Vietnam with a toddler: A full assault on all our senses

A quick bit of context before we begin…

We’re a family of three, usually living the van life in the UK and Europe. But for this trip, we swapped the campervan for backpacks and set off on a 6-month adventure to the other side of the world with our 3-year-old in tow.

These posts are our monthly reality checks – the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

This post is for anyone planning a family adventure, especially families considering travelling to Vietnam with a toddler.

If you missed it, find our month 1 recap here: 6 Months Away: Month 1.

The vibe this month

Oh my days, we’re in Vietnam.

Vietnam was a full assault on all our senses, and it was awesome. The noise, the traffic, the smells, the food, the colours, the people – there was something happening everywhere we looked.

After Thailand, Vietnam felt like we’d turned the volume up. Hanoi was chaotic and exhilarating, crossing the road felt like an extreme sport, and even the simplest journeys seemed to come with a story attached.

But that was also what made it so brilliant.

Over the course of the month, our Vietnam itinerary took us from Hanoi to Ninh Binh and then down to Da Nang and Hoi An. Each place felt completely different, and somewhere along the way we stopped trying to make sense of the chaos and just started enjoying it.

Our Vietnam itinerary

• Hanoi – chaotic, fascinating and full of incredible food
• Ninh Binh – rice fields, river boats and a much-needed change of pace
• Da Nang – a city we unexpectedly loved
• Hoi An – lanterns, old streets and our favourite place of the month

Hanoi: Embracing the chaos

Hanoi was our introduction to Vietnam, and it certainly didn’t ease us in gently.

It was noisy, busy and completely fascinating. The traffic is something else – particularly when you’re trying to cross a road with a 3-year-old – and there were times when we wondered quite how we’d navigate the next few weeks.

But there was so much to love. Incredible food, endless little streets to explore and that feeling of being somewhere completely different to home.

We also discovered egg coffee, which became one of those little travel moments that sticks with you. We had absolutely no idea what to expect when we ordered it, and somehow the combination of coffee and what essentially looks like whipped egg custard works ridiculously well.

And, as someone who has to think about gluten-free food wherever we travel, Hanoi also deserves a special mention for an unexpectedly excellent gluten-free Mexican meal. Because apparently after travelling halfway around the world, sometimes what you really need is a taco.

Ninh Binh: A breath of fresh air

After the intensity of Hanoi, Ninh Binh felt like we’d pressed pause.

We stayed in Tam Coc, where our accommodation was the most wholesome little homestay, run by a lovely woman and her children. Little Rick quickly became best friends with her 3-year-old daughter.

They couldn’t speak each other’s language, but it didn’t matter in the slightest. They played together, communicated in their own way and created the sweetest little friendship. Little Rick still asks about her and wants to go back to play.

That, more than any tourist attraction, is one of the things we’ll remember most from Vietnam.

Tam Coc itself was a brilliant contradiction. One direction took us towards bars, restaurants and the buzz of town; but head out the other way and suddenly you’re met with rice fields, boats and open countryside.

After Hanoi, it was exactly what we needed.

Da Nang: The surprise

We only stayed in Da Nang for a couple of nights either side of Hoi An, as it was our base for travelling in and out of the area. We hadn’t expected to love it quite as much as we did.

We’re generally drawn to nature and smaller places rather than cities, but Da Nang really worked for us. The beach, the boardwalk, the food and the general feel of the place made us wish we’d had longer there.

And Da Nang was the source of one of our wildest stories as well…

On our second visit, we were walking along the boardwalk by the beach when we spotted two families we followed on Instagram. We’d never met in real life, but I recognised them, they recognised us, and before long we were all having lunch together.

It was one of those wonderfully random travel moments that would never have happened at home.

We also stayed in a hotel where the staff completely fell for Little Rick. He taught them how to play UNO, and they happily played with him for hours.

So yes, Da Nang: unexpectedly brilliant. We’d definitely go back for longer.

Favourite place of the month: Hoi An

And then there was Hoi An.

If you’d asked us before arriving in Vietnam what we imagined Vietnam would look like, we’d probably have described Hoi An. A beautiful old town, lanterns everywhere, colourful streets and friendly locals.

It was exactly what we’d pictured – but somehow even better.

We made our own lanterns while we were there, which are currently travelling around Vietnam and beyond with us. We’re hoping they make it all the way home in one piece… pray for us!

Hoi An also surprised us because it felt so different from everywhere else we’d visited in Vietnam. Hanoi was intense, Ninh Binh was peaceful and Da Nang felt modern and open. Hoi An had its own slower, more magical rhythm.

We could absolutely see ourselves coming back here without hesitation too.

Who would love it?

Everyone, really. Families, couples, solo travellers – there’s something about Hoi An that seems to work for everyone.

The highlights

There were so many highlights this month that picking one “best experience” feels almost impossible.

Making lanterns in Hoi An, exploring Ninh Binh, discovering new food around every corner and simply navigating our way through Vietnam with a toddler all felt like part of the adventure.

One of the biggest highlights, though, was meeting other travelling families. We’ve followed some of these people online for ages, so bumping into them in real life – sometimes completely by chance – made the whole trip feel a little less far from home.

And then there was the rainbow slide.

It was enormous, rainbow-coloured and a little bit wild. We weren’t sure whether Little Rick would enjoy it, but he absolutely loved it and begged to go on again. In fact, Mr Rick screamed the loudest out of all of us!

Best experience: Making lanterns in Hoi An and hoping they survive the rest of the trip.

Best food: Pretty much everything. Banh mi, incredible local rice dishes, pho, egg coffee, coconut coffee… everything was excellent.

Best moment: Trying egg coffee for the first time, with absolutely no idea what we were about to get.

Funniest/weirdest moment: Our sleeper train.

We’d booked three beds on the sleeper train from Ninh Binh to Da Nang. When we arrived at our four-person cabin, there was a guy called Piotr from the Czech Republic about to join us.

“Oh, you must be in bed 17,” I said.

“No, I’m in 19.”

Cue confused faces as we had 18, 19 and 20 booked.

We tried to sort it out with the person on the train, who looked at us blankly, until we just accepted our fate and all settled in.

Piotr was lovely. Drunk, but lovely. The poor guy was probably expecting to make some drinking friends and ended up with a family… sorry pal!

Eventually, he went off to find a bar, leaving us with the cabin to ourselves and, crucially, allowing us to get Little Rick to sleep.

We spent the rest of the journey slightly on edge, though, wondering whether another person might suddenly appear wanting to join our cabin in bed 17. Given the apparent ticketing disaster, it seemed entirely possible.

The lowlights

Every adventure has them, and Vietnam was no exception.

Travelling Vietnam during Tet

We’ll hold our hands up here: this one was entirely on us.

We hadn’t realised that Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is primarily a time for families to come together in Vietnam. We’d seen content from Lunar New Year celebrations in Thailand and China, with big street celebrations, fireworks and all the colour and noise you might expect, so we’d just assumed Tet in Vietnam would be much the same.

It was not.

Pretty much everything shut. Some places were closed for days, Grab drivers were much harder to come by because, quite rightly, they were off spending time with their families, and the drivers who were working had understandably increased their prices. Even ordering food through Grab became more difficult and expensive.

Then we discovered that cash machines were running out of money because giving cash in red envelopes is such a big part of Tet. Cue us wandering around trying to find an ATM that actually had cash in it.

Looking back, we probably would have stayed in Thailand for a few extra days and delayed travelling to Vietnam until after the main Tet celebrations if we’d realised what we were letting ourselves in for.

And, to be clear, this is absolutely not a criticism of Vietnam. Quite the opposite – we love that Tet is such an important time for families to be together. We just hadn’t done our research properly and had made a big assumption based on what we’d seen elsewhere.

So, if you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, check the Tet dates before you book anything. And maybe don’t rely on being able to casually wander to an ATM when you arrive.

The orange sheets

Our Hoi An accommodation was a lovely homestay, so we were feeling pretty happy with our choice.

Until we received a WhatsApp message a couple of days in telling us that we’d made the sheets orange.

Apparently, this was because we were wearing suncream in bed.

Our suncream is completely normal, so I was confused. Then we were told we’d need to buy new linen, at which point I was even more confused. We hadn’t noticed anything on the sheets ourselves, and surely we’d have noticed if we’d turned the bed orange?

I asked for pictures and offered to take the sheets to the laundry ourselves if there was a problem.

Then we were told that apparently the tannin in the water makes things orange. And suddenly, everything was fine. No new linen required. No further action.

Except it had put a bit of a dampener on things. I’m so conscious of chemicals on the skin that I make all three of us shower before bed, so being told we’d somehow ruined someone’s bedding with our suncream made us nervous about just relaxing in the room afterwards.

What this month taught us

Stepping out of your comfort zone is good for the soul, but it can also be quite intense.

Vietnam definitely pushed us out of ours. The roads and traffic are something else entirely, and navigating them with a 3-year-old adds another level of concentration.

But we also learned that we don’t need to understand everything immediately. Sometimes you just have to take a breath, cross the road, figure out where you’re going and get on with it.

After Thailand taught us to slow down, Vietnam taught us something slightly different: stepping into the chaos can be just as rewarding as finding somewhere calm.

Photo highlights

• Rice fields and views in Ninh Binh
• The beach of Da Nang
• Waiting for the train to pass in Hanoi
• Golden Bridge, Da Nang
• The lanterns of Hoi An
• Street views in Hanoi

Would we go back?

Hanoi: Yes – so much to explore, and the food alone would bring us back.

Ninh Binh: Yes – we loved the slower pace and completely different feel from Hanoi.

Da Nang: Absolutely. We only stayed for a couple of nights either side of Hoi An, but surprisingly loved it. We’d definitely like to spend longer here one day.

Hoi An: 100% yes – we’d happily move here.

One thing we’d do differently

We’d have done more research around Tet, for starters. Knowing what we know now, we’d have stayed in Thailand for a few extra days and arrived in Vietnam once things had started opening back up.

But, more than anything, we’d have stayed longer in Vietnam. Every time we moved on, we felt like we’d only just started to get under the skin of a place. If we’d had the choice again, we’d have slowed things down, spent longer in each destination and probably just extended our time in Vietnam altogether.

What’s next

We’re not done with Vietnam just yet.

Next up are Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City, before we leave Vietnam behind and fly onwards to New Zealand – with a six-hour layover in Hong Kong thrown in for good measure.

Because apparently we’re not quite ready to make things easy for ourselves yet…

FAQs about travelling Vietnam with a toddler

Is Vietnam good for travelling with a toddler?

Yes – although it’s definitely not without its challenges. The traffic and roads can be intense, particularly with a young child, but we found people incredibly welcoming and Little Rick had some of his loveliest interactions of the whole trip here. Slowing down and not trying to pack too much into each day made a big difference for us.

Is Vietnam family-friendly?

Absolutely. We found Vietnam to be a brilliant place for family travel. There are some practical challenges, particularly navigating busy roads and getting around during Tet, but the friendliness of the people, fantastic food and variety of places to visit made it a really rewarding destination with a toddler.

Is Hoi An good for toddlers?

Yes. Hoi An was our favourite place in Vietnam and one of the places where we found it easiest to slow down and enjoy simply being somewhere. The old town is beautiful to explore, there are plenty of places to eat and there is loads to keep families entertained without needing to fill every day with activities.

Is Ninh Binh worth visiting with a toddler?

Definitely. We loved the slower pace of Ninh Binh after the chaos of Hanoi. We stayed in Tam Coc, which gave us easy access to restaurants and bars while still being surrounded by rice fields and countryside. For us, it was also where Little Rick made one of his sweetest friendships of the whole trip.

Should you travel to Vietnam during Tet?

You can, but we’d recommend doing your research first. We travelled during Tet without fully understanding how much it would affect everyday life. Many businesses close, transport and Grab availability can be reduced, prices can increase and even ATMs can run short of cash. It’s an important family holiday in Vietnam, so we’d absolutely respect that – we’d just plan our itinerary around it next time.

Is Vietnam easy to travel around with a young child?

There are definitely some challenges, particularly around traffic and getting around busy cities, but we found it very manageable overall. The key for us was accepting that things wouldn’t always work exactly as we’d expect them to – and embracing the chaos. We also found that travelling slower and staying longer in fewer places made the experience much more enjoyable for all three of us.

Enjoying our 6-month adventure?

If you’re enjoying following along with our 6-month family adventure, there’s plenty more to come.

You can start at the beginning with our Month 1 recap, or keep following as we swap Vietnam for New Zealand and see where the adventure takes us next.

Read Month 1: Singapore, Thailand & finding our feet in Southeast Asia

And if you’re planning your own family adventure, bookmark this series – we’re sharing the reality of travelling long-term with a toddler, including the places we loved, the bits that didn’t go quite to plan, what we’d do differently and everything we learn along the way.