When we started our world adventures, Vietnam was high on the list. Besides the history and culture, the food was a big draw for us! Hence, we decided to spend an entire month in Vietnam. We booked our flight into the north, Hanoi (from Siem Reap, Cambodia) and, a month later, departing in the south, Ho Chi Mingh City (to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

There were many options to travel within Vietnam and many interesting places to explore. First we considered making our way south via train and bus. Vietnam offers an open bus ticket, which allows you to stop and explore throughout your trip, similar to the Europass. However, after reading reviews and considering we had 3 kids with us, we decided against this. Instead we picked the main areas we wanted to visit and planned from there.

This is the summary of our itinerary:

Hanoi —— bus and boat (tour operator) ——> Halong Bay —— bus ——> Sapa —— bus ——> Hanoi —— flight (into Da Nang) ——> Hoi An —— taxi ——> Da Nang —— flight ——> Ho Chi Ming City

Vietnam is big and there were many places we wanted to explore, however we also didn’t want to be on the move every 2 days and decided to spend some more time in each place. We definitely are happy with our choices and loved every minute of our time in Vietnam.

Hanoi: I had read mixed reviews on this city. However we LOVED this city. We only stayed 5 days, but loved exploring it. We stayed just i of the old quarters city limits and near the famous Hanoi street train (which, unfortunately, is closed to the public). Some of the highlights in Hanoi: Egg Coffee at the original Cafe Giang. (We also tried the beer coffee, which I recommend skipping…), eating at Bun Cha Huong Lien (famous for a dining date of Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain in 2016), having a delicious pastry at the many bakeries and coffee shops in old quarters. (Sit outside on the small chairs and tables and just people watch! and Thang Long Water Puppet show. The kids really liked this show and it was very creative. Buy tickets in advance!

Halong Bay: We used a tour operator that arranged everything, from picking us up at our airbnb, transportation to Halong Bay, booking the rooms on the boat and back to Hanoi. There are many types of boats and for all budgets. We decided to go for a mid range one. The rooms were a bit outdated, however the food and service in general were great. You can choose between 2D1N or 3D2N. I personally think that 2 days and 1 night is sufficient. Each tour offers similar experiences but you can choose between visiting an pearl farm, kayaking, visiting caves and many other activities. In general, they are all fun and entertaining. The whole area is beautiful and very picturesque. Unfortunately, the days we went it was overcast and rainy, but we still have some amazing pictures and had a great time!

Sapa: we took the 6 hour bus up the windy road to Sapa. As I had read from other travelers, the drive is not for the light hearted! The drivers are very aggressive and fast, the roads are windy and there is a lot of traffic. We used Sapa Express, there busses were old and not well kept. However, once we arrived, we fell in love with Sapa. It’s a cute town in the mountains that is clearly Vietnamese but does have an European flare to it. We stayed at a hotel near the lake, but the homestays are very popular in this region. One of the main attractions is taking the cable car up to Fransipan, it’s the tallest mountain in Vietnam. (We didn’t do this as it was overcast). One day we hiked around the Cat Cat Village. It is very picturesque, but crowded with tourists. Many dressed up in local atire (you can rent them) and taking pictures with the cute houses, rice fields and flowers. As you hike further the crowd is less and you can truly enjoy a stroll around this cute village. On our second day we hired a sweet local guide called La from La SaPa Trekking Tours to do a trekking (hike) around the area. La carried her 3 month old baby on her back the entire time! We did 9 miles around the local villages, rice fields and mountains. This was truly the highlight of our stay in Sapa.

Hoi An: we stayed in Hoi An for 10 days near An Bang Beach. It was about a 10 min car ride to old town, where more of the action is. We did like the beach area as we found a fun local market, it was quiet and near a beach. Although, looking back, we could’ve spent 5 days near the beach and 5 days near old town. The beach was empty, white sand and clear water. Our Airbnb had bikes, so we did bike into town several times. The old town has many fun areas to explore. Just walking around and looking at the stores, colorful streets and exploring local markets and restaurants is a good way to start. Every night, by the bridge of light, you can negotiate with one of the boats and release lanterns. It is over the water so safe. The kids loved the experience. Nearby is also one of the best breweries we found in Vietnam, Pasteur brewery company (they also have amazing burgers if you want a change from the banh mi’s!). The Hoi An market has a fun selection of delicious (and cheap) food stalls and many other offerings like fresh fruit, spices and trinkets. One of the highlights was trying the several popular Bahn Mi places. The most popular ones are Bahn Mi Phuong and the Bahn Mi queen (Madam Khanh). We preferred the service and freshness of Bahn Mi Phuong (try there fresh juices!!!). Get there before popular times because it gets busy and seating is limited!

DaNang: We really enjoyed our stay in this city! It’s about an hour car ride from Hoi An and where the local airport is. We decided to stay near the beach in a modern sky rise with amazing views. It was a great decision, besides enjoying the perks of a modern building, it was easy to explore the city from there. Some of our favorite activities in Da Nang:

• Dragon Bridge night show: This is only on Saturday on Sunday at 9pm. We first went to the So Tran night market (just 200 yards from the bridge), where the food is amazing, fresh and cheap! There are street performers and stalls with local delicacies, arts and crafts. Overall a fun way to start the evening. You can then walk around the river front (which is always bustling) and finish up watching the show at 9pm.

• Renting a motorcycle (negotiate!!!) and driving around the deserted Tho Quang peninsula. The views are incredible and the nature and flaura is stunning. Since cars are not allowed, there is hardly any traffic.

• Hiring a driver for the day and driving to Bana Hills for the entire day. You can read more about this adventure on this earlier post.

• Enjoying a day at the beach: we stayed near My Khe beach and it is a large beach, calm beach and not busy! It was perfect for the kids to spend the day building sand castles and enjoying the fresh water. There are many restaurants and bars along the beach for refreshments!

Ho Chi Minh City: this was our least favorite city as it was busy, dirty and a bit overwhelming. We only stayed here 3 nights before our flight to Kuala Lumpur. One highlight in this city was the War Remnants Museum, which was extremely informative and well kept. It was shocking to see the atrocities that happened during the Vietnam war but also very educational. The kids (especially Kaio and Josefine) found it fascinating and it was a hands on top history class! Some of the other activities were going to the Ben Thanh Market (a fun and local wet market) and checking on Pasteur Street Brewing (headquarter of the brewery we visited in HoiAn and really enjoyed!) Some other activities that were recommended but we did not have the chance to explore are:

• Saigon Waterbus station: take the ferry around the river and see Saigon from the water.

• Cu Chi Tunnels: a network of tunnels dug by the communists during the Vietnam war.

• Mekong Delta excursion: this is somewhat similar to the Halong bay boat trip we took, so decided to skip it. Although this excursion would visit more of the floating markets and explore the Khmer pagodas and villages.

  _______________________________________________________

The country is beautiful with many interesting cities, villages and towns. Vietnam also offers so much natural beauty with it’s vast mountains, sandy beaches and dense jungles. People are friendly and genuine. We met many locals that were always eager to help, teach their language and learn from us. They are also very friendly with our kids and always had smiles on their faces. The food is amazing (you can read more about Vietnamese food HERE)! Fresh, diverse, unique, tasteful and so cheap!!!

We absolutely loved our month in Vietnam and are eager to go back!