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You don't need a fortune to travel, a millennial mom shares details of her Moc Chau trip with just over $150 for her family.
A young family's guide to budget-friendly weekend getaway in Moc Chau under $150, still enjoying good food and fun activities.
Moc Chau has long been one of the hottest destinations in the North, especially for those living in Hanoi. It's close, weather is ideal, and whether you're looking to relax or explore, it's perfect. Particularly during spring and transitioning to summer, a short trip to Moc Chau is a cost-effective travel option that lets you pack your bags and go.
Bich Hau, an office worker living in Hanoi, is no exception. Here's her account of her family's trip to Moc Chau, including her husband and young son, at the end of spring, beginning of summer, with a budget of just over $150 for 2 days for 3 people.
The trip was filled with many happy memories and also quite exhausting as two babysitters had to cater to their 18-month-old boss. Nonetheless, it was still a memorable trip for the whole family, especially for the baby who experienced traveling far and enjoyed many exciting things for the first time.
Getting from Hanoi to Moc Chau
Transport options to Moc Chau are plentiful and flexible now, so you can google to find companies running at suitable times and departing from terminals that fit your family's schedule. With a young child, we preferred a slightly more upscale ride. Initially, we planned to take a high-quality bus, but by the time we went to book, all the tickets were sold out. In the end, we opted for a sleeper bus.
Buses to Moc Chau typically depart from 3 points: Yen Nghia bus station, My Dinh bus station, and Thanh Xuan guesthouse (Nguyen Tuan). Services run nearly every hour throughout the day, so you can choose the one that suits you best and is closest to you.
Ticket prices range from 150,000 VND to 180,000 VND to 220,000 VND depending on seat type - regular seat, sleeper seat, or high-quality bus. We chose to depart from Yen Nghia bus station, where tickets cost 170,000 VND per person.
Getting Around Moc Chau
Getting around Moc Chau, you can rent a motorbike, take a taxi, or if traveling in a large group, consider renting a private vehicle with a driver. During the day, we used motorbikes, but as the evening cooled, we called a taxi for safety and to ensure our child's health. This service in Moc Chau is now well-developed, so you can rest assured and adapt as needed.
Motorbike rental prices range from 150,000 VND to 250,000 VND per day, depending on the type of bike and your bargaining skills. Meanwhile, hiring a driver along with the vehicle can cost from 700,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND per day, with slightly higher rates on weekends.
Where to Stay?
Don't fret about accommodation when in Moc Chau because there's a plethora of options including guesthouses, homestays, and hotels, all clustered together with varying price ranges. However, if you're keen on a homestay, it's essential to plan and book approximately a month in advance.
Although we booked our room nearly 2 weeks beforehand, traveling right after Tet meant that homestays were fully booked due to the holiday rush. Fortunately, we managed to snag a canceled room on Friday evening, allowing us to find accommodation. Eventually, our family decided to split our stay between one night at a guesthouse and another at a homestay.
After experiencing both accommodations, we found that when traveling with a baby, the choice of where to stay doesn't significantly impact the experience. Our family has an 18-month-old baby who's still too young to engage in glamorous photoshoots or enjoy the ambiance of a homestay.
In my personal opinion, visiting a homestay is more of a 'just to try it out' experience. However, for actual accommodation, guesthouses offer more convenience and reasonable prices, especially for families with young children who require constant supervision like ours.
Room rates: range around 300,000 – 500,000 VND per double room.
Homestay prices: range from 300,000 – 450,000 VND per room for 2 adults.
Where to Go with a Toddler?
There are countless recreational spots in Moc Chau, but due to having a toddler, our family only opted for places that are nearby and easily accessible. Furthermore, since we visited Moc Chau during the early stages of plum blossom season, flower-viewing spots were excluded from our list.
With limited time, we chose cool and easily navigable locations to allow our toddler to run around comfortably. The spots we selected were the newly popular Happy Land tourist area and the Pine Forest in Ang village, where our little one could experience strawberry picking.
Happy Land Tourist Area is still under construction, so there aren't many trees yet. If you plan to visit, it's advisable to bring umbrellas, hats, or other sun protection gear.
This area is perfect for taking Instagram-worthy photos because there are plenty of spaces for posing, such as the hill with windmills, flower hills, sheep farms, cottages, and even boats on land...
The entrance fee for admission is 30,000 VND per person.
The Pine Forest in Ang Village is a must-visit destination when traveling to Moc Chau, and you can easily spend a whole day here. You can have a picnic in the pine hill, then go strawberry picking in the garden.
Entering the 'Strawberry Farm'
There are plenty of dining options here, including street food stalls serving grilled chicken, bamboo-cooked rice, or you can dine in one of the restaurants inside the area for added convenience.
The entrance fee to the pine forest area is 20,000 VND per person, which includes admission to both the strawberry garden and the cattle farm.
Additionally, you can consider visiting other places such as: Dai Yem Waterfall (check the water season, or else you might be disappointed as it doesn't look like the photos online - this is the advice from the guesthouse owner when asked about Dai Yem Waterfall), Heart-shaped Tea Hill, Na Ka Valley, Dairy Farm, Ban On Cave, Bat Cave... I researched these places before going, but perhaps we'll experience them when the baby grows up a bit more.
What to Eat in Moc Chau
Since there were only two adults in our group, dining was quite simple and easy.
On Saturday morning, the whole family went out for banh cuon (steamed rice rolls). This banh cuon place is quite famous in Moc Chau, and we've been here three times for banh cuon. The place is about 1km from Bat Cave, along the way to Son La. It's a simple signboard, and the place is also a family-run establishment, so there's not much decoration, but the banh cuon is very soft and delicious. Price: 25,000 VND/plate.
For lunch after visiting the sheep farm, the family went out for beef hotpot. The beef was tender and sweet but a bit oily, so it might be more suitable for groups dining together rather than a family-style meal like ours.
On Saturday evening, we switched to having salmon with a family friend in Moc Chau. The salmon was farm-raised, so it was fresh and delicious, and there were various dishes available. It cost 250,000 VND per set, which included fresh, grilled, hotpot, porridge, etc.
On Sunday, bid farewell to Moc Chau with the classic dishes of sticky rice and grilled chicken - iconic dishes when it comes to Northwestern cuisine. You can ask the guesthouse owner to arrange these dishes for you since every restaurant here serves them, so you don't have to worry about traveling far to eat.
What to Prepare for the Baby?
Regarding food: Since the baby still eats porridge, I prepared 3 packs of fresh porridge, milk, and yogurt before leaving. Fresh porridge is quite convenient because you just need to heat it up by cooking or soaking in hot water before feeding the baby. However, there are also many nutritious porridge stalls in Moc Chau, so if you're hesitant to bring them, you can easily find nutritious porridge for your child.
Preparing medication: Children are prone to sudden illnesses, especially with the different weather between Hanoi and Moc Chau, so mothers should prepare fever-reducing medication, a thermometer, and maybe some digestive/enzyme medicines to prevent digestive disorders due to changes in diet.
Clothing, personal items: Moc Chau can experience 4 types of weather in one day, so mothers need to bring a variety of clothes for their children. Especially, remember to bring a coat for your child because the evenings in Moc Chau can be quite cold. In addition, your child's personal items such as toothbrush, towel, wet wipes... should also be prepared adequately.
After the entire trip, the one with the most energy is the 18-month-old baby. Despite moving almost all day and eating less than at home, they never give up on any fun activity. So, for diaper moms who are still contemplating whether to take their children on a trip, be brave, surely traveling will be tiring, but seeing your child happy and experiencing new things is precious and worth more than any tiredness.
Total Expenses: 3,240,000 VND
– Bus Tickets: 740,000 VND/round-trip/3 persons
– Accommodation: 600,000 VND/2 nights
– Scooter Rental, Taxi, and Entrance Tickets: 600,000 VND
– Food Expenses: 1.3 million VND
According to Afamily
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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour
MytourApril 19, 2019
