By Kyle Long

Within the first five minutes of exiting the airport I got a pretty good sense of what I was going to find in Vietman. Arriving here can be a bit of a shock at first, especially if you’ve just spent the last week relaxing in some of the country’s more laid-back neighbors, such as Laos or Cambodia.

“No minibus, you wait long time,” a man told me as I arrived at the taxi-stand. “Taxi leave now.” We proceeded to the airport-to-downtown minibus, as per the suggestion by the lady I spoke with at the information desk, paid our $2 each, and promptly sped away in about three minutes. Yes it was cramped, but saving $10 for a 45 minute-ride feels pretty good when you’re watching every cent. (more…)

Travel to Vietnam has been exploding during the last few years, with over 4,000,000 international travelers in 2007 alone (a 268% increase from 1998), and it’s probably fair to say that the Vietnam’s well-deserved reputation for food has helped drive this surge.

Far more the pho, Vietnam’s busting at the seams with restaurants serving muc nuong muo ot (grilled squid served with chilies and salt), oc nhoi thit (snail shells stuffed with minced pork and lemongrass), and bun thit nuong (grilled minced pork served with fresh basil and mint, shredded cucumber and carrot, bits of lettuce, and chopped peanuts).

Here’s a few suggestions when in Saigon for where to try some of the best of the above, one of the coolest sounding places being Quan An Ngon, a restaurant that recreates the chaotic and eclectic vibe of the food market, and featuring some 19 separate stalls, each providing their own in-house live cooking show for the diner.

Did I mention that entrees in Vietnam average around USD$3? Yeah, that may also help to explain it’s popularity.