Vikram’s Hanoi to Da Nang Family Trip: Ha Long Bay, My Son and the Golden Bridge
Last updated: September 18, 2026
Vikram’s Hanoi to Da Nang family trip ran for nine days in July, and it covered a lot of Vietnam: two nights in the capital, a night on a cruise boat in Ha Long Bay, then south to Hoi An and Da Nang for ancient Cham towers, a coconut forest and the Golden Bridge. I looked after the booking from our side, and these are their own photos from the road.
- Travellers: a family of four from Australia — three adults and a nine-year-old
- When: nine days in July
- Route: Ha Noi → Ha Long Bay (one night on a cruise) → Ha Noi → Hoi An → Da Nang
- Trip style: a private family tour across northern and central Vietnam, with domestic flights and a guide throughout
- Highlights: Luon Cave and Titop Island in Ha Long Bay, the Cam Thanh coconut forest, My Son Sanctuary, a Thu Bon River boat, and the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills
Where this Hanoi to Da Nang family trip began: Ha Noi and Ha Long Bay
The family flew in from Australia on an afternoon flight and went straight to their hotel in downtown Ha Noi, with the rest of day one left free — which, after a long-haul flight with a nine-year-old, is usually the kindest way to start.
Day two they were on the road early for Ha Long Bay, about 155 kilometres and two and a half hours east, boarding their overnight cruise at Tuan Chau harbour around midday. Their itinerary for the afternoon took in Luon Cave by bamboo boat, then the climb up Titop Island for the view back over the bay, with dinner and squid fishing off the deck after dark. The next morning started with sunrise and tai chi on the sundeck, then Surprising Cave, a cooking class on board and a farewell lunch as the boat came back in to harbour — and from there, back to Ha Noi for the night.
A full day around the capital
Day four was the Ha Noi city tour, and it is a big one: Tran Quoc Pagoda out on its little island in West Lake, the Ho Chi Minh complex and the One Pillar Pagoda, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to get a handle on the country’s 54 ethnic groups, then lunch, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison in the afternoon. Their guide had them back at the hotel by half four.
If you are travelling with children, that is the day I would keep an eye on. It works, but it is a lot of walking in July heat, and the museum and the Temple of Literature both reward a slower pace than the schedule strictly allows.
Coconut forest and lanterns at Cam Thanh
On day five they flew down to Da Nang in the morning and carried on to their hotel in Hoi An. The afternoon was Cam Thanh Coconut Village: a lantern-making class first, then out into the water palms in a round bamboo basket boat, with round-net fishing and the basket-boat spinning show that Cam Thanh is known for.
Two of the party went out in this one, in the conical hats the boatwomen hand you at the landing. It is a gentle, shaded hour on the water — a good counterweight to a travel day that had started at an airport.
My Son Sanctuary, then down the Thu Bon River
Day six was the one I would have been most curious about. An early pick-up from Hoi An, then two hours at My Son Sanctuary — the UNESCO-listed Cham temple complex of red brick towers set in a valley ringed by hills, with Champa dance performances on site.
You can see the weather in that photo — hard blue sky, no shade to speak of, and a hand fan already in use. My Son is a morning visit for a reason.
After the towers, their itinerary took them to a local house to learn rice-paper making, lunch at another, and then the part I like best about that day: instead of driving back to Hoi An, you go by boat down the Thu Bon, the biggest river in central Vietnam.
Silk lanterns strung along the roof, a net over the top for shade, and about half an hour of open river and green banks before the boat drops you in town. They were back in Hoi An by early afternoon with the rest of the day free.
The Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills
Day seven they checked out of Hoi An and went up to Ba Na Hills by cable car — the one that holds several world records for length and height — and the weather up top could not have been more different from My Son.
Flat white sky, the giant stone hands half in cloud, and the walkway busy behind them. That mist is normal rather than bad luck: the summit sits well above Da Nang and makes its own weather. The rest of the day at Ba Na was on their itinerary too — the Debay wine cellar, the flower garden, Linh Ung Pagoda, the French Village and Fantasy Park — before they came down to Da Nang for their last two nights, with day eight left completely free for the beach.
What I would tell the next family booking this route
- Pack for two climates on the same trip: My Son is hot and exposed, Ba Na Hills is cool and often inside a cloud. A light jacket earns its place in the bag.
- Closed shoes for My Son: the brick steps and paths are uneven, and there is very little shade on site.
- Take the river boat option: going back to Hoi An down the Thu Bon instead of by road costs you nothing in time and is the nicest half hour of that day.
- Keep a free day at the end: two nights in Da Nang with nothing scheduled is what makes a nine-day run like this feel like a holiday rather than a route march.
- Book Ha Long as an overnight, not a day trip: sunrise on the deck and the early-morning cave visit are the parts you would otherwise miss.
Hera’s detail check: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum closes on Mondays and Fridays, and for annual maintenance from mid-June to mid-August. You can still walk the grounds, but if seeing inside matters to your family, tell me at the planning stage and I will build the Ha Noi city day around it.
Want a trip like Vikram’s?
The closest thing we publish is our Escape Australia – Vietnam Tours – 10 Days, which runs the same opening as Vikram’s family did — Ha Noi, the Ha Long Bay overnight cruise, the capital city tour, then Hoi An and My Son. Theirs then went its own way: rather than continuing south to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, they swapped the back half for the Cam Thanh coconut forest, Ba Na Hills and two nights on the coast in Da Nang. That is the whole point of a private trip — the shape is yours. Tell me what your family wants out of nine days and I will build it around that. Just message me, Hera, and we will start planning.
Over to you: if you have done the Hanoi–Ha Long–Hoi An run with kids, how did you pace it? And did you get a clear day at the Golden Bridge, or the mist like this family did? Tell me in the comments below — I read every one. Thank you!
Quick FAQ about this route
Is nine days enough for Ha Noi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Da Nang?
Yes, and this trip is a working example of it. The key is the one domestic flight from Ha Noi to Da Nang, which turns a long overland day into about an hour and a half in the air and buys you the free day at the end.
Will the Golden Bridge be foggy when we go?
It often is. Ba Na Hills sits high above Da Nang and the summit is frequently in cloud even when the coast is clear and hot, as it was for this family in July. Go early in the day for the best chance of a view, and bring a layer either way.
Is My Son Sanctuary worth it with a young child?
It worked for this family, with a nine-year-old among them. The site is outdoors and walkable at your own pace, and the Champa dance performances break up the ruins nicely. Go in the morning, bring water, a hat and sun protection, and wear closed shoes.
If a Hanoi to Da Nang family trip like Vikram’s sounds like your kind of nine days, get in touch with My Viva Tour and we will map one out around your dates, your pace and your family.
