“Come to Vietnam with us next year,” pleaded a friend/co-worker shortly before I left the company and moved away from California. She didn’t have to plead twice. Vietnam is an interesting country — yes, still communist and quite hot, but often beautiful and increasingly modern with friendly people who have long forgiven Americans for the “American War.”
 dish in Vietnam is pho. This bowl of pho cost 27,000 dong ($1.71).&title=Food in Vietnam "Perhaps the most famous (and popular) dish in Vietnam is pho. This bowl of pho cost 27,000 dong ($1.71).")
One thing I really enjoyed in Vietnam was the food. Vietnamese food is quick, delicious, and healthy. Despite eating it every day for 2.5 weeks I never reached the point where I threw up my hands and screamed, “No mas! No mas!” Anyhow, here are some more notes: Continue reading »
If you had imagined hotels in Vietnam are just a step up from huts with flies or shacks with rotating fans, think again. Despite rooms in three-star hotels costing $20/night, all of the ones I stayed in were at least Motel 6 quality with a TV, phone, compact refrigerator, and most importantly, air conditioning. Some even had a pool! More photos are here.
Sometimes the finest moments in life are fleeting. And so was the brief stopover at Long Co on the way to Hue from Hoi An. We were allowed just 30 minutes here, but that turned out to be just enough time to snap a few photos and lay back in a wooden easy chair in front of the crashing waves on the beach. More photos are here.
One thing I always look forward to when visiting foreign countries is checking out the different vehicles. Roads in the U.S. crumble under the weight of minivans and SUVs; Italians favor small, sporty runabouts in addition to their scooters and motorcycles; and in China the only automobiles dicing it up with the bicycles and buses are four-door sedans. What is Vietnam like? Sort of a combination of all three, but dominated by scooters and step-thrus. Continue reading »
Before the title of this post raises any eyebrows or gives anyone a stroke, please let me clarify: no, I do not have a son. Or a daughter, for that matter. (Though I became an uncle the day before I left for Vietnam!) Rather, My Son refers to a World Heritage Site in Central Vietnam near Hoi An, where I am typing this from. I went on a tour of this place this morning. Here are some notes: Continue reading »
