When Our Little Guy Got a Fever in Vietnam During COVID: A Family Travel Story

The Day Everything Changed: March 10, 2020

On the 10th March 2020, we didn’t read the news. We smiled as our homestay hosts handed us face masks, we shook our heads a little, but she told us we must wear them at the airport, ‘It will be safest to wear them’.

Earlier in the week a lady had flown in from Italy (lying about her previous travel on entry) and then travelled around Vietnam spreading Coronavirus.

It’s probably a good thing we hadn’t read the news, otherwise we may not have set out to the Saigon airport that day. We all felt fine, no sniffles, no sore throats, no fevers. Arriving at the airport things did seem a bit tense, everyone was wearing their masks and we got almost everyone in our family to wear their masks (have you ever tried to get a 3 year old to do something they refuse to do?).

We arrived into Da Nang fine, no problems. We checked into the hotel, filled out our health declarations and provided information of all the flights we had taken.

When the Fever Hit: Our Family’s Health Crisis

That afternoon things changed really quickly. Our three year old came down with a really high fever. I was in a state of parent panic. Thinking all of the worst thoughts, ‘Do we take him to the hospital or don’t we?’

Behind these thoughts were worries about if he didn’t have Coronavirus, might he pick it up from someone who was in the waiting room with him. And then what if he was high risk, would they separate and quarantine us all? Would we be able to share his hospital room? Would we be allowed to see each other? Who would go with him to the hospital? Should we all go? Or do one of us stay with the older ones?

I was well and truly freaking out. It was such a scary time, and I wasn’t even worried about the Coronavirus itself. I was more concerned about the process that would unfold if he did have it. I knew if he had it, he would be fine, but at the same time there was the responsibility to the community and people we were around as well as those who we had already been around.

If it was any normal time of this century I would have just dosed him with paracetamol and kept a close eye on him. But that wasn’t really an option because I didn’t want to find out what would happen if he did have Coronavirus and we hid it in Vietnam but then actually did need hospital treatment.

Making the Right Decision: Seeking Help

I contacted one of my friends living in Da Nang to get advice on our next steps. The Covid hotline was in Vietnamese and I wasn’t having any luck figuring out the best steps to take. And I don’t take steps out of fear. I try my best to make the right choices. After being advised to take our son to the hospital as soon as possible, we made the decision to watch him overnight.

In the morning we advised our hotel reception. You should’ve seen the look of dread come over the poor guy. He breathed in and leaned back, he looked a little pale and shocked. I’m pretty sure even he didn’t know what to do. The cab driver wouldn’t take us. He told us to go up to the room and to wait for a doctor to come to us. Later that day, he returned to say that we had to go to the hospital.

The Hospital Experience: What We Learned About Vietnamese Healthcare

We decided hubby and our son would travel together. Me and the big kids would stay back just in case we needed to take things to the hospital, or pack up and everyone leave. My friend had advised only one hospital would do the Covid testing. Somehow the directions I gave to our receptionist didn’t translate to the cab driver and they ended up at a different hospital. Which may have been a lucky miss for that day, but then left us in a state of ‘what if’ for the remainder of the week.

The hospital they visited collected our travel information. We hadn’t been on any at risk flights, and since we’d flown from New Zealand which had no cases at that point, the hospital felt he wasn’t a risk of Covid. They checked our son out and took a blood sample to test for Dengue, then sent him home to get better.

What We Learned About Vietnamese Healthcare

The Vietnamese healthcare system was surprisingly efficient during our crisis:

• Quick response times for health concerns
• Professional and caring medical staff
• Comprehensive health declarations and contact tracing
• English-speaking staff at major hospitals

Our Travel Insurance Lifeline: World Nomads

I sent an email to our travel insurer, World Nomads, because we were worried we might not be covered. Fortunately we were. Perhaps we were super lucky with the timing, but we had staff call us twice a day that first day, then once a day for the next three days to make sure he was ok. It was such a relief to know we had people caring about our son and ready to give us advice or help in some way if we needed it.

What Our World Nomads Policy Covered:

• ✅ Emergency medical expenses for our son’s hospital visit
• ✅ Daily check-ins from medical staff (twice daily initially)
• ✅ 24/7 emergency assistance and support
• ✅ Trip interruption coverage if needed
• ✅ Peace of mind during a stressful time

We loved the service we received with World Nomads. If you are travelling soon, we highly recommend you check out World Nomads. You can get a quote below or click here to read more about them.

The Emotional Toll: Living Through Uncertainty

The week that followed was tough for us, mainly emotionally and mentally. Elijah was fine, the fever only lasted that one day. He got a cough, we all did, but we felt like it was from the air con more than anything. We mostly stayed inside, and only really ventured out (masks on) to stroll along the beach – away from everyone. There was a lingering worry that if we were a family carrying Covid, we didn’t want to be spreading it around everywhere.

We had received emails from the New Zealand Government advising us to return home and the world was turning upside down, changing daily. We had some really tough decisions to make.

What We’d Do Differently Next Time

Looking back, here’s what we learned from this experience:

Essential Travel Health Kit for Families

When traveling with kids, especially during uncertain times, always pack:

• Digital thermometer (we wish we had one!)
• Children’s paracetamol/acetaminophen
• Digital copies of all medical records
• Emergency contact list (local and international)
• Travel insurance policy details (printed and digital)

Key Takeaways

1. Always have comprehensive travel insurance - World Nomads saved us
2. Stay calm and make informed decisions - don’t let panic guide you
3. Have a local contact for emergencies - our friend in Da Nang was invaluable
4. Prepare for the unexpected - health issues can happen anywhere

We decided to stay! And we are so grateful we did because the past couple of months have been a different adventure than we imagined, but our travel has been more fulfilling because of it.

Planning Your Next Family Adventure?

Don’t let health concerns stop you from exploring the world with your family. Here’s how to travel safely and confidently:

1. Get comprehensive travel insurance - Get a quote with World Nomads
2. Read our Vietnam family travel guide - Everything you need to know about Vietnam
3. Join our community - Follow us on Instagram @fulltimefamilytravel for daily travel tips

More stories coming soon!