Vietnam Family Holidays

Vietnam Adventure, Nature and Beaches

Halong Bay

See the limestone pillars of gorgeous World Heritage listed Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin by boat (we can included this as part of your itinerary, including an overnight stay aboard). It's amazing to drift through the spectacular seascape, seeing traditional fishermen at work and finishing with an afternoon swim off the boat and a dinner of fresh-caught fish. You can also go kayaking in the bay.

Sapa and the Northern Mountains

Head to the northern mountains, home to Vietnam’s ethnic minorities, the Sapa hill tribes, famed for their dress and crafts. You can buy textiles and handmade silver jewellery in an array of markets. This region is colder than the rest of Vietnam, which may be a welcome relief in the summer, but it can snow in winter, so be prepared. The landscapes are stunning, from wild rivers to rice terraces descending hills and bamboo forests.

Vietnam Beaches

Check out the best Vietnam beaches – a big part of what makes Vietnam good for family holidays. Vung Tau and Mui Né resorts provide a wonderful respite from Ho Chi Minh City’s bombardment of the senses. Binh An Village in Vung Tau is an hour's boat trip across the Saigon River from the city centre. Mui Né is about a four-hour bus or train ride from the city.

Vietnam Culture and History

Ho Chi Minh City

Experience challenging, compelling Ho Chi Minh City. Grab a taxi or motorbike taxi (or two in tandem to accommodate the family) and head to Ben Thanh market with its weasel poo coffee, replica Rolexes and Gucci bags, and food stalls. 

While there are many things to see in Ho Chi Minh City, including the war museums and Reunification Palace, your kids may best enjoy swimming in your hotel pool then staying up late like local kids, who sleep in the afternoon and hang out after dark in parks and by fountains, where balloons and cheap toys are proffered by street sellers. 

If you’re lucky, you may catch free live opera outside the Saigon Opera House, with dragons dancing through the alleys as cymbals clash and acrobats perform on stilts. But the streets are always alive with painters, women crouching on the concrete making sweet waffles, and calls to ‘manicure, pedicure, massage’ mingling with motorbike horns and the cries of noodle hawkers.

Hanoi

Follow the well-trodden trail of attractions starting at Hanoi in the north, gateway to Halong Bay and the hill tribes of Sapa (see above). The Vietnamese capital is often described as the ‘Paris of the Orient’, and the French colonial architecture is indeed both lovely and unexpected, romantically decaying amongst the pagodas and skinny concrete terraces. 

Don’t miss the water puppets (57B Dinh Tien Hoang St) – the tradition of water puppetry, largely unchanged over its 1,000-year history, tells stories and legends about harvesting, fishing and festivals against a background of traditional Vietnamese music.

Ninh Binh Province

Venture two hours south of Hanoi, to Ninh Binh province, where the Bai Dinh pagoda is the largest Buddhist complex in South-east Asia, with several temples and 500-plus intricately carved Buddhas. 

Central Vietnam: Da Nang & Bà Nà Hills

In central Vietnam, inland of Da Nang, check out Bà Nà Hill Station with its cable car, iconic Golden Bridge with two giant stone hands, and surreal Sun World theme park.

Getting Around Vietnam

Domestic Flights

Flying, while not the greenest option, is the fastest and safest way to travel within this long, narrow country. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City flights take about two hours.

Car Hire, Buses, and Trains

Car hire in Vietnam is almost non-existent; you can hire a car with a driver, but you’ll probably find Vietnamese roads a bit nerve-wracking. Buses aren’t comfortable, either – you may not have an allocated seat and end up sitting on a tarp on the floor at the back. 

Organised Family Adventures

Trains aren’t generally much better – even if there are only a few passengers, they are often hoarded into one carriage then offered sneaky ‘upgrades’ to the empty carriages. On the other hand, if you book an organised family adventure with us (see tab), travelling at times by boat, bicycle and sleeper-train on a tour led by an expert local guide can really get you under the skin of this remarkable and thrilling destination.

We can include domestic flights and any other transport required in the Vietnam family itinerary we create for you.