Vietnam - Easter 24 with kids

[Thischarmlessgirl]

Hi, we just came back from a wonderful fortnight in Thailand and have fallen in love with the far east all over again.
Can anyone who has been to Vietnam help me, we are looking to go for Easter next year, two adults, kids, 14/11/11. We’d like to definitely do Hanoi, Halong Bay and Hoi An. We’d like to do spend a week on a lovely beach resort before flying home. I don’t really know where to start, budget is around £10k. Kids love snorkelling and we’d like to potentially spend the night on a junk boat in Halong Bay, I’m not sure about travelling between destinations, whether it’s best to fly or trains, one of my kids gets very travel sick so a ten hour coach/car journey isn’t ideal. I’d really appreciate any help or advice. 🙏

Definitely recommend the train for long distance- easy, safe, and great scenery.
I would use Hanoi as a base as most Halong tour companies will collect you from the city centre.
Hoi An- overnight train is a great experience.
I went with a 6 and 8yo a few years back - did Hanoi, Halong and Ninh Binh & they regularly talk about it now.

Went to Vietnam 2019. We did go on organised tour with Mercury Travel so probably not what you would want to do with children but could give you ideas. All the hotels used were lovely.

3 nights Hanoi (go to water puppet show) then Halong Bay. Opportunity to kayak around the islands swim and see local floating villages. Would definitely say go by train to Hoi An area just for the experience and seeing some of the country side but don’t expect luxury. We did overnight train. If you fly you will spend hours in airport and see nothing of country side. As well as being a lovely town there is also a beach at Hoi An or NhaTrang or continue further south

Meant to say check out the similar threads on here for more ideas.

Also regarding snorkelling Mun Island accessed from Nha Trang area has coral reefs

Thanks everyone, very useful.

If you go to Hoi An have a look at visiting the Bana Hills. Your DC will love it. The cable car ride to the village at the top is amazing if not a little terrifying and the Golden Hand bridge is stunning.

We went down the tunnels which was fascinating. Also went on a motor bike trip round Ho Chi Minh city as pillion riders. That was scary but fantastic.

Have visited Vietnam before covid

It is not the same as Thailand (different culture & history)

It is much cheaper to book excursions when you are there

Our trip on a boat for a couple of days at Halong Bay was cancelled due to bad weather, so we booked a one day trip instead. So be prepared for a change of plan at very short notice.

The various museums are good, especially the outside war museum & hidden tunnels

We loved Vietnam but very different to Thailand. We spent time in Hanoi and one night in HaLong Bay before flying to Hoi An. After a few days in Hoi An we went to DaNang just a short drive away. There are some amazing hotels for unbelievable prices right on a white sandy beach. It was a taste of luxury perfect for relaxation after a busy holiday and we actually extended our stay by two nights because we loved it so much. Beach extends for miles and there are lots of little beach bars and seafood restaurants on the front. We did need to take a taxi out most nights though because our hotel was towards the end of the beach in a more secluded spot but it was really cheap. We also enjoyed the evenings in DaNang. City like but loads going on, great to see and very different from Hanoi. We had some of our best food here too. Would recommend.

Vietnam is heaven. I really want to go back.
We went with Freedom Asia, who were amazing. We did Hanoi (including Halong Bay) Hue and Hoi-An.
They picked us up from the airport, took us to the hotel and then left us to it. Then picked us up to drive us to the next destination and so on, depositing us at the airport to fly home at the end.
Halong Bay is just blissful. I could have spend the whole holiday I think just puttering around those islands in a small boat eating amazing food.
We did a two day/one night cruise and there were activities like caving and kayaking from the boat.
We also did a food tour in Hoi-An that was good fun. The food is divine and ridiculously cheap.

Flight is the best way for a long distance based on what you said.
Phu Quoc island or Con Dao island in South is good for beach time at that time.

There are so many places in Vietnam that you can travel to with your kids on Holiday such as joining a food tour in Ho Chi Minh City to explore tasty food and Vietnam's culture. You can also join a cooking class , very fun and interesting, your kid can learn some new things and stay away from the internet