The Golden Bridge

November 14th, 2024

The breakfast at the hotel is good but as you would expect, it is spa food which is healthy and it lacks the guilty pleasure aspect.  After last night’s culinary tour, I reminded myself that I should be having a healthy breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed out to Sunworld’s Ba Na Hills,  an amusement park sitting on top of the mountains not to far from Da Nang. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, I have never seen anything before and kept wondering, was this park made for Instagram?

We boarded a European built cable car that currently holds the world record for the longest nonstop cable care ride to the top of the mountain.  The ride up and down the mountain by itself was pretty spectacular with beautiful views of the jungle and at times waterfalls.   After getting to the park, we crossed the golden bridge, probably one of the more photographed attractions at the park.

Unfortunately, it was crowded, trying to get a decent picture of the bridge while on the bridge was a challenge.  The advertisements and YouTube videos that I had seen of the park always show the park with just a few people.  It was mobbed with people and some of them were getting pushy.

Although there were some amusement park arcades and rides such as the bumper cars and merry go round, the rides weren’t the attraction.  There was a French village, there were formal gardens, and they had a German beer garden that had Vietnamese employees dressed in Dirndl and Lederhosen. It was clear that these were not replicas but you could clearly see a building that looked like the Moulin Rouge and a cathedral that looked like Notre Dame.  Throughout the park there were various shows with performers.  I got the impression that this park was made for walking around and taking selfies.

Would I go back to this park?   The ride up the mountain was fascinating and it was fun walking around the park.  I am glad that I visited it but would I make it a point to revisit it?  Probably not!

The Golden Bridge

Hoi An

November 13, 2024

We booked two back to back tours in Hoi An, right after we finished our brief historic tour of Hoi An, we started our food tour.   Our first stop was White Rose restaurant where we learned how to make the white rose dumpling.  You can white roses at a lot of restaurants in Hoi An and those dumplings all come the White Rose restaurant.   The staff makes thousands of dumplings per day.  We got a demonstration and then taught how to make our own.  Let’s just saw our white rose dumplings were not as pretty as those being made by the staff, but we enjoyed eating them.

We then stopped at another ancient house.   The owner was talking about the house and how it had been in his family for generations.  He has a workshop and creates silver jewelry, unfortunately, neither of use were interested in buy any jewelry.  We did find a nice set of chopsticks which we bought and Sophon bought a couple of souvenirs for his family.

It was then on to try Cao Lau, a regional dish made with noodles, pork, greens and broth. Although it sounds simple, it is delicious.  This is a legendary dish, guides and guidebooks will talk about how the recipe of the noodles is closely guarded by a single family, that the ash in the noodle comes from a tree grown on nearby islands and the water used to make the noodles is from an ancient well.   There are even stories about the name, cao lau means “high floor”, where the more successful merchants sat while eating the noodles while keeping an eye on the streets below.   Who knows how much of this is real and how much is folk lore, cao lau is good!

It was then on to Banh Mi Phuong for a banh mi sandwich.  Banh mi is made with a crusty baguette-style bread, introduced to Vietnam by the French colonists, it is filled with a variety of savory ingredients including cold cuts, picked vegetables and sauce.  There was a line out front of Banh Mi Phuong’s to order but we went in, found a table and ordered immediately.   I wondered why this banh mi stand/restaurant was so much busier than the other ones we saw on the street and when I looked at the menu, there was a picture of Anthony Bourdain biting into one of Madam Phuong’s sandwiches and declaring it the best banh mi sandwiches in Hoi An.

I cannot say if these were the best banh mi sandwiches in Hoi An but the ones we had were delicious.   I also couldn’t help but notice the price, the most expensive sandwich was about $1.50 and everything else was about a dollar.

To finish the night, we stopped at a local coffee shop before heading back to our hotel.  I was stuffed.

250 year old house

Anthony Bourdain on the Banh Mi wrapper

Banh Mi

Our Cao Lau stand

Cao Lau

Tam Tam Cafe

November 13th, 2024

Hoi An is a ancient city in central Vietnam known for its charm and atmosphere.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I have been to Hoi An a few times and I have fond memories of walking the streets, visiting the shops and galleries, hanging out at the restaurants and sitting on the balcony of the Tam Tam cafe while having a few Tiger beers.   Unfortunately,  as we headed back to our hotel, I felt extremely disappointed.

Let me say upfront that Hoi An is a wonderful place to visit. It is full of charm, interesting shops and good restaurants. However, since my last visit 15 years ago, the area around Hoi An has been built up, there was a huge park/resort built on the island in the middle of the river and everything felt more  commercial and a lot more crowded.

Our first stop in Hoi An was a silk factory where we got a five minute demonstration on how silk is made, it was interesting but then suddenly, we are getting pressured to buy silk products as we are taken from one room featuring different silk products. Unfortunately, I see this a lot where you get a short demo and suddenly it becomes a high pressure sales pitch and if you do by something, the tour guide is collecting a commission as you exit.  As we left the shop, I pulled our tour aside and let him know that we weren’t interested in shopping.

We made several stops and several landmarks including a 200-year-old ancestral home, the Jinshang Temple, and a 17th century covered bridge built by Japanese craftsmen.  Unfortunately, our tour guide was constantly rushing us and was always 20 steps ahead of us. On top of that, everything was crowded which doesn’t make for great pictures, so I didn’t take very many of them but I did get a snapshot of the Tam Tam cafe as we passed by!

I realized that what I loved most about Hoi An was my time where I was just hanging out.  Unfortunately, we had a bad guide who was constantly 20 steps ahead of us and rushing us from one item on the list to the next.   If i stopped for pictures or to look at a souvenir shop, he would continue walking.  As much as I loved the Wellness center, I think I would stay closer to Hoi An so that I could spend time hanging out.

As an interesting side note, at point during the tour, I got the feeling that our guide wasn’t translating everything but rather giving us very short summations.  I opened up the translate app and was surprised at how well it translated things, and the amount of information that my guide was telling us.  The translate app isn’t the universal translator we see on Star Trek, but it is getting there.   It got me thinking as to how translation apps could impact the travel and tour industry.

November 12, 2024

We got up and had our last breakfast at the Park Hyatt.  We both discussed on how we were going to miss their hotel breakfast. After checking out, we headed to the Ho Chi Minh airport.  As we sat and waited for our Vietnam Airlines flight 126 to Da Nang, I people watched.  I guess the latest trend is to where crocs with hole fillers.   I also noticed quite a few young women carrying around stuffed teddy bears or stuffed animals.  I can see being able to get away with that as a teenager but in the mid-twenties, it struck me as being a little odd.

The flight was just over an hour long and it was uneventful.  We arrived in Da Nang, met our guide and headed to the TIA Wellness hotel.  As we drove to the hotel, the first thing I noticed was that the hotel wasn’t close to anything but other large resorts.  Marriott had three large resorts along with Radisson and Wyndham.  None of that had been there on my previous visit 15 years prior.   I also noticed that there wasn’t a village or any restaurants around.  I guess we would be eating most of meals in the resort.

Normally, I don’t book spa hotels, but the hotel was right on the beach and it included two wellness treatments, including massages, per day.  I thought it would be fun to do something a little different.    Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so we didn’t get to enjoy the pool or beach that day but we would later on in our stay.  The resort was very nice.  We had lunch a the poolside restaurant and Cau Lau, a central Vietnamese pork noodle dish which we both enjoyed.

I had to get a chuckle out of the bathroom.  When you opened up the door to use the restroom, the lid to the toilet opened up automatically in addition to a light in the bowl lighting up!

Afterwards, we went for a massage – I had the bamboo rub out and it felt good.

November 11th, 2024

After breakfast, our tour guide picked us up and we headed south to the Mekong Delta.  As we headed out of the bustling city, we headed into scenic rural landscapes with small villages, rice paddies and fruit orchards.

We arrived at our destination and  boarded our boat to experience the water-bound life along the Mekong Delta. We snacked on dragon fruit, lychees, watermelon and bananas.  While watching both large and small boats carrying goods up and down the river.   After a ride on one boat, we stopped and boarded a small row boat and went through a mangrove via canals.   I think Sophon enjoyed the rice hat a little too much!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of plastic pollution in and around the river and canals.  Vietnam is a developing country and some of the smaller villages, waste management may be lacking.  I wondered how this might impact future tourism.

We stopped at an ancient house and learned about how the architected houses during that time period before we headed to lunch at Le Langanier, which included two of my favorite items, fried spring rolls (Cha Gio) and carnalized pork in a clay pot (Thit Khat To).  The show stopper was the fried elephant ear fish which comes from the Mekong Delta.   All of it was delicious as we sat in a picturesque colonial style building.

After lunch, we walked for a bit with our guide pointing out various fruit trees and plants.  We then headed back to Saigon!

On our Mekong Delta Boat

Le Longanier

Cha Gio

Fried Elephant Ear Fish

A boat hauling goods

Along a canal

Lam Som Bar

CƠM CHÁY SPICY TUNA

Fried Calamari

Spring Rolls and Cha Gio

November 10th, 2024

Our tour ended early afternoon, we decided to get some lunch.  We walked to Hua Tuc, a restaurant around the corner from the hotel which was recommended by our tour guide.  Google maps sent us around the block and when it started to send us around the block a second time, I spotted an alley where we found this somewhat hidden gem. As we sat down, I noticed that there were various awards posted and that it was included in the Michelin Guide.

Hoa Tuc

We ordered Spring Rolls, Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) and Banh Khot (Vietnamese Pancakes).  Everything was so good!  I couldn’t help but notice they offered cooking classes.  Later, I would learn that the building was originally an Opium refinery.   I will definitely put this place down for my next visit and hopefully take a cooking class!

Afterwards, we went looking for Vietnamese Coffee to bring back with us and then we went back to the hotel to rest before our night tour.

Our night tour was a culinary tour of street food.  We would not be dining in high end restaurants, we would be getting our food from carts and sitting at times, at tables that were made for toddlers.   We started with Vietnamese Pizza, which according to our guide is extremely popular.  Made on a grill with rice paper, egg and pork, it was crispy and delicious but I wouldn’t call it pizza.

As we sat our 2 foot high table situated on the sidewalk in front of a school, our tour guide explained why.  These restaurants are pop-up restaurants, they have to pay the establishment they are sitting in front of and they may need to move at a moments notice.  In earlier days, many of these pop-ups weren’t legal and if the police showed up, they would have to quickly pack up and get out.

Vietnamese Pizza

how that the food vendors have to pay the establishment they are in front of.  The reason for the small tables and stools was so that everything could be packed up and moved quickly in case the police showed up.   I always wondered wondered about these small tables and stools.

We crossed the street and we had pork noodle soup (Hu Tiu).  I couldn’t help but notice the prices, a bowl cost 50,000 VND which is $2.00.  We were just getting started and at our next stop, we had banh mi a Vietnamese sandwich, which fuses the flavors of France and Vietnam.  At our next stop, we had steamed clams in lemongrass broth which out of this world. As we sat there, I realized that the one thing that we weren’t seeing were other tourists, everyone around us were local, I wondered if I could find my way back to any of these places if I wanted.

We weren’t done yet but I think both of us were feeling pretty full, we wandered through the streets until we found Madam Nga’s who was cooking up savory crepes (banh xeo) and fresh spring rolls.  We then headed to get coffee at a local coffee shop.  As we sat at the coffee shop, it was getting pretty late and yet everything was alive and loud  – motorbikes buzzing through, loud music blaring from several coffee shops, a group of men playing cards while singing songs – I casually asked the guide if his neighborhood was like the one we were sitting in and he said that he lived not too far from where we were sitting.

We returned to our hotel stuffed but both of had new things that we had never tried before and we got a glimpse of local life.  What a great night!

Making Vietnamese Pizza

Hu Tieu (Pork Noodle Soup)

Clams in lemongrass broth

Local Apartments

Madam Nga

Banh Xeo

Saigon Central Post Office

November 10th, 2024

Slept well but with the time change, woke up around 4:00AM.   I did some work and then got ready.  The breakfast buffet had everything – Pho, Banh Beo, Banh Mi, bacon quiche, breads, pastries, waffles, and more.  I decided not to dedicate an entire entry on breakfast but wanted to state how good it was.

22 Gia Long Street

We started out walking through Ho Chi Minh square towards the Saigon Central Post office.   On the way, we passed 22 Gia Long St.  Our guide pointed to the top of the apartment building and I immediately recognized it. He pulled out copies of the original picture but if you search “evacuation of Saigon”,  you will definitely see the iconic photo of a helicopter on the roof with hundreds of people lined up as they fled Saigon prior to it falling to the north.   At the time, the picture was reported as Americans crowding to the roof of the US embassy but it wasn’t the US Embassy but rather an apartment building that housed Americans.

I couldn’t help but think of famous scene in Miss Saigon where they recreated what had actually happened on top of that building in 1975.  In Vietnam, they call it the American War and after we stopped at the post office to admire its unique architecture, we would be headed to the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum, which both center on the conflict with the US.

Jade Emperor Pagoda

But first, we would stop at the Jade Emperor Pagoda. A pagoda that was built by a Chinese Merchant over a century ago.  It is filled with various rooms containing figurines that depict different themes and stories.   It is a pagoda that couples wishing to have a child will come to worship.   The tour guide pointed out that Obama stopped by this temple when he visited Vietnam in 2016.

As we drove over to the Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, he explained the history of the it, and when it was built.  During the war, it was the equivalent to the White House here in the USA where the president lives and works.   On April 30th, 1975, a Northern Vietnamese Army tank crashed through the gates as soldiers stormed the building, officially ending the war.

The building was turned into a historic monument, a time capsule so to speak.  You cannot help but feel that you are taking a step back in time, no computers, no flat screen TVs, the phones are rotary phones and the lavish decor is definitely from the 60s.  There is even a helicopter on the roof!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the War Remnants Museum, housed in what used to be the US Information Agency building. It it Vietnam’s struggle to become an independent struggled told from the Vietnamese people’s perspective and it highlights the war crimes and atrocities committed by the French and Americans stationed in Vietnam during the war.  Although the atrocities of those wars are well known, hearing how it impacted them for generations to come was very moving.

As one would expect, a lot of the displays and content was horrific and very disturbing.  I chose not to take pictures due the nature of the content and because I wanted to completely focus and immerse myself in what I was seeing.  I was surprised at the amount of children and the amount of people taking selfies as if they were at the Louvre.

Independence Palace

Ho Chi Minh Square

November 9th, 2024

After checking into our hotel we went and walked around a little.  Right next to the hotel is the Opera House, built by the French when they occupied Vietnam.  It is adjacent to Ho Chi Minh Square where a statue of Ho Chi Minh stands in front of City Hall.   I struggled with trying to get a picture, there were a lot of people doing selfie-productions and I was hungry, and wanted to eat.

I noticed that most of the people in Ho Chi Minh still use motorbikes, but I thought there were more cars on the road compared to the previous time I had gone there.  I would never drive in Ho Chi Minh, the way traffic moves is very different from the US.  We continued to navigate our way to a restaurant our guide had recommended called Nha Hang.

Between us, we ordered three dishes and I had two tiger beers.  I took a picture of the first dish but we were so hungry and the food looked so good, I forgot to take pictures of anything else!  My favorite part?  The bill comes and it is 580,000 VND.  I pull up the currency converter app thinking I will never get used things costing hundreds of thousands but am pleasantly surprised when I see that in US dollars, it is $22.80.

Opera House

Nha Hang Restaurant

Nha Hang Restaurant

November 9th, 2024

Flight VN 600 from BKK to Ho Chi Minh

The flight from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh was under two hours.  Vietnam airlines hadn’t changed a bit since my last time; airbus planes that had seats with no leg room, and a meal that consisted of an egg salad sandwich and fruit.  I had the same thought as the last time, for a country known for its food, this is the best they could do for an airline meal?

We landed and the line for customs was long. I had warned Sophon that in Vietnam, it wasn’t uncommon to see people walk to the font of the line or to push you out of the way.   We saw plenty of that!   We got through customs and made our way to meet our tour guide.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find him for another hour.  When we finally connected we were off to the Park Hyatt Hotel where we would stay the next few days.

Over the years, I have stayed in some nice hotels.   I knew that the Park Hyatt was nice,  I was a surprised at just how nice it was! Everything felt elegant.  People dressed up for afternoon tea, the breakfast was very high end with a lot of high end choices.  Flowers were everywhere and the room was spacious.  I was extremely impressed with the friendliness of the staff.   The best part was the location, we could walk to a lot of attractions, restaurants and coffee shops!

My Room

My Room

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea

Breakfast Buffet

Great Pastries

Floral decorations

Main Lobby

Park Hyatt Pool

Lychee Martini

Hotel Bar