would you allow your 17 year old and friend to travel alone in Vietnam for 2 weeks?
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Anonymous
| No. |
Anonymous
That article is “debates and perspectives.” Since you’ve read the whole thing, can you point out there it says they have changed the age to 18? Also where it says 13 yer olds can’t check into a hotel? |
Anonymous
| I would not want my child roaming Vietnam alone/with another 17 yr old for weeks while I’m still legally responsible for him. |
Anonymous
Whats the minimum age to be thrown in jail for a minor transgression? |
Anonymous
| I am old school, if it was up for me no one will leaave the USA |
Anonymous
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I would probably not support it unless your contacts would be willing to step up if they need help.
I toured through Southern African as an older teen in the early 1990s and did perfectly fine but we had very good family friends there who were available if there was an emergency. |
Anonymous
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I would want to say yes, OP, but would probably make them wait until they have at least one year of university -- and one year living away from parents -- before they go.
Another option: could they do a group tour targeted toward young people for a week or two, then stay on to spend another week or so on their own in a defined area? |
Anonymous
How is that old school? Even Thomas Jefferson enjoyed his long vacations abroad |
Anonymous
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Nooooo
You’ve been warned |
Anonymous
| Hell no, but not because of their age. But because of the incredibly strict drug laws in Southeast Asia. If they get caught with any amount of any type of illicit drug, they could very well spend a lot of time in jail. And not the kind of jail we have here. This happened to my colleague's brother when I was living in New Zealand. He actually spent 19 months in a Thai prison. And Vietnam is even more strict! |
Anonymous
| OP, it is almost fall. What did you decide? |
Anonymous
| I would let 17 year old go to Europe or the anglosphere but not Vietnam (might change my answer if they spoke the language or had family etc.). Europe/Canada/Australia/NZ are safer and more culturally/legally/economically similar, so there would less adjustment and less chance for real trouble. Plenty of options and places to see there. |
Anonymous
This is so ignorant and racist. Vietnam is not Thailand and the laws on prostitution are completely different. That said, I would let two boys go after a year of college, but there are so many dangers that they have never been exposed to: scammers abound in those youth hostels. I remember in my 20s traveling alone though SE Asia there were lots of young people probably a decade older than these boys looking to score drugs, party, and scam people out of their money. Not a lot of them. But enough not to trust my 17 year olds not to get into trouble, especially boys. I would also be worried about what would happen if they got hurt or sick. Would they know what to do? The medical system in Vietam is like France's where they go to pharmacists for so many things. Also, the traffic laws, or lack thereof makes getting on a motorbike or even crossing the street a real hazard. Also, there are a lot of scammers on beaches and touristy areas of the bigger cities. Some are very convincing. It's just an intense place, even if you are fluent in the language, which I am. They just don't have the life experiences to handle what could go wrong. I hope if you let them go, I hope it works out. |
Anonymous
Why? WTF? No we don’t do emerging markets without a local or actual adult or a guide. I assume this 17 yo is very mature, logical and street smart? I would never send an immature or adhd or asd or only book smart kid there alone. They’d be an easy and obvious mark. |
Anonymous
| Nope |