Are you heading to Vietnam but don’t know where to start? Thinking about 3 weeks in Vietnam with kids? DO IT! Read on for the best places in Vietnam to visit.
Best Month to Visit Vietnam
Similar to most South East Asian countries the high season in Vietnam is from December to April. The weather won’t be as hot and rainfall will be less. Some people suggest that the best month to visit Vietnam is March-April for the least rain.
As teachers, we opted to spend August travelling Vietnam. There was a lot of rain but coming from Dubai we didn’t mind it. We also had a lot of dry, albeit humid days. The rain was a novelty for our Dubai babies!
Is Vietnam Safe for Families?
Absolutely! Vietnam is a wonderful country with smiley, friendly people. They love kids and locals will help you out as much as possible. One thing to be mindful of is the traffic in the cities. We have never seen roads like those in Ho Chi Minh – motorbikes driving down the pavement. If you are travelling with very young children just make sure you have a baby wearer. We spent most of our 3 weeks in Vietnam with a child each on our shoulders. Travelling with kids in Vietnam is an adventure and a great one at that! Our boys were 2 and 4 during our trip and we had a wonderful time!
Best Places to Visit in Vietnam
Vietnam is a wonderfully diverse country and it is impossible to fit everything into 3 weeks in Vietnam. However, it does give you enough time to get to see some of the best Vietnam places to visit. Here is a list of some of our unmissable places:
- Hanoi
- Halong Bay
- Hue
- Hoi An
If you need to edit this itinerary to fit to 2 weeks in Vietnam or even a 10 days Vietnam itinerary then these would be our tips not to miss.
Read on for our 3 weeks in Vietnam itinerary.….
Hanoi – Days 1, 2 and 3
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam is a charming city. We loved Hanoi Old Quarter with the narrow streets, street markets, street food vendors and cafes. It is a city full of culture and you can easily spend a few days wandering around.
We would highly recommend starting with a Hanoi food tour. We did a walking street food tour Hanoi with Kevin. He was a fantastic guide with great English. He was so accommodating with our 2 overtired, jetlagged kids and made allowances for them along the way. We were lucky to be the only ones on the Hanoi food tour that day so we got to experience everything fully. Get in touch with Kevin for when you arrive in Hanoi it is a great way to see the city and sample real Vietnamese food. Make sure you are hungry!
Read our post here on our Hanoi Street Food Tour.
Where to stay in Hanoi
We opted for the budget friendly Hanoi Avatar Hotel. It was centrally located with a large family room and we lucked out with a huge terrace overlooking the streets below which we loved.
Another option in Old Quarter Hanoi is the gorgeous Aira Boutique Hotel with a pool and spa at affordable prices.
If you’re looking for something a bit more luxurious, check out The Oriental Jade Hotel which has a rooftop pool and is centrally located.
If you’re looking for a bit more space then the Wyndham Sky Lake Resort which has resort villas to rent on a stunning location with swimming pools.
Halong Bay – Days 3 and 4
Halong Bay will be the most expensive part of your 3 weeks in Vietnam. However, we thought it was worth every penny. We can definitely recommend Orchid Cruises for a Halong Bay cruise overnight. We would have loved to have done a 2 night cruise, if you can afford it – go for it! Orchid Cruises were incredible, they do not overpack the cruise boat so there were not too many people on board. If you are looking for a Halong Bay family cruise then Orchid Cruises are the best cruise in Halong Bay, in our opinion. They organised everything for us and the ship was true luxury. We adored our balcony, huge bed, kids beds, visit to the caves, kayaking, spring roll making, cocktail hour and the food was incredible.
Read here for our Halong Bay Cruise overnight post with all the details.
Halong Bay to Danang – Day 5.
To get onwards from Halong Bay you either need to return to Hanoi which is a 3 hour drive. Alternatively, you can organise transport to take you to Cat Bi International Airport which is only a 40minute drive. From Cat Bi Airport we flew to Danang.
We spent 1 night in a hotel close to Danang airport, Eden Plaza Hotel and then travelled to Hue the next morning.
Danang to Hue – Days 6 and 7
It is possible to travel by train from Danang to Hue which takes around 2.5 hours. As we were travelling with pretty young kids during our 3 weeks in Thailand we organised a driver.
Hue is a really interesting city with lots to see and do. Known as the Imperial City which is full of palaces and shrines. An ancient walled city with a lot of history. On the way there are also some war museums with aircrafts and tanks that are worth visiting. Hue is a great place to wander and explore with some great bars and restaurants to check out in the evening.
The Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort and Spa is a stunning hotel in Hue. This is an escape in nature with bungalows and a gorgeous pool hidden away. Slightly away from the centre but easily accessible to everything it is perfect.
Hai Van Pass by Train – Day 8
We wanted to do some train travel and experience the Hai Van Pass this way. We caught a morning train from Hue back down to Da Nang. It was a breathtaking trip with incredible scenery, read our blog here.
If you are not travelling with kids then another unique way to experience the Hai Van Pass is by motorbike. There are lots of tour companies that offer this experience.
Hoi An – Days 8, 9, 10, 11
Hoi An was a much anticipated part of our 3 weeks in Vietnam and we wanted to spend a bit more time in one place to get settled with the kids. We chose Sunny Pool Villa in Hoi An where we had a family room with a balcony, breakfast and a pool. It was a lovely escape. Check out the bike tours. We went around Cat Kim island visiting paddy fields, water buffalos and going to see locals in their villages and houses – read about it here. Make sure to check out An Bang beach, a wide, sandy beach about 10mins outside of Hoi An, check it out here. The rest of the time was spent wandering the beautiful old town of Hoi An.
Ho Chi Minh – Days 11, 12 and 13
We travelled to Ho Chi Minh by plane from Da Nang airport. Ho Chi Minh is a city like no other, we thought we had seen busy, hectic Asian cities but nothing compares to this place!
Make sure to visit the War Remnants Museum (without the kids, it is harrowing), read about it here. Check out a Water Puppet Show at the Golden Dragon Theatre which the boys loved!
We also did a half day excursion (with the kids) to the Cu Chi tunnels which you can check out here. This was a must on our list of things to do in 3 weeks in Vietnam and it is fine to take the kids. It was a great half day trip.
We also ate our best meal in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh city. It was at Cau Ba Quan which we had seen on Somebody Feed Phil. Read more details and our thoughts on Ho Chi Minh/Saigon here.
Phu Quoc – Days 14-18
We were eager to finish our 3 weeks in Vietnam trip on the beach, chilling out by the pool and sipping cocktails. Reflecting on the last 2 weeks in Vietnam of busy travelling. Phu Quoc is an island off Ho Chi Minh and you have to fly here for the beach escape.
We chose Peppercorn Beach Resort in the north of the island for the first 2 nights. There was nothing much to do here and it did rain a lot but we still loved it. We then moved down the busier Duong Dong on the West Coast. We stayed in the gorgeous Cassia Cottage which we adored, it has 3 pools, a beach, plenty of activities for the kids and great food. It is also in walking distance to little bars and restaurants along the beach.
Phu Quoc was the perfect end to our 3 weeks in Vietnam adventure.
If you enjoyed reading our post on 3 weeks in Vietnam then make sure to check out Hanoi Street Food Tour. Read our Halong Bay Cruise overnight post for all the details too. Also, our Destinations Page where you can find more detailed posts on our Vietnam trip. Looking for Thailand inspiration? Check out our Thailand itinerary for 3 weeks in Thailand. If you are looking for other family travel inspiration then check out our Destinations Page for lots of other information.
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