We’re always game for the next family adventure, and this one, during the March school holidays in 2023, took us up North to Vietnam. This article covers our itinerary, recommendations and tips for our week in Hanoi with kids, with a side trip to Ninh Binh.
Why Hanoi with kids?
We had $400 SGD air travel credit from Amex, which was part of the Amex Platinum Charge card’s benefits in that year. The credits could only be used on Amex’s travel portal, and we explored various nearby destinations where the credits would cover a large part of the fare. Eventually, the call of adventure led us to book tickets on Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi, a 3 hour direct flight away from Singapore. The total cost was a little over $800 SGD, which meant we paid about $400 SGD out of pocket for the air fares.
We enjoy travel as a family, and find ways to make it happen without too high a cost. Credit card benefits are a great way to travel for less!
Food and accommodation in Vietnam are also very wallet friendly, and in total, we spent under $2,000 SGD for the whole trip including air fares. If you’re looking to travel on a budget, check out our post on how to travel on a budget with kids.
Don’t forget!
Get travel insurance now
Buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked tickets, so that you’re covered for the whole period from then onward. It’s a small thing that goes a long way when you lose belongings or fall sick on trip!
Getting to Hanoi from Singapore
We took the direct flight from Singapore to Hanoi on Vietnam Airways. With very low expectations for the flight, we found it to be reasonably comfortable and sufficient for a short-haul flight. Before boarding, we used our Priority Pass (free with certain credit cards, including the entry-level Citi Premiermiles) to enjoy the Blossom Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 4, and even spent some time playing on the extra long slide that was open for public access.
What to pack for Hanoi with kids?
We expected that food would generally be easy to come by, as our kids eat most foods and we are not fussy about what we feed them while traveling, so we didn’t bring many snacks. We also expected that the terrain would not be stroller friendly, so we ditched the stroller and brought only a baby carrier each instead. We also left our travel cot behind, as we were able to book Airbnbs in Hanoi that provided a cot, and we were going to do some train travel so we wanted to travel as light as possible. At our countryside homestay in Ninh Binh, the kids embraced the adventure and slept together on a queen sized bed.
Attire wise, the weather in Hanoi in March is mild and cool, and wonderfully comfortable. Vietnamese generally dress conservatively, so we likewise wore longer pants on our trip. For the lots of walking we would be doing, we packed a good pair of shoes each. My pick are Chacos Z sandals (without the toe post, so socks can be worn with them).
Think you’ve packed everything? Consider these 5 unusual things that you might find very helpful!
7 days in Hanoi itinerary
Day 1 – Food tour in Hanoi’s Old Town
Our kids wake early, and we had some time before the food tour that we booked. We found ourselves at a hole in the wall Pho place filled with locals.
Vietnamese food was one of the things we were looking forward most to about visiting Vietnam. We signed up to do a private food tour on our first day, so that we could get a local’s guide to all the yummy local delights!
Our host, Minh, met us at the cathedral and brought us around the area on foot. The food tour was the best idea as Minh was able to help us bridge the language barrier and order food we wouldn’t otherwise know about! We had everything from snail soup to Bun Cha (my favourite Vietnamese dish!) and egg coffee. It was a personal tour so we were able to set our own pace, and try foods we wanted. Minh also provided us with a list of more places we could try on our own in subsequent days. We would 100% recommend signing up for a food tour with a local, as it provides access to truly local places that you otherwise wouldn’t know about!
We had both kids in baby carriers for the most part, as walking around in city traffic on the roads (since the sidewalks are used by vendors to set up shop) was not exactly child-safe. Good way to burn off the food we were eating.
Day 1 – Hoan Kiem Lake
After a rest back at our apartment, we headed out again on foot to explore the surrounds. It happened to be a weekend so we headed for the lake, having heard that it would be closed to vehicular traffic and turned into a pedestrian zone for the weekend.
It was amazing.
It felt like we had stepped back a few decades into our own childhood, with families and friends all out and about to enjoy the weekend by the lake. There were groups of kids on skates, others playing something like chapteh in circles, balloon vendors, bubbles vendors, caricature artists, you get the picture. It was full of life in a way that we hardly see nowadays in hyper-urban Singapore with our state-of-the-art malls and jaw-dropping venues.
Our then 3yo scored himself a ride on one of the ride-on vehicles, which the kids were riding on the real roads (which were closed to traffic). They could control the accelerator and brake, while the parent could help with the steering via a remote control close by.
As it was still early, we decided to try our luck at the popular Pizza 4P’s. We managed to score a table and wow did the food amaze us! Who would’ve thought that some of the best (and reasonably priced) Italian food in Southeast Asia would be found in Vietnam! We loved it so much, we decided to pay another visit before our trip ended.
Day 2 – Exploring Hoa Lu prison
The next day, we spent some time exploring Hoa Lu prison (buy tickets at the door), which is now a museum detailing the American War (or what is known to the West as the Vietnam War). It was fascinating to read history from a different perspective, to see how the Vietnamese (at least those in the North) viewed the war.
I came to the stark realisation that history depends on who holds the pen.
Day 2 – Wandering Old Quarter
We spent the rest of the day slowly wandering the Old Quarter, and chanced upon the Loading T Cafe, a total hidden gem. Hidden in what looked like an old building, the quirky and cosy vibes combined with absolutely delish drinks (try the coconut coffee and the mango smoothie!) made for an enjoyable afternoon.
Day 3 – Taking the train to Ninh Binh
Early the next morning, we checked out from our hotel and walked over to the train station to catch the 6.10am train to Ninh Binh. Information online was scant, and although it seemed possible to buy tickets at the counter we decided to pay to purchase via an online agent just to save ourselves the hassle and stress of not having tickets so early in the morning. It cost us about SGD 30 for 2 adult tickets, and children under 6 travel free as long as they share a seat or berth with an adult. We booked 2 sleeping berths in a first class sleeper so that we’d have sufficient space.
The train ride was scheduled to be 2 hours long, and from what we read online, it varies. We were slightly concerned about missing our stop, but it was fairly easy to track where we were using Google Maps and we got to our destination station without a hitch.
From there, our homestay hosts picked us up from the train station and drove us to the homestay.
The homestay was a lovely place with lots of space to roam around and soak in the natural surroundings. The hosts also lent us bicycles to explore the area. They had one bike with a child seat, and managed to borrow another from a neighbour so Ben and I could each ride a bike with one child on the back.
Day 3 – Trang An boat ride
After putting our things away in our room, we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and ride the bikes to the UNESCO world heritage site of Trang An.
This 2-3 hours long boat ride is one of the highlights of the region, and we had brought our own life vests for the kids knowing we’d be taking the boat cave tour. They do provide life vests for adults (and the same for kids), but for comfort and safety we preferred to bring properly sized ones for the kids.
When boarding the boats, you get to choose one of three routes – some go through more caves, some have more land stops along the way.
The boats are manually rowed by a single person. They sometimes even switch to using their legs to row the boat! The boat ride took us through several caves and we were able to enjoy the limestone cliffs and natural surroundings. It’s said that Ninh Binh is Halong Bay on land (with far fewer tourists)!
If you’re going with kids, bring plenty of snacks to keep them occupied! Snacks are one of our top 5 tips for travelling with kids!
Day 4 – Hang Mua cave
On our second morning in Ninh Binh, we went to visit the insta-famous Mua Cave and viewpoints. Remember not to stop for the touts along the way, and drive / cycle all the way in!
There is a cave to visit, but the real attraction here is the viewpoint at the top. There are actually two viewpoints, one with a pagoda and another with a dragon statue. The views from the top are amazing.
Be prepared to climb about 500 steep stone steps up. We did it with a baby in a carrier each. Doable, but definitely not the easiest.
This attraction was the most “crowded” of all the places we visited in Ninh Binh, so do be prepared that there will likely be many others attempting the climb together with you.
Day 4 – Am Tien cave
Our homestay hosts recommended us to visit the Am Tien cave after our Hang Mua adventure. Initially, we wanted to visit some ruins, but they thought that it would be too physically challenging a terrain for the kids and recommended the Am Tien cave instead. There were no foreigners here! There is a large lake that you can walk or bike around, and enjoy the gardens and soak in the atmosphere.
It was a very laid back and enjoyable stroll for us, but do note that there are no activities here apart from walking or renting a bike.
Day 5 – Travel back to Hanoi
Day 5 was a slow travel day. We took the train from Ninh Binh back to Hanoi, this time in the VIP carriage. The VIP carriage has only 2 berths (versus 4 in a first class sleeper) which makes for better headspace, and they provided a pillow and blanket (it was changed to fresh ones for us when we arrived).
After the comfy train ride, we took a taxi (called one via Grab) from the Hanoi train station to our next Airbnb apartment, which was in the expat area of West Lake. We like to plan our trips such that we end the trip in slightly more comfort, in the city area, to slowly pack up and reacclimatise to city life.
This apartment was located not too far from our first(!), slightly outside the Old Quarter. It was a serviced apartment and came with daily housekeeping as well as access to the shared swimming pool and kids playroom (which we used extensively).
Tired, we ordered some local food delivery via Grab Food and spent our time playing in the kids playroom and in our apartment.
Days 5 & 6 – Chill in Hanoi
We spent the final day and a half going back to the places we really enjoyed earlier in the week, like the Loading T Cafe and street food stalls we loved. We let ourselves get lost on the streets and wander into shops and little spaces to enjoy what Hanoi had to offer. The weather (around 20 deg C) was absolutely perfect. Not too chilly that a jacket was required, but not too hot either.
As a side note, the lounge in Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (Song Hong Business Lounge in Terminal 2), which we had access to with Priority Pass, was amazing and had a large range of food and drinks (and even packet snacks!) that we filled up on before our flight.
Overall, Hanoi blew us away and exceeded all expectations. It was a perfect way to introduce our children to a different culture and way of living, while enjoying cool weather and sumptuous food. It also helped us to gain confidence in bringing our kids to a “less child friendly” country, and realise the importance of exposing them to different cultures.
