Vietnam

We spent four weeks in Vietnam’s vibrant capital with our two young kids—and tracked every dong. From street food and Grab rides to vacation rentals and a few mini getaways, here’s the full breakdown of what slow, immersive family travel actually looks like—costs and all.

When you’re traveling long-term with little kids, every travel day has to pass the is-this-worth-it? test. For us, the trip from Hanoi to Cat Ba needed to hit a few non-negotiables: affordable, kid-friendly, no chaos, and ideally—some chill built in.

We’d been in Vietnam for a few weeks already, me, my husband, and our two young kids, and we knew we wanted to get out onto the water. Ha Long Bay had that magical, postcard-perfect look everyone raves about, but when we looked at the price of an overnight cruise, reality hit fast. It just wasn’t going to happen this time. Not with our long-term travel plans and budget in mind.

So, we looked into alternatives and found what felt like a hidden gem: Cat Ba Island.

We didn’t go to Hanoi just for Train Street, but funny enough, we ended up staying less than a minute away from North Train Street—aka the one everyone flocks to, the chaotic one, the “is this safe?” one. And let me tell you: seeing it in person is a totally different experience than just watching a reel. The noise, the crowds, the energy—you feel all of it at once.

But I’m so glad we circled back and gave it a shot later that month—because it turned out to be one of the most memorable, kid-friendly cultural experiences we’ve had in Vietnam.

If you’re wondering whether the Water Puppet Show in Hanoi is worth it with kids, this post breaks down exactly what it’s like, what to expect, and how to make it work smoothly with little ones in tow.

If you’re the kind of parent who craves outdoor adventures and thinks your kids should be muddy, curious, and wide-eyed more often than not—Ninh Binh belongs on your Vietnam itinerary.

We didn’t originally plan to visit. We were sitting on the plane from India to Vietnam and on the screen commercials my husband saw Ninh Binh come across the screen

If you’re a parent wondering whether Hanoi is worth visiting with little kids, let me be the first to tell you: Yes. But also—be ready. Hanoi is loud, unpredictable, full of charm, and surprisingly doable with young kids if you know what you’re walking into.

When we first arrived in Hanoi, we were overwhelmed in the best way. The food scene? It’s everywhere. Literally stacked on top of itself. One doorway might lead to three restaurants, and others are so tucked away you’d never find them unless you were wandering the streets or asking locals where the best places to eat in Hanoi are.

Before visiting Hanoi, I wouldn’t have described myself as a coffee person. Years ago, I drank those overly sweet vanilla lattes during night shifts—more sugar than caffeine, really—but they left me with headaches and eventually just weren’t worth it. So I quit. But Hanoi? Sampling what many call the best coffee in Hanoi changed everything.