Category Archives: Travel
Beautiful Beaches between Mountains
Empty coastlines, dense jungles and isolation describe Con Dao. An island full of biodiversity of plants and animals that just awaits tourism. Hardly any foreign tourists travel here and only some local Vietnamese tourists come here. That’s what sets it apart from all of Vietnam.
It’s mind-boggling that this used to be a prison island, like Phu Quoc. First the French colonists established a prison system here and then the South Vietnamese and American forces sent the POWs here. The winding roads hug the mountains and then an old, run-down prison appears across from a beautiful ocean view.
Con Dao is an archipelago made up of about 16 islands. We only had time to stay on the main island, which is pretty large. What made this trip most enjoyable were the locals and their kindness and eagerness to help us. We went with our friends Mike and Sofia and spent a lot of our time driving around the island discovering breathtaking views.
During the two nights we stayed on the island we started a campfire, with the help of the hotel staff. Randy had his first experience with making smores and now he’s an expert! We also grilled fresh crab and fish on the beach.
Mike tried his hand at digging for clams on the isolated beach near the airport. He said it wasn’t easy. So we decided to buy two kilograms of clams from the man and woman who were digging for the clams. We carried the clams throughout our 9-kilometer trek through a thick jungle. We even had some company from a local dog! He trekked with us the whole way there and back!
We cooked the clams and drank homemade rice wine with the local fishermen and park rangers at our destination, which was another remote beach where we snorkeled and tried to catch squid. We were planning to take a boat back around the island, but the winds were too strong. So, we went back through the dense forest with our local guide.
We had so many great experiences here even though we only had two days. The sincere locals, amazing biodiversity and spectacular ocean and mountain views made this trip one to remember.
Flight: Mekong Air, 30 minute flight, but expect delays or returning back to Saigon because of extreme winds.
Where to stay: Con Dao Camping, inside of a small park. Accommodation includes nice, small huts with A/C, facing the beach. $30 to $40 per night.
Travel Information: Con Dao Island Dive SSI, Another helpful “local” was Larry Bernier at Con Dao Island Dive SSI. Originally from New York, he has been diving in Vietnam for ten years. He gave us honest information and helped us with accommodation and other tours around the island.
Stranded in the Middle of Nowhere!
Vietnam has plenty of short trips in the South. We’ve tried to take advantage of living in the South and the many daytrips in the Mekong and along the coast. As stated in another post, we’ve had tons of visitors and when we have time, we like to travel Vietnam with our friends. Our next trip was to Ho Coc Beach and Binh Chau Hot Springs with Mike and Val.
Binh Chau is about 145 km southeast of Saigon. We decided to take a shorter route that one of our friends had suggested. We started off in Saigon and took the hydrofoil boat to Vung Tau, which took 90 minutes compared to the four-hour bus ride. The speedboat tickets are 200,000 VND one-way. When we arrived in Vung Tau, we rented two motorbikes and drove about 75 kilometers along the beautiful coastline. The view was incredible. It was the type of view that you could imagine while driving in Vietnam. The roads were quiet. You could hear the sounds of the waves crashing into the rocks. The road zig zagged through hills and every view was post card worthy.
It was an amazing and relaxing experience until I noticed that the needle on my gas gauge went from full to empty in about two minutes. My bike started to lag until it came to a complete stop. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere! We were headed to the Binh Chau Hot Springs. The time was about 6pm and the sun was setting. No one was around and the closet town was another 5 kilometers away. I wish I could have called AAA but they don’t exist in Vietnam! I told Mike and Val to drive to the nearest town and find help. They left and I decided to push my bike. I must have pushed it for almost a kilometer and I saw Mike with a random Vietnamese guy who saved the day. He helped us get the bike to the next shop by driving Mike’s bike while pushing our bike with his foot! I only had to steer it!
Stranded in Vietnam
The group of guys took apart my rented motorbike and found out that the gas tank had a hole. All of the gas had emptied through that small hole. As they began to work I was really worried about how we would get to the hot springs or back to our hotel. In the matter of seconds, more than 25 locals, including little kids and adults, surrounded us. They were very curious and wanted to see what was going on. I was focused on fixing the problem but Shauna, Mike and Valerie were having a blast. They were playing with and taking pictures with the little kids. Mike even went to the shop and bought 15 pieces of candy and distributed it out to them. Mike and Val had an opportunity to see the true beauty of Vietnam with this experience. One hour later my bike was fixed and I was anticipating paying a lot of money for their services. They repaired the hole and filled up my tank. The total cost was 200,000 VND ($10 USD). It was worth it. I was very thankful for their help and we continued to Binh Chau hot springs.
Binh Chau hot springs is an amazing place where you can enjoy hot springs and indulge in your body in a mud bath. This trip was unforgettable! It comes to show how Vietnam is so unique. I never thought that we would have been towed on a motorbike in the middle of nowhere. This was a true Vietnam experience and I’m happy that Mike and Val had the chance to join us
Mudbath at Binh Chau Hot Springs
Next Stop, Saigon
Shauna and I have been living in Saigon since September and we love it. We landed in the conservative city of Hanoi. Vietnam is different than any of the other 20 plus countries we have visited. Vietnam was going to be our next home. We spent the next few weeks making our way down the coast of Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon. (The younger generation refers to the city as Ho Chi Minh City and the older generation calls it Saigon.) We have visited more than 16 cities in Vietnam and each place has their own reason to sparkle.
I personally feel that it sucks to be a tourist in Saigon. The rest of the country is better for someone coming to spend his or her time in Vietnam. However, I do feel that Saigon is the best place to live because once you settle down you will have a different appreciation for the city.
Since we have been here, more than 20 friends and family have come to visit. Everyone had his or her own unique itinerary and things to do throughout the country. Seeing friends are great but it does get overwhelming at times. Nevertheless, we are always happy to see our friends and show them how we live in Saigon. We tried to show them a different light of the city than the average tourist would experience, other than hanging out on the corner of Pham Ngu Lao (backpackers area in Saigon).
We have shown our friends and family what the alleyways within alleyways have to offer, from having a big bowl of freshly made pho right outside of our house to driving through alleyways and visiting different food vendors. Driving on a scooter is the only way one should experience while in Saigon. There are so many great spots to eat. We like to show our friends places where you can eat for 10,000 VND per person ($0.50 USD) to places where you can spend 200,000 VND ($10 USD) and you can dine like royalty. Saigon has a lot to offer, just like any other city in the world; it’s just that you need time to see where the locals hang.
If you visited us, we would love to hear what your favorite part of being in Saigon was all about.
A Fine City
We spent four days on one of the wealthiest islands in the world. Singapore is a country set in Southeast Asia but has the atmosphere as that of the West and reminded us a lot of America, but mostly New York City because of the unbelievable diversity. However, all of the streets are clean, they have fines for everything, great transportation, amazing food and everyone speaks English! Everyone we talked to said they were “Singaporean.” But, what does that mean, exactly? It’s like saying I’m just American, yet I am Vietnamese-American. People from Singapore come from all over Asia, mostly the Middle East, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and China. These cultures are so different and Singaporeans do a good job at keeping them alive.
China Town in Singapore
I have never been to India, but Little India in Singapore seems like a perfect first world India including all of the smells and colors of such a culture. Randy actually bought a lot of cooking ingredients from stores there.
Like any other China Town, shopping is their staple, for me anyway. It never fails that China Town has the best cheap souvenirs and sometimes clothing. You can’t go wrong with the food, either. The hot milk tea reminded me of a cold winter in Japan, yet it was nice and warm but raining in Singapore.
It’s a city filled with temples, mosques and churches that share the same block, the most modern architecture, dozens of shopping centers, museums, casinos and even nature. Sometimes it felt as if we were visiting an artificial country, where everything is almost perfect. The beach was nice, but the sand was imported. The shopping malls were huge with the lowest and highest-end designers. Transportation was always reliable and clean (but they don’t have lockers!). People were so nice and weren’t afraid to share their stories.
Our time was limited, but I think Kristi and I got a good taste of Singapore and unfortunately, Randy had to leave a day earlier. Here are some things not to miss out on!
- Shopping on Bugis Street – the Largest Street Shopping in Singapore
- Night Safari
- Visit Marina Hotel
- Eat crab at East Coast Seafood
- Walk around China Town and Little India
Little India
Crab from East Coast Seafood
Countryside Living in the Highlands
We’ve had a lot of unique experiences since moving to Vietnam, including meeting my family and living in a very friendly neighborhood. These things never fail. We had another unique experience during our trip to Da Lat. We expected to see a different, cooler side of Vietnam, which we did. Da Lat is located in the central highlands of Vietnam and sits in the middle of mountains. Therefore, the weather is a lot cooler than any other section of the southern part of Vietnam. I actually had to buy a sweater, hat and gloves! We did most of the touristy things – we went to the flower garden, the crazy house (which is comparable to some of Antonio Gaudi’s architecture, which I am a fan of) and some waterfalls and temples. Da Lat is really beautiful and is another unexpected geographical area in Vietnam.
What made our experience unique is that we went with a Vietnamese friend, Huong whom we met in Saigon. She is from Da Lat, but when she says Da Lat, she means the countryside. We started our journey to her house after an afternoon of sightseeing. It was definitely an unexpected adventure. We were aware that the ride was supposed to be about an hour and a half. But, we didn’t know that we would be driving on a dirt road with jagged rocks for an hour! And the worst part was that we went by motorbike! It was pretty scary driving along the mountains and on bumpy dirt roads. However, Randy did a great job at controlling the bike and Kristi was safe with our friend’s sister who is an experienced driver through this terrain. She goes to university in Da Lat and drives with luggage all of the time.
If Huong, who goes to university in Saigon, goes home, it’s for a long trip – obviously because the ride is so long! It’s totally worth it though. It was clear that this family is very close to one another. They value their time together and help with the family business. Huong’s parents own a coffee farm. They have land that stretches for about a square kilometer or more. They also grow avocado and other fruit and vegetables. Randy, Kristi and I actually got to help them on the farm. We picked the coffee beans off of the tree branches and let them fall onto a tarp. Huong’s family is very hard working. Her father who has only one arm still works all day, even in his bare feet! He is definitely an admirable man who has raised a great family. In addition, he and his wife let us stay at their house for a night. She’s a great cook. She fed us food such as hot Chè (sweet soup) that made me feel better, because Kristi and I were sick.
We’re very grateful that our friend, Huong, took her time to show us around Da Lat, but especially thankful that we got to stay at her house, meet her family and see how different Vietnamese people live. Thank you Huong!
This is the view from the toilet, which is outside.
Kristi and Huong packed with luggage and bananas while driving along the mountains
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