ON VIETNAM

Vietnam owes me nothing, y’all.

From our first bite of perfectly seasoned lemongrass chicken on a lantern lit rooftop overlooking Saigon, to a final bowl of pho bo at a dusty roadside restaurant, Vietnam solidified itself as “the country to beat” on the Radical Sabbatical’s ™ list of top destinations.  

Outlined below are my highlights per region we visited during our 30 days in Vietnam. Before I jump into that, however, I want to outline a few of my favorite things about the country in general.

I cannot write an ode to Vietnam without mentioning it’s natural beauty. At every turn there’s something new to gawk at. The Mekong Delta is a vast network of rivers and canals that stretches from Cambodia to the South China Sea, known as being the “fruit basket” of Vietnam.  Halong Bay, located in northern Vietnam, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that boasts over 1,600 limestone islands and islets towering over emerald waters. We were dumbfounded by the “sea people” who live way out in these islets surviving on what the sea provides. The Ha Giang Loop is a winding mountain road that takes visitors through breathtaking landscapes of towering mountains, deep valleys, and terraced rice paddies. Phong Nha National Park, located in central Vietnam, is home to some of the world's largest and most spectacular caves, including Hang Son Doong, which is big enough to fit a 40-story skyscraper inside.

Beyond the natural beauty, I loved how many domestic tourists were out and about, enjoying their own country. In my experience, it’s common that people aren’t able to experience the best attractions their own country has to offer, meaning these areas are dominated by international tourists. Of course there are throngs of international tourists in Vietnam, but in the MeKong Delta, Hoi An, and Ha Giang at least half of the tourists were domestic. It’s heartening to travel around a country and see people out and about, enjoying their own country. 

Next, were the people. The highlight of nearly every area we visited were our guides and/or hosts. They were dead funny (for those of y’all who have learned a second language, nailing humor in anything other than your god given tongue is commendable), full of spirit, unbelievably well versed in their field of knowledge, curious and seriously welcoming. The same characteristics apply to many of the people we encountered on the streets, especially in the more rural areas. As we scootered through the two poles (north and south), upon realizing we weren’t Vietnamese, nearly everybody would throw a huge wave or peace sign, collapse into a fit of giggles, and wave again as they sped past us. When we were biking or walking nearly every kid would run up to us shouting “hello! what is your name! where are you from! how old are you?!” And the adults would greet us with “Hello! Welcome to my hometown and good luck!” We definitely felt welcome.

Now for the highlights per area…

MEKONG DELTA

Aside from transforming into LA MOTOMOLLY, the highlight of the MeKong Delta was driving around for 3 full days and not noticing other western tourists. It had been a very long time since I’d traveled somewhere that felt so removed from the international rigmarole of where is deemed popular to travel and I’ve never traveled to an area alone where I don’t speak but two words of language (hello, and thank you).

When we walked into restaurants we pointed at what was already cooking on the stove and hoped for the best. When it was time to pay either somebody shoved a calculator in our face and pointed at the number or the waitresses would hold up at 20K bill and 2 fingers – (2) 20’s, got it. When we needed a gas refill on the motorbikes? Hop off and point to the “F” on the bike, while the attendant gawked that foreigners were driving themselves around on motorbikes. If we needed anything more advanced, Google Translate was (and is) our best friend.

An honerable mention goes to the bowl of pho chay we had in Ben Tre, which was hands down the best bowl of pho we had in Vietnam and my top meal in the country. We sat down, didn’t order anything because there was no menu, and then two bowls were all but tossed down in front of us . We started eating and all but saw God.

HOI AN

It seems like the obvious answer is riding a water buffalo given a mere three months ago I didn’t know water buffalo existed?! Quintin and I did an amazing cooking class just outside of Hoi An in Tra Que, an organic farming village. We got to try our hand at planting, ride a basket boat, ride a water buffalo, and of course cook a scrumptious meal. It was a memorable day but when I reflect on Hoi An, my true highlight is seeing how the town TRANSFORMS into a lantern lit paradise at night. 

During the day, you notice thousands of lanterns lining the streets, outside of every shop, shrine and temple but you can’t fully appreciate them until nightfall. When the sun goes down, the entire town changes. Every nook and cranny of the town is twinkling by lantern light.

PHONG NHA - KE BANG

Following our time in Hoi An, we headed to Phong Nha National Park in Central Vietnam.

While we were in Phong Nha we did a 2 day, 1 night expidition to Hang Pygmy, the 4th biggest cave in the word. I’m not really a cave gal as every cave I’d been to up until this point was kind of lame, I’m claustrophobic, and stalagmites/tites freak me out. This cave was different. The cave is so big, you trek through it for 3 kilometers. We swam in a lake inside of the cave. (50) people camped in the entrance room of the cave. It’s called Pygmy because the people living in the cave looked so small to the people approaching the cave when they discovered it, they looked like pygmy people. The whole hike through the Vietnamese jungle was stunning but the highlight was the group we hiked with.

First, our guide, Nam, was obviously a hit as we shared an intense passion for all things pop culture so we were never low on things to discuss. Black Pink had just performed at Coachella, and Nam had QUESTIONS!  Given Bad Bunny headlined, I had answers.

Second, the group of travelers who joined us ruled. There was an American group of wrapping up an (8) month “around the world” journey, an Australian at the start of an (18) month journey, a Brit (4) months into a trip that could be anywhere from (6) months to a year, etc. etc. It made me feel like we are less crazy, that we’re in good company out here, and it was big fun to trade stories and tips. 

HA GIANG

Driving the Ha Giang Loop was easily my highlight of all of Vietnam. The sheer beauty of the drive is worth the 12 hour bus trip alone. Every bend in the road exposed a new view that made me holler “WELL WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT.”

If you want to hear more about our time on the loop, reference my ON BEING A MOTOMAMI post.

Aside from the natural beauty and fantastic atmosphere on the loop, my highlight was not getting pulled over by the police as we were driving without the proper permits. 

Aside from the destinations above, we visited Saigon for less than 24 hrs, a coastal town called Mui Ne for a few days, Hue, and Hanoi for less than 48 hrs, in addition to a 2 day cruise to Ha Long Bay. I absolutely adore Vietnam and already look forward to the day I can return. If you or a loved one is considering a trip to Vietnam, please reach out. I’m happy to give you my twenty cents on how to best allocate your time.