Vietnam Family Holiday with Teenagers

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · HanoiHanoi

   

   You arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, famous for its Old Quarter and 36 shopping streets. There's a welcome meeting at your hotel at 5 pm, but if you get in early, wander the tree-lined boulevards, hang around Hoan Kiem Lake, visit ancient temples, or grab banh mi at a local cafe.

2. 2
   Day 2 · HanoiHanoi

   Visit the Museum of Ethnology and Temple of Literature by bus, then lunch at KOTO, a restaurant training disadvantaged youth in hospitality. Afterwards, cycle around West Lake, then find pho at a streetside cafe for a relaxed dinner with the family.

3. 3
   Day 3 · Mai ChauMai Chau

   

   Travel by private bus to Luong Son in the northwest, your starting point for cycling through countryside dotted with minority villages. Ride to Mai Chau and visit a social enterprise preserving Thai minority crafts, where you'll learn embroidery from local women.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Ninh BinhNinh Binh

   

   Cycle leisurely from Mai Chau to Ninh Binh, stopping to photograph valleys, sugarcane farms and rice paddies. Arrive in Ninh Binh, a scenic province known for limestone karst landscapes, rice paddies and waterways.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Halong BayHalong Bay

   

   Drive to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO site with over 2000 limestone islands in emerald waters. After a kayak safety briefing, paddle through caves and grottoes, then spend the night on a traditional Vietnamese junk boat watching the sunset and moonrise.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Halong BayHalong Bay – Overnight Train

   Watch sunrise over Ha Long Bay before heading back to Hanoi. Use day rooms to clean up, have dinner with the group, then board an overnight train to Da Nang—a local experience perfect for getting to know fellow travellers over cards.

7. 7
   Day 7 · Da NangHoi An

   

   Arrive in Da Nang early and transfer to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site that looks much as it did over a century ago. Once a major Southeast Asian port, it's now known for shopping, especially tailored clothing, paintings and ceramics.

8. 8
   Day 8 · Hoi AnHoi An

   Start with a guided orientation walk led by your leader, then cycle around town and surroundings. Visit Tra Que Village's organic herb and vegetable gardens, ride past rice paddies and shrimp ponds to Cua Dai beach, then celebrate with a riverside feast.

9. 9
   Day 9 · Hoi AnHoi An

   Your trip ends after breakfast. Either transfer to Da Nang airport for your onward flight or stay longer to explore riverside restaurants and the Old Town, depending on your flight arrangements.

What's included

• Guide: All Intrepid Family trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to assist your family to take the hassle out of your travels and help you have the best trip possible. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for fun things to do and see - for both kids and parents, recommend great local eating venues that will even get the kids trying new things, and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. Our leaders are not babysitters on this trip - we leave that to you (the experts), but they will make sure that group members of all ages are able to explore their destination safely and with as much fun as possible. Our group leaders are not responsible for looking after children at any time and children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times throughout this itinerary.
• Meals: 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
• Activities: Hanoi - Temple of Literature Hanoi - Lunch at KOTO Hanoi - Museum of Ethnology Mai Chau - Pom Coong Village visit & traditional lunch Mai Chau - Traditional Textile Social Enterprise Experience Halong Bay - Kayaking Hoi An - Old Town walking tour Hoi An - Bike ride
• Transport: OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAINS IN VIETNAM: Compartments will be 4 berth to 6 berth depending on seasonal variations and the group configuration. We aim to secure 4 berth compartments where possible. A sheet, pillow and blanket are provided, although some travellers prefer to bring their own sleeping sheet. Passengers of different genders may be required to share a compartment and there will be occasions where you'll be sharing with local travellers or travellers who are not part of your group. On occasion the group may be split between several carriages, however your leader will coordinate and give further information on the trip. Private bus, Bike, Kayak, Overnight train
• Accommodation: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available., GENERAL ROOMING CONFIGURATIONS: Family of two: All family groupings of two will be accommodated in a twin room. Family of three: Wherever possible we will put you in a triple room. Please be aware that in some places triple rooms are in short supply. This means that a triple room will often be a twin room with a rollaway bed or mattress on the floor. Where triple rooms aren’t available it will be at your discretion which of your family takes the single room. Family of four or more: You will most likely be accommodated in two twin rooms. Where possible, we will accommodate your family in a quadruple room. While we do our very best to ensure that family groups are roomed close together (in some cases, we can arrange adjoining rooms), we can’t guarantee this. Most family holidays occur during peak season and we sometimes have little to no control over the exact placement of rooms within a hotel. Please be understanding if we are unable to room your family in immediate proximity of one another. Hotel (5 nights), Retreat-style stay (1 night), Overnight boat (1 night), Overnight train (1 night)

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