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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 3

    Spy House!

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Next up we went to a spy house! During the wars between north Vietnam and south Vietnam, the north sent spies to buy houses in HCM and build bunkers to store weapons. We got to go down into the secret bunker and check it all out for ourselves!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 3

    Oldest Apartment in HCM/Wet Market

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    We've gone deep out of the tourist areas (only whities around) to explore the oldest apartment complex in HCM in district 3. It was originally created for American soldiers and weapons, but is now occupied by Vietnamese families (sometimes 6-7 people per apartment). We also got to go to a very local wet market and see all the fresh fruits, veges, meats and seafoods being sold. A very different market experience to Australia!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 3

    Home Saigon for lunch

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Our guide dropped us off at Home Saigon for lunch, which was set up in advance. Our menu was:

    - cheese balls (Vietnamese arancini)
    - rice paper rolls
    - grilled chicken salad
    - deep fried tilapia fish with mango salad and sweet sauce
    - stir fried Bok Choy with garlic
    - beef with onion and bell peppers
    - steamed rice
    - vanilla ice cream

    All of the food was nice. The highlight of the show for Michael was the fish with the special sweet sauce. For me, it was the sauce from the beef which paired beautifully with the rice.

    Also, we had smoothies and juice (Michael banamango and me lemon) and I have to say, as a sober person, there is going to be no shortage of good drinks to have fun with. Vietnam so far is proving to be the king of non alcoholic beverages.

    Oh, and I'm proud that I finally got to ask someone where the toilet was in Vietnamese. Almost as equally proud as I am of my gymnastics thighs which utilised the squat toilet like a champ.    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    1
    Day 3

    ChinaTown Temples

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    We visited 2 temples in Chinatown, which is in district 5. Learnt about the Chinese population and history with Vietnam, as well as the various Gods that are worshipped in the temples. The buildings have so much amazing detailing and woodwork.Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    1
    Day 3

    Cyclo!!!!!!

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Took Cyclos from ChinaTown to Binh Tay Markets (a wholesale market) and it was a lot of fun!!!! Really felt in the thick of it all, and there was so much to look at on the ride!

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    1
    Day 3

    Binh Tay Wholesale Market

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Had a wonder around the Binh Tay Market, which is a wholesale market designed for merchants rather than tourists. There were so many different things being sold, from your standard bags, shoes and clothes through to dried fruits, confectionery, kitchen goods, hair accessories, technology, the whole works! It was really cool to wander around, and we ended up getting a new backpack. The backpacks we bought here are super big, so I wanted to get something that was smaller just to fit a few essentials in when we are gallivanting around. We found a gorgeous faux leather bag in my seasonal brown colouring, and nabbed it for $250k ($15 AUD). Bargain!Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 3

    Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    The last stop on our private tour today is the Vietnam Quoc Tu Pagoda. This is the biggest Pagoda in ChinaTown, and had the most beautiful roof!!!! Loved the amazing giant bell and drum as well, which are rung and belted at 5.30pm to tell people the pagoda is closing!

    We had a really great sightseeing day today with our guide Hang. She was very informative and had great English. The tour was a great mix of touristy stuff and off the beaten track, and I've really enjoyed the day!    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 3

    Romance at Mars Venus

    February 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    A night of romantic fine dining out on Saigon River. The restaurant Mars Venus is a couple's specific restaurant that is on a floating island in the middle of the river. You get a cute boat out to the restaurant, and then the romance commences. Fairy lights galore!

    The atmosphere was gorgeous. They play pop music but done in the classical style, which Michael really enjoyed because we have taken up to watching Bridgerton in our downtime here and he is fully invested and that's a staple on the show. Which was funny because we weren't expecting it. They also played Tale As Old As Time, which was very romantic as that's the song I walked down the aisle to. A gorgeous coincidence. They also played some really random songs that sounded super romantic in this style- like Numb by Linkin Park. So random haha!

    The food itself was lovely. Incredible sodas full of flavour. We both had pasta entrees (Michael had lobster bisque gnocchi- absolutely divine bisque omg yummm, and I had creamy crab fettucini that was so tasty), Michael didn't realise his would include muscles so he ordered muscles on their own as an entree whoops haha. Still, very yummy. For mains, Michael had pork ribs with chips and salad, and I had hoisin duck with pureed sweet potato and veges. Delish delish delish.

    2 seafood pastas, 2 main meals, a muscle entree, and 4 drinks cost just under $80, which is crazy to us. Not the cheapest meal we could have in Vietnam, but for the experience of the boat ride out, the design, the service and the quality of the food, it was worth it.

    The staff also came out with a ring light and took photos of us. It was very cute and Michael was such a good sport given that posing is so not his thing. I got some very adorable photos as a result that I get to treasure 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 4

    Cơm tấn for Brekky!

    February 27 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Cơm tấn (aka broken rice) is a staple food in HCM. It's basically rice with charcoaled pork and marinated egg. A very very simple dish, but supposedly a tasty one, and given I'm on holiday with a carnivore I thought this was an ideal situation.

    Have a guess to see whether we liked the dish or not based on our plates.... Hahahahahahahahhaa

    This whole meal for 2 drinks and 2 plates was $8 AUD. Perfect start to the day! Restaurant was Tiền Còn 67.    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam!!!!!
    Day 4

    The Vietnam War Remnant Museum

    February 27 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    This is a tough blog post to write. I felt that given the history of Vietnam and the war that Australia participated in, that it was important that Michael and I see the Vietnam War from the perspective of the Vietnamese people.

    I didn't take many photos as much of it was very difficult to observe and learn. Photography is such an important element of life and history to capture these moments and people in order to remember and learn from the atrocities, hope, resistance, and truths of the past.

    They have documented in graphic detail the tortures, prisons, weapons and assaults by the US (and Australians) on the Vietnamese people. The Agent Orange room was the hardest for me to swallow.

    There were children born at the same time I was born, completely deformed and impacted by this chemical, and the consequences of the Agent Orange operation will impact 5 generations of people (3 more generations to come) for 150 years minimum.

     I'm so disgusted by this war crime. I'm even more disgusted that the US (and in Australia) continued for decades to use weakened versions of this chemical or our soils and crops in the form of pesticide and herbicide as Roundup, still spraying this poisonous garbage on everyone's crops, learning nothing from the intense suffering of the Vietnamese. Anyone who knows me well knows of my hatred of Monsanto, and seeing direct consequences in the most brutal of ways from their products just boils my blood.

    We came out of this experience with a deeper understanding of this period of time, the resilience of the Vietnamese people and all the war and suffering they have gone through attempted occupations and civil wars, and are very grateful for the lives we have led so far in Australia.    Read more

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