Category: Vietnam

Hoi An’s reputation as a must see stop in Central Vietnam preceded itself.  Tourist guides, blogs, and friends told of its enchanting shops and neighborhoods. We scheduled a long visit to this city in late February, intending it as a relaxing bookend to our epic trip through Thailand and Cambodia. This small and historic coastal city is literally lit up with colorful lanterns adorning streets and buildings with floral candles floating on the canals.  It was charming indeed, but I couldn’t quite shake the feeling…Continue Reading “Hoi An” →

It’s odd that my memories of Vietnam will not be about the food. I love Vietnamese food and was eagerly awaiting our experiences with the local cuisine. Yest for some reason, in the main areas we visited these expected moments of culinary awe were missing.  Whatever the reason for this, the cliched truth is that the best meal any of us had in our visit to Vietnam in February was at a single roadside noodle shop in Khe Sahn. At this little unnamed restaurant, tucked away from all tourists, while sitting on plastic stools and looking out over a quiet, rainy street, we quietly enjoyed a piping hot bowl of  delicious noodle soup, 

Our car was parked at the village as we waited inside for our guide to give us the signal we could come out. Looking around at the homes clustered in a small grouping, each on a raised platform, I noticed again the distinctive Vietnamese red flag with single yellow star hanging outside the houses. It wasn’t surprising. We had seen flags posted in front of businesses, homes, or along the roadside since our departure from Hue earlier that morning. The coming Tet Holiday (marking the lunar new year) had the entire country preparing for festivities – including a patriotic celebration marking 50 years since the famous Tet Offensive of 1968.