Vietnam

Lanterns in Hoi An at the night market

With over five years combined living in Japan, we are slowly making our way across Asia! Vietnam is popular tourist destination for many reasons including their history, culture, food and scenery. We tend to avoid time in major cities and prefer scenic adventures so we did not get to see the historical sites of Ho Chin Min but instead, opted for geographic wonders and culture! 

Even with the heat and humidity, the kids loved checking out new sights. Sure, they would prefer swimming in the hotel pool the entire time but with the promise of dinner and desserts along the way, they fared well as we checked out the local city of Hoi An. 

When in Vietnam, travel like locals!  Rest easy, we only took a spin about 3 minutes down the small block to a local dinner joint. It was crazy hot and we had rented the scooter earlier in the day so that Roman and Nick could cruise the town in the morning hours before things really got hustling. The kids were over the moon- and while this is common for families of 4+ to travel on scooters in Vietnam, a family of tourists on one was not the common sight and the owners of the restaurant got a kick out of it. 

Boat ride through these waters followed by scenic over-look

Hanoi to Tam Coc: In just six hours, we touched down in the bustling city of Hanoi. I love direct flights and have been picking more locations based upon the flight paths- the sooner we can arrive, the better. After arrival and a lengthy time spent in customs we were headed off on a 2 hour ride to the smaller, more rural city of Tam Coc. Vietnam has more complex VISA requirements for certain citizens and USA is one of them. We had to apply weeks in advance and then when we arrived, there were more documents needed for the kids, it was packed with many other travelers in similar situations. 

Tam Coc: Boat rides on traditional sampans are one of the main highlights we were looking forward to in Tam Coc. These foot paddle boats bring you through gorgeous limestone caves. We were very lucky that our hotel suggested we go first thing in the morning to avoid crowds- also the morning clouds provided enough shade to keep us from sweltering in the heat. Roman even took a hand at paddling the boat! 

Ninh Binh: Hang Mua is a mountain cave that has 500 stairs leading to an amazing countryside view. By just ten, the heat and humidity was unbearable and the kids and I did not make it to the top. Nick did and took gorgeous photos while the kids and I shared snacks with some local tourists. I couldn't believe how many people were buying the kids snacks throughout the trip! In the airport, a few ladies brought the kids ice creams from the vending machine, and we got bags of chips and what not along the way from others. The culture was so friendly, kind and welcoming! We would wake up, swim, ride bikes (the kids loved checking out the baby goats) and take in the beautiful surroundings. 

On a whim, we even rented a scooter and went on a date! The hotel said no one has ever asked about babysitting services but they had a nice girl who worked at the hotel come watch the kids while we were gone. Roman had wi-fi and could write us while we were out and she played games with them and they had a great time while we got to spend a few hours connecting without kids! This is something we try to do now everywhere we go! 

After Ninh Binh, we went back to the airport and took a quick flight over to Da Nang. While we loved our amazing hotel, friendly staff and beautiful rural scenery of Tam Coc... Da Nang was equally amazing - we loved the food, our beautiful hotel and would have loved to check out the beach but it was too hot and humid for our kiddos. 

Beer for breakfast? It's no secret, SE Asia is known for the dreaded stomach bugs you can get from some foods. Sanitation is not the same as most are used to, and the access to clean purified water is not either. I've had a few rough goes (Thailand about killed me!) so I read a wives tale online that a beer with every meal can help prevent stomach bugs. I'm no doctor, but we tried this and didn't get sick in Vietnam once! I also read wine helps, but beer was easier to acquire as there were many local brews. Science probably contradicts this, but I love a good wives tale especially when it works. 

Affordable Family Trip to Vietnam: Surprisingly, cheaper than most commercial flights in the USA, our tickets to Vietnam were around $300 and flying to Da Nang was only $30 per person! You can feed your entire family a nice dinner for around $20 and taxi's are cheap as well. We rented a motor bike for $8 a day in one city and used a company similar to Uber in other places. 

7kg per family member: Low-cost air carriers in Asia are strict about luggage and your combined carry-on can only be 7kg for most.  We were traveling light because of all the flights we would be taking so each person had only a backpack! I typically pack 4 days worth of clothes and 1 set of pajamas. We shower before bed, wear those pjs for a few days and then utilize laundry services at hotels. 

After a few days in Vietnam, we were off to Cambodia!