vietnam
The Sepia-Toned Pandemonium Of Hanoi, Vietnam
I arrived in Hanoi airport after a white-knuckle roller coaster courtesy of the lingering typhoon in the area. I had no idea what to expect, really. My idea of Southeast Asia was something along the lines of a ramble through Cambodia and Laos. Like the good relationship maintainer that I am, I put those on […]
Saigon From The Backseat
A tour of Saigon from the backseat of a motorcycle. By Justin Calderon It’s dusk in Ho Chi Minh City — or Saigon as it is still called here — and the haze of the last ounce of light from the crimson setting sun is smothered in smog as I make my way through the […]
What Exactly Is Bánh Sèo Anyway?
Bánh xèo means either “sizzling cake” or “sound crepe,” depending on what your Google search turns up, but either way, the name refers to this southern Vietnamese crepe made of rice flour, water, coconut milk, pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts that’s pan fried, then “rolled up in a leaf of lettuce and dipped in a […]
In Search Of The Next Phuket — In Vietnam
In the never-ending quest to discover the “Phuket of the ’80’s,” could it be that the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, just off the Cambodian border in the Gulf of Thailand, is the real thing? Years away from overdevelopment, Phu Quock is known for its peaceful white-sand beaches, laid-back atmosphere, and as the world’s premier […]
Cruising The Mekong
You could hop on that Celebrity Cruise headed for Barbados, or you could head to the Mekong, the world’s 10th-longest river for a real adventure. Follow this journey in the Sydney Morning Herald of a couple who hope to make the journey beginning in Can Tho and eventually on to Angkor Wat. But why, when […]
The Return Of Lonely Planet Cycling Guides
In 2006, my wife and I bicycled through six Southeast Asian nations over three months. During the first half of the journey, one resource we turned to was Lonely Planet’s Cycling Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. With detailed route information, including km-by-km directions, elevation charts, and cycle-centric destination info, this book was handy to say the […]
Nothing Like A Nice Cup Of…Weasel Regurgitation?
Wandering the labyrinth of streets that makes up Hanoi’s Old Quarter district, by no other skill than dumb luck, I found myself on Hang Hanh Street, in other words, “Coffee Street.” I claim not to be a connoisseur in the way of the bean, but have always appreciated a quality cup of Joe, so the […]
Bourdain In Vietnam To Close Out Season 5A (Yes There’s A “B” Coming In August)
Don’t ask me why the Travel Channel splits up their seasons using an “A” and “B” instead of just starting with a new number, but I remember Andrew Zimmern mentioning this back at the NYT Travel Show when he was saying that he was either in his sixth or third season, depending on how you […]
Go Ahead And Splurge A Bit, You’re In Ha Long Bay
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, […]
Where To Find The Best (And Cheapest) Eats In Saigon
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 […]