On the spur of the moment I’ve booked 17 days in Vietnam.
I’ve got the Lonely Planet guidebook but seeing as the writers don’t actually get to stay or eat in 90 per cent of the places they write about I’d love some inside tips on places to stay and eat and even cooking classes.
We are travelling by train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. We might get up to the Chinese border.
Perhaps we’ll even bump into Anthony Bourdain who last year told me:
“I just want to stay in a little fishing village near Hoi An and see what happens and write about it. Drop off the grid for a little bit.”
“Vietnam grabbed me in a big fierce, fierce way,” he says. “The first time I arrived I said this is it for me. I want to die here. Everything is beautiful. Everything is beautiful. I like everybody. The food is spectacular. It is just like the movies and just like Graham Greene only better, much better. All the things I wanted it to be it had, it was there. But it was so much more.”
Naturally, I’ll be blogging and posting to Flickr as much as possible along the route.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t have any suggestions I just wanted to say I ENVY YOU! A lot! Have a nice trip!
Assume you know of noodlepie and stickyrice (both typepad.com)? The first for Saigon the second for Hanoi. stickyrice also recently had some *very* appetizing Nha Trang posts.
Hmmm… 2.5 years in Saigon didn’t leave me with quite the same sort of longing AB evinces for Vietnam, but .. I have my own favorites in that not-so-fair city — see link on my blog.
Cheers and happy travels!
It’s all good. I loved the floating markets (everywhere) and cruising down the Mekong watching the locals bathe, nap and wave was simultaneously relaxing and exciting.
I went with friends and stayed with locals so I can’t offer much accomm advice. Bring big empty suitcases and come back with lots of cheap cooking utensils.
Thanks Ilva.
Robyn I have now just discovered noodlepie and stickyrice. Thanks for the link.
Helen, I’ve heard that about loads of bags but it’s such a bore having to hump all that stuff around. J’s the shopping addict and I just can’t bear the thought of more placemats (I despise them). Sadly I’m not sure if I’ll have time to get to the Mekong as J’s got her heart set on the Chinese border.
I am sooooo jealous. Vietnam is on my top ten list (which I’m having a very hard time keeping down to ten.) My only Asian travel was to Hong Kong and Beijing, both wonderful, and I’m going back to a different part of China this summer. Can’t wait to read about your impressions of Vietnam.
Kalyn, I’m jelous of China. I’ve been to HK but not China yet but hope to make it before the Olympics. I should have said above that I’ll be leaving at Easter s you’ll have to wait a few weeks. I must admit the practicalities of blogging worry me as my camera needs a special driver installed. Maybe there is some gadge I can find.
I travelled up Vietnam late last year and found the best food in Hoi An. I particually enjoyed Hai Scout Cafe http://www.visithoian.com/haicafe.html.
Lucky you! I’m really looking forward to visiting Vietnam, and hopefully that time is not too far away.
Thanks Paul. I’ll definately get to the Hal Scout Café. I see you are a new Melbourne food blogger -I’m going to do an update on local bloggers soon.
Cin, you are the lucky one after your long Christmas break.
Very very jealous
Vietnam is also on the top part of my must see places to visit. I’ll be moving to Asia next year, so I can only hope I can get over there (and you’ll have to give all the juicy tidbits of foodie/travel info).
Here are the two blogs that come to mind with Vietnam:
http://www.stickyrice.typepad.com/
http://www.noodlepie.com/
I think they will offer some information. Also, check out the NYTimes Travel section (you can open up to sections with articles and info by country/region).
Cheers Rose. Appologies for my aggressive junk filter that hid you for a day and a half.
Have a great trip – no advice about the travel & accom, and you have the two blogs I would have advised. Re the photos, what about an SD card reader with a USB connection, then you can pop the storage card into it and upload the photos … might work, ask the techno guys at Dick Smith or somewhere.
Thanks Dreb. I’ve been loking at some of those readers and been meaning to go into town to visit some shops. Some need software installed. Perhaps I’ll travel with a couple of disks just in case.
I found the best food in Ho Chi Minh City. Quan An Ngon (138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia) was amazing. It is set in a huge courtyard surrounded by stalls each cooking a particular specialty. You order off a menu and the waiters go around to the stalls and collect your meals. The highlight was ground pork balls which you wrap in rice paper with pineapple and herbs. Hope you enjoy your trip!
Cheers Blair. We’ll definatley head for Quan An Ngon. Pictures and story posted here, hopefully, before the month end.