Six stays. Five people. Fifteen days. And a whole lot of Vietnamese coffee.
When you’re traveling through Vietnam with three kids, finding a hotel that works for a family of five can take a little more planning than it does for a couple traveling with backpacks.
We need space. We need somewhere that feels safe. And we need it to fit into a strict budget.
Because we’re always trying to travel more and spend less, we want a good value.
During our 15 days in Vietnam, we stayed in everything from small family-run homestays to a two-night cruise through Ha Long Bay. Some were better than others. Some surprised us. One wasn’t really our thing at all.
But overall?
We were incredibly impressed with the value of hotels in Vietnam.
Here is everywhere we stayed, what we paid, what we loved and what we didn’t.
Our Vietnam Hotels at a Glance
For our family of five, we stayed in:
- Saigon: Hotel Anam- 2 nights- $163.85
- Hoi An: Merrily De Art- 3 nights- $187.61
- Ninh Binh: Hoang Long Riverside Homestay- 2 nights- $154.40
- Ha Long Bay: Erina Cruise- 2 nights- $1,342.57
- Cat Ba Island: Cat Ba Spring Homestay- 1 night- $76.38
- Hanoi: Picturesque Hanoi Homestay- 3 nights- $201.79
And yes, those prices are for our family of five, not per person.
1. Hotel Anam- Saigon
2 nights | $163.85 | Homestay Above a Coffee Shop
Our first stop in Vietnam was Saigon, and our first hotel was actually a homestay called Hotel Anam.
I’ll admit it: I was a little nervous when we arrived. We got there early in the morning and had typical Airbnb-style entry instructions telling us to open the back garage door of the coffee shop to let ourselves in.
Opening a garage door to enter our hotel? New experience for me.
But once we got upstairs, I was not longer worried.
We had two rooms on the second floor, which meant we essentially had the entire floor to ourselves. The rooms were clean and quiet, and most importantly, we felt safe.
A little later, we met the woman who ran the coffee shop downstairs, and she couldn’t have been nicer.
There was a little bit of a language barrier, but nothing that a little patience, a few smiles and some creative communication couldn’t solve. And this was our first real taste of Vietnamese hospitality.
It was also our first introduction to Vietnamese coffee, and as it turns out, we were going to become very big fans.
Would we stay here again?
Absolutely.
Hotel Anam was a fantastic introduction to Vietnam. It was affordable, comfortable and gave us our first glimpse into staying in a small, locally-run property rather than a large chain hotel.
For a family looking for affordable accommodation in Saigon, we’d happily stay here again.
2. Merrily De Art- Hoi An
3 nights | $187.61 | Two Rooms | Breakfast Included
Next up was Hoi An, where we stayed at Merrily De Art for three nights.
And this hotel came with one of my favorite surprises of the entire trip: The breakfast.
Oh. My. Goodness. Every morning we had a delicious, fresh breakfast and coffee, which made the already affordable room rate feel like an even better deal.
This was also where we learned to drink Vietnamese coffee with a LOT of sweetened condensed milk.
And guess what? We’re still drinking it that way.
When we first arrived at Merrily De Art, though, I wasn’t sure what to think because some of the rooms had their doors open, and it appeared that portions of the hotel were under construction. There were also some old, dirty mattresses sitting in the hallways, and nobody wants to see a pile of questionable mattresses when they’re checking into a hotel.
But toward the end of our stay, we learned that the hotel had just undergone a major refurbishment and that we were the first guests to stay there as the work was being completed.
Suddenly, the mattresses made a little more sense.
Our rooms were clean, spacious and quiet, and honestly, we probably wouldn’t have known there had been construction happening at all if we hadn’t seen the evidence in the hallways.
The owner also seemed genuinely concerned about whether we were enjoying our stay and checked in with us repeatedly.
We were. Very much so.
The hotel also had a pool, which was a lifesaver during the hot afternoons.
And the location worked really well for our family. We could walk to several great local restaurants, and when we wanted to go farther, we could easily grab one of the many golf carts available around Hoi An.
Would we stay here again?
Absolutely.
The combination of the price, breakfast, pool, location and spacious rooms made this one of our favorite family hotels in Vietnam.
If you’re looking for where to stay in Hoi An with kids, this one would definitely be on our list.
3. Hoang Long Riverside Homestay- Ninh Binh
2 nights | $154.40 | Breakfast Included
Next, we headed to Ninh Binh and stayed at Hoang Long Riverside Homestay.
We booked a quadruple room with mountain views, and it turned out to be absolutely perfect for our family of five. Actually, it was huge.
The room was clean, quiet and spacious enough that we never felt like we were stepping over one another.
But the real star of this stay? The scenery.
I think this was probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever slept.
The views surrounding the homestay were incredible, and waking up there felt like we had landed somewhere completely different from home.
The breakfast was delicious, too.
And there were several other extras that made this stay even better. Guests could use bicycles and paddle boards for free, and of course, we did both.
And there was a pool. By this point in our Vietnam trip, we had learned that a pool during the afternoon heat was a very, very good thing.
The One Downside
There was one hiccup during our stay.
The homestay rented out the pool area to a high school group for a graduation party, which meant we didn’t have access to the shared spaces for an entire evening.
It was frustrating because we felt like we needed to stay in our room for the evening. But here’s the thing: This was a small homestay, not a giant resort.
They had an opportunity to make some money, and I can understand why they took it. Small businesses need to make money when opportunities come along. So while it wasn’t ideal for us, it definitely wasn’t enough to ruin the stay.
Would we stay here again?
Sure would.
Honestly, the scenery alone made this stay worth every penny.
If you’re researching where to stay in Ninh Binh, this is the kind of place we’d happily return to.
4. Erina Cruise- Ha Long Bay
2 nights | $1,342.57 | Three-Bedroom Family Suite
Technically, this isn’t a hotel, but it absolutely deserves a spot on this list.
We spent two nights sleeping aboard a cruise ship in Ha Long Bay, and it was one of the biggest highlights of our entire Vietnam trip.
I spent countless hours researching Ha Long Bay cruises before our trip.
And this wasn’t even the first cruise I booked.
The first cruise we booked emailed me a couple of weeks before our trip to tell us it was no longer available.
Hmm. Okay.
So I found another option- the Rita- and booked it.
Then, because apparently Vietnam cruise booking likes to keep things interesting, I received a cancellation email while we were already in Vietnam.
Surprise! Back to the drawing board.
That’s how I ended up finding the Erina Cruise.
By that point, we were already traveling, so I didn’t have nearly as much time to research and compare every possible Ha Long Bay cruise.
And honestly? Maybe that was a good thing.
I quickly settled on the Erina, which ended up costing us $1,342.57 for two nights.
When we arrived, I was thrilled to find out that we had been upgraded to a three-bedroom family suite.
And when I say three bedrooms, I mean three actual separate bedrooms plus two bathrooms. And for a family of five, it was perfect.
What do you do on a Ha Long Bay cruise?
Pretty much all of the typical Ha Long Bay cruise activities were available, including:
- Kayaking
- Squid fishing
- Bicycling
- Cooking demonstrations
- Tai chi
- And plenty of time to enjoy the scenery
There was more than enough to keep us entertained.
And then there was the food… I have never been served so much food in my life; we were definitely not going hungry.
The entire experience was one of those bucket list family travel experiences that we still talk about today.
Was it expensive compared with our other Vietnam accommodations? Yes.
But it was also completely different from simply staying in a hotel.
Would we do it again?
In a heartbeat.
If you’re planning a Ha Long Bay cruise with kids, this was one of those experiences that made the trip feel truly special.
You can read more about our Ha Long Bay experience here and here.
5. Cat Ba Spring Homestay- Cat Ba Island
1 night | $76.38 | Two Bungalows | Breakfast Included
After our Ha Long Bay cruise, we spent one night on Cat Ba Island.
Mostly because I really wanted to visit Hospital Cave.
And I’m glad we did. The cave was memorable and absolutely worth seeing.
But as far as the island itself goes? I don’t think we’d choose to return.
We stayed at Cat Ba Spring Homestay, where we booked two bungalows for a total of $76.38.
The rooms were cute and comfortable, and breakfast was included.
Unfortunately, dinner was a different story.
We tried to eat at the little restaurant at the homestay, but as soon as we sat down, we got the feeling that we weren’t really welcome.
It seemed like the owners and their family were eating dinner together at that time. Even though the restaurant was technically open, it felt like they weren’t particularly interested in interrupting their own dinner to cook for us, so we walked down the road and found another homestay where we had a delicious dinner instead.
Breakfast the next morning was good, though!
Would we stay here again?
Nope. Sorry.
I don’t love leaving negative reviews, but honesty is kind of the name of the game around here.
Not every hotel is a winner for our family, and that’s okay.
The rooms were comfortable and the price was great, but overall, this just wasn’t a stay we’d choose again.
And sometimes that’s exactly the kind of information I want to know when I’m researching Vietnam hotels and homestays, so I’ll share it with you.
6. Picturesque Hanoi Homestay- Hanoi
3 nights | $201.79 | Two Rooms | Laundry Service Included
Finally, we made it to the northernmost stop on our Vietnam itinerary: Hanoi.
We stayed at Picturesque Hanoi Homestay for three nights, booking two rooms for a total of $201.79.
Our stay didn’t include breakfast or other meals, but it did include something I wasn’t expecting: Laundry service.
Laundry is incredibly easy to have done while traveling in Vietnam, and the prices are very affordable. But at this homestay, all we had to do was take our laundry basket downstairs in the morning, and we returned in the afternoon… Clean, folded clothes.
For a family traveling with only backpacks, this was fantastic. It meant that when we left Vietnam and started the Thailand portion of our trip, we had five backpacks full of clean clothes.
That’s a win in my book.
The location of the homestay was great, too. We could easily walk to the places we wanted to visit, and there was even a Harry Potter-themed cafe right next door, a definite highlight for my kids.
Would we stay here again?
Absolutely.
The combination of location, price and laundry service made this a great final stop in Vietnam.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly place to stay in Hanoi, we’d happily book it again.
So, Which Vietnam Hotel Was Our Favorite?
I’m not sure I can pick just one.
Each hotel was different, and each worked for a different part of our trip.
Hotel Anam was a wonderful introduction to Vietnam.
Merrily De Art gave us incredible breakfast, coffee and a refreshing pool in Hoi An.
Hoang Long Riverside Homestay had some of the most beautiful scenery of the entire trip.
Erina Cruise was our big bucket-list experience.
Cat Ba Spring Homestay was…well, let’s just say we’ve had better stays.
And Picturesque Hanoi Homestay sent us into Thailand with five backpacks full of clean laundry.
And honestly, that’s what I love about traveling this way.
We’re not looking for five-star resorts. We’re looking for clean, comfortable, affordable places where our family of five can stay together.
Sometimes we find a hidden gem, and sometimes we find a place that we wouldn’t book again.
But, that’s travel.
What Did We Spend on Hotels in Vietnam?
For our 15-day Vietnam trip, our accommodations ranged from $76.38 for one night to $1,342.57 for two nights on our Ha Long Bay cruise.
And with the exception of the cruise, most of our accommodations were surprisingly affordable for a family of five.
We could stay in comfortable, locally owned properties without spending a fortune, and that is exactly what we’re looking for when we travel.
Travel more. Spend less.
Once we checked out of our Hanoi homestay, it was time to head west to Chiang Mai, Thailand. And yes, we have plenty more opinions about that part of the trip, too.
So, follow along for our Thailand itinerary, hotels and what we thought about traveling through Thailand with a family of five.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share places and products I genuinely think may be helpful to other families. Thank you for your support!