Oh Vietnam. Exotic, picturesque, delicious…you have so much to offer–but boy are you a tough cookie! Our non-stop series of shystery encounters really left a bad taste in our mouth, but in the process of putting these Vietnam blogs together, we found a soft spot in our heart for this complex country. The mystical islands…
While Vietnam may have dished up some the lowest moments of the trip, our final stop in Ta Phin Village was quiet possibly the most rewarding experience of the entire HoneyTrek. We lived and taught English in a Red Dao tribal village for the week leading up to Tet New Year and were brought into…
Photos cannot contain the 1,969 islands of Ha Long Bay and words can’t quite describe the fantastical limestone karst towers, the mist that enshroud them, and the floating villages that call them home. Ha Long translates to the “Descending Dragon” and when you imagine these islands as spikes from the serpent’s spine peeking out from…
Hanoi is an Asia metropolis at its most romantic. With strong Chinese and French colonial influences and plenty of Vietnamese pride, this 1000-year old city is a glorious blend of east and west, old and new. Hanoi would have probably wooed us on any given day with its pagodas, palaces, lakes, and markets but the…
Said to be the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual heart of Vietnam, Hue is full of palaces, pagodas, tombs, temples, and a dash of French colonial flair. It was the country’s political capital from 1802-1945 under 13 emperors of Nguyen dynasty and their decadence is largely what makes the area so beautiful. Just 80 miles from…
Hoi An was by far our favorite town in Vietnam. A trading port dating back to the 17th-century, it has been shaped by the cultures that passed through its ports—Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Indian and Vietnamese. With its well-preserved homes, shops, and temples, the whole town center has been deemed a UNESCO world-heritage site but it…
Heading north from Ho Chi Minh City, travelers usually head one of two ways: the sand dunes of Mui Ne or the flower-covered mountains of Dalat. We couldn’t decide between them so we did a zigzag and squeezed in both! These two Southern Vietnam getaways couldn’t be more opposite but both lovely in their own…
It feels a little strange to be an American in Saigon…whether it’s a guilty complex about the Vietnam War, the landmark reminders of our defeat, or just seeing this fabled city in the flesh. As the largest metropolis in the country and one that was heavily bombed, it is not the prettiest place but with…
Our love-hate relationship with Vietnam began the moment we crossed into the Mekong Delta. It’s gorgeous, it’s exotic, it’s a veritable sensory overload…but Vietnam has more shysters than any of the other 33 countries we visited on the entire HoneyTrek–combined! We got scammed/lied to/accosted five separate times in our first three days in the country….