Vietnam in July with teens

[Holidayaddict123]

Has anyone done this kind of trip? Thinking of starting in Hanoi, boat trip in Halong Bay then work our way down to Hoi An stopping in one or two places. Where would you recommend? Was the weather ok? We don’t mind rain as long as it’s not constant!
Hotels seem very cheap - are they too good to be true or is it actually that affordable?

Thanks!

One further word of advice is maybe to limit what you do. It’s 2000 km long and there’s loads to do and see, but if you’re always on the go it can be a bit relentless.

I would second the above. A friend did the top to bottom with a tour company for a 2 week holiday and she said she wished she had not done it like that, everything seemed so rushed with early morning starts and always seemed to be travelling with not enough time to see what she wanted to see.
Just had a look at Intrepid travel and they seem OK if that is where you want to visit.

We won’t be using a tour company, it feels very doable on your own. And we would only be going as far as Hoi An as it seems the south of the country great weather wise in summer. A lot of the tour companies do the whole length in a fortnight but that won’t apply.

July is wert season in the North and South. We were in Hoi An and Hue and had some spectacular storms and a couple of days of relentless rain but people were drowning in Hà Nội. I think Sapa is out in July?

But Central Vietnam was fantastic anyway. Hoi An, Bach Ma National park, Hue, the tombs, Danang…

Hypothetical itinerary at the moment:
Hanoi (3 nights)
Halong Bay cruise (1-2 nights)
Ninh Binh and surrounds (3 nights)
Train to Hoi An
Hoi An (and other beach) 4 nights

Feel free to comment/criticise 😆

Oh and we are counting possible spending 1-2 days actually getting there, ie having a 24 hour stopover somewhere depending on who we fly with.

Have been to Hanoi in the summer and we had some rain, but plenty of indoor activities so the weather does not have a huge impact. We have done a couple of day trips with Vespa adventures (hue and HCMC) - great fun
https://www.vespaadventures.com/vietnam?utm_source=Google+&utm_medium=Paid+Ads&utm_campaign=External+Markets_Blended_Search&utm_term=Direct+Brand+Searches&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAq93UCtF5ElEVjAGAYpDrV2eBwX9i&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtpLABhC7ARIsALBOCVpQPOUmd7W0dNTZCTLIrGdwGdBabJi4s2msSmNccQDlY9kC41vWuCsaAgOaEALw_wcB

I would include Hue.

Bach Ma National Park over looking Laos is it incredible.

Agree with the 2,000 mile observation, just far too much to pack in , we stuck to the middle. Hoi An, Saigon, Hue, Nha Trang. Food is unreal and people incredible!

This is pretty much what we done although we did have a couple of nights in Hue too.

One thing my DCs still talk about was the lantern making in Hoi An which was fun

Not long back from vietnam. Hanoi and ninh binh are amazing. Make sure you do the food tour in hanoi. I wouldn't bother with halong bay - its polluted and crowded, very disappointing.

Your itinerary looks good!
Lan Ha bay or Bai Tu Long bay is less touristy.
Train Ninh Binh to Danang and then transfer to Hoian (An Bang beach).

I would still end up in Ho Chi Minh - you can fly back from there . Also can go to cu chi tunnels and Mekong delta from there .

We too are looking at taking teens next year (budget allowing) so am excited to read this thread. For those of you who have done it what did it cost roughly all inc? Staying at mid range hotels 3 centre stay for example. Many thanks

I’m interested in this too, possibly planning a similar trip with DC who will then be 11, 13 & 17 but will be very dependent on budget!

Oh and download the Grab app (Vietnamese uber) - walking in the heat is draining and taxis are cheap.

This is very similar to what I am planning but I want to try and include a couple of nights in Hue. I had thought about an Intrepid tour but they all include the south. I'm now excited about planning our own trip that works for us.
Can anyone tell me if it's easy to book train tickets? How far in advance do you need to book them for sleeper trains?

Have a look at this site - https://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm all the info about trains you need.
Overnight trains do book up quickly so try and book asap, when the booking window opens.

We have just done two weeks in Vietnam and it has been one of the best holidays. Recommend the Reu Boutique hotel in Hoi An. Just outside of the centre but walkable. We went to the Angsana resort in Lang Co Bay for a bit of luxury in the middle of the holiday. Really recommend for pools and the beach is lovely. Loved Hanoi and we did a cookery lesson there with a chef. The best place we stayed was Rosie's House Sapa. Just beautiful rooms overlooking the rice terraces.

It has been really hot but Sapa was lovely. Sleeper trains to get from place to place. Grab taxis to get around.

So glad someone started this thread! Also considering going next July for 3 weeks. We would be travelling with our 12 year old DD. I was a bit worried that it would be an ‘adult’ holiday and she wouldn’t like it but looks like the kids in here enjoyed it

I took my then 9 year old to Vietnam last July. We did this trip with exodus, which you could easily dupe: https://www.exodus.co.uk/trips/vietnam-holidays/family/vietnam-family-adventure/fiv#itinerary
Weather was really bloody hot but I think it only rained once. Beaches & the water park were a massive highlight for DC, plus the Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City (you said you weren’t going to go there but it would be a shame to go all that way & not see it. We loved the city).

We just went at Easter - so different weather

Hanoi was quite good. Book a food tour with Hanoi Kids. La Siesta hotel was fabulous.

Halong bay was great. We went with Indochina Junk who go to Bai Tu Long bay - much quieter and cleaner than Halong. Recommend them. Food was great too. Not sure how good it would be in poor weather though, we had sun.

Bac Ha was interesting- least touristy place we went - not good in July though.

Ninh Binh was an unexpected hit. Check weather though as it might be a bit miserable in the rain.

Hoi An we stayed at An Bang Beach and did Grab (like uber) trips into town which I would recommend. Aira Boutique has good family rooms and hence lots of families.

There is absolutely loads to do around Hoi An as it’s a tourist epicentre - cooking classes, lantern making, Memories show, Teh Dar show, release a lantern on the river, Marble Mountains, moped tour across Hai Van Pass, Ba Na Hills, An Bang beach, cycling round paddy fields/farms, snorkel trip to Cham islands etc etc. We didn’t do half of this!

Saigon we unexpectedly really liked - we basically did the flash version with shops and fancy coffee places - definitely do a scooter tour here. XO are famous but we did Vespa Adventures who were also great.

In your shoes, going at summer I would spend less time in the N and longer in the middle of the country. I would add Hue, do a scooter tour there. (Great fun riding on back of a vespa and keeps you cool). Maybe consider stopping off at the caves at Phong Nga or making a trip to the hills in Dalat (I believe you can do various outdoor activities there).

Thank you - great advice!

I would give DaLat a miss in the summer months as its very wet.

Ah fair enough I never researched that area.