Hanoi With Kids
What Hanoi with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Hanoi worth it with kids?
Yes, and it may be gentler than you expect. Lakes, lanes, a puppet show and incredible food, all smaller and calmer than the big cities. Base in the Old Quarter and it charms kids fast.
How many days?
Two to three days plus a Ninh Binh or Ha Long day. Longer if you are pairing it with a Ha Long Bay overnight cruise.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Book a water puppet show ahead in busy seasons, and a Ninh Binh or Ha Long day trip once you arrive. The Old Quarter and the lake you do on foot.
Do we need a car?
No, and you would not want to. Grab cars and bikes are cheap and the Old Quarter is a walk. A private car handles the day trips out to the countryside.
When should we go?
October through April for the cooler, drier weather. The summer is hot and humid, so aim for autumn through spring for the most comfortable trip.
Vietnam’s Graceful Old Capital
Hanoi is the graceful, thousand year old counterpart to buzzing Saigon, a city of tree lined lakes, a tangle of ancient trading lanes, and a coffee culture that will change how your family thinks about coffee. It is smaller and gentler than the south, and it charms kids fast.
You get a maze of an Old Quarter where every street once sold one trade, a lake with a legend and a little red bridge, a puppet show performed in water, and a bowl of pho for breakfast. Add the limestone rivers of Ninh Binh a couple of hours away and you have the loveliest half of Vietnam.
Getting Around
You do not drive here, the Old Quarter is a river of scooters best crossed on foot, slowly and steadily. Grab cars and bikes are cheap for getting around, and the center is walkable in clusters. A private car handles the day trips out to the countryside.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
The Old Quarter
The ancient trading quarter, a dense, wonderful maze of narrow streets, shops, food stalls and lantern lit lanes around Hoan Kiem Lake. This is where I would base a family, right in the heart of old Hanoi.
French Quarter
The elegant colonial area of wide boulevards, grand old buildings and the opera house, calmer and greener than the Old Quarter. A comfortable base with more space, a short walk from the lake.
West Lake (Tay Ho)
The leafy lake district north of the center, quieter and greener with cafes and easy dinners, a Grab from the sights. A gentler, local base by the water.
Sofitel Legend Metropole
A legendary colonial hotel in the French Quarter, over a hundred years old, with a pool and old world grace, the splurge that makes a busy city feel effortless. A real treat and a piece of Hanoi history.
La Siesta Premium
A stylish, warm hotel in the Old Quarter with a rooftop pool and a spa, family friendly and right in the action. Well priced for the location and the one I point most families to.
Hanoi La Casa Hostel
Clean, friendly and cheap in the Old Quarter, an easy base for a family exploring the lanes and the food on a budget. It does the job and puts you in the middle of it.
The Three I Build Every Hanoi Trip Around
The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake
The Old Quarter is the heart of Hanoi, a thousand year old maze where every street once specialized in one trade, still buzzing with shops, food and life. At its edge sits Hoan Kiem Lake, with a legend of a magic sword, a little red bridge to a temple on an island, and locals doing tai chi at dawn. Wander the lanes, walk the lake, and let the kids get happily lost.
The Water Puppets and the Temple of Literature
Two of Hanoi’s gentlest treats are made for kids. The water puppet theatre, a centuries old art where wooden puppets dance on a pool of water to live music, is pure delight for children. And the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, is a calm garden of courtyards and old stone, a lovely, peaceful morning.
Egg Coffee and Street Food
Hanoi runs on coffee and street food, and both are an event with kids. Try egg coffee, a Hanoi invention thick and sweet like a warm dessert, and pull up to the tiny plastic stools for pho, bun cha and fresh spring rolls. A morning food walk around the Old Quarter is one of the best, cheapest mornings you will have.
Family Time, Built In: Hanoi With Kids
Hanoi is smaller and gentler than the big Asian cities, and it charms a family fast. Lakes to walk, lanes to wander, a puppet show, a temple garden, and food everywhere. Base in the Old Quarter, cross the streets holding hands, and take a day out to the limestone rivers.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the Hoan Kiem Lake
Planten un Blomen
the water puppets plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
The paths around Hoan Kiem Lake, closed to traffic on weekends and full of families, games and dancing, are the easy heart of the city. Or the big Thong Nhat Park with its lake and playgrounds. Come in the cool of the evening and let the kids join the fun.
Five Things To Eat In Hanoi
Pho
Bun cha
Egg coffee
Banh cuon
Fresh spring rollsNicole’s Perspective
A thousand year old city of lakes and lanes
I taught social studies for eight years, and Hanoi wears a thousand years of history gently. A Chinese influenced old university, a French colonial quarter, a lake wrapped in legend, and the recent history of the country all sit within a walk. It is a place to teach quietly, one lane and one story at a time.
I have planned and priced a lot of Vietnam for families, and Hanoi is the graceful northern anchor, the counterweight to energetic Saigon. Fly in, slow down, eat and wander, and use it as the gateway to Ha Long Bay and the limestone country. When a family wants the gentle, beautiful side of Vietnam, this is where the north begins.
The Day Trip: Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is the day everyone remembers, a couple of hours south into a landscape people call Ha Long Bay on land. A woman rows you in a little boat down a still river between towering limestone cliffs and through low caves you duck to enter, past rice fields and temples. It is calm, gorgeous and memorable, and the kids love the boat and the caves.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Two to three full days covers Hanoi, the Old Quarter, the puppets and a Ninh Binh day. That is Hanoi as a real stop and the gateway to the north.
Day one, the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, a water puppet show, and street food at night. Day two, the Temple of Literature, the French Quarter and an egg coffee.
Day three, the boat trip out to Ninh Binh, or on to Ha Long Bay for an overnight cruise. From here the north opens up.
If all you have is a night, wander the Old Quarter, see a water puppet show and eat pho and egg coffee, and call it a strong taste.
Hanoi With Kids, Answered
Is Hanoi worth it with kids?
Yes, and it may be gentler than you expect. Lakes, lanes, a puppet show and incredible food, all smaller and calmer than the big cities. Base in the Old Quarter and it charms kids fast.
How many days?
Two to three days plus a Ninh Binh or Ha Long day. Longer if you are pairing it with a Ha Long Bay overnight cruise.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Book a water puppet show ahead in busy seasons, and a Ninh Binh or Ha Long day trip once you arrive. The Old Quarter and the lake you do on foot.
Do we need a car?
No, and you would not want to. Grab cars and bikes are cheap and the Old Quarter is a walk. A private car handles the day trips out to the countryside.
When should we go?
October through April for the cooler, drier weather. The summer is hot and humid, so aim for autumn through spring for the most comfortable trip.
Ready To Put Hanoi On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will build Hanoi and the north into a Vietnam trip paced for a family.
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