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Vietnam!!!!!Vietnam!!!!!
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Vietnam!!!!!

February - March 2024
Michael and I are off to Vietnam for 3, weeks!!!! Ho Chi Minh City - Hoi An - Da Nang - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City Read more
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  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 2

    Away we go!

    February 25 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Got to Melb Airport and through check in and customs (took 110 minutes because we couldn't check in online ewwww haha). Now to grab a quick midnight snack (arancini, ciabatta sandwich and a white choc mousse fleur) and then onto the plane we go!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
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    Day 2

    Vietjet Red Eye: random thoughts

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    - I stand by my hard stance that children under 5 (ESPECIALLY babies) should be BANNED from red eye flights. The first hour of the flight had me wanting to chlorophyll this toddler who viscerally screamed for the first hour straight. No amount of loops noise cancelling earbuds could stop the displeasure. I glared at the child many times, and I felt every last egg in my ovaries die as my pure disdain for children was solidified. Luckily it shut up and went to sleep (so we all got to sleep as well).
    - the seats on VietJet are SNUG. It's like they were custom designed to just fit Michael and I's thick ass thighs in them like a pig in a blanket. You wouldn't want to be overweight on their flight because you ain't fitting. Still, the seats themselves are comfy as, and I was able to sleep quite comfortably (and Michaels snoring indicates he's out like a light too).
    - paying $15 extra to get the emergency exit seats was a godsend and I will do it again on any red eye. All the legroom and floor room to chill out in.
    - you can pay $900k (about $75AUD) to go lie down the back on a full row of seats. This was tempting to me to get away from the enraged baby but I thought I'd at least try sleeping sitting and I nodded off fine so there was no need.
    - the eye masks I bought from Kmart are fantastic. They are the "for fake eyelash girlies" type, which means they have indented eye sockets, so the properly fit and feel great. $4 well spent. Also, shoutout to my gymnastics friend Amelia for lending us these expensive fancy neck pillows from TRTL. I thought I'd hate it, but I have zero neck pain and it's way easier to nod off having your neck not have to push backwards.
    - overall, once the baby shut up, sleep was had, and the flight was cruisy. Pretty great considering I paid $240 each way per ticket.    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
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    Day 2

    LaCasona Hotel

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We've been able to check in early to our hotel at no extra cost (which means my day plans are void hahaha so we can play the day by ear) which is a pleasant surprise. The Hotel has all the basic amenities you need and a lot of power points. Wifi is good, the bed is not too firm (pillows are great so shouldn't have any issues sleeping), 2 air cons (one in the bedroom, one in living space) and lots of storage space. Also, a random surprise balcony that was not at all mentioned in the booking!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 2

    Breakfast at Skymian

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Our first meal in Vietnam at Skymian Coffee House. Bustling atmosphere with lots of people (basically our gage on how we pick restaurants for this trip hahaha). Food was Yummo and hit the spot. Michael had bánh mì xíu mại (pork meatball deconstructed Bahn mi) and I had bún bò Huế (Royal beef and pork soup from Huế). My smoothie was the Sweet Love smoothie and Michael had the banana. $17AUD all up. Tasty tasty.Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
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    Day 2

    The weirdest massage ever

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    I decided to have an aromatherapy massage at a spa down the road from our hotel whilst Michael slept off some jetlag. I went in thinking I was having an aromatherapy session, you know, where they rub soothing oils and gently massage away your troubles.

    It's a good thing I'm a gymnast and flexible. Because this was not Australian aromatherapy. This woman pretzeled me in ways I did not foresee. Forwards, backwards, she used feet, knees, elbows, her head, her entire body at points. It was like as if an osteo session and a wrestling match were combined. I was twisted and cracked all over from my fingers, my neck, back, to my knees and toes. At one point I was practically in a bridge with her under me stretching me open ( the gymnasts will understand what this would look like). Throw in the fact that I'm also almost entirely naked during this whole session. It was surreal.

    Also, there was the cutest tiniest dog. Super random. Alas, despite the pain and sheer surprise of the whole thing, much of it was incredibly relaxing, and I came out ready for a nice jet lagged nap for a few hours before we head out again for some Korean hot pot (we are staying in district 7 which is basically HCMs Koreatown so figured we should get some Korean food whilst here).    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 2

    Late Lunch at The Train Restaurant!!!

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    This place is adorable (and tasty). The premise is that you order your food and drinks and they come to you by mini train. There are a heap of gorgeous wooden model landmarks from all over the world that the train goes past. It's very quaint, cute and homely. The food was yum. Best spring rolls I have had ever. Turns out the wife who makes them uses rice AND taro in a blend to create a super thin, melt in your mouth pastry. I've had nothing like it. Sublime. Dumplings were good, and Michael had a hot dog that was in a Bahn Mi roll, a German bratwurst, and Italian Bolognese and cheese (what a fusion). He said it was Yummo. Also, the smoothies slap here. My lime one tastes exactly like a Splice from home but fresh and in smoothie form (condensed milk is apparently the secret) and Michaels peach one was fresh as too!

    Had good chats with the owner and his wife and kids. Really love atmosphere and food, would def recommend!!!    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 2

    Hidden Rooftop Bar

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    We noticed some fairy lights from our balcony and went to investigate... Turns out it's a rooftop bar with a beautiful view of the city line of District 7! We had the place to ourselves and it was so cute. Had a celebratory drink (mine non alcoholic of course) to commemorate our successful arrival and acclimation into Vietnam!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 2

    Korean BBQ

    February 25 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    Having a late dinner at a local Korean BBQ place Michael spotted earlier in the day. We ordered some beef, pork and a bimbibap bowl. Little did we know.... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 The whole table was full of food. So many sides. Korean BBQ is on a whole other level!!!!! Many were weird and not to our taste but some were delish!!! The staff cooked the meat in front of us, and it was YUM.Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
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    Day 3

    Reunification Palace

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we are on a private tour of a bunch of landmarks and places in HCM City. We have a lovely air-conditioned bus to take us around (it's 37 degrees here today) and our first stop was Reunification Palace (aka the President's House).

    We went through a bunch of rooms and our guide explained all the design choices and symbolism and history of each room. We learnt some very interesting things about Vietnam's history and the various wars. My favourite room was the Ambassador's room, which was a beautiful combination of wood and gold design. It was amazing to see how every room had different context and colour, but still aesthetically fit within the context of a presidential palace.

    Also, apparently Vietnamese thought that Australian soldiers were the best of anywhere in the world because they shoot the best. Oh, and the reason for the random animal tusks and tails is that they are all gifts from other countries to represent a famous Vietnamese saying that essentially means (we hope from top to tail that everything sails smoothly).    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 3

    Burning Monk Monument

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Next stop on our cultural tour is in District 3 to see the monument for the Burning Monk. Basically, there was a time period where the current Vietnamese President was Catholic and wanted to wipe out the Buddhists, which at the time 80% of HCM was Buddhist. So, a Buddhist from Hue came down to HCM and set himself on fire in protest. He notified an American journalist before arriving, so the whole thing was captured on camera and became a defining rally against the president who ended up assassinated that same year. In 2010, the Vietnamese government created this monument to recognise this cultural part of history (despite Vietnam currently being a Communist country).Read more

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