8 Days in Northern Vietnam with Young Kids
#toddler #familytravel #northvietnam
When husband and I got on the plane in Shanghai, surrounded by 20 yr old European backpackers, I was worried we were on the wrong vacation, but Northern Vietnam of my dreams did not let me down. It is an affordable and pleasant destination for families who enjoy moving around while on vacation.
We did 2 nights in Sapa, 2 nights in Hanoi, 2 nights abroad a cruise in Ba Tu Long Bay (little brother dragon to the famous Ha Long Bay), and 1 return night in Hanoi before our departure home. The trip included our two and five year olds as well as my mom.
Highlights of our trip included riding the rails and cable cars up Fansipan Mountain in Sapa, touring the Old Quarter in the rain in red cyclos, and kayaking with the kids in Bai Tu Long Bay. Our trip also included lots of pool time, my husband and I sneaking off of a craft beer in Hanoi (thank you grandma for staying with the sleeping kids), and some sweet evening foot massages for my mom and me.
Low lights included both kids throwing up in the car on the way up to Sapa on the very first day, two ill-prepared parents wondering if this trip was a mistake. Both kids losing their minds the first night on the cruise due to exhaustion and too late a dinner (naps were enforced the second day and cruise served their simple dinner an hour earlier).
In retrospect, I would do an extra night in Sapa instead of two nights in Hanoi. No shade to Hanoi. Young kids and cities just don’t seem to mesh. They don’t care about museums or historical sites, their favorite way of moving is to weave from far left to right and to stop suddenly to look at a bug, inviting everyone to play leap frog over their bodies.
North Vietnam’s best time to go is October through April. Don’t let young kids stop you from visiting the Halong Bay area. Many blogs I read were scared their kids would fall from the boat into the water. I’m happy to report there were no close call. The only dangerous part were some stairs with no handrails. We loved the Indochina Junk Dragon Legend cruise. As promised in the reviews, we hardly saw another cruise ship while we were sailing and being a smaller group (45 people the first night and maybe 30 people the second night) we were able to go on two kayaking trips and have a memorable bbq on the beach. Pictures can’t capture how beautiful the bay is. Whichever cruise you go with, just check that they have kid life jackets and that their transfer from Hanoi can accommodate a car seat.
Our hotels and cruise of choice were Silk Path Sapa, Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, and the Indochina Junk Dragon Legend 3D/2N cruise. We were an exception with kids at all these hotels, but we did run into the same Italian family with young kids at the hotels, both of us following the same itinerary.
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Ideas to dial up your travel (or make life a little easier)
- [ ] Use the hotel laundry service, especially in Sapa. We sent the soiled kids clothes and the car seat cover to the laundry. Total bill: $4
- [ ] If going to Sapa, book a private car to take you.
- [ ] Use the hotel concierge service to hail cyclos in Hanoi. They’ll pre-negotiate the rate for you. We paid $5 per person per hour whereas I’ve heard costs as ridiculous as $3 per 10 minutes.
- [ ] Order room service the first night you arrive. Everyone can eat and get settled while you unpack.
- [ ] Include breakfast with all your hotel bookings. I’ll have to come back in my 50s to get morning street pho. Wait for me.
- [ ] Buy souvenirs and get massages in Sapa. If you’re a spa head, Silk Path Sapa has a wonderful spa. Costs in Hanoi were at least double the costs in Sapa. We didn’t make it out to any of the local villages, instead got some souvenirs for obscene prices.
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Packing essentials (what we’re really glad we packed)
-Child carrier
-Car seat for the squirmiest - for safety but also to keep them seated between Sapa and Hanoi
-Dry cereal in single serve boxes - ask your hotel or cruise for fresh milk (sua) for a quick kid’s meal
-$200 or some cash to exchange at the airport - you can exchange any VND that you don’t use on your return to the airport. Just note that the exchange booth will make about 1,000 VND on the exchange back to USD.
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Helpful apps to download (ones we actually used)
-Klook - Purchased SIM cards for pick up at the airport; booked our departure airport car transfer, purchased tickets for Fansipan Mountain
-Grab - Hail taxis
-Translate - Built into apple phones. A translation app is handy to have.