Hello,

I am travelling to Vietnam in April with my husband and two kids (6&8) While we have tours arranged for parts like Halong Bay and Sapa markets, I was planning on spending our two days in Hanoi by ourselves exploring.

My mother just had a well-travelled friend come back and said she thought the traffic and crossing streets so terrifying in Hanoi that she was not very comfortable going out on her own. (Granted I think crossing some of the major roads in Rome hair-raising and you just have to plunge in and go and hope for the best)

Considering we have the kids should we consider getting a guide to walk/drive us around the city.

I have done many places in Europe, Morocco, thailand on our own, China (with a private guide) so I am not intimidated by something more unusual.

Any thoughts??

The traffic is a bit scary at first, but no-one wants to run you over, and everyone will try hard not to. The trick is to walk, slowly but at an even pace, diagonally towards the oncoming traffic. The trafic will swerve around you.

You can take motos or cyclos or taxis, but I can't see that having a guide walk with you will help. Although to start with you may want to pick a local who is crossing the same street as you and, and keep her between you and the traffic! It does get better with practice!

Our kids (7 and 10) loved exploring Hanoi by cyclos. True, the drivers could not speak much English but they took us to all the tourist places, were happy to wait while we shopped, sightseed, ate,etc. You pay by the time and it does not cost much. As for crossing the street, scary but it does work, just do NOT stop.

Thanks for the replies - I think we will give it a go and catch a few cyclos along the way!!

I highly recommend contacting www.hellohanoi.org. I hooked up with a wonderful 17 year old girl named Linh who showed me the city. There is no charge but as a courtesy I paid both of our transportation fares and bought her lunch.

The next day her mother invited me over for a delicious traditional Vietnamese meal.

HelloHanoi is comprised of a group of students who want to learn about other cultures and practice their English.

I can't sing enough praise for Linh and her fellow students. Linh is bright, articulate and very interesting.

I am sure either Linh or another student would be happy to guide you around for a day.

Cheers!

We are just back from Vietnam. The traffic in Hanoi does take some getting used to, but there are now some traffic lights on some streets, and the motorbikes more or less obey them. The trick, as someone says, is to keep walking slowly across the street, don't stop,and the drivers will go around you. We enjoyed Hanoi once we got used to it.

Hi there, I live in hanoi with my two children ages almost 6 and almost 8. It can be a bit daunting in crossing the streets, but make eye contact and walk slowly and hold the childrens hands, do not make any sudden or quick movements. You'll like Halong Bay and Sapa, and it won't be too hot there for sure. If you'd like a homecooked meal canadian style feel free to call me when you are in Hanoi. 04758-2804. There are also some good theatres in the Vin Com towers if you need a break from everything. Bring familar snacks for your children that they are comfortable eating, at least for a few days. If you need another break Hoi An is nice and we loved Nha Trang at the Vin Pearl, alot of the expats got there. As long as you stay open minded you'll have a good time.

We've just finished 6 days in Hanoi with 2 kids (11 & 7). The cyclos are the way to go. The kids love them and they have the scary traffic thing all worked out! DO make sure that you get a price before your trip because we got ripped off badly by two drivers we had for a whole day.

As for crossing the roads, just take it slow and carefully, and use your Mothers' instinct!

BFN Leonie