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Vietnam · Family trips

Vietnam family trips with a private guide and driver

Your own car and driver, a private guide in each region, and days paced for children and grandparents. Planned and coordinated by Pai Dai from Ho Chi Minh City.

Private car, driver and guide·Children and grandparents·North, centre and south
Limestone islands rising from calm water under a blue sky in northern Vietnam
In short

Pai Dai DMC plans private family trips in Vietnam. Your family travels in its own car or van with a driver, and a private guide joins you for the touring days in each region. The route is paced for the youngest and the oldest in the party. While you travel, a Pai Dai coordinator is on call and you have a 24/7 emergency contact. Our Vietnamese company, PAIDAI VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED, holds international tour operator licence 79-2057/2025/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT and works from Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam is about 1,650 km from north to south, so a family trip works best when it flies between regions and then stays put. We plan two or three nights in each place and keep the drives short. A private guide can shorten a visit, swap the order of the day or stop for an ice cream when energy runs low, which no group tour can do.

Most days have one main outing of two or three hours, usually in the morning, then lunch and a rest through the hottest hours. Late afternoon is for something easy: a swim, the old town as the lanterns come on, or a boat ride. On travel days we plan the drive around meals and naps, with breaks on the longer roads.

What children remember

Four things children tend to love in Vietnam

Each fits into half a day or less, so there is still time for a swim.

  • Kayakers paddling in a line between limestone islands on calm water

    Lan Ha Bay · From the ship

    Kayaking between the islands

    Kayaks go out from the cruise ship into sheltered water under the limestone cliffs, often to a small beach. Age rules for kayaking vary from ship to ship, so we check them before we book your cabin.

  • Silk lanterns patterned with cranes and blossoms at a lantern shop in Hoi An

    Hoi An · Old town

    Making a lantern

    In a lantern workshop, children bend a bamboo frame and glue on silk in the colours they choose. Hoi An lanterns fold flat, so the finished lantern travels home in a suitcase.

  • Round basket boats around a fishing boat on a river lined with water-coconut palms near Hoi An, seen from above

    Cam Thanh · 45 to 60 minutes

    A basket-boat ride

    Round bamboo boats are paddled through the water-coconut palms of Bay Mau, about 3 km from Hoi An's old town. It is touristy, and still one of the most cheerful hours of a family trip. Booked with us, it is in your quote, so there is no price to agree at the jetty.

  • A farmer in a conical hat tending young greens by hand in a vegetable garden in central Vietnam

    Tra Que · Morning

    Cycling to a vegetable village

    A flat ride from Hoi An between rice fields to Tra Que, where families still grow herbs and greens by hand and visitors can try a morning as a farmer. Go early, while it is cooler.

Sample route

Twelve days in three regions: one way to do it

An example, not a package. We change the order, the length and the hotels for your children's ages and the time of year.

  1. Days 1 to 3 · Hanoi

    Arrive and take it gently

    A walk round Hoan Kiem Lake in the cool of the morning, the Temple of Literature, the water puppets and an early street-food supper sized for small appetites. On the third day, if the children are travelling well, a day out to Ninh Binh: about two hours each way by road and a two-hour rowing-boat ride through the caves of Tam Coc.

  2. Days 4 and 5 · Lan Ha Bay

    One night on the water

    About three hours by road to the pier, with a break on the way, then a small cruise ship with a family or connecting cabin, kayaks and a beach stop. Lan Ha Bay, east of Cat Ba Island, is quieter than the main Ha Long routes.

  3. Day 5 · Hanoi to Hoi An

    The one long travel day

    From the pier back to Hanoi's airport for the flight to Da Nang, about 1 hour 25 minutes, then about 45 minutes by car to Hoi An. We time it so that lunch and a rest fit in.

  4. Days 6 to 9 · Hoi An

    Lanterns, boats and bicycles

    Mornings for the lantern workshop, the basket boats at Cam Thanh or the ride out to Tra Que; afternoons on the beach at An Bang or by the pool. The old town is at its best early, before the heat.

  5. Days 10 to 12 · Phu Quoc

    Finish on a beach

    Fly south for three slow days by the sea: about 1 hour 25 minutes from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City and about an hour on to Phu Quoc, or a direct flight when the schedule has one. Phu Quoc is at its driest and calmest from November to April. From May to August we finish on the central coast instead.

Flight times are approximate, and airline schedules change. We confirm every hotel, ship and activity for your dates before you book.

What we arrange for families

Your own car and driver

A private car or van sized for the family and the luggage, in each region. Children under 10 and under 1.35 m sit behind the driver's row, as Vietnamese law requires.

Car seats, requested for each child

Child seats are not standard in Vietnam's hired cars. Tell us each child's age and height, and we ask the vehicle operator for suitable seats and confirm them before you travel.

Private guides

A private guide for the touring days in each region, free to change the pace. Tell us the language you need and we confirm the guide before booking.

Rooms and meals that fit

Family rooms, connecting rooms or a villa, with cots and high chairs requested from each hotel and confirmed in writing. Allergies and diets go to hotels and restaurants in writing too.

Grandparents too

We look for hotels with lifts, and plan shorter, flatter walks and early starts that finish before the heat. Where piers, temples or old houses have steps, we tell you before you go.

Flights between regions

Domestic flights between the north, the centre and the south, with the luggage allowance in the quote.

Who travels

Your family only

Car and driver

Private, in each region

Guide

Private, on touring days

Regions

North, centre and south

Ages

Babies to grandparents

During the trip

Coordinator on call

24/7

emergency contact on every active trip, with local contacts for each stop

Good to know

Planning notes for parents

Checked on 25 October 2026. Rules, prices and timetables change, so we check them again for your dates.

Children in cars
Vietnam's road traffic law keeps children under 10 and under 1.35 m out of the driver's row. Since July 2026 private cars must also carry suitable child restraints, but vehicles used for passenger transport business are exempt. That is why we ask for seats and never assume them.Source: Tuoi Tre News
School holidays
In July and August, the central coast around Hoi An and Da Nang is dry, hot and sunny. The north is hot and humid, with storms that can cancel bay cruises, and the south is in its rainy season. From December to April, the south is dry, the north cool and often grey, and Hoi An wet until about January.Source: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism
Water and mosquitoes
Drink bottled or filtered water, not tap water. Dengue, spread by mosquitoes that mostly bite by day, is a risk in Vietnam, so pack repellent and see a travel health professional four to six weeks before you go.Source: TravelHealthPro
Hoi An old town ticket
Foreign adults pay about 120,000 VND for the old town's heritage sites. Children between 1 m and 1.4 m tall pay a reduced price, and those under 1 m go free.Source: Da Nang tourism portal
Cruises with children
Each ship on Ha Long and Lan Ha bays sets its own rules on children's ages, cots and kayaking, and only some have connecting cabins. We check them for your dates before we book a cabin.
Passports and entry
Children follow the same entry rules as adults. Check passport validity and the visa exemption or e-visa for everyone in the family, the youngest included, before you book flights.
Coconut palms along a golden beach on Phu Quoc as small waves wash in
Vietnam · Families
The best family days in Vietnam are short ones: one good outing, a long lunch, then the pool.
Questions

What families ask us

Can you arrange a private guide and driver for a family trip to Vietnam?+

Yes. As standard, the family trips Pai Dai plans in Vietnam include your own car or van with a driver and a private guide for the touring days in each region. Families usually fly between Hanoi, central Vietnam and the south, so the driver and guide change with the region and the guiding stays local. If you would like one guide to travel with you throughout, we can quote that too, with the guide's flights and rooms added to the cost. Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the children's ages, and we will suggest a route.

Who looks after us during the trip?+

Your driver handles every transfer and drive, and your guide is with you on the touring days in each region. A Pai Dai coordinator is on call for the whole trip. Your travel documents list the local contacts for each stop and our 24/7 emergency line on WhatsApp, +84 869 624 553. In an emergency, call the local emergency services first, then that line. While you plan, you can write to sales@paidaidmc.com or send a WhatsApp message to the same number.

How long should a family trip to Vietnam be?+

Ten to fourteen days covers two or three regions of Vietnam without rushing, with two or three nights in each place. Vietnam's national tourism board publishes a twelve-day family route along similar lines. A week works well for one region: Hanoi and the bay, or Hoi An and the beach. With very young children, fewer stops and longer stays matter more than the number of sights.

When is the best time to visit Vietnam with children?+

March to May is the best time for the whole country, if school lets you travel then. Otherwise, match the region to your school holiday. In July and August, base the trip on the central coast, where Hoi An and Da Nang are dry and sunny, and keep the north short, because summer storms can cancel bay cruises. From December to April, the south and Phu Quoc are dry and the north is cool.

Are there child car seats in Vietnam?+

Not automatically: child seats are not standard in Vietnam's hired cars. Vietnamese law keeps children under 10 and under 1.35 m out of the driver's row, and since July 2026 private cars must carry suitable child restraints. Cars used for passenger transport business, including hired cars with drivers, are exempt from the restraint rule. So we ask the vehicle operator for seats suited to each child's age and height and confirm them before you travel. If your child needs a particular seat, bringing your own is the surest option.

Can young children do an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay?+

Usually, yes. Many cruise ships take children and some have family or connecting cabins, but each sets its own rules on ages, cots and kayaking, so we check before booking. One night is enough for most families: you board around midday, kayak or swim in the afternoon and are back on land late the next morning. Lan Ha Bay, east of Cat Ba Island, is quieter than the main Ha Long routes. If summer storms cancel a sailing, we have a plan on land ready.

Will the trip work for grandparents?+

Yes, with some planning. Before we choose the hotels and boats, tell us how the grandparents manage walking, stairs and heat. We look for hotels with lifts, keep walks short and level where we can, and plan boarding and old-town visits for the cooler hours. Some piers, temples and old houses still have steps, and we tell you where they are before you go.

Do you work with travel advisors who plan family trips?+

Yes. Travel advisors can brief us through the trade route of our enquiry form, with dates, ages, rooming and the services needed.

“Everything was taken care of and I couldn't have been happier. It made our time together as a family much more relaxing not having to worry about transport.”
Auraiwan · Family holiday in Thailand, on Trustpilot, 3 October 2026 · Read the review
“We were fortunate to have four local guides who were extremely professional and attentive at every destination.”
Jaime Sáez · Group of 21 on a 12-day trip in Vietnam and Cambodia, on Trustpilot, 14 July 2026 · Read the review

Planning a family trip to Vietnam?

Tell us your dates, who is coming, the children's ages and what your family enjoys. We will reply with ideas for a route and the questions that shape it.