Vietnam, part 1

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And on to Vietnam. Pete came here in 1991 and needed a guide (Binh) to take him around. He kept in touch with Binh, and when we went to Vietnam in 2006, we contacted him. Binh and his wife (Lan), who live in Saigon, planned a trip for us around Vietnam and accompanied us on our trip, for two and a half weeks, with a car and driver. We saw so much of the country then, that we decided we only wanted to focus on a few things on this trip.

One area we liked and wanted to return to is Hoi An (not to be confused with Hanoi, the capital). We flew here from Vientiane (Laos) and stayed at a really nice hotel. After sweltering in Thailand and Laos for about a month, we knew the north would be cold, but assumed the rest of Vietnam would be hot and muggy. We were in for a shock. It was about 65 degrees, which seems warm enough, but with winds of about 12-15 mph. It was freezing! We layered like we did in Seattle - I had on two t-shirts, a sweater, sweatshirt, and jeans, for the first time since we left Switzerland.

Hoi An is a small laid-back town, with great food and old, colonial buildings. Lonely Planet describes it: “graceful, historic Hoi An is Vietnam’s most atmospheric and delightful town. Once a major port, it boasts the grand architecture and beguiling riverside setting that befits its heritage, and the 21st century curses of traffic and pollution are almost entirely absent.” (Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand, 2017, p. 106) There weren't many sights to see; it was mostly about strolling, atmosphere and food. Like Luang Prabang, though, the Hoi An area has been discovered; there were a lot more tourists and ex-pats than were here in 2006.

We stayed a bit out of town and found a restaurant at the end of the street. We chatted with the owner, who is from Minnesota. Another person who chucked it all in, spent some time in Korea, and has been in Hoi An for the last four years. We’ve been careful with what we’ve been eating, but I splurged and had my second cheeseburger at his restaurant. It was wonderful! The hotel manager recommended a few Hoi An specialties at a different restaurant (Morning Glory) - White Rose dumplings (rice paper with meat or shrimp filling), crispy pancakes (nothing like American pancakes - turmeric, rice flour and salt for the batter; other ingredients include shrimp, scallions and bean sprouts; wrap in rice paper, dip in a sauce, and enjoy) and Cau Lau noodles (ingredients include noodles, pork and local greens). We went to the same restaurant the next day and had the dumplings again, spring rolls that you have to wrap in rice paper with noodles and some greens, and My Quang noodles (rice noodles, shrimp, pork or chicken, herbs, turmeric, peanuts, toasted sesame rice crackers ...). We’re not foodies, but this stuff was amazing. Anthony Bourdain has done a show or two here, and there are lots of cooking classes for those so inclined.

Saigon and Mekong Delta will be in the next blog.

We’re a little bit behind, but trying to catch up.

If you want to see photos of other parts of Vietnam from our 2006 trip, look at our website (carandpuj.com/vietnam - south, central and north)

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Photos

Coconuts
Served by cutting off top, insert straw, and drink up

Durians - tasty, but extremely smelly
Prohibited in certain places because of its smell.

Fruit platter
Watermelon, pineapple, dragon fruit (white with seeds), passion fruit (good, but very tart)

Lunch at Morning Glory -Three Friends spring rolls
Wrap spring rolls and other ingredients into rice paper