Looking for a Vietnam family travel itinerary?

Vietnam is a country that offers plenty for families. While it’s a big country, it’s easy to get around. With a bit of planning, you’ll find friendly and welcoming locals, amazing cultural sites, plenty of history and stunning landscapes.

This 3-week travel itinerary covers some of the best places to visit in Vietnam. It starts in the north and finishes in the south. But you can easily rejig this to start in the south and work your way up. It all depends on where it’s easier for you to fly into.

Pre-Arrange Visas for Vietnam Travel

Before we dive into the itinerary, remember that you may need to pre-arrange visas for arrival.

Aussies can organise theirs online for around US $25 per person. The price is the same for adults and kids – so plan this into your trip budget). It takes about 3 to 4 days for approval and can all be done online pretty seamlessly.

Vietnam Family Travel Itinerary: North to South

Begin your three-week Vietnam itinerary in Hanoi. You can spend three to four days exploring all this city has to offer.

Where to Stay: To soak up this city, consider basing yourself in the Old Quarter. It’s centrally located and offers plenty of charm. There are a few budget-friendly hotels to choose from that accommodate families. It’s a great walkable location within 5 minutes of many of the city’s top sights. 

Some family-friendly highlights in Hanoi included:

Water Puppet Theatre

Located right next to the Old Quarter, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi offers a unique cultural experience. It’s a great option for families. It features Vietnam’s traditional art of water puppetry that originated over a millennium ago in Vietnam’s rice fields. The show uses wooden puppets that gracefully perform on water. It’s accompanied by live traditional music and narratives that depict Vietnamese folklore and daily life. 

You can choose from multiple showtimes throughout the day:

• 3:00 PM
• 4:10 PM
• 5:20 PM
• 6:30 PM
• 8:00 PM

Each show lasts for around one hour. Showtimes can change so check out the website ahead of time. You can also pre book your tickets (or purchase on the day).

Ticket Prices: There are different seating options available with varied prices ranging from $6 to $12 AUD. If you want a seat up the front expect to pay more. We opted for budget seats and the kids could see most of the show without any issues. Although our youngest did have to sit on my lap a couple of times.

Top Tips:

• Arrive at least 15 minutes before your showtime so you can find your seat before the lights dim.
• After the show, take a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. Check out some of the markets and shops and grab some dinner at one of the many restaurants nearby.

Explore the Old Quarter

While walking in this area can be a little dicey due to the number of motorcycles. But, it is a great area to stroll around. There are loads of coffee shops and restaurants to explore.

Hanoi is famous for Vietnamese egg coffee (cà phê trứng). This rich, creamy coffee is made by whipping egg yolks with sugar and condensed milk. The result? A thick, frothy topping that’s poured over strong Vietnamese coffee. It creates a velvety, dessert-like coffee that tastes similar to tiramisu or a sweet coffee custard. Delicious!

Red Bus Tour

If you want to see the city quickly – consider a Red Bus Tour. These hop on and hop off buses are a good way to see a city if you’re short on time. They’re also a great choice if you’ve got tired kids who just don’t want to walk!

If you’re planning to visit any of the sites, check opening times and plan your trip accordingly. We wanted to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but unfortunately, it wasn’t open. Even though we had searched online and asked the tour operator!

A quick search on Google will show that there are plenty of sites where you can pre book your tickets. We got ours with Get Your Guide. Kids tickets were AUD$20 and adult tickets AUD$30.

Train Street

Train Street is a narrow alley where trains pass just inches away from homes, cafés, and visitors.

Located in the Old Quarter, it’s a popular spot for a unique photo opportunity and a glimpse of local life. However, its access has been restricted in recent years due to safety concerns.

The biggest danger for families, especially with young kids, is the lack of barriers and the unpredictable train schedules. If you visit with small kids, stay alert and keep your kids close!

Consider going with a reputable guide and be sure to follow all safety instructions.

Day Tour from Hanoi

While Hanoi offers lots of great tourist options, it’s also a great base to explore the north. So you can see what the Vietnamese countryside has to offer.

A day tour can be a great way to see everything quickly and offers a hassle-free experience.

Our Hanoi Day Trip included –

• Bai Dinh pagoda, to see the largest Buddha statue in Vietnam
• An amazing two-hour boat trip along the Trang An tourist site
• A delicious buffet lunch offering lots of options (including vegetarian)
• Climbing up to the top of the Mua Caves provided spectacular views. Though it definitely took longer than the 10 minutes our guide indicated. It also wasn’t for the faint-hearted or anyone with weak knees!

It was a long day with the kids. Pick up was at 7.45am and arrive back in Hanoi around 6.30pm. But there was lots of variety. Which meant the day went fast, and the kids definitely didn’t get bored.

The cost was approximately US$40 per person – kids under five are free.

Overnight Boat in Halong Bay

Halong Bay offers clear emerald waters and tall limestone islands. And there’s nothing quite like seeing it first-hand.

There are plenty of day or overnight trips (including one or two nights) available for a trip to Halong Bay. All offer to different types of tourists, from those on a tight budget to full on luxury.

We opted for a one-night, two-day cruise with Genesis Regal Cruise. The price included full board – accommodation, meals and activities. 

You can arrange a pick-up from Hanoi (for an additional fee) that drops you straight to the dock. This was a hassle free way of ensuring we wouldn’t miss the boat!

On arrival, hosts check your meal preferences and make any last-minute requests to ensure that families are happy with food options. They offered vegetarian options and kids meals.

A smaller boat will leave around 12pm and cruise through the bay for approximately 20 minutes before arriving at the large boat. After check-in, you’ll enjoy lunch and are then free to participate in activities on offer or relax. One of the options is a smaller boat trip which is a great way to really explore the bay and the small nearby islands. If you’re up for it you can also choose a swim (depending on the temperature and whether you want to brave the water!).

Before dinner, there is a free cooking class on the top deck where your kids can roll fresh spring rolls while the adults can enjoy happy hour and a stunning sunset! 

The following day, after an early breakfast, you can do some kayaking, which makes for a very calm, relaxing start to the day. However, be careful – one family fell in trying to get into the kayak. You’ll then return to the boat for one last meal before the cruise ends.

Hoi An – A Must Do for any Vietnam Family Travel Itinerary

This stunning town in the middle of the country is a popular tourist spot. And it’s not hard to see why! The streets are chock full of lanterns, cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, and so much atmosphere! Head down to the riverside near the Japanese Bridge towards sunset to soak it in and nab a table looking out at the river to look at all the lanterns on the boats.

Hoi An is also the place to visit if you want clothes tailored while in Vietnam. There are plenty of tailors to choose from, with varying quality. Our Airbnb host worked in one, which made choosing easier, and the quality was exceptional. 

• Tailor – Anna (347 Nguyen Duy Hieu)
• Shoes – Leather Leather Song Da (349 Nguyen Duy Hieu St)

You can easily spend a few days strolling through the markets, and there’s plenty of cheap items available for the kids to do some souvenir shopping – such as little trinkets, jewellery, magnets, hand-made cards and jewellery boxes.

While you’re there, try to fit in a boat ride at dusk. Large boats can accommodate larger families (we had six people in one boat). These larger boats mean you can go slightly further out on the bay. Try to time your return for when its getting dark so you can really see all the lanterns in their glory. The driver let the kids have a turn steering the boat, which was a magical experience for the adults and kids!

While there, it’s also worth the short drive to My Son, a cluster of partially ruined Hindu temples built between the 4th and 14th centuries in a beautiful jungle setting. It takes around an hour by car, and entry is 150,000 VND per person, including a 2-km trip by electric car to the centre. Entry also includes a music performance – double-check the times when buying your ticket.

Spend a Few Days in Danang

Danang is famous for its beach and is a big city with some cool cafes and restaurants, but it probably doesn’t warrant an extended stay if you’re short on time.

We spent Xmas Day here and also did a few day tours from here with Danang Private Cars (who were great – easy to organise, pre-pay, offered kids seats and super safe drivers) to explore some nearby sights that were definitely worth a visit, including Hue and Ba Na Hills.

Hue and the Hai Van Pass

Hue is located a few hours from Danang and was once the national capital and the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperor. It has a vast citadel surrounded by thick stone walls and offers lots to explore, including palaces and shrines. There are also many other pagodas and mausoleums to explore in the city.

To get there, we took the famous Hải Vân Pass, which stretches approximately 21 km through the mountain and offers spectacular views. We also stopped at the beautiful Lap An Lagoon, filled with oyster farms and traditional wooden stilt houses. 

Sunworld, Ba Na Hills

Sunworld is an amusement park on top of the stunning Ba Na Hills. While it’s expensive (AUD$60 for adults and AUD$50 for kids), particularly compared to other places in Vietnam, it was worth a visit for the cable car and the surreal Golden Hands bridge that almost floats at the top of the mountain above the clouds.

As well as a purpose-built French-style village with plenty of shops and restaurants, there’s a massive indoor amusement centre with some free activities for kids, such as a huge indoor play centre.

Try to buy your tickets online beforehand, either via the Sunworld website or Get Your Guide. We had trouble buying kids’ tickets, so while I had purchased the adult tickets, I had to get the kids on the day. Entry is based on height – so if your child is over 140cm, they’ll need to pay an adult price regardless of age. The lines can be long, and the process painfully slow.

Also, check the weather forecast, as it can impact whether it’s worth going. For example, we had a beautiful clear morning, but the weather turned up the mountain, and our ride back on the cable car was shrouded in fog. 

Finish in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh)

Saigon is a vibrant city that offers a fantastic array of things to see and do. Some highlights to include on your Vietnam family travel itinerary include:  

• Nguyen Hue walking street – a great street for strolling, especially at night. Look out for the Cafe Apartments, a group of apartments converted into cafes, so each tiny balcony offers a different cafe.
• Explore the many restaurants on offer – our favourite for the family was Ngon, a stunning and huge restaurant centrally located with pages of menu options, including a dedicated vegetarian section that made our life easier to choose from. If you’re after cheap, super-friendly options with a mix of Vietnamese and Western food, head to the famous backpacker area – Bui Vien Street.
• War Remnants Museum – if you’re interested in learning more about the Vietnamese (locally known as the American War), then take a trip to this harrowing museum. Thankfully they’ve set up a kids’ play area on the top level, as many images are incredibly graphic and unsuitable for children.
• Day trip to Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta – The Cu Chi Tunnels, around 50 km from Ho Chi Minh, offer a fascinating insight into the struggles experienced by the local Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War. We were given loads of information by our guide, who was incredibly knowledgeable, and we got to explore the tunnels ourselves. After the tour, we headed to the Mekong Delta, where we took a couple of boat rides to nearby islands, where the kids delighted in taste-testing honey and candies made by locals. Another long day, departing at around 8am and returning around 7pm but definitely worthwhile and a great way to see as much as possible in a short time. We booked our tour via Get Your Guide. There’s no real price difference between adults and kids tickets (though kids 5 and under are free). Tickets were around AUD$70 and included lunch and travel.

Vietnam Family Travel Itinerary – Wrap Up

Vietnam really does offer something for everyone. It’s a vibrant, welcoming country where the people are friendly. The travel is easy, and the cost is very affordable (particularly for a large family).

Hopefully you’re inspired by this Vietnam family travel itinerary! Check out other my other travel blogs for more inspiration.

Enjoy!