Family holidays to Vietnam

The Vietnamese capital is as busy and relentlessly noisy as most large Asian cities. Get over the culture shock and it’s also fascinating and astonishingly lovely in some areas. The street food is worth a visit alone and older kids will enjoy the colourful strangeness, seriously quaint sights and extremely charming Hanoians.

• Even Hanoi’s luxurious hotels around exclusive Ho Tay Lake are inexpensive compared to other world capitals.
• Visit the atmospheric Old Town; see the remarkable Vietnamese Women’s Museum; spend Friday night at Hoan Kiem Lake; climb to the 65^th floor of the Lotte Building for the city’s most spectacular view.

Four hours drive east of Hanoi, Ha Long Bay is the classic image almost everyone has of Vietnam: densely green waters, pierced by limestone karst, dotted with slow-moving junks and tiny canoe. The bay’s one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Most hotels in Halong City can arrange cruises in Ha Long Bay or nearby (but quieter) Bai Tu Long Bay.
• Guided kayaking tours of the bays are enchanting experiences for older kids.
• Companies like Responsible Travel have one or two nights sailing on a traditional junk in Ha Long Bay included in North Vietnam family holidays.

Often described as the loveliest town in Vietnam, Hoi An is a complete contrast to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Once a major port and virtually untouched by the Vietnam War, the traditional architecture here dates back to the 15^th century and the UNESCO World Heritage old town contains hundreds of the country’s most important monuments and buildings.

• Beautiful in parts, Hoi An can also be very touristy. On the plus side that means no shortage of good hotels, restaurants and interesting tours in the Old Town and surrounding areas.
• Stay on pretty An Bang Beach, a quieter alternative to Hoi An but just a short drive away from the historic town.

Ho Chi Minh is the hub of South Vietnam and the largest city in the country. Over eight million people live here and it’s another Asian metropolis worth getting to know, even for a day or two. Post Saigon, HCMC (as it’s known) successfully reinvented itself as a sleek modern giant and has the malls, designer hotels, smart restaurants, soaring architecture and international headquarters as proof. But for every steely tower and glossy store lined boulevard, there’s an ancient temple, historic market or avenue of street food stalls. Blending old and new is a talent HCMC has mastered beautifully and once you get used to the hectic atmosphere, it’s impossible not to find something to admire in this historic and fascinating city.

• District One is the heart of the city and its Thi Sach and Thai Van Lung areas are good choices for family hotels.
• Immense Cholon is the city’s ‘Chinatown’ and packed with enchanting pagodas. Visit at least one of the three most celebrated: Jade Emperor, Giac Lam or Phuoc An Hoi Quan.
• Spend a morning at Binh Tay Market in Cholon then have lunch and admit Vietnamese street food is the best in the world.
• See the Central Post Office, it was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1886 (a year before the Parisian tower). The exterior’s a gorgeous confection but nothing compares to the mosaics and murals inside.

Everything floats on the Mekong Delta: houses, markets, sweet factories, boats, barges and businesses. It’s a lush, magical world of waterways and canals teeming with activity and one of the most memorable experiences in South Vietnam. Day tours from Ho Chi Minh City are arranged through hotels and local companies. If you want to explore the delta for longer, homestays are a good option with older kids.

The tropical paradise archipelago off the southernmost tip of Vietnam is the country’s loveliest holiday destination. A protected marine and rainforest environment with huge white beaches, delightful towns and villages, rare and wonderful wildlife and exquisitely beautiful resorts. There’s a dark backstory here too: Con Dao was Vietnam’s most notorious prison during the Indochina Wars and visiting the overgrown site’s might be interesting for older kids.

Six Senses Spa on Con Dao Island is the first and only five-star resort on the archipelago: sensationally opulent and very family friendly.