I consider myself well-versed in Vietnam. I lived there for years, and I’ve traveled to almost every corner of the country. I love (most of) Vietnam. Of course, it’s not for everyone. But the people who love it have a connection to the country that they just can’t shake.
Anthony Bourdain called it his “first love”. Saying, “I’ll come back to Vietnam, always.”
The amazing war film Apocalypse Now has a line about being stationed in Vietnam, “When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think about was getting back…”
In a lot of ways, this is Vietnam. There are plenty of frustrations that come with living and visiting the country, but it’s truly a magical place, an addictive place. The vibrations it gives off is like a high that you didn’t notice needed until it was gone.
This backpacking guide to Vietnam covers 22 locations in Vietnam and shows you how you can travel the entire country for $20 a day. It took years of traveling to complete this detailed travel guide.
When I first moved to Vietnam, I started documenting everything I ate. Two years later, I had this complete food guide to Vietnam with over 75 dishes. It includes a food dictionary that will help you translate a Vietnamese menu.
In this guide, I will share all the details of our Southeast Asia budget backpacking trip that included Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.
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Tours are for foo-ls. I tried my best to make that rhyme.
While Vietnam may seem a little daunting at first, the country is not difficult to travel – especially if you have a great blog to aid you, with details on every leg of the trip, written by a man who lived in the country for years and who has sex appeal that is on par with Don Draper fixing a sink.
While 10 days in Vietnam certainly isn’t enough time to see everything, this detailed itinerary will insure that you have 10 packed days of adventure, amazing food, mountains, rivers, and culture.
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The first time I took Chopper Suey (my Chinese-made American cruiser bike) on a road trip, was to the sexy hills of Dalat. As we pulled into town, surrounded by pines and fresh cool air, I knew I was going to love the place.
Formerly a retreat town for the French, today Dalat is filled with a lot of very touristy attractions — some of them too touristy to stomach. However, this self-guided walking tour will show you exactly what’s worth seeing. You’ll get a bit of history, some culture, a glimpse into the fertility of the area, and some of that Dalat tackiness that’s worthy of a selfie or two.
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Can Tho (pronounced ‘can tuh’) is the largest city in the Mekong Delta area. The area’s uniqueness makes it one of my favorite places in the country. Thailand and the Philippines may have better beaches than Vietnam, Laos has a peacefulness that is difficult to find in Vietnam, Myanmar has the friendliest people, but none of those places have the Mekong Delta.
This guide and itinerary will give you step-by-step directions to making the most out of your 2 days in Can Tho.
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A lot of people are quick to write-off Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown.
Why would I go to Chinatown in Vietnam?
Those same people are probably staying in the backpacker district. In Vietnamese, this area is called Khu Tây Balô, which basically means Westerner Backpack District. It’s the equivalent to Chinatown but for backpacking westerners.
In Vietnamese, the Chinatown area is called Cho Lon, which means great market. This is because it’s the home to the largest market in Saigon, Binh Tay. Cho Lon sort of straddles district 5 and 6. It was once its own city, settled by the Hoa people in 1778. Eventually, Saigon expanded and the two cities merged.
I seriously love Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, so I hope you take the time to visit it, and I hope this walking tour helps you appreciate this unique area of Saigon.
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This self-guided walking tour covers the main tourist attractions in Saigon. The actual walking time is only about 90 minutes, but it should take you the better part of a day with the all the stops. There are 4 meals on the tour, as well as plenty of opportunities for coffee breaks.
Saigon is hot and the sidewalks are broken, cluttered, or non-existent. Be careful and take breaks regularly, especially if you are doing this in the hotter times of the year (March-June).
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In 2005, construction began on what will eventually be the administrative capital of Binh Duong. I’ve watched, over the past 2 years, as new restaurants, hotels, and apartment buildings have popped up. The heart of the city is the huge administrative building along with the convention center next to it. These new and modern buildings are an unusual sight in Vietnam.
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Coffee isn’t just a drink. People rearrange their lives to get that morning cup of wake-up juice. One time, I killed a lady who was slow at ordering in my local cafe. Or maybe that was a pre-coffee day dream.
At any rate, when I moved to Vietnam I was very excited about getting my taste-buds on some traditional Vietnamese coffee. Coffee in Vietnam is so chocolatey and rich. An iced coffee with milk, or ca phe sua da, is a dessert that you drink even before breakfast. Instead of milk, sweetened condensed milk is used. It’s amazing.
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Living in Vietnam is awesome.
Everyone knows about the amazing travel opportunities. From deltas, to mountains, to bustling cities – lined with a 3,260 km coastline!
And of course there’s the incredible food with its fresh ingredients, and its blending of tastes and textures.
But what I’m going to miss most about Vietnam isn’t the pho. I actually got a little tired of it after the first 4 months.
The best things about living in Vietnam are the little things that I started doing regularly. Things that I couldn’t do in North America, but I really enjoyed doing here.
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In this post, I am going to outline the route we took back to Saigon.
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