Vietnam Family Tours 2023: Planning a trip to Vietnam with kids

Are you planning a holiday to Vietnam with your children? Good plan! Our family hugely enjoyed a visit to this young nation and we’d highly recommend a visit.

They say that planning and looking forward to a holiday is a huge part of its pleasure. I certainly find that.

Vietnam Family Tours Halong Bay
Gorgeous scenery at Halong Bay

So these are the notes we made and the research we did when we planned our holiday. There’s a lot of great information too from Facebook friends and followers of the Hello Sydney Kids Facebook page. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed!

You’ll also find links to more articles about what our family did on our holiday.

family tours in Vietnam sapa
This is Sapa, in the north of Vietnam
vietnam family tours and holidays flag
The Vietnamese flag

Why Visit Vietnam With Kids

  • It’s a relatively secure country with few perils for tourists
  • Children are loved and respected in Vietnam
  • It’s not an expensive destination
  • It’s rich in culture, beauty, history, has great beaches, people and food
Vietnam holiday farmer rural
A farmer watering his crop

When To Visit Vietnam With Kids

The northern autumn, winter and spring are the best times to visit Vietnam.   From September to April the weather is cooler in the northern areas and there is less rain in the south.

This suits us Australians as our kids are on school holidays in October, December, January and March/April.

Of course, Vietnam is a diverse country, being over 1000km long, so there is great regional variety in climate.

Vietnam tours food family
Vietnamese food, one of the most compelling reasons to visit!

Vietnam Must See – The Essential Things To Do

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are huge bustling cities and we’d like to see some of the attractions. But I think that we’d love to spend more of our time in the smaller, historic city of Hoi An, which means ‘Peaceful Meeting Place.”

Vietnam city street scene
Busy city streets in Vietnam- mind the kids

Chu Chi Tunnels: I think my children are old enough to manage a trip to visit the tunnels, chilling though I’d find them

Water puppet show: sounds a magical experience for any age

The Mekong Delta: we’d love the floating markets and visiting villages, there’s good cycling here too, we read

Halong Bay: it looks stunning, we would love to stay and find quiet places without too many tourists (we did go! Check out our Halong Bay With Kids post here.

Ninh Binh: a boat trip through the caves sounds so interesting and scenic too

Beaches: we love being at the beach so are poring over this article about the Top 10 Beaches in Vietnam.

Snorkelling: a family delight, so I’m investigating trips you can take off  Nha Trang and also the Cham Islands on Hoi An

Train trip: I’d love us all to go on an overnight train journey – maybe taking the cushy soft sleeper option though

family tours vietnam
A very tranquil night scene

Vietnam Family Tours

I like doing tours and having a local guide when exploring a new country. My ideal combination is to do half of the time on our own and half of the time with a guide.  We have taken a reader’s advice (see below) and found a Vietnamese tour company to use, Vietnam Paradise Travel.

This company offers many Vietnam family tours and holidays and is used to dealing with families. We have found them super responsive to our many requests.

Family tours go at a slower pace and have shorter journeys each day. There’s plenty of time built in for playing at the beach and an emphasis on family-friendly sightseeing.

sun spa resort 2152107 640
One of many many family-friendly resorts
Mekong Delta 4
Our family exploring a Buddhist temple

Our Vietnam Family Holiday Itinerary: From North to South

This is our family’s Vietnam holiday itinerary. 

Hanoi 2

We created this two week holiday with local tour company Vietnam Paradise Travel, they were very patient as we hummed and hawed and worked out what we could fit in without feeling that we were rushing around too much. 

You can read all about how this holiday went on this article:

Vietnam Holidays With Teenagers: what we enjoyed the most.

Saturday 7th December

Fly from Sydney to Hanoi and stay for three nights at the Rex Hotel.

Hanoi Hoankiem lake2 1
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi

In Hanoi:

  • Do a self-guided walking tour around the old quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake 
  • Do a city tour visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Ethnology Museum, Literature Temple and more 
  • Cyclo tour in the old quarter
  • See the Water Puppet Show 
sapachallengehanoi

Tuesday 10th December

Transfer to Halong Bay for a two-night cruise with Alisa Cruise.

At Halong Bay:

  • Kayaking tours
  • Visit Titop Beach for swimming, climb up Titop Mountain
  • Visit Cua Van Floating Village, Tien Ong Cave, Trong Cave
  • Cooking class
  • Squid fishing
  • Sunrise tai chi
  • Visiting Sung Sot Cave with its beautiful stalactites and stalagmites

Read all about how this Halong Bay cruise went and see photos on our Halong Bay With Kids post here.

Thursday 12th December

Return to  Hanoi airport and and fly to Danang, then travel to Hoi Ann where we stay for four nights at the Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa.

In Hoi An:

  • Do a walking tour of Hoi An
  • Visit Hoi An Market and enjoy a Red Bridge Cooking School class
  • Paul is playing gold at the Vin Pearl Nam Hotel golf course, kids and I will explore the beach
hoian an bang beach
1465973879 ho chi minh city tour
Ho Chi Minh City day tour

Tuesday 17th December

We fly from Danang to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City where we stay for four nights at the Orchid Saigon Hotel.

In Saigon:

  • Saigon city tour
  • Chu Chi Tunnels day trip
  • Mekong Delta day trip
sampan mekong my tho 1
Sampans on the Mekong Delta

Friday 20th December

We have a last day in Saigon and then fly back to Sydney overnight – ouch!

The itinerary looks pretty busy, but we do hope to have time to sit at cafes watching the world go by now and then, and to sample a lot of Vietnamese street food.  Another thing many people have recommended to us is a night food tour by Vespa, so perhaps we will do that one night too.

Saigon Benthanh market
Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City

 

 

Click here to read our article on Vietnam Holidays With Teenagers: what we enjoyed the most (most of this will appeal to families with younger kids too.)

 

Vietnam Family Holidays: Reader Tips

I asked friends and Facebook followers for advice and was bowled over with the responses, people do love Vietnam.

Hey Seana, I’ve been a couple of times with kids, once on a family tour with Fin when he was still shorter than me. It was great – highly recommend, all the kids adored our guide and there was a good mix of kid-friendly activities (not too many temples).

But actually his favourite moment was probably getting a motorbike taxi home one night in Hanoi.

Deb Dickson-Smith of  Dive Planit

Vietnam family tours
Where I’d like to end my holiday, a relaxing beach resort
Vietnam Family Holidays


Hello Sydney Kids blog and Facebook readers are the best!

I asked over on the Facebook page whether anyone could give recommendations and advice for holidays Vietnam with kids, and got so many fab replies.

Over to you guys, here’s the readers’ guide to Vietnam family holidays.

Babies and Toddlers in Vietnam

Nicole Mansfield: We’ve taken our kids a couple of times. The first time when our youngest was a pudgy 4 month old and our eldest was 2 with orange ringlets- they were instant celebrities! We all love Vietnam!

We’d travelled through Vietnam before having kids (did a tour with Intrepid Travel) so we had done a lot of the ‘touristy’ things.

When our daughter was 2 1/2 and our son was 4 months old, we took them to Hoi An, staying at the Hoi An Hotel, to Da Nang, staying at the Furama and to Ho Chi Minh City, staying at the Rex Hotel. The hotels have pools and are well located.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the Hoi An Hotel – the connecting rooms were completely different to the ones they had on the website.

We took a Maclaren stroller and an Ergo. Ergos are great, but not when it’s 30 degrees and super high humidity….

My son was a super pudgy baby and my two year old daughter had orange ringlets so they were constantly touched, followed, photographed etc. My husband took my son to a coffee house in Da Nang and didn’t see him again until it was time to leave. We were followed around a shopping centre in Da Nang. None of that bothered us, but it can be a little wearing. My daughter got a little over it.

We went back to Saigon when they were two and four and again stayed at the Rex.

Dinner at the Ben Thanh markets in great. Get there 15 mins before they open to watch them being set up, the kids loved it! Ask at your hotel for timings.

Jo Mack:  We had a short holiday there in May this year, staying in Ho Chi Minh & Hoi An. Loved the motorbike tour we did in Ho Chi Minh and the Marble Mountain near Hoi An.

The Hai Van Pass was stunning. Vietnam Airlines were fantastic & the people over there were lovely – they couldn’t keep their hands off my blonde 6 year old son!

Hoi Ann With Young Children

Rachel Brittliff : We took two kids , six months and three and a half years old to Hoi An for a week. Vietnam is easy for travelling with kids because as a culture Vietnamese people seem very receptive to just including kids in every part of life.

We stayed at the Hoi An Trails Resort and Spa. It is at the slightly more expensive end of the market but certainly affordable for most families. We really loved it there.

They had bikes with child seats and it was an easy ride to the world heritage listed old town. I would not ride a bike in any of the major cities but it was so close to the old town that it was fine to ride there. Once inside the old town there are no cars allowed so it is very safe.

Backpacking in Vietnam With Our 7 Year Old

Jess Porter: We took our 7 year old for a three week backpacking journey all around Vietnam in January.  We started at Ho Chi Minh City,  flew to Hanoi, overnight bus to Sapa, cruised around Halong Bay, overnight train to Hue, then bus to Hoi Ann.

Definite must visits are:  Chu Chi tunnels, visit Lo Cai village in Sapa and the ancient tombs in Hue. Overnight train was fun, give the overnight bus a miss (absolutely awful). Water puppet show in Hanoi is fantastic. We found the food absolutely awesome everywhere.

The only thing that our son didn’t enjoy was the congestion of motorbikes which often end up riding on footpaths. We ended our trip relaxing around the pool at Anantara Resort Hoi An. Overall it was a sensational holiday!

We organised the trip ourselves. I had been to Vietnam exactly 12 years before. So I basically did the same trip, just added on a few extra places. We did use the Lonely Planet as a guide, and Expedia was a fantastic help.

We booked everything accommodation, trips over there, as it’s heaps cheaper.

There’s so much more of Vietnam I want to see, I love the beautiful Vietnamese people. I can’t wait to go back again!

Alina Pall: I went to Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang with my 9 month old baby over last Christmas period. We loved Vietnam and would like to go again !

We stayed in Amiana Resort and Vinpearl Villas and Resort in Nha Trang. Beautiful beaches and pools in both. Recommend.

Three Weeks In Vietnam With Our 8 Year Old

Susan: We went to Vietnam last year with our then eight year old and had a wonderful time. Vietnam is so diverse and really can be done on any budget. I would say we had an average budget with splashes of luxury.  We went for about three weeks.

My best tip: research a reliable Vietnam based travel agent who will tailor a trip to your needs and give awesome local suggestions along the way.  All communication and payment was done via email/internet with nil hassles.

We had some idea what we wanted but found all the guides/accommodation/activities they suggested were great. Also, on comparison to Australian travel agents they seemed very competitive on price.

We went in July. This was great as it was their low season so crowds were low and prices cheaper. However- it was EXTREMELY HOT and HUMID! I wouldn’t suggest this time of year if your kids struggle with the heat. We did struggle at times particularly the further south we travelled.

We started our trip in Hanoi. A must do here is the famous water puppet show- very cheap and our daughter laughed and still talks about it. The theatre is also air conditioned which is a bonus:) It’s a small theatre with tiered seating so any seat would be fine.

Another must is a cyclo ride- lots of fun as you dash around the old quarter.

We stayed at a motel called  La Siesta. It was right in the middle of the old quarter. Lovely well priced hotel with the best service ever. Beautiful buffet breakfast with eastern and western options so well suited to kids tastes.

Our daughter is quite an adventurous eater so had no problems in Vietnam. However, most places do cater well for western tastes all over Vietnam. Also we found every place we stayed offered good buffet breakfasts.

Another must do is a night walking food tour of the old quarter. You get an insight into their local delicacies. We had a personal guide organised for our time in Hanoi. The guide was lovely and able to customise our experience to suit our needs and daughters food preferences.

As this was our first stop in Vietnam I have to mention that our daughter was quite overwhelmed initially. The heat, crowds, noises, smells, constant honking of traffic etc was quite a lot to take in! Even crossing the road in Vietnam was quite a challenge. Having the local guide certainly put her mind a ease:)

I think you only really need a couple of days in Hanoi.

We then made our way to Halong Bay, a few hours drive from Hanoi. The drive was a little boring for our daughter so make sure the kids have a iPad or something to entertain them.

Halong Bay was great and our daughter really enjoyed this part of the trip. We stayed on a fairly upmarket junk for the night called the Dragon Legend. The price includes all meals and activities and had a small pool on the upper deck which our daughter made good use of.

We really enjoyed canoeing around the bay and swimming at one of the many beaches. We did the one night cruise but regret not doing the two night cruise as we really enjoyed it, plus the round trip from Hanoi is about 6 hours.

I have done Halong Bay before as a single person many years ago. At the time I was on a budget and went for a budget style junk. The prices of these tours vary dramatically but you also certainly get what you pay for. I would not feel safe taking a child on some of them. Definitely splurge on this part of the trip for a much nicer and safer experience.

We then flew to Hoi An. Hoi An is a definite must on any itinerary. We stayed at the beautiful Palm Garden Resort which is right on the beach about 10 mins out of town. It was great to relax at the resort and hit the pool and beach.

Hoi An is a beautiful little town great for shopping, eating, and getting clothes tailor made (our daughter really enjoyed this experience) It is also beautiful at night with all the colourful lanterns.

One activity which we did in Hoi An was a buffalo cart tour. This was a private tour of the countryside on a buffalo cart  followed by a personal BBQ in the middle of a rice padi with a foot massage each while you wait for your lunch to cook. Lots of fun!

We then made our way to Nha Trang, Vietnam’s version of the Gold Coast. We stayed in luxury here at the Evason  Ana Mandara, the only resort right on the beach in Nha Trang. We were so spoilt here that we didn’t want to leave the resort.

The town itself was nothing special but we chose it as it does have a lot of kid friendly things to do such as water parks, aquariums and Vin Pearl amusement park. Due to the heat and the beautiful resort we didn’t do any of it!

If you do not stay at the same resort I recommend a visit to their in house restaurant Anas Beach house. It is not cheap for Vietnam but reasonable compared to Australia. It is right on the beach, gorgeous at night, and the food was divine.

This was our daughter’s favourite meal on our trip, we dined their twice. The kids menu comes out as a jigsaw puzzle and you pick the puzzle pieces that you want 🙂

We then flew to Ho Chi Minh City and had a couple of days there. We did a city tour which are generally all the same and only take about half a day.

One place we enjoyed was the War museum. We enjoyed looking at all the various aircraft and tanks etc on display. However, be aware that some of the photos in the exhibition can be quite confronting for children. I successfully steered my daughter away from most of this without her realising.

We stayed at the Liberty Central Citypoint which was well priced, central and had a nice little rooftop pool. We also did a trip out to the Cu Chi tunnels which takes half a day.

We all found this interesting and was a good discussion opener for our daughter sparking an interest in history. I’m not sure whether younger children would get much out of the experience though.

The highlight of our visit to Ho Chi Minh City was a night food tour via Vespa. It was like a progressive dinner travelling between stops on the back of a Vespa. So much fun and a great way to see the city at night.

We were a little hesitant to do this due to safety reasons but it was a slow and safe ride and I watched as the other Vespas on our ride surrounded the one my daughter was travelling on and protected her as we turned corners/entered busy intersections etc.

This tour was a real thrill for my daughter who was also hesitant at first but within a few minutes was having the time of her life. I think the company was called Vespa Adventures.

We then did an overnight trip to the Mekong Delta. I’m not sure if I would recommend this. There were some highlights but the length of time taken to get there and back is not ideal for kids. We did enjoy a bike ride around one of the Mekong’s little island villages and visited some local handicraft makers which was nice. A glimpse into the more traditional Vietnam.

That’s were our Vietnam adventure ended.

Vietnam offers a bit of everything. As you can see our daughter experienced a bit of culture but still also enjoyed a more traditional resort style holiday.

Vietnamese people love kids and she was treated like royalty everywhere we went. She explored exotic food (even tried frogs legs in Saigon) but nearly always had the back up of western-style food.

TIP- We extended our holiday for a few extra days to include Siem Reap Cambodia- a real highlight of our holiday!

Reading all this stuff and dreaming of escaping for weeks at a time is a marvellous mental holiday before the trip itself.

We are doing a 14 day tour so will be back just before Christmas.  But I have the feeling we might come home thinking that we’ve just scratched the surface of Vietnam.

Have you visited Vietnam with children?

Can you share some top Vietnam family travel tips?

Cheers from

Seana xx

ham ninh 1050828 640
Gorgeous sunset on Ham Ninh fishing village on Phu Quoc island – book me in

We booked our Vietnam family tour with Vietnam Paradise Travel, who have offered a media rate to us.  If you contact Vietnam Paradise Travel, let them know you heard of them via Hello Sydney Kids and do ask for a preferred discount – it never hurts to ask!

PS You might also like to read our article about Planning A Holiday To Sri Lanka with Kids.

Share with a friend

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. says: Jo

    Hi, have you ended up making your Vietnam holiday happen? We are looking to take our 3 x kids in 2019 & I stumbled across your blog. I’d love to know if you’ve made it there yet & what feedback you have. Thanks, Jo.

    1. says: Seana Smith

      Hello Jo, we didn’t go this year unfortunately… my Mum in Scotland has been unwell so we spent all our holidays there, and my hubby was in Saudi most of the year, all too hard. So we are talking next year July school holidays… fingers crossed. If you go, would love to hear how it was.

Leave a comment
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *