Aneta's Family Vietnam Trip: A Typhoon Turned Adventure

Aneta’s family Vietnam trip did not go to plan — and that turned out to be the best part of it. When a typhoon rearranged her family’s itinerary, they leaned into the change instead of fighting it, and the days that followed took them from a rain-soaked Hanoi street food crawl to a squeeze through Ninh Binh’s Mua Cave, a wander through Hoi An’s prettiest cafes and a sunrise swim on Da Nang beach.

Aneta’s trip at a glance

Traveller: Aneta, travelling with her family
Route: Hanoi → Ninh Binh (Mua Cave) → Hoi An → Da Nang (Ba Na Hills & the beach)
Trip style: family holiday, replanned on the fly around a typhoon
Highlights: a Hanoi street food tour, climbing through Mua Cave, Hoi An’s cutest cafes, the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills, a sunrise swim in Da Nang

Family posing together in a Hanoi hotel lobby on arrival day — Aneta and her family settling in at their Hanoi hotel, ready to start the trip.

Why a Typhoon Couldn’t Stop Aneta’s Family Vietnam Trip

Aneta arrived in Vietnam with a plan, and the weather had other ideas. A typhoon moved through early in the trip and threw the schedule into question. Instead of sulking about it, Aneta rolled with the change — and when the team suggested a Hanoi food tour to fill the gap, she and her children said yes without hesitation.

It turned out to be one of the best moves of the trip. Aneta later said her whole family loved the street food, and that her kids found the flavours just right for them — no fussing, no “I don’t like it,” just plate after plate of Hanoi specialties disappearing fast.

Family enjoying a Hanoi street food tour with fresh herbs and rolls — Digging into fresh herbs and rice paper rolls on the Hanoi street food tour.

The food tour rolled on into the evening, with a second stop for a proper sit-down dinner and a stroll through Hanoi’s lantern-lit Train Street — cold drinks, warm lights, and a train track for a table backdrop.

Family gathered for a Hanoi dinner of grilled fish and fresh juice — A second Hanoi dinner stop, with the whole family around the table.

Vietnamese seafood noodles and shrimp curry served on a Hanoi food tour — Stir-fried seafood noodles and shrimp curry — just some of the dishes on the tour.

Family relaxing at a lantern-lit cafe on Hanoi's Train Street — Winding down at a lantern-strung cafe on Hanoi’s famous Train Street.

Family posing on the tracks of Hanoi's Train Street at night — Posing on the tracks of Train Street after a full day of food and rain.

A Rainy Detour to Ninh Binh’s Mua Cave

The rain followed the family to Ninh Binh the next day, but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Aneta and her children climbed up through Mua Cave’s narrow stone tunnel to the viewpoint above, taking in the rice fields and limestone peaks from the top — a proper “geography lesson,” and a workout, all in one.

Traveller climbing through the narrow stone tunnel at Ninh Binh's Mua Cave — Aneta squeezes through the narrow stone tunnel leading up through Mua Cave.

A Slower Hour on the Water

Somewhere in among the rain there was a slower moment too: conical hats on, a wooden sampan nosing along a palm-shaded creek, nothing to do for an hour but watch the green slide past. It is the kind of quiet stretch a family itinerary needs between the big-ticket days.

Mother and son in conical hats on a wooden sampan gliding along a palm-shaded waterway in Vietnam — Aneta and her son in conical hats, drifting under the water palms.

Cute Cafes and Hoi An Charm

From Ninh Binh, the trip moved on to Hoi An, where the team pointed Aneta toward some of the town’s cutest cafes — the kind with painted walls, hanging lanterns and a queue of people waiting for the same photo spot. Aneta took the advice and came away with some genuinely stunning check-in photos, the sort that make friends back home ask “where is this?”

A Stop at Ba Na Hills’ Golden Bridge

Da Nang brought the family to Ba Na Hills, where the Golden Bridge’s giant stone hands cradle the walkway high above the forest canopy. It’s one of those spots a photo barely does justice to — the scale only really lands once you’re standing on it, clouds drifting past below.

Family selfie on the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills, Da Nang — The family beside the Golden Bridge’s giant stone hands at Ba Na Hills.

Sunrise and a Swim at Da Nang Beach

With time running short, the team suggested one last thing before the trip wrapped up: an early start to catch the sunrise and go for a swim at Da Nang beach. Aneta didn’t need convincing. She was up before the rest of the family, towel in hand, for a quiet morning by the sea before the sand filled up with the day’s crowds.

Traveller wrapped in a towel after a sunrise swim at Da Nang beach — Fresh from a sunrise swim, towel in hand, on Da Nang beach.

Aneta told us afterwards how grateful she was that we’d helped her put together such a colourful, memorable trip in such a short amount of time — and how happy she was that her children got to experience Vietnam to the fullest. It’s exactly the kind of trip that stays with a family long after they’ve gone home, and exactly why we love doing this work.

Tips from Aneta’s Trip

Build in a buffer day: if you’re travelling in typhoon season, a flexible itinerary meant a food tour could slot straight in when the original plan got rained out.
Pack for the cave squeeze: the tunnel up through Mua Cave is narrow and low in places — light, easy-to-move-in clothes make the climb far more comfortable.
Bring a poncho, not just an umbrella: Hanoi’s rain came in fast, and ponchos kept hands free for photos on the go.
Set an alarm for Da Nang: the beach is a different place at sunrise — quiet, cool and worth the early start.

Want a Trip Like Aneta’s?

Like the look of Aneta’s journey? If the Mua Cave climb is the part that grabs you, that viewpoint sits inside our Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Tam Coc & Mua Cave day tour, and her Da Nang and Hoi An leg lines up closely with our Central Vietnam – 5 Days itinerary, Golden Bridge included. I’d happily combine the two into one custom route for you — message me, Hera, and we’ll start planning.

Over to you: have you already climbed through Mua Cave, or caught a sunrise at Da Nang beach? I’d love to hear how you found it — tell me in the comments below. Thank you!

Quick FAQ from Aneta’s Trip

Is Mua Cave hard to climb with kids?

The climb involves stairs and a narrow stone tunnel, so it takes a bit of effort, but it’s manageable for most children and families at a relaxed pace. Comfortable shoes make a real difference.

What happens to a Vietnam itinerary if a typhoon hits?

A good local team simply reshuffles the plan — swapping an outdoor activity for something like a food tour until the weather clears, rather than cancelling the day altogether.

Can you combine Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hoi An and Da Nang in one short trip?

Yes — Aneta’s route did exactly that in a short window by moving between the north and the centre of the country by air or rail, which is the usual way to fit a lot of Vietnam into a single family holiday.

Thank you, Aneta, for trusting us to turn a typhoon into a family Vietnam trip you’ll all remember for the right reasons. Ready to start planning your own? Get in touch with My Viva Tour and we’ll build an itinerary around your family, weather and all.