Kids: Big Sister 5y4m, twins 2y10m
Flights: Hong Kong - Hanoi v.v. on Dragonair and Hanoi - Hue and Danang - Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines (Hue - Danang / Hoi An by car)
Booked through: myself / direct (KA flights on points, VN flights booked online on their website, which was a novelty back then!)
Always wanted to go to Vietnam, so when we moved here in 2008 that was high on my list. Once the twins were slightly older and got my act together, I came up with the itinerary and booked everything accordingly. Visas are easy to get in Hong Kong. Application through the Consulate in Hong Kong takes 3 working days (e.g. drop off on Monday, pick up on Thursday) for $300 per passport; same day is $500. Update: Please note that as of early 2013, the fees have been increased. Apparently a 3-day wait is now $500 per person for a single entry (valid for 1-month), not sure about same day pick up. Visa on arrival (VOA) is possible for Vietnam put you still need to pre-apply (cost involved), wait for the confirmation and then line up at the airport and still pay for the visa fee. It's quicker and easier to apply beforehand as you never know how many people you may have in front of you when you arrive.
The airport is fairly far from the city centre and lots of taxis have ripped metres. It's highly recommended to only use the main taxi companies (check with your hotel), good and reliable ones are Vinasun and Mai Linh. We had booked Somerset Grand Hanoi, which is officially a serviced apartment but offers 1, 2 and 3-bedroom suites, which offers lots of space, a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, playroom and pool. It was kind of run down, but looking at the current website it should have been newly refurbished (which was really necessary). Somerset / Ascot, Fraser Suites and Marriott Executive Suites are all serviced apartment chains found in almost every major city in Asia and a great option with children, and usually a better deal financially as well.
Hanoi is a lovely and very lively (in terms of motorcycles and scooters) city with quite a few sightseeing options like the various lakes (Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake), the pagodas, the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Museum (quite an "interesting" view), a cute old city you can stroll through and the water puppet show, which is incredibly touristy but the kids absolutely loved it. It only takes an hour so even at age 2 mine were able to sit through it fairly easily. Make sure you book your tickets right when you arrive (or in advance if possible) as it may be sold out already for the next few upcoming shows.
Restaurants we visited:
* The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for lunch, right in the old city.
* The Press Club for a quick break
* Indochine in a beautifully resotred colonial villa (very child friendly with plastic dishes and cutlery)
* Seasons of Hanoi, fairly fancy looking but still very affordable, not necessarily kid-friendly but our kids' favorite is soft shell crab ... which they serve about everywhere, plus they are generally well-behaved.
* Tamarind Cafe in the old city for a quiet moment and a snack.
From Hanoi we flew to the old imperial city of Hue, which is also an UNESCO World Heritage site, close to the Perfume River from where you can take boat tours to other monuments. We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel with two nice (but not large) connecting rooms called La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa. Unfortunately we weren't very lucky with the weather, slightly wet as Typhoon Ketsana had just battered the area (which was clearly visible in Hoi An), but we kept it dry most of the time, just very grey. We had lunch in the hotel and then got into two cyclos to explore the Imperial City which is lovely and was very quiet ... the weather must have helped with that. We even got a last minute baby sitter through the hotel as the kids were so tired and we couldn't be bothered to have dinner so early so instead we went out. I honestly wished we would have another night in Hue as it was too short and we didn't have time to go on the river and visit some of the outlying sights.
The next day we had a transfer to Hoi An (about 2 1/2 - 3 hours by car) where I had booked Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa. We had two connecting rooms with sea view and plenty of space. The hotel is about 4 km out of town but offers shuttle service to Hoi An which is only 10 minutes away. The hotel is right on Cua Dai Beach, a lovely strip of 16 km beach. There are a few hotels further down but when we were there it was very quiet and the other hotel was actually completely damaged by Ketsana. Even at Victoria all the beach front rooms had significant damage, but the hotel was operating as normal. The hotel also has a small kids' club and with Hoi An closeby there are plenty of dinner options if you don't want to eat at the hotel. It's a lovely place and not super touristy but still some culture around the corner if you want a break from the beach.
Danang is only 25 minutes away and we got our flight back to Hanoi where we stayed one more night in the Sheraton Hotel close to Hanoi's Westlake, which is closer to the airport as it was only for a night in order to catch our morning flight back to Hong Kong (they had changed the schedule from a morning flight to an evening flight after we had booked the flight from Danang so we ended up with an extra day). The Westlake area was nice to explore, we did some (slightly worn, but no sinking involved) pedal boating with the kids, had a nice lunch and a swim at the hotel pool. Mostly a time to wind down after a week of travelling. Hotel was fine, nothing special, service touch and go, but got upgraded to a larger room and had lots of space. Ended up being good value for money, the nearby Intercontinental Hotel was significantly more expensive.
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