Where to spend Christmas Day in Ho Chi Minh City?

I AM TAKING MY CHILDREN, 13 AND 16, TO MEET MY HUSBAND IN HO CHI MINH CITY ON DECEMBER 23 TO JANUARY 16; HE WILL HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE NOVEMBER ON A TB FIELD STUDY. HE WILL WANT A BREAK FROM LOW-BUDGET ACCOMMODATION, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BREAK THE BANK. CAN YOU RECOMMEND APARTMENTS OR SIMILAR NEAR THE CENTRE, AND AN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER?

E. FRYAR, WILLOUGHBY

December-January is one of the best times to visit Ho Chi Minh City, with relatively cool temperatures, only a few showers and lower humidity. Airbnb (airbnb.com.au) has a number of two-bedroom apartments that would suit your needs, at prices starting from under $100 to about$250 a night for a luxury property.

Most of the big city hotels offer Christmas dinner on December 24. One exception is the swish Park Hyatt, which will put on a buffet lunch menu priced at $60 a person on Christmas Day. Alternatively, the French-colonial Continental Hotel brings old-world glamour to the occasion with its Gala Dinner served on December 24, at a price of $88 for adults, and both your children qualify as adults in this case. All the other big city hotels, including the Sheraton, the Caravelle and the Majestic, will offer dinners on December 24. Expect huge evening crowds along Dong Khoi and the rest of District 1; the Saigonese love a celebration.

Chances are you'll want to spend some time elsewhere, and a beach holiday would be ideal. What about Phu Quoc island, off Vietnam's south coast? Mango Bay Resort (mangobayphuquoc.com) is a barefoot, back-to-nature resort with 40 thatch-roof bungalows and rooms spread across 20 hectares of wild gardens along the seafront. It's paradise in pared-back mode – no aircon, phones or pool, and mostly outside bathrooms – but there's a spa, yoga sessions, and the natural credentials are five-star. One of the resort's two-bedroom, family-size bungalows could be just what you need.

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