The past week-and-a-half has been one for the books (or in this case, the blog). We had the chance to visit Vietnam with our five kids and to say it was the PERFECT vacation for us would be the understatement of the century. I’m still recovering from getting home at about 1:30 this morning so there will be more posts coming, but I wanted to share a little bit about why we chose Vietnam, what we did, what we ate, how we got around, where we stayed, and what we loved!
Our Vacation in Vietnam
Why Vietnam?
Vietnam is probably not what you think of when you think of vacation. And honestly, Vietnam was never on my radar either. Out of the Asian countries that we have relatively easy access to right now, Thailand and Japan were probably at the top of my list. We had actually planned to travel to Tokyo in May – for a little Disney vacation and to explore Tokyo. But something funny happened as we were planning that trip. The more we planned, the LESS excited we got.
There are a few reasons for this. Number one being that Japan is incredibly expensive. Our hotel for six nights was a substantial amount of money – and it wasn’t even in a great location. Reason number two was the realization that visiting a large city with young children is EXHAUSTING. We learned this the hard way on our long weekend in Seoul a few months back. Did we have an incredible time in Seoul? Absolutely. Did we feel like we needed to sleep for a solid week after it? YES!
And so it was after Seoul that we started rethinking what we really wanted from our vacation. And ultimately: we wanted to relax. We wanted to find a vacation that FELT like a vacation and that we would feel *somewhat* well-rested afterward. And then our friends over at Loving Life Moore got back from their vacation in Da Nang, Vietnam. As we heard about their trip, we realized this was EXACTLY what we were looking for: the opportunity to explore a new country and appreciate a new culture all with a pool right outside our hotel and a beach only a 5-minute walk away.
The more we talked to our friends about their trip, the more we knew this was the kind of vacation that we wanted. We started planning and something totally amazing happened: the more we planned, the MORE excited we got. Turns out when you plan a vacation that is actually something you want to do, you feel really excited. Who’da thought?
What we did in Vietnam
We had 9 full days in Vietnam (plus the two travel days) and all of them were spent in Da Nang (with a few trips to Hoi An, of course). There were multiple people (locals and tourists) who were confused about why we would spend so long in Da Nang and not travel to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (commonly and formerly known as Saigon). But again, our priority was to relax – so spending time in the hustle and bustle of large cities and toting our kids across the country didn’t FEEL like it would be relaxing. And so we stayed close to Da Nang and really came to enjoy that area. And even as someone who tends to experience a lot of FOMO when it comes to traveling, I didn’t regret our decision to forgo some of the bigger cities.
And honestly, we covered so much ground in our 9 days in Da Nang that I’m not sure we really missed anything worth seeing in our immediate area. It was a week-and-a-half filled with so much exploring, so much adventure, and so SO many pool and beach days and relaxation. As for an itinerary for the trip – we went with a go-with-the-flow approach. We did plan some things before we left – as our Airbnb hosts needed to purchase tickets and book some transportation for us – but we really left a lot of the schedule open to do whatever we wanted in the moment. And I’m happy to report that many days, what we wanted in the moment was to chill in our delightfully airconditioned apartment and nap for an hour or two.
Aside from plenty of beach days and pool time, some of the highlights of our trip were: visiting the Lady Buddha and the Marble Mountains, seeing the Dragon Bridge fire and water show, trying ALL kinds of food at the Son Tra Night Market, and riding in the Bamboo Coconut Boats through the water coconut forest. I’ll share each of these (and much more) in later posts, but there is just too much to include in one post.
What we ate in Vietnam
There is no shortage of amazing food in Vietnam. The Phở is to die for. Bánh Mi is absolutely amazing. And the endless amounts of fresh fruit juice and smoothies was something straight out of a dream. That all being said, we are not the most adventurous when it comes to food, partially because of our five youngsters. Still, we branched out as much as we were able and our kids were really patient as they tried new foods.
The day we arrived in Da Nang, we took a Grab (picture Uber, but Vietnamese) to a LotteMart to pick up some groceries. Our apartment had a full kitchen, and we took full advantage. However, this was a vacation, so we sure-as-heck weren’t going to be cooking all of our meals. And so we settled for breakfast and lunch foods, choosing to eat out for dinner.
For us, taking a Grab to a restaurant with all seven of us every single night felt like too much. Plus, getting a car that can [almost] fit all of us can get expensive after a while. So we opted most of the time to have Grab deliver our food to us at our hotel. It was wonderful. We got on the app, looked around at different restaurants (who all had pictures of the food which helped when the whole menu was in Vietnamese), placed an order, and the food was at our door within about 30 minutes. It was a very simple way for us to try some amazing Vietnamese dishes, without the hassle of having to load up all the kids. Plus, we didn’t have to interrupt precious pool time to get ready for dinner!
We did get a taste of Vietnamese restaurant dining though – when we were in Hoi An we ate at Café 23 and two days later at Café 25 next door. The owner of Café 23 was absolutely delightful and loved on our kids and even fought off a hornet for us (ha!). And her wonton nachos and spring rolls were to DIE for. The owner of Café 25 makes the best Bánh Mi we had while in Vietnam and his passion fruit juice was seriously something I’m going to dream about for years to come. If you’re in Hoi An, you NEED to check both of these restaurants out.
How we got around in Vietnam
With the exception of a few rides coordinated by our Airbnb hosts, we always used Grab to get around. Walking from our hotel wasn’t realistic, and we weren’t about to try to drive in Vietnam. The Grab app was easy to use and convenient – we always had someone there to pick us up within 5 minutes of submitting the request.
Something to be aware of is that car seats aren’t really a thing – at least in Da Nang. And this is the part where all of my car seat safety readers need to either skip or just reserve judgement. We didn’t use a car seat the entire time we were in Vietnam. We did bring one for H because we needed to be able to restrain her on the flight over. But because you hop in and out of Grabs so often – and because you would then have to carry a car seat with you wherever you went – it just doesn’t make sense to use a car seat. Plus, since we were always short one seat in the Grab anyway (a 7-seater is the biggest option with Grab – and that includes the driver) not using a car seat was really the only option.
This was a little shocking when we first arrived. After all, the driving in Vietnam is like nothing I have ever experienced – I don’t think I could find the words to describe it, so I won’t even try – so it seemed ridiculous not to have my kids in car seats and to be short one seatbelt. Still, it was common to see families of four crammed onto one motorbike just hauling down the road (we even saw mothers cradling small swaddled babies while sitting on the back of a motorcycle) and it’s just normal to them. So instead of being panicked every time we got into the car, we just embraced it, trusted our Grab drivers, and we all survived. And we only saw one motorcycle crash during our time in Da Nang and it was when we were literally on our way to the airport at the end of our trip. (And for my fellow empaths: both men involved in the crash stood up immediately, brushed the dirt off, assessed the damage – there didn’t seem to be any – and rode off.)
Where we stayed in Vietnam
We booked an Airbnb in The Ocean Resort in Da Nang. Our friends had stayed at the same Airbnb a few months before, but I don’t think even their descriptions could have prepared us for just how perfect it was going to be. The hosts, Lily and Thomas, were so helpful before our trip even started – arranging travel to and from the airport for us at a modest price, securing discounted tickets for Sun World Ba Na Hills (more on that later) for us, and just being available when we had questions. Upon our arrival in Vietnam, the hosts added us to a Whatsapp chat with the butlers and other staff members which made communication so easy. When I had questions or concerns, I’d just put them in the Whatsapp and someone would respond within a few minutes. It was exactly the kind of connection we needed – because heaven knows there was a LOT that we needed help with in the beginning.
Our room was located on the third floor of a large apartment building and had a beautiful view of the pool. Initially we were disappointed we weren’t on the first floor (as the pool would then literally be in your backyard), but as it turned out, we were about a two-minute walk from the pool, so it ended up being great. Plus, you couldn’t really beat the view we had.
In addition, five minutes (or more like ten for us) was all that was needed to get to the private beach for the resort. And while the designated area at the beach was relatively small, it was well-kept and beautiful. Gorgeous blue water, the softest sand I’ve ever experienced, and seashells in abundance like you wouldn’t believe. And better yet? On windy days the waves were PERFECT for trying out Brandon’s new boogie board.
What we loved about Vietnam
There were so many things that we loved about Vietnam that it’s hard to narrow it down so I don’t write more of a novel than I already have. For one, visiting Vietnam is really inexpensive for tourists. When we were looking at options of places to go, Vietnam definitely came out as the most affordable for our family. The most expensive part of our trip by a lot was our flights – which were about $3,500 for all seven of us (and they were only that cheap because we were flying from South Korea and not from the United States). Everything else – our hotel, transportation, food, etc. was incredibly affordable.
We also enjoyed the people. Of course there are cultural differences that we experienced (not all of them pleasant to us), but something that we really loved about the Vietnamese people is how much they smiled. I’m someone who smiles at strangers in passing – for no reason. And it’s been weirdly hard living in Korea where when I smile at strangers, they don’t return the smile. Sure, if I bow, they’ll bow back, but it’s usually straight-faced and serious. I’ve missed having strangers smile back at me – and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until we visited Vietnam. In Vietnam when I smiled at a stranger, 99% of the time it was returned with a smile. And it was awesome. It seems like a small thing, but it’s something that we loved.
Another thing that we loved about Vietnam – particularly about Da Nang – was that it felt like a little hidden gem in the middle of Asia. Honestly most of the time we were there it felt like we were hiding the best-kept secret in the history of vacation spots. It’s funny, considering that we were staying in a very large resort with other apartments and villas surrounding our building, but there was such a sense of privacy where we stayed. It was the perfect getaway for our family to decompress, relax, and enjoy spending time together.
Lest anyone think that every part of our vacation was perfect and beautiful – we had our moments. We had our moments of tantrums, of fighting kids, and of me totally losing my mind and wondering what we were thinking. But honestly, those difficult times were few and far between. Overall we all had such an amazing experience and I cannot wait to share all the details of everything – the good AND the bad. But for now, I have seven suitcases to unpack!
’til next time…
Ash