good afternoon, Vietnam!

I didn't quite know what to expect on my first trip to Vietnam. The few friends and relatives who've visited or lived there mainly warned about rampant purse-snatchings (and "street cowboys" on motorbikes speeding off with your bags), dishonest people, dirty streets and toilets, and the irritating persistence of people hitting you up for money or your business. "Keep your guard up, don't bring a purse, be really careful!", they warned me. Oh great, I thought.

Luckily, we had a very safe trip, and didn't encounter too many unpleasant experiences other than some dishonest hotel staff and taxi drivers who tried to rip us off by giving us back the wrong change. It was also annoying when street vendors and drivers kept bugging us ("Where are you from?") and tried to solicit their businesses by stalking us down the street for blocks. And apparently in Vietnam, I look Vietnamese. That was sometimes an advantage because I had fewer solicitors approaching me than some of the other girls. Or maybe it was because I wore a "don't bug me" look on my face, so I may have scared them off. :P

Aside from all that and the crazy 100 degrees heat and humidity, my experience has been fairly good. For me, it was all about the delicious food, the amazingly sweet fresh fruit drinks, and of course, the beautiful scenery. I tried my best to capture the unique sights and people on my camera. Local women wearing the signature conical hats balancing baskets of goods. Motorbikes speeding by with as many as 4 people (some babies) aboard. Young local women riding around covered up from head to toe to avoid getting a tan (porcelain white skin is apparently the Vietnamese definition of beauty). Throughout Vietnam, the old French-colonial feeling was evident in many hotel's architecture and decor, exuding an air of grandness and historic charm.


Jackie, Grace, Sangita, and I began our journey in the South (Saigon), then headed up to Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An) and the North (Hanoi, Halong Bay).

* HUE (1 day)
Home to the old Citadel (UNESCO World Heritage Site), site of some of the bloodiest action of the Vietnam War. A small community still exists within the moated Citadel city, which we got to see on a 1-hour ride on cyclos (bicycle taxis).
-We briefly visited the Thien Mu Pagoda with a great view of the Perfume River.
-We rode a boat along the scenic Perfume River in the rain and got concerned when they began scooping out buckets of water flooding the lower deck. Apparently this was routine, nothing that a few minutes of bailing out water couldn't fix.
-Lunch: Y Thao Garden (3 Thach Han Street, within the Citadel) - A tasty 7-course set lunch in a charming private house. The mini fried spring rolls were delicious.
-Dinner: Pho 24 (on Le Loi Street) - While their beef pho was alright, what I loved most there was their fresh, sweet pineapple and guava juices. It was as though they had stuck a straw into a fresh, ripe pineapple and guava.

-During our 3-hour bus ride to Hoi An the next morning, we stopped at Marble Mountain near Danang. There we explored the Huyen Khong Cave, a cathedral-like cave with water dripping from the cave top. In a moment of hysteria, I mistook a wet drop of cave water on my arm as bat crap.
Me (screaming): Aaaaaa!!! Napkin! Can I have a napkin! Something fell on my arm!!!
Jackie (cautiously looking at my arm): It's just water.
Me: Are you SURE??!!!
Jackie: It's water!

* HOI AN (1 day)

Undoubtedly my favorite Vietnam city so far, Hoi An is a small, quaint riverside town. It's a very picturesque town where the narrow streets are lined with charming, faded-yellow houses converted into tailor shops and local shops selling a colorful array of artwork, handbags, and souveniers. More pedestrian-friendly, it felt easier and safer to stroll along the streets.
-Lunch: Cafe Can (74 Bach Dang St.) - A casual lunch on the sundeck.
-Dinner: Hong Phuc (86 Bach Dang St.) - Famous for its fish wrapped in banana leaf seasoned with garlic, lemongrass, and pepper. Though a bit too bony, it was tasty!

* HANOI (2 days)
The largest city in Northern Vietnam, Hanoi has an interesting juxtaposition of farmland and rice paddies alongside apartment buildings, which I saw just outside of the city's central area. Unfortunately, Monday was our only free day in Hanoi , which was the one day when all the city's museums are closed, including Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. There goes our chance to see his body. Or maybe that's not such a bad thing.
-Took a one-hour cyclo ride around Hanoi's Old Quarter. Seated at the front of a bicycle, we whizzed through busy traffic while hundreds of motorbikes and bicycles flew past us. Definitely an exciting experience!
-Watched a water puppet show that told the story of an old Vietnamese folktale.
-Took a boat ride to Halong Bay to see the breathtaking sight of thousands of limestone islands dotting the water. The sight of the islands from the top deck was majestic and calming. We also explored a few caves which were covered with stalactites (icicle-shaped mineral deposits hanging from the roof of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water) and stalagmites (on the floor) everywhere. Creepy, yet impressive.
-We made two new local friends in Hanoi. We met a nice guy who worked at the travel agency where we booked our flights and tour. Grace invited him to join us for dinner the next night, and he brought along his friend's sister. Both were super friendly and nice, and we all enjoyed dinner and coffee together.
-Dinner: Quan An Ngon (18 Phan Boi Chau) - delicious bun rieu (vermicelli noodle soup with crabmeat and tomatoes).

* SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) (2 days)
Two words: Bikes everywhere!
That includes bicycles, motorbikes, and cyclos of all sizes. It was scary crossing the bike-filled streets of Saigon. Hanoi was intimidating as well, but the Saigon streets seemed wider, which meant having a longer distance to cross. Some sidewalks (especially in the backpacker's district) were incredibly dirty and littered with garbage. Without a public garbage collection/disposal system, people burn trash or find their own way to dispose of them.
-Walked through the Ben Thanh indoor market. We bought coffee, fresh fruit juice, and the best baguette I've eaten since in Paris. For only 1,000 dong (7 cents USD), we got a freshly baked 9-inch long baguette that was warm and soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Pure heaven!
-On our last night in Vietnam, the girls took me out to celebrate my birthday, which was so sweet of them! Dinner at the restaurant, Lemon Grass (4 Nguyen Thiep St.), was delicious! I loved the fried catfish with lemongrass and garlic, and the fried spring rolls. Afterwards, they took me out for French-Vietnamese ice cream at Fanny (29 Ton That Thiep St.).
Good food and ice cream... what a perfect way to end our trip!