It’s fitting that the name Hoi An translates to peaceful meeting place. There’s a spiritual essence to this city, a feeling of timelessness that’s reflected in the rustic, tile-roofed buildings and narrow streets of the Ancient Town. Resting on the coast of the South China Sea and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its magnificently preserved seaport village, this city’s history dates back to the 1st century when its harbor was the largest in Southeast Asia.
A city of great wealth, starting with the spice trade in the 7th century, Hoi An has long been the place to be. The Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled here in the 16th and 17th centuries and their influence is clear. Hoi An’s classic Chinese lanterns glow on the quiet streets and waterways, the short city blocks dotted with the shops of custom tailors. By 10pm everything is closed, the streets empty, only the hanging lanterns to illuminate your bike ride home. The best use of time here is an afternoon wandering the backstreets, stopping in the shade of a quiet alleyway to escape the intense heat and feel the cool stone wall on your back. A sense of solitude and peace that’s unimaginable in the madness of modern day Vietnam, as our friend Nhi would say, Hoi An is truly a ‘special place.’
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The bus squeals as we turn, our driver breaking around each corner of the steep downhill. We desperately try to photograph the passing mountains, breathtaking and covered with dense jungle and waterfalls. With each passing kilometer, the outside temperature and humidity increases, the jungle thins out and the ocean beckons. We're on our way to Nha Trang, Vietnam's most popular beach destination. Dubbed one of the country’s “party capitals,” the city of Nha Trang is Vietnam’s version of Miami Beach, but with a lot more Russian tourists. New development from the recent surge in tourism means the city is sprinkled with patios, rooftop bars, clubs and restaurants, many of which are half empty. The beach town is beautiful though, sitting on a 6km long stretch of yellow sand with turquoise water, book-ended by the Hon Yen, Hon Dung, and Hon Tre islands just offshore. With all of its perfect ingredients, we're prepared to fall in love with the beach town of Nha Trang. However we quickly find ourselves missing the authentic food and genuine culture that we’d experienced in Saigon and Da Lat. A town filled with Russian tourists means most of the menus (written in Russian) include “international food” (i.e. hamburgers/hot-dogs) and a hefty markup. Even the street food seems to be catering to tourists. That being said, nothing beats diving into the warm turquoise water, immediately resulting in that vacation-ey feeling we crave. Pita GR. While we've quickly become obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine, we're admittedly looking for some variety on our last afternoon at the beach. Pita GR is a super chill restaurant in the middle of the touristy district of Nha Trang. The kitchen is located downstairs, with a really hip dining area/bar upstairs. Antique sewing machines, faucets, and birdcages adorn the black and white striped walls. On the ceiling, an antique map. For Greek food in Vietnam, the veggie gyro (50,000 dong/$2.50) and a big bottle of Bia Saigon White Label (25,000 dong/$1.25) is a solid choice. Our server is awesome, giving us a small dessert on the house while being friendly and attentive throughout our lunch. Eating Greek in Vietnam may qualify as a travel fail, but the pita is served warm so we're not complaining. Iced Coffee. Sitting along the narrow patio with a checkered floor and teal decor, we feel like we've time traveled to Miami Beach in the mid-90's. The coffee is strong and sweet, but a bit expensive for Vietnam. It serves as a nice place to spend an hour researching homestays in Hoi An, but if you’re looking for a local experience, we suggest finding something more off the beaten path (cliche, but true). street food, Nha Trang style. We’ve seen and smelled the roasting corn and sweet potatoes in Da Lat, and have been craving them ever since. So when the opportunity presents itself on a walk home from the beach, we jump at the chance. “Rustic” might not be strong enough description. Imagine grilled corn from a carnival, then add in a makeshift grill sitting about 18 inches from the ground all grilled perfectly by a local woman who speaks zero English. The corn is pretty chewy and the sweet potato crazy starchy, but we deem it worthwhile for the Vietnam experience alone.
Located in Vietnam’s central highlands, Da Lat has the perfect climate for agriculture. It’s nearly impossible to miss people selling flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables from the window of your bus while riding into town. Greenhouses growing vegetables, flowers and fruit surround the hilly university town and span for miles. Beyond that, coffee farms cover hilltops and small farms grow silkworms and crickets. Private tours of 3-5 people are offered daily to many of the farms, including the ones we visited: The cricket farm. We’ll start with the moral of this story: deep fry anything in oil and garlic and it becomes edible. Now, back to the beginning. We just ate f*ing crickets! What!?!? After a trip to the Weasel coffee farm, we weren’t sure things could get any stranger. Then they did. Cricket farming is truly something you must see to believe. The insects are sectioned off based on age, ranging from 7 days to 3 months; with 2 months being the preferred age for eating. They live in large concrete areas that are about 3 feet deep. We’re told that they can’t jump out, even though many were crawling up the walls of their open sections (this blatant example of cricket stupidity helped Ryan come to terms with eating one). Not a typical part of the vegetarian diet, deep fried crickets taste a bit like a chunky potato chip. We are told they’re typically washed down with some local beer after dinner, but all we were given was hot tea. We agreed that a beer (and potentially a shot) would have helped. Officially classifying this experience under the ‘when in rome’ category. Although maybe never again. Silk Worms. We all know that silk is made from worms, right? Holding a white cocoon of silk thread that’s being carefully spun by a live worm inside, we agreed that the whole process of how silk is made is, in fact, a little fuzzy. We’re surrounded by floor to ceiling shelves holding thousands of silk cocoons and our guide, Giep, is explaining the process. The worms are collected from farmed mulberry trees and spin a cocoon of one continuous thread around their body. Before they have the chance to emerge as a moth, they are dropped into boiling water, killing the worms, then cold water to unravel the cocoon. The worm is placed in a separate container to be made into a snack (no, we didn’t eat the worm!) and the cocoon is unraveled into tiny threads and placed by hand onto a large machine to make one strand of some of the highest quality silk thread in the world. The whole process feels somewhat primitive and remarkable at the same time. About ten teenage girls (16-17) are diligently working in the factory and don’t blink an eye as we stand behind to watch them work. We’re told they work 5-6 days a week, 8 hours per day, and make 6 million dong/month (less than $300/month), half of which they send home to their parents in the north. After the thread is finished, it’s dyed and woven by the local K’ho people on large looms. To see the inner workings of these farms and factories was incredibly insightful. It was a glimpse into the daily lives of people outside the busy cities, with a local guide that helped us share these experiences respectfully. This small agricultural tour left us with a much greater understanding, appreciation, and connection with the amazing culture of this region.
Around every corner in the hilly streets of Da Lat, smoke wafts from makeshift grills balanced on two buckets with a fire of hot coals underneath. Skewers of folded pieces of meat, rows of button mushrooms, husks of corn and chicken feet rest on top as the fire is expertly fanned. As we walk down the large staircase to the town center, sleep deprived and slightly hungover, we’re drawn to the sound of an egg cracking on rice paper. The local vendor works quickly, adding green onion and chillies to her egg scramble, which is being cooked by the coals beneath. A wedge of soft cheese is added to the mix, which is finished with red chili sauce (one of the condiments of choice in Vietnam) and folded in thirds before being wrapped in what appears to be a recycled multiple choice quiz from the local school. At home we cure hangovers with an egg scramble and a bloody mary. In Vietnam, we pour sweat as we demolish grilled rice paper with egg, or Banh Trang Nuong.
The second largest exporter of coffee in the world, Vietnam grows the majority of its coffee in the central highlands and we found plenty of farms near Da Lat. Only second to Brazil in production, this country isn’t just an exporter. There is a true coffee culture here. In Da Lat, also a university town, we found dozens of awesome coffee shops, both big and small. Salt Coffee. Vietnamese coffee slowly brews into the ceramic cups on our table. A small, metal single-cup personalized French Press, used across the country for drinking traditional Vietnamese coffee, takes patience but is worth the wait. The result is an inch of strong, thick, black coffee accompanied by a small pitcher of hot water to make a local version of an Americano - with far more kick. Smoothies and blended coffee drinks are served in mason jars with a small ribbon wrapped around the top. Opt for a smoothie made with locally-grown fruits, such as mango or coconut. The iced mocha puts a frappucino to shame. Perfect for a hot day (or rainy afternoon, like when we visited!). Windmills. A trendy coffee shop near the center of Da Lat with a partially open air rooftop serving coffee drinks (both Vietnamese and Italian), smoothies, pastries and cakes. Where we stopped was a space far removed from the omnipresent sights, sounds, and smells of Vietnam’s busy streets, but Windmills has multiple locations. It’s a sneak peek in to the young, hip vibe of this hill town that’s clearly influenced by its namesake university. ‘Weasel’ Coffee. A short drive out of the city and you’ll find yourself among the coffee farmers of the central highlands. In a valley as picturesque as almost any in the world, a coffee delicacy is being created. Known as Kopi Luwak in Indonesia, but simply Weasel coffee in Vietnam, we’re talking about coffee beans that have been pooped out by civet cats (weasels). The animals eat what the producers believe to be the best berries, then defecate, leaving behind enzymes which create a coffee that’s even better than before. At first taste, it’s smoky and chocolatey, the ‘cherry’ version (for lady, apparently) a little sweeter than the ‘moka’ bean (strong, for man). Overlooking the strikingly beautiful countryside, this could be some of the best coffee we’ve ever had. Mind blowing Vietnamese coffee experience… check. *As with any product made with or from animals, the ethical treatment, or lack thereof, should always be considered. Through our research, we found that many people and organizations have serious concerns about how these animals are treated and whether the process is humane. The farm we visited featured only a few, seemingly unharmed and well-treated weasels. However, we are finding that animals are often exploited for the purposes of tourism and will not support and report on any situation that is questionable. Also worth mentioning are Bicycle Coffee and the cafe at Les Sapins 60. Both seemed like very cool spots and we'll stop by for a cup when we're back in Da Lat.
Coffee, coffee, coffee. We can't get enough, but luckily Vietnam's got plenty of it. The young man at our Saigon homestay had said Dalat was a city for two; for romance. So far, not so much. We felt solid leaving Saigon. Like we had a grasp on things and were ready to tackle new places and adventures. The Phuong Trang bus ride to the mile-high city of Da Lat was advertised as 5 hours, with two stops for bathroom breaks and food. In reality, the bus left Saigon just after 11am and arrived around 7:00pm, teetering along at 20-30 miles per hour most of the trip. Riding through outer Saigon and into the mountainous Central HIghlands region, we passed rows of makeshift homes; the ground littered with garbage. A reminder that this is still a developing nation that struggles with shoddy infrastructure and limited environmental awareness - things we often take for granted. Everything about the bus ride was, let’s say, interesting. The bus itself contains three rows of ‘sleeper’ compartments, with both bottom and top bunks. However, anyone taller than 5 feet and wider than 18 inches will have some trouble ‘sleeping’ in the half reclined leather chair, half roller coaster seat. We rotated positions, side-saddle first, then cross-legged, then legs bent and knees up. Tight, but overall doable. Near the end of our journey, the bus driver pulled over and a few passengers rushed to pick up an injured Vietnamese boy. No one on the bus spoke English and we had no way to tell what was wrong (and if he was okay), before he was whisked away in a separate van. A very strange situation that was even harder to comprehend. After finally arriving in Da Lat, we were approached by a taxi driver, offering a ride to town for 100,000 dong ($5). We disregarded the feeling that we were being ripped off, as a hot shower and dinner were calling. When we arrived at our hotel, we were told that, although we had booked through Expedia, there were no more rooms available and we were to stay in another hotel two doors down. Our ‘new’ hotel room housed two full beds, two extremely old looking flowered blankets, no sheets, tattered mosquito nets, a dirty bathroom and pleather chair, all enclosed by thin, hospital green colored walls. The addition of shouts from the room upstairs and stank eye from three middle aged women sprawled out on the lobby couch didn't help the situation. Bad vibes overall. Our intuition told us to go.
It was after 8pm when we scrambled to find a new room, not knowing that the national holiday had resulted in Da Lat being 95% full for the night. Combing through the intensely packed hilly city streets, we finally found a small hostel with a ‘caveman’ themed room that was available, but by the time we got there, it’d been taken. It was 9pm with no food since that morning and we were out of options. Our solution: locate a hillside cafe and inhale a plate of crispy potatoes (french fries) along with white rice, sauteed vegetables and multiple beers. Not exactly the awesome street food we’d enjoyed the last few days in Saigon, but the buzz and full stomach made our sleeping situation more bearable. Resigned to the dirty hotel room, we both slept atop the sunken mattress in our clothes using our packable jackets for pillows. As with all travel “curveballs”, the morning brought perspective, and as we sleepily walked out of the hotel into the city at 7am, we determined a few things: (1) we’re not 22 anymore and don’t exactly want to crash just anywhere, (2) a little extra planning goes a long way (knowing about the holiday would've helped), (3) customer ratings on Booking.com and TripAdvisor are crucial, (4) we navigated a shitty situation quite well (good to know since there are sure to be more). A nap and 2 cups of Vietnamese coffee later and we’re ready to retry Da Lat. Staring out the window from a dark wood bar onto a flurry of early morning scooter traffic, we’re on the third floor of what could be called a Vietnamese hipster coffee shop in Saigon’s District 3. Sipping dark, roasty, iced Vietnamese coffee, the city’s spirit seems to completely reveal itself. Intimidating to even the most wannabe badass travelers, Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) is Vietnam’s most bustling metropolis. To describe the pace as fast seems too slow. An endless stream of motor bikes speed by, back and forth across traffic and often on sidewalks. The city is full of honking horns, the chatter of street vendors, smells of unrecognizable street food, lush parks full of shaped bushes, and tiny alleyways less than five feet wide, along which locals rest inside their homes. It takes a good hour to adapt to the heat and humidity. We’ve learned to that if you let yourself build up a good initial sweat to cool your body down, you’ll be set for the rest of day. Look on any corner for a strong cup of Vietnamese coffee followed by a bowl of pho for breakfast (yes, soup for breakfast) to fuel your urban exploration. For a quick snack, two banh mi (sans meat) in District 1 are only 20,000 VND (dong). Ours included fried egg, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, daikon and mayo, all toasted in a delicious French baguette. Hard to believe we just ate lunch for a dollar. Back in District 3, Xua Coffee offers Vietnamese coffee, fresh juices, and smoothies, all on tiny wooden stools with some very friendly (and patient) owners. Order it black and the 18,000 dong (about $.75) coffee comes out thick and strong. Have it with milk, of the sweetened and condensed variety, and you’ve got yourself a coffee milkshake. The smoothies, at 25,000 dong ($1.20), are made from scratch. In our case that meant a 17-year old Vietnamese girl chopping the coconut in half and scooping the pulp out before blending it with milk. Seriously amazing. Tam Chay Quan is a vegetarian restaurant only two blocks away from our homestay (also learned: ‘chay’ translates to vegetarian in Vietnamese). Located in an alleyway just off the main street, Tam’s has been our introduction to Vietnamese food. With checkered walls and small wooden tables, Tam’s serves a variety of vegetarian Vietnamese dishes ranging in price from 15,000 to 25,000 dong (about $.70 to $1.20). Make sure to add pepper flakes to the Mi Quang (Hue yellow noodle soup) and fresh squeezed lime juice and garlic to the Hu Tiu Mi Kho (noodles with crispy fried shallots). For breakfast, pho with a salad of dumplings, greens, herbs, and bean sprouts. Or just have Tam decide what she feels like cooking, like we have done twice. Hum Vegetarian is an elegant restaurant near the War Remnants Museum. We sat in the tranquil courtyard of this beautifully designed space, separated from the hustle and bustle of Saigon’s busy streets by a simple stone wall. From the extensive menu, we chose the Mushroom Fried Rice (80,000 dong/$3.75) and Braised Tofu in Fermented Bean Sauce (80,000 dong/$3.75). The food was great and it was a welcome respite from the pace of the past few days, but street food is the way to go in this city. Our third floor coffee shop view is from Mono Cafe, less than a block from our homestay. A skinny, three story building tucked beside a tight alleyway with a small open air coffee bar on the ground floor, this place could easily have been transported from San Francisco’s Mission District with it’s laid back vibe and modern design. The vantage point from the top floor, a perfect spot to take everything in. The kickass food is one small aspect of Saigon’s sensory overload. Just a few days in and we’ve graduated from high fiving every time we weave through the flurry of motor bikes to successfully cross the street. Our next adventure will bring us to Dalat, a mountain town in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
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