Speedboats, Train Streets, and Coastal Chill: Our 2-Week Vietnam Itinerary with Teens

If you are planning an epic long-haul adventure to Southeast Asia with your teens or pre-teens, Vietnam is hard to beat. It is a country that perfectly captures the “comfortable grit” philosophy. It blends bustling, high-energy cities and dramatic jungle landscapes with incredible food and beautiful boutique hotels featuring standout pools.

We spent two weeks exploring Vietnam during the July school holidays. To make the most of the summer weather, we structured our route a little differently—flying South to North, and then dropping back down to the Middle. July can be rainy in parts of the country, but the central coast gets the absolute best of the summer sun, making it the perfect place to end with a week on the beach.

For this trip, we actually had a slightly different dynamic as there were four of us—my fiancé joined my two teenage sons and me for the adventure. Here is our exact, tried-and-tested route from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An.

⚡ Quick Look: Our Favorite Vietnam Hotel Picks

When traveling with teens in the July heat, nice accommodation with a great pool is an absolute priority. Here are the exact hotels and cruises we stayed in and highly recommend:

Ho Chi Minh City (Nights 1 & 2): Kin Hotel Thi Sach Edition – Modern city comfort with a fantastic rooftop pool and bar overlooking the skyline.
Ninh Binh / Tam Coc (Nights 3 & 4): Tam Coc Wonderland Lodge – A stunning jungle lodge with massive glass windows framing the limestone peaks.
Lan Ha Bay (Nights 5 & 6): Peony Cruises – A gorgeous, premium overnight cruise boat that avoids the main crowds of Ha Long Bay.
Hanoi (Nights 7 & 8): May de Ville Crown Hotel & Spa – Right in the action with another brilliant rooftop pool to escape the city heat.
Da Nang Coast (Nights 9–15): Aira Boutique Danang Hotel & Villa – A beautiful, relaxing boutique oasis perfectly placed for the beach and trips to Hoi An.

Our Day-by-Day Route: South, North, and Central Vietnam

Stop 1: Ho Chi Minh City (2 Nights) – Skyline Pools & Speedboats

We flew from London via Singapore straight into Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). This city is a sensory overload in the best possible way—buzzing with millions of motorbikes and incredible energy.

We stayed at the Kin Hotel Thi Sach Edition. It was the perfect city base because it featured a great rooftop pool and bar with views over the cityscape. After a long flight, dropping our bags and heading up to the roof for a swim was exactly what the boys needed. We spent our time exploring the vibrant streets, hunting for bargains in the famous Bến Thành Market, and enjoying fantastic traditional dinners overlooking the bustling city lights.

The absolute highlight here was our trip to the historic Cu Chi Tunnels. Instead of taking a long, sweaty bus ride, we booked a guided tour that took us there by high-speed speedboat along the Saigon River. It turned a history lesson into a high-energy adventure that the boys loved.

👉 Read our full, deep-dive guide to Ho Chi Minh City with teens here.

Stop 2: Ninh Binh & Tam Coc (2 Nights) – Paddles, Paddy Fields, and Peaks

Next, we caught a short domestic flight up to Hanoi and headed straight overland to Ninh Binh, staying in the gorgeous area of Tam Coc. This place is often called “Ha Long Bay on land,” and it is absolutely amazing.

We stayed at the Tam Coc Wonderland Lodge, which I cannot recommend highly enough. The lodge uses a huge amount of glass in its design, meaning you wake up looking directly out over the lush green jungle and dramatic limestone peaks. Because we visited in July, the surrounding lotus ponds were in full, beautiful pink bloom.

Our days here were brilliantly active. We cycled through the emerald green paddy fields, tackled the steep hike up to the Mua Cave viewpoint, and took a spectacular rowing boat trip through the caves at Trang An. In the evenings, we hopped on our hire bikes and cycled into the local town to find brilliant little independent restaurants for dinner.

Stop 3: Lan Ha Bay (2 Nights) – Luxury Island Cruising

From Ninh Binh, we traveled across to the coast to board a two-night cruise with Peony Cruises. While most tourists head to Ha Long Bay, we chose Lan Ha Bay because it offers the exact same jaw-dropping limestone scenery but with far fewer tourist boats.

Life on the boat was a perfect mix of relaxation and action. The meals on board were gorgeous, multi-course feasts. During the day, we dropped anchor to go swimming and sea kayaking through hidden lagoons. My fiancé and I even managed to drag ourselves out of bed for early morning Tai Chi on the sun deck as the sun rose over the misty islands.

👉 Click here for our full separate guide to Ninh Binh and our Lan Ha Bay cruise experience.

Stop 4: Hanoi (2 Nights) – Train Street & Rooftop Escapes

After stepping off the cruise boat, we headed into Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi. We checked into the May de Ville Crown Hotel, which instantly won the boys over with another fantastic rooftop pool and bar.

Hanoi feels completely different to Ho Chi Minh City—it is older, more compact, and packed with historic charm. We spent two days exploring the atmospheric Old Quarter, wandering around West Lake, and hunting through the bustling weekend night market. We also visited the moving Hoa Lo Prison Museum (the “Hanoi Hilton”) and stood along the famous Train Street to watch the massive rail cars squeeze through the incredibly narrow residential alleyway.

👉 Read our full 2-Night Guide to Hanoi with Teenagers here.

Stop 5: Da Nang & Hoi An (7 Nights) – Beach Chill & Tailor-Made Clothes

For our final week, we flew south to Da Nang. While it might seem strange to go south, north, and then back to the middle, we did this deliberately. July is the peak of summer, and the central coast of Vietnam enjoys the absolute best, sunniest weather during this month.

We spent seven nights at the Aira Boutique Hotel, shifting into total holiday mode. Our days were filled with relaxing on the beautiful sandy beach, swimming in the pool, and eating fresh seafood at beachside restaurants.

From this base, we made frequent trips into the nearby historic town of Hoi An. Famous for its yellow merchant houses and thousands of glowing silk lanterns, it is incredibly atmospheric at night. A huge highlight for the boys was visiting the local tailors to get custom, tailor-made clothes created from scratch—a brilliant, sophisticated experience for teen boys.

👉 Click here to read our Guide to Hoi An: Lanterns, Beaches, and Tailor-Made Style.

The Bonus Stop: Singapore (The Free Layover Tour)

On our way back to London, we flew via Singapore. Because we had a long layover, we took advantage of Changi Airport’s incredible free heritage tour. They look after everything, taking you on a seamless guided bus tour out into Singapore city to see the sights before bringing you back in time for your connection. It was a fantastic, stress-free way to squeeze one final country into our holiday!