My WordPress Website

Category: Vietnam

Exploring Phu Quoc Island by Motorbike

When we were planning our two week holiday in Vietnam, I did a lot of reading about traveling south to north, top places to stop and visit, and so on. Phu Quoc didn’t make it onto many travel blogs or lists. It wasn’t until a friend suggested it that we started researching and decided it would make a perfect end to our trip.

Long Beach in Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is located off the coast of Southern Vietnam and is actually only about 15 miles away from Cambodia. We had both been to islands in Thailand and Indonesia and knew Phu Quoc would be a little more undiscovered.

After 13 days of traveling we collapsed on the beach at our resort (we stayed at Long Beach Resort – I’d certainly recommend it) and barely moved for a couple of days. Here are our recommendations when you can finally get yourself off the sand:

Rent a motorbike.

Sao Beach

After surviving being a pedestrian among the motos in bigger cities, we decided it was time to take one for a spin. We were able to rent one right outside of our hotel and off we want. We had checked out maps and there really aren’t a ton of roads in Phu Quoc, so we set off in the general southeastern direction towards Sao Beach. We had read mixed reviews and we got what we expected. On the eastern side of the island, the beach had a different feel than where we had spent the last couple of days. There weren’t many people, more greenery, and yes, there was some trash. We snacked at Paradiso Beach Club that was full of pumping music with food and drinks. Nearby, there was a swing on a tree that gave tourists the opportunity to take pictures like the one here.

After a couple of hours there it was time to head back. The main “highway” cuts through the middle of the island but I could see on Google Maps there was a road that cut straight across – if we took this we could drive up the coast while the sun was setting. This sounded like a great option until we spent 18 of 21 kilometers on mud and dirt roads filled with giant holes and moguls. We did, however, survive, and got some pretty amazing photos on the way.

A pearl farm in Phu Quoc

Tip: on our dirt road journey we saw huge InterContinental and Novotel properties being built so perhaps when you get out there to visit there will be more paved roads to make your trip a bit easier!

Eat!

A selection of seafood at the night market

Dinh Cau Night Market – while this market has a little bit for everyone – souvenirs and snacks, the main reason to come here is delicious fresh seafood. We spent hours hopping from stall to stall, trying scallops here, a grilled lobster there, all while strolling around sipping on Tiger and Saigon beers. The market is open daily at 5pm, so make sure you check it out at least one night!

Winston’s Burgers and Beers – I know, I know. We are in Vietnam and we are suggesting you go eat a burger. But after two weeks of traveling and one terrible night of food poisoning, a burger was just what we needed. Winston is an ex-pat and the burgers do not disappoint. If you need a short break from the local fare, I’d highly suggest checking this place out!

Itaca lounge art

ITACA Resto Lounge

Drunk’n Monkey

January 17, 2016
Finding Relaxation in a Chaotic Vietnam

Before we went on our trip to Vietnam I did a lot, I mean A LOT of research on the best way to spend one or two weeks in the country – where to go, what not to miss. After all was said and done, here is where we ended up:

Day 1: Saigon

We arrived in Saigon late night. If you do Visa on Arrival be prepared that it could take a little while to actually get your Visa.

Day 2: Saigon

After a lot of travel and a crazy night, we spent our first full day in Saigon at the pool and with massages before going on a motorbike food tour at night (DO IT! I promise it’ll be one of your favorite things you do on your trip!)

Day 3: Saigon

Checked out the War Remnants Museum. We were also lucky enough to have a friend of a friend who was an ex-pat living in Saigon and he spent the afternoon showing us around other parts of Saigon. Of course we just scratched the surface – there are so many things to do and delicious places to eat in Saigon!

Day 4: Hoi An

Fly to Da Nang, taxi to Hoi An. Hoi An was another favorite part of the trip for me. It’s a quaint little town and if you want to get any custom clothes made, well this is where you do it. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets, in and out of tailors until we found Yaly Couture which had been recommended to us.

Day 5: Hoi An

We hired a car and visited the My Son ruins in the morning. Imagine a mini-Angkor Wat meeting Indiana Jones. For a half day trip I’d say it was worth it. We then spent the remainder of the day in and out of Yaly, Toby getting custom suits and shirts while I was fitted for dresses, rompers and shoes.

Day 6: Hoi An & Da Nang

We headed back to Yaly one last time that morning. We had been there enough we were given complimentary (morning) mojitos while we waited. Then we were off to Da Nang for New Years Eve. Da Nang is a bit bigger of a city on the beach but the weather in December on the central coast of Vietnam isn’t necessarily beach weather. I don’t think it’s a necessary stop but I thought a big city would provide more options for New Years Eve.

Day 7: Da Nang & Hue

We checked out the Mother Buddha in the morning – a short drive from downtown Da Nang and then our hired drive came to drive us to Hue. I chose this option instead of flying because of the Hai Van Pass. It was beautiful. However, the roads get pretty windy so if you get carsick at all, or decide to make the drive on New Years Day, you may want to rethink your decision. Luckily, I survived. We spent the rest of the day exploring the Imperial Palace in Hue. It was cool to see but if I had to do things again I would have probably gone straight from Hoi An to Hanoi.

Day 8: Hanoi

We flew to Hanoi and wandered the winding streets in the Old Quarter, getting lost in the chaos. We checked out the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain (and so many others) had been held prisoner of war. And then… the most terrible stomach virus/food poisoning set in and I was out of commission for the rest of the night. Although we didn’t get as much time to sightsee here as we had hoped, here is a list of things to love about Hanoi!

Day 9: Ha Long Bay

After Toby made a trip to the pharmacy and managed to get me all of the antibiotics I needed, I was as ready as I could be to sit in a van for 4 hours to make our way to Ha Long Bay. From there we hopped on our junk boat for the remainder of the day and night. Ha Long Bay was unbelievably beautiful, and peaceful, especially after being in Hanoi. We spent one night there (you can spend two) and I think that was enough for us. Want a more indepth look at Ha Long Bay? Read on here.

Day 10: Ha Long Bay & Hanoi

After lunch on the boat we made the four-hour journey back to Hanoi and checked back into the hotel we had been staying in previously (many hotels are used to this so you can leave a bigger bag with them if you’d like). We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and then made our way to the beer corner in the Old Quarter for some 15 cent beers on child-sized chairs. At some point in your stay in Hanoi, I’d definitely recommend making your way there – cheap beer, street food and free entertainment!

Day 11: Phu Quoc

After a crazy 10 days (more if you include our time in Tokyo) we were finally on our way to relax. We took a two hour flight from Hanoi to Phu Quoc and had our butts in the ocean by lunchtime.

Day 12: Phu Quoc

A lot of walking from the lounge chair, to the ocean, to the bar. By nighttime we were ready to check out the Dinh Canh Night Market which I highly recommend – especially if you’re a seafood lover!

Day 13: Phu Quoc

We decided we should see a bit more of the island and rented a motorbike for the afternoon and made our way to the east side and Sao Beach. After an adventure to get home we had a nice dinner and got some rest before our long journey home.

Day 14: Saigon

We flew from Phu Quoc back to Saigon in the morning and checked into a hotel for the day, until our flight at 11pm. This time we had chosen a hotel near Pham Ngu Lao Street, famously known as Saigon’s backpacker area. We spent the day getting our last tastes of Vietnamese food and beer before a quick shower and repack of our backpacks and then it was back to Tokyo… then Seoul… then finally Los Angeles.

For more detailed information on what we did, where we stayed and what we ate in Vietnam, check out the rest of our Vietnam posts:

Boats and Clothes in Hoi An

Exploring Phu Quoc by Motorbike

January 15, 2016
Boats and Clothes in Hoi An

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]While planning our itinerary for our two week trip in Vietnam, Hoi An kept coming up as many people’s favorite place on their trip – and also the spot to go to if you wanted custom clothing made. It seemed a like a stop we couldn’t pass up and I’m so happy we didn’t – it ended up being one of our favorite stops during our two-week trip and we left with a lot of custom clothing![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”451″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After the chaos of Saigon (or Hanoi) Hoi An was a breath of fresh air. It’s a pretty small town with a river separating the old town from the rest of town. The old town, or ancient town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so I don’t believe there is any place to stay within those walls but anywhere else is just a few minutes walk away.

What To Do

Wander around Ancient Town – lots of little restaurants, cafes, a few bars and lots and lots of tailors. You’ll also find it hard to miss the Japanese Covered Bridge (pictured below).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”454″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Take a half-day trip to My Son – My Son is a set of ruins from the ancient Cham Empire. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was mostly destroyed during the Vietnam War.We hired a car for relatively cheap and the driver waited for us while we walked down the road to the ruins. You can also do a more organized tour but normally that’s not our jam. It was definitely cool to check out and I think worth a half-day trip if you’re in Hoi An.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”455″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Get Custom Clothes Made! But seriously…if you have any interest in getting some custom clothes made – this is the place if you’re in Vietnam. There are tons of tailors – big shops to small – it’s hard to choose! We were given the recommendation to go to Yaly Couture which is where we got 95% of our clothing made, but if that place isn’t your style there are plenty of recommendations on TripAdvisor or just walk into a store that has something you like! Having an idea of what you want is probably a good idea, but not necessary. Toby knew that he wanted some suits and ended up getting some custom shirts as well. I had no idea what I wanted and ended up buying some nicer dresses, a romper, and a pair of pumps! They have a bunch of mannequins dressed in custom clothing and endless binders and fabrics to give you ideas.

Tip: if you want to get some custom clothes made, I’d plan to be in Hoi An for a few days as most of the shops are busy and you’ll have to go back for a fitting (or a few).

We read stories of people renting bicycles and riding around the countryside and heading to the beach but between our trip to My Son, just wandering around, and numerous fittings for clothes we didn’t have time to do either of those.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1470237371184-998c17a6-40d2-1″ include=”457,458″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Where to Eat

Before we talk about where to eat, let’s talk about what you need to eat in Hoi An. White Rose is their signature dish. What is white rose, you might be thinking. It’s a little dumpling, usually of minced shrimp or pork in rice paper. Delicious!

Green Mango Restaurant – this was our first food stop in Hoi An. We had lunch there but I’m sure it would be a great spot for dinner as well. It’s also right near Yaly’s if you need to kill time between fittings.

Morning Glory – this restaurant is pretty popular so if you can, make a reservation. We didn’t but didn’t have to wait too long. We sat upstairs and after reading some reviews, it seems like we got a better (cooler) spot.

White Marble – right in the heart of Ancient Town, we got a table on the second floor next to the window overlooking the street. We sampled all sorts of delicious Vietnamese appetizers and since it was the only wine bar we found ourselves in on this trip we made sure to order some wine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”462″ img_size=”500x” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whatever you do while you’re there and wherever you eat – just make your way to Hoi An during your trip![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

December 31, 2015