Ho Chi Minh and Hoi An

We arrived in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City (still known to some as Saigon) and were initially a little shell-shocked by the sheer number of motorbikes on the street and the ensuing chaos.

The first day, I ventured out of our guesthouse and stood on the sidewalk, too afraid to cross the street. The motorbikes rush by in a neverending stream with literally not a momentary gap in sight where you could try to step out. We eventually learned the ins and outs and started to trust the Vietnamese drivers who seem to have an uncanny ability to weave through traffic, overtaking on the left as well as the right, whilst being completely aware of what is going on around them 360°. So as long as you step out with confidence and walk at a steady pace, no sudden stopping or sprinting, they are able to anticipate your move and will swerve to avoid you.

Ho Chi Minh is a huge city, rapidly evolving and becoming richer by the day it seems. There appears to be a generally very young population, there are karaoke joints and beer gardens on every corner, people out mingling and having a good time.

One thing we had heard about Vietnam in advance and can now definitely confirm is that they have street food that is to-die-pho! (get it? 😊) The way to eat here is at the many small stalls that you can find literally on every corner. You then sit down on these ridiculousely small plastic chairs that make Hadleigh look like a giant sitting on a doll house chair. The reason for these, we learned, was that street food was- and still is in some parts- not technically allowed, so if the police came, the vendors needed to be super quick in stacking up their stuff and running away.

A typical breakfast here is a Banh Mi, probably the one thing most people associate with Vietnamese cuisine besides pho. A remnant of the French occupation, the Vietnamese still use amazing fresh baguette bread and fill it with cucumber, fresh herbs like coriander, pate, bbq pork pieces or cold cuts, mayo, chilli. DELICIOUS! Then there is a huge array of diverse foods with exotic names such as Banh Xeo (savoury pancake filled with Shrimp, wrapped in aromatic herbs), Cao Lau (Hoi An style noodles with pork and beansprouts/herbs), Bun Thit Nuong (rice vermicelli noodles with BBQ pork and peanut sauce), Com Ga (Chicken rice), Rose dumplings and sooo so many more. The one thing they have in common? They are all amazing! We seriousely have yet to have a bad meal, it is always fresh, flavoursome and satisfying.

We discovered the best and most fun way to get around the cities here is to take a Grab Bike. Grab is an app just like Uber, where you can order a ride. Only here, its cheaper and much faster to order a motorbike instead. The drivers shows up, gives you a helmet and you jump on the back and ride pillion to your destination. Its seriously so much fun once you let yourself trust their driving ability and see the city fly past.

After a few days in busy Ho Chi Minh, we made our way to Hoi An. Situated close to the beach in central Vietnam, it is many travellers favourite destination in the country. This small, laidback town was originally an important trading port and their old town is a World UNESCO Heritage site with beautifully preserved, French and Chinese inspired buildings. These are often overgrown by greenery and there are beautiful handpainted lanterns everywhere you look, creating the most beautiful, romantic vibe when they get lit up at night. Unfortunately, like with many amazing sites, it is no longer a well kept secret and tourists flock into the old town in huge numbers, detracting slightly from its charms. But only slightly…

We based ourselves in a charming Villa just outside of Hoi An for two weeks. Hadleigh invited his colleague, Fila, to join us here and they proceeded to have a productive and intense work period, going to a Co-Working Hub overlooking rice paddies every day. I spent my time lounging at the pool, wandering around the old town taking photos, going to the beach and making use of the trade that Hoi An is most famous for- tailored clothing (as much as my backpack would allow haha).

We also took a cooking class and rented motorbikes to drive up the coast the the more modern city of Da Nang, stopping at the Marble Mountain on the way. Marble mountain consists of 5 marble and limestone hills with beautiful natural caves in them that are the site of several buddhist sanctuaries. The place has a mysterious and peaceful vibe, the light beams streaming through a hole in the cave ceiling to enlighten the buddha statues in an eerie glow.

Hoi An definitely captured our hearts and we could easily imagine coming back here again, maybe even to live for a while :)

Now we are off to Hanoi and the north of Vietnam and the next two weeks we are catching up and travelling with our favourtie travel buddies, Alec & Sian and their two kids, so exciting times ahead.