Walking around the Lake near the Old Quarter in Hanoi yesterday, I chanced upon this ironwork that was placed at the foot of a tree. I just love the thoughtful inclusion of the traditional Vietnamese house in the design. A note about Footnote: Footnote is an ongoing photo series featuring my, well… feet, taken in different places around the world. Click here if you want to see my other Footnotes.
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My Affinity with the Vietnamese
I conducted a media workshop in Ho Chi Minh City a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to go around since I was there for work. But just being there surrounded by all those crazy motorcycles and eating delicious Vietnamese cuisine (especially the very filling Banh Mi) was more than enough to satisfy my wanderlust. Except maybe for more high-rises and malls, nothing much has changed since the first time I went to Vietnam eight years ago. Motorbikes still rule the streets, mini-food stalls are still set up by the roadside, and the Vietnamese are as polite as ever. This got me to thinking about the…
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TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN VIETNAM (or How to Enjoy Saigon in 3 Days)
Before setting out for this trip, I did so much research online on things that Hubby and I can do in Ho Chi Minh City (still called ‘Saigon’ by the Vietnamese) for a very limited 3 days and 3 nights. I even joined the Vietnam Group of Couchsurfers.com just so I can get a grasp of what locals consider their Top 10 Things To Do in HCMC. But in the end, nothing beats actual experience. So despite the many travel tips and friendly advise given by well-meaning folks, we ended up discovering the Vietnamese capital on our own. So here is our version of the Top 10 Things To Do…
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Speaking of Vietnam: My Travel Collages
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A Pinay Traveller in Vietnam
*PT Note: Another funny article from my friend Divine Love Salvador. I’m re-posting it here, but for more of her culinary adventures, visit her blog at Bogchi ni Bochog. BIKES, BEEF SOUP, AND THE BALINGKINITAN RATIO: Ho Chi Minh and the Concept of Scale In Vietnam, balingkinitan seems to be the norm. In that place, where the buildings weren’t too tall, the streets were just wide enough to accommodate more bicycles than cars, and the people were no bigger than I was… in 2nd grade… there seemed to be no need to go large scale. The Vietnamese idea of scale and proportion is small. It’s not a…
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Things To Do in Ho Chi Minh City
If there’s anything I’d like to do RIGHT NOW, it would be to sit on a tiny stool while hunched over a big bowl of hot beef pho at a side street somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City. Considering that I’ve been to Vietnam quite a number of times already, I can’t seem to get enough of HCMC. I know that there are still a lot more things to do, more places to explore. And I think one of the best ways to do that is with locals because they not only have the expertise but the passion to show off their city as well. Should a Vietnam…
