Vietnam

An acquaintance of mine went to Vietnam, Thailand, and several other countries and recommended I never, ever go...

Try Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum, as you will connect with many avid travelers who may have had experience. I found a surprising number of threads regarding allergies there.

I have been around South West Asia (but not vietnam) and it is difficult (especially if you don't speak the language). However the frustration with PA is far outweighed by how beautiful and amazing the trip would be. Also if you are going to live there you can cook your own food and get to know local restaurants.

Never let you PA dictate where you are going. That is not a way to live. Just be safe and have fun.

Hahaha

I meant south EAST asia.

Thank you for your encouraging words. We are new to the peanut allergy thing and have been considering a move to Vietnam. Even before the PA, we did not eat out a lot and cook with fresh ingredients as much as possible, so it would not be a big change for us. We would pretty much be fluent before moving. I also researched the emergency medical facilities where we would be living as well and that made me feel better. I appreciate the feedback!

Well if you are fluent in Vietnamese then you really have no excuse. Language is the biggest barrier for PA sufferers. Once you get past that it is a cake walk.

I lived in Cambodia for 3 years with my PA son. Feel free to e-mail me with any specific questions you might have. It was tough at times - particularly in terms of eating out - but we managed and travelled throughout the region.

Cambodia is a beautiful country, the people there are friendly and I had a wonderful vacation there. Yes eating out is difficult but if you have a chance get over to Cambodia, at least to see Angkor Wat.

Thank you all again.

SusanJB - I may email you if I think of things that I have questions about.

Zachnunes - Thank you again for all of your responses. I really did not start this post to say that my son's PA would determine IF we would go, but more what kinds of things to be aware of. I am not going to keep my child in a bubble. His allergy is not so serious that he needs to be. I feel like we are equipped with the information that we need to know about his allergy and the country to keep him safe and know what to do in case of an emergency. The move would still be a year or two away, but I think it would be an amazing experience for all of us!

I know this thread is really, really old, but I just wanted to thank the people that responded. We got back last week from a two week evaluation trip. It was beautiful and we did not have any problems avoiding peanuts. The biggest issue that I would have with moving over there is that the hospital that I thought would be a great resource in case of an emergency is apparently not very good. Any expats with serious medical issues are transported by plane to Singapore or Thailand. While it would be easy to avoid peanuts while I was in control of what my son was eating, I am know that I will not always be able to do that as he is growing up. Anyway, we are still thinking and evaluating the move. Thank you all for encouraging us to at least make the trip. It was a great experience!