendly food, and the range and variety of kid-friendly activities in each country.
Ultimately, if you are trying to work out which country to visit in 2025, you will need to consider your own aspirations, travel goals, and the things that you want to see and do. Ultimately, if you have your heart set on a particular attraction or experience, then this will override any other factors when you are picking your travel destination.
ALSO don’t miss our guide – What is the Cheapest Country to Travel in Southeast Asia?
A few things to consider before you plan your trip:
- The cost of flying to the country
- The average cost of accommodation
- The cost of food
- The availability of kid-friendly food
- The transport options in the country
- Activities and attractions in the country
- The age of your kids and their interests
In general, we recommend countries that are cheaper and easier to travel, especially if you have young kids or your new to family travel. If you have more travel experience or older kids, you may want to find a more intrepid and challenging country.
1 Thailand
Thailand is the BEST country for family travel in Southeast Asia. Keep reading to find out why. Thailand really is a kid-friendly country. There are lots of things that make this a fantastic place to travel with your kids. Firstly, the culture is very warm and welcoming towards families with kids. Locals are always keen to greet and help families, and they will offer special provisions to help support you and your family.
Getting around in Thailand
Thailand also has plenty of affordable and convenient transport options inside the country. For example, if you are taking a short journey, you can use taxi apps to book taxis, which is surprisingly affordable and very convenient when you are traveling with kids. For longer distance journeys, they also have trains, which is particularly good if you’re traveling with young kids who need to move around (to avoid being cooped up in a bus seat for hours). Thailand has fast and efficient internet, particularly important for families needing to check information and make arrangements online. You can buy local SIM cards with excellent data packages very cheaply in Thailand.
Shops in Thailand
Thailand is also extremely convenient when it comes to finding family products. You can find 7-Eleven convenience stores throughout Thailand (they almost have them on every street corner). You can even find 7-Eleven convenience stores on some of the more remote islands. 7-Eleven stores in Thailand tend to be very well-stocked with kid-friendly products such as drinks, snacks, toys, nappies, wet wipes, and toiletries.
Activities in Thailand
Thailand also has an excellent range of family-friendly activities. If you are visiting with active and adventurous teenagers, we recommend the north of Thailand. In the north, you can visit waterfalls, go trekking, explore temples, and do zip lines through the jungle canopy. If you’re looking for a more relaxing, classic tropical holiday, then we highly recommend visiting some of the beautiful islands in the south of Thailand. Koh Phangan has an excellent balance of development and natural beauty. There are lots of beautiful beaches and plenty of family-friendly restaurants and cafes around. Alternatively, you could visit Krabi or Phuket; both destinations offer a lot of family-friendly activities and adventures.
Prices and accommodation in Thailand
Thailand is also a very affordable country (although it has gotten more expensive in recent years). Finding an affordable country is particularly important when traveling with kids; it ain’t cheap. Thailand also has some outstanding family-friendly hotels. For example, if you visit Phuket in the south of Thailand, you can find a wide range of luxurious resorts with outstanding provisions for families.
The main disadvantage of Thailand for family travel is its popularity. It is much harder to get away from the tourist crowds in Thailand. The best way to escape the crowds is to genuinely get off the beaten track and visit some of the less touristy towns. In our experience and in our humble opinion, Thailand is the best country in Southeast Asia for family travel.
THAILAND VS VIETNAM – Which country should you visit?
2 Malaysia
In recent years, Malaysia has improved a lot for family travel. In fact, Malaysia is now a close second to Thailand.
Activities in Malaysia
Like Thailand, Malaysia is a beautiful tropical destination with stunning islands, amazing beaches, and intrepid jungle. In the past few years, Malaysia has developed some excellent activities for families with kids. For example, you can now visit the Lego Land theme park situated in Johor Bahru. You can also visit the epic Escape Adventure Park; the main part is situated in Penang, and they also have an adventure park in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia also has plenty of natural beauty on offer. You can explore national parks such as the Penang National Park or the magnificent Taman Negara jungle. Malaysia also has some stunning highlands. We particularly recommend the Perhentian Islands and Tioman Island; both of these islands have stunning beaches and crystal clear waters. If you’re looking for a more intrepid adventure in Malaysia, then we recommend visiting Sabah or Sarawak; both of these states offer intrepid national parks, outstanding natural beauty, and epic wildlife encounters.
Prices in Malaysia
Malaysia is also a great option for family travel due to the favorable exchange rate. The local currency (called the ringgit) has dropped relative to other currencies. This makes Malaysia Even cheaper. It is worth considering that your money does not go as far for accommodation in Malaysia (compared to Thailand). Also attractions in Malaysia consistently charge much higher prices for foreigners. This can really add up for families. So even though Malaysia is cheap we still recommend considering your activity budget.
Food in Malaysia
Street food in Malaysia is cheap and readily available but not as healthy as Thailand. Malaysian street food is often full of oil, salt and sugar. You can find many popular brand names such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC; they also have convenience stores such as Family Mart. You can also find kid-friendly products in Tesco Lotus stores around Malaysia.
Getting around in Malaysia
Travel around Malaysia is also relatively cheap and convenient. You can use the Grab taxi app to book local taxis; this is an efficient and affordable way to get around. For longer distance journeys, you can also use very affordable long-distance buses, and in some cases, you can find train connections between the main cities.
3 Vietnam
Vietnam is a fantastic option for family travel. Just like Thailand and Malaysia, Vietnam is a very affordable and beautiful country. If you’re travelling with older kids and looking for some unique adventures – Vietnam may be best country for family travel in Southeast Asia.
Food and transport in Vietnam
Vietnamese street food is not too spicy, and it’s generally quite kid-friendly. Transport around Vietnam is fast, efficient, and affordable. You can use taxi apps for short journeys, and you can use trains or buses for longer journeys. We were particularly impressed with the style, comfort, and quality of the long-distance buses in Vietnam; these are particularly good for family travel because your kids can relax and lie down.
Activities in Vietnam
Vietnam also has some excellent kid-friendly activities. You can enjoy street food, explore historical museums in the north, explore the beautiful hill country. If you explore Sapa, you could do a dreamy homestay with your kids and connect with the local culture. Alternatively, you could take a luxury cruise and explore Ha Long Bay; these cruises are great value for money and a lot of fun for families.
Challenges of Vietnam
Vietnam can be a little challenging when it comes to finding kid-friendly products. If you are based in one of the cities, you should be able to find small supermarkets and convenience stores selling family-friendly products. However, if you are traveling off the beaten track into the hills or villages, you may struggle to find products for your kids. In our opinion, Vietnam is a slightly better destination if you’re traveling with older kids. Most importantly, Vietnam has plenty of amazing coffee, travel essentials for any parent.
