To be perfectly honest, Phil and I were sad to leave Vietnam. After staying in a country for two and a half months, you get used to certain things about the place. You start to learn some norms and customs, as much as one can as a visitor to a foreign land where you don’tContinue reading “We’re Not All Anthony Bourdain (and that’s OK)”

I am a big fan of coffee. I love the stuff; hot and black in the morning and iced and creamy in the afternoon. Almost every country we have visited in SE Asia has had a decent coffee culture and many coffee shops, but Vietnam’s is the most robust, and the most Robusta! I mentionedContinue reading “Vietnam: The Coffee!”

After Saigon, we headed to the mountain city of Da Lat. Unfortunately, their airport was under construction (scheduled to reopen shortly after we left), so we had to hire a driver to take us from Saigon. The five-hour twisty and turny drive took us up, up into the mountains, at a very quick clip IContinue reading “Da Lat: City of Whimsy and Magic”

One of the things I have been most affected by during our time in Vietnam is the role of Vietnamese women, in war and the sacrifices they made for their country and their people, especially over their more than 40-year fight for independence. There is a well known Vietnamese traditional saying and cultural proveberb thatContinue reading “Vietnam: Women in Wartime”

Hoi An is a city about 45 minutes drive south of Da Nang, known for its historic ancient town, yellow painted colonial buildings, and picturesque bright green rice fields. It is also known for its many tailors offering custom pieces with a short turn around time. When we were having cold feet about committing toContinue reading “Side trek to Hoi An”