After nearly 2.5 years of lockdown, the wanderlust crept in and we needed a new adventure. Luckily we had equally adventurous friends with kids the same age as ours (ranging from 8-11 years old). We decided to travel to Vietnam with the ambitious goal of hitting every major city – starting with Ho Chi Minh city (formally Saigon) and ending in Hanoi – with 4 adults and 4 kids. Stopping in Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue City (exploring the DMZ), Dong Ha, and Ha Long Bay.
The only flights available at the time from Japan were on Vietnam’s budget airline, Vietjetair. They deserve their own article and I still can’t get the boarding music out of my mind. In order to travel “fast and light”, we brought only carry-on luggage, limited to a 15 pound bag and a personal item each.
Unlike many travel bloggers, we weren’t on a shoe string backpacker’s budget. So we booked a lot of 4+ star hotels with swimming pools for the kids (and our) sake.
It was mid-summer and very hot. But the other family was heading back to the USA soon and had one last country on their bucket list, so we braved the heat and monsoon season and here are our stories.
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, was the former Capital of South Vietnam. It is the biggest and most modern city in Vietnam and is a swarming hive of people, scooters, and traffic…
Hue
We had train tickets booked well in advance for our trip to Hue (pronounced “way”). That morning I logged onto the train webpage to see if we could upgrade our seats. The…
Hoi An
Hoi An is an ancient riverfront trading village dating back to the 15th century. It’s now a UNESCO world heritage site. According to our research, most tourists stay in the city of…
DMZ & Vinh Moc Tunnels
We booked a private tour company to take us to the DMZ and the Vin Moc tunnel system. They do full day tours, but when I mentioned “kids” they recommended the shorter…
Ha Long Bay
We flew to the capital city of Ha Noi and took a bus 2.5 hours South East to the famous Ha Long Bay. Trip guides say to take an overnight boat ride…
Hanoi
Our last day in Vietnam was in Hanoi, or “Ha Noi” as they spell it. It’s a beautiful city with low rise buildings and tree lined streets. We walked all around and…
