With their eldest daughter, Jess, volunteering in Cambodia and Vietnam, and youngest daughter Annie about to start at university, my good friends SJ and Woody were after an exciting family adventure together. I was only too pleased to assist…
Being a family that loves a more adventurous type of holiday, a visit to Vietnam has been on our list for some time. With one daughter travelling in Southeast Asia and the other about to start her further studies, it seemed the perfect opportunity.
Jenny has organised several holidays for us, and with her vast experience, knowledge and familiarity with our likes and dislikes, she was spot on once again!
Our brief was to start in Hà Nội as that was where Jess could meet us, plus visits to Ha Long Bay and the Hand of God Bridge, and the rest was left to Jenny to piece together.
Hà Nội (Hanoi)
The Golden Lotus was our home for a few nights, a lovely hotel in a superb location with a great breakfast provided.
We had decided to tour with a guide, whose knowledge was invaluable with tips like having loose trousers or sarongs in our bags as some places, like the Mausoleum, required legs or shoulders to be to be covered.
The heat was intense, the humidity energy sapping and we got through plenty of bottled water but after a few days, became accustomed to it.
Highlights included several temples, the famous Note coffee shop (absolutely covered in post-it notes), Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House in the garden of the Presidential Palace and the Hanoi Hilton - such incredible historical sites.
We visited several roof top bars, enjoyed fantastic cuisine and shopping was unforgettable with the astonishing amount of street vendors.
Hạ Long Bay
A private driver delivered us to Bai Tho Cruises to board the iconic Victory Star with just 24 cabins. It was our first time on a cruise and the intricacies of the boat’s detail and design was like something from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile.
The room was a good size with a king size bed and ensuite which looked out onto the scenery, plus we had a lovely private balcony.
The scenery was magnificent, the service and food were superb, and the evenings were great fun. It was very special to sit on the top deck late at night having drinks in the middle of nowhere gazing up at mind-blowing formations of stars.
Likewise, waking at sunrise, sitting on a peaceful balcony looking at the majestic rock formations before yoga and breakfast on the top deck will long live in our memories.
The trip also included enjoyable excursions to investigate the ancient caves, both by ship and kayak, with amazing views from various lookout points.
Huế
A private transfer took us to the airport and an overnight flight to the central city of Hue, clustered around the Perfume River, which splits the capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty in two.
Here, we took a city tour, which included the tombs of the fourth emperor, Tu Duc’s Tomb, Bunker Hill with beautiful views over the river and Tiger Colosseum before sampling Bun Bo Hue for lunch.
It was a busy day, but the sights, history and knowledge made it so worthwhile before a great night with an amazing BBQ restaurant and roof top bar.
Hội An
Onwards to Hội An with a full day travelling, stopping en route at Lang Co Beach with its stunning views over the East Sea, crossing the Hai Van pass and on to the Marble mountains.
After visiting The Hill Station, a lovely tribute to the bygone French colonial era, we headed to the Ba Na Hills and the iconic Golden Hand Bridge.
The size and scale of the bridge took our breath away. It is situated in a kind of theme park balanced on the hillside with a mile long cable car running up to the entrance - we loved the day there.
Hội An is a wonderful coastal city. We stayed at the Victorian Hoi An Beach Resort and Spa, a stunning hotel with huge rooms, great views and a brilliant pool area.
A guided bicycle tour around the city was great fun before cycling to an organic farming retreat, where we hugely enjoyed learning how to use local tools and plant spinach, which only takes up to six weeks from seedling to fully grown.
We each had a go at planting and watering before partaking in a fantastic cooking experience with our hosts using all the home grown produce to create some amazing dishes.
One of the holiday’s funniest moments was our herbed foot massage treat, where the local ladies filled four wooden buckets with a vast number of herbs before rubbing salt into our legs – it was hilarious, and none of us could stop laughing. We spent time chatting and drinking local tea with our fabulous hosts before cycling back to the hotel. This was a brilliant experience and a great example of how well Jenny knows us.
Nighttime in downtown Hội An was superb, eating fantastic food and walking around shopping and buying Christmas gifts. We bought cowboy boots made from scratch with our own designs in just 48 hours at a cost of around £25 each and had dresses made to measure.
We took a short trip in a minivan with massage seats to a local farm to see some huge buffalo swimming.
Then we visited a fishing village and had a brilliant basket boat adventure, which featured an awesome and amusing display of speed and balance to ‘Gangnam Style’ music.
We found a lovely little riverside restaurant on the final night in Hội An where we placed little paper lit up boats onto the water to join the hundreds floating along in a beautiful array of colour.
After a day relaxing by the hotel pool, it was time for a repack and the flight to Saigon.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
It doesn’t take long to know you are in the hustle and bustle of a busy, noisy, vibrant city. More bikes than we have ever seen and a constant beeping of horns to alert you to their presence.
Soon after a private transfer to our hotel, we were off on a Vespa tour, each of us hopping on the back of the coolest bikes for an awesome adventure.
After the initial nervousness, with mopeds everywhere and very few cars, we were zooming down alleyways, stopping to eat prawns at a family restaurant, making our own pancakes at another, before finishing a brilliant night’s fun at a roof top bar with singers.
Other highlights were seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral, the classic Central Post Office, and Jade Emperor Temple before a fascinating trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
We were shown a short video, walked around the site then spent ages trying to fit into the extraordinarily small and long tunnels. The gun shooting range next to the coffee shop was a little strange.
Can Tho
The final leg of the trip was the long drive to the Mekong Delta in the south. Can Tho is known for its canal network and floating markets and we took a fabulous boat trip from Ninh Kieu Wharf to the main commercial hub and enjoyed sampling pineapple from boat to boat.
We did interesting boat tours to Binh An Garden and the local pottery factory, loving the peaceful journey through the small canals, seeing amazing wildlife and eating fresh coconut and fruits.
What an amazing family adventure we had to such a beautiful part of the world with such polite and kind people.
Vietnam has so much more to see, and we would love to return one day. Jenny created a wonderful and authentic experience for us; and helped by the amount of fresh fantastic food, we returned feeling healthy and energised.
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