We are a family of 4 living full time in our self-converted van.
We currently are swapping van life for 5 months back-packing around South East Asia.
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When we booked our flight to Vietnam, we knew that it would be a big culture shock for our two boys aged 9 and 4. This was the furthest they have ever been and we wanted to make sure we eased them into the culture gently.
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We decided to book onto a street food tour, an opportunity to explore the streets of Hanoi with a guide and sample different dishes. If you google 'street food tours in Hanoi' you will be bombarded with hundreds of different street food tour companies. In the end, after lots of research and conversations with other travel bloggers, who had recently been to Hanoi, we decided to go for the street food tour operated by Crossing Vietnam.
Small group or private tour?
​When booking our street food tour we were left with the decision to either book a small group tour or private tour. Each came with their own benefits for us. A small group tour provided us with the opportunity meet other travellers whereas a private tour allowed us to go at our own pace with the children. We decided to opt for the small group tour, with 8 people to a tour we would only have 4 additional people joining us. In the end, we were actually the only ones on our tour so we got to experience a private tour for a cheaper price!
Fussy eaters
We are a family split between fussy eaters and those who will eat anything! Myself and our youngest child will happily eat anything whereas my husband and eldest child are extremely fussy eaters. We were particularly worried about how our eldest son would respond to the food in Vietnam which is partly one of the reasons we decided to book a street food tour at the start of our trip.
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If you have children who are fussy eaters, do not be put off doing a street food tour. We found it to be one of the best things we could have done to introduce local cuisine to our boys. The children had an opportunity to try lots of different dishes both savoury and sweet with absolutely no pressure to eat everything or even like it! Our tour guide was fantastic with the children and we explained at the very start what our situation was with the fussy eaters.
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For those with allergies, our guide asked us before the tour started if we had any allergies she needed to be aware of.
What our tour included
The tour was worth every penny and more. Our guide took us on a walk around Hanoi and stopped at 5 places where we got to sample different dishes. At each place, our guide talked about the cuisine, where it originated from and about the ingredients. Here is a list of the dishes we tried:
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Rice rolls (Bahn cuon)
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Mixed Pho (Pho tron)
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Rice paper rolls
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Bahn Mi
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Sticky rice
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Coconut ice cream
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Coffee (egg coffee & coconut coffee)
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Fresh fruit smoothies
There was so much to try, we were so surprised with the amount of food we had. We ended up taking the Bahn Mi to go and had it for dinner because we could not squeeze it all in! The boys had a go at trying everything which was a bonus.
S​ome drinks are included like bottles of water, coffee and juices. We also had drinks at the train street included in our tour too. We were prepared and brought lots of water with us but it wasn't actually needed.
Train Street
A highlight of the tour was a visit to the infamous train street. It has been on our worldschooling bucket list since we began our travelling adventure and it did not disappoint!
The train street is one of the most popular attractions in Hanoi and we were pleased that we had a guide with us because it's pretty hectic! If you are not familiar with the train street, it is a street lined with bustling bars and coffee shops and throughout the day the train passes through leaving inches between yourself and the train. It's a thrilling experience and one that the children will love. Our boys absolutely loved it and claimed it to be the highlight of their trip so far.
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There are rules and regulations around the train street, you can only visit during certain times and the bars and cafes have to close 10 minutes after the train has passed. Everyone walks along the tracks and stops to get their photos but the police are pretty sharp and will prevent people walking along the tracks if they're around. We only spotted the police after the train had passed when they came to vacate everyone and order the bars to close back down.
Walking around
We were slightly worried about how our 4 year old would cope with walking around the city in the heat but actually it was totally manageable for him. There was one stop from the coffee shop to the train street and then back to the start which was a big distance but our guide got us a taxi which was all included in the cost. We did not have to pay any extra for it.
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Now, if you have seen what Vietnamese roads are like then you will understand why we were thankful to have a tour guide with us as we walked around Hanoi for the first time. She taught us everything we needed to know about how to cross the road in Vietnam!
When to book
The tour lasts approximately 3 hours in total. Ours ran over slightly which is worth noting.
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We opted for the earliest possible time to begin our tour which was 9am. This was for a couple of reasons. The first one being the heat. Despite being the end of the rainy season in October, temperatures are still reaching 30+ degrees every day. By going early it meant our tour would be finished before the hottest time of the day.
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Another reason we went for a 9am start was to help with jet lag. We had landed the day before after a 14 hour flight so by being up early the next day helped with our jet lag and made us get up and out. We all then went back and had a nap!
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Finally, the third reason why I booked a 9am tour was that if the boys did not eat anything on the tour we could sort them out some lunch for after. Luckily though they had a go at trying all of the food so had satisfied tummies by the end of the tour.
Top tips
To sum up, if you are thinking about doing a street food tour in Hanoi with kids then you should definitely do it! It was honestly the best introduction to Hanoi and Vietnam. Crossing Vietnam offers a family friendly tour with experienced and knowledgable tour guides who will do anything to help you!
Here are some of my top tips for a great street food tour experience:
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Book in advance. We highly recommend Crossing Vietnam but there are many tour operators out there. Do your research and find the one that best suits your requirements.
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Let your tour guide know about any allergies or foods you do not like at the start of your tour. They will be able to accommodate your needs.
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Book the earliest time slot to avoid walking around in the heat.
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Take some snacks with you for the children in case they refuse to try anything. We took things like plain crackers and some fruit with us.
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Ask your tour guide to write down any foods you like so you can remember what it was! Also ask your food guide to give recommendations of places to eat and things to do - they are the best people to ask!
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Enjoy every minute and take lots of pictures!
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About 4intheVan
We are a family of 4 living and travelling full time in our self converted Luton van.Â
Our aim is to provide other families information, guides and top tips to help them on their next adventure, whether that's world travel, van life or home education.