Home Again in Vietnam

The view from the lovely Christina's Hoi An during low tide (May 2018)

I am very lucky to be able to say I've traveled to Vietnam more than a handful of times. And each time — regardless of how much, or how little, time has passed — the country seems to have transformed itself. In fact, Saigon looks less and less like the city pictured in my family photographs from our first trip to Vietnam in 2000 and more and more like Singapore with each visit. Of course such immense growth leads to the discussion of the ethics of globalization and capitalism, and what this growth means for the preservation of Vietnamese culture and its people — especially if the country wants to retain and maintain all of the things that make Vietnam Vietnam under the ever-increasing presence and influence of foreign businesses.

But this may be a topic for another blog on another day. It's something I'd want to return to after I've chewed on my thoughts some more, and even then, who knows if I'd even have the right words for it. 

In any case, you'd think Vietnam's perpetual metamorphosis would make it seem even more foreign to me, a Vietnamese-American woman whose connection with the country is primarily rooted in the fact that my family fled it as refugees following the fall of Saigon in 1975. And maybe it's the diaspora talking, but I can't help but feel a sense of familiarity and comfort everytime I return to Vietnam. 

That isn't to say each visit is the same. There are some slight similiarities between each trip, where I (usually with P) would retrace my steps around my favorite familiar haunts and tourist havens like the thriving and always busy Chợ Bến Thành, grabbing a quick and hearty bowl of phở at the franchise Phở24 (a place I've been visiting since my first trip to Vietnam), and wandering đường sách (book street) in Saigon, but for the most part I try to steer each trip into a unique direction. 

This time around was very different as P and I were on a mission of sorts (as opposed to the usual aimless, wonderful wandering around from city to city). 

As mentioned in my last post, P and I are getting married in Vietnam next year. So, our most recent return to the motherland focused solely on all things wedding related, which meant meeting our wedding planner, Nadine of Vietnam Beach Weddings located in Hội An.

Because we are planning a destination wedding in a different country, I knew that I wanted to meet our planner in person at least six months before the wedding so we could iron out all of the details and kinks, and I am so grateful that we planned ahead to do so.  By meeting Nadine in person, we were able to condense a process that would have taken multiple Skype meetings and email threads over the course of months (in different time zones, no less!) into a two hour meeting.  Within those hours, we were able to plan the majority of the ceremony, reception and the week's events, taste test some of the amazing canapes that will be served on the big day, try our cake (which had to be delivered to our Airbnb because the first cake fell off of the back of our delivery man's scooter while it was en route to our meeting), and explore our beautiful venue.  It was such a relief to be able to lay down the bones of our wedding and to make sure we were all on the same page and after our meeting I felt like huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders.  P and I still have a lot of work to do on our end (uh hi, invitations, seating chart, website, and travel guide for our guests) but we know our wedding is in more than capable hands all the way in Vietnam and we can't wait! 

In the meantime, and as I work on our travel guide which I'll share here once finished, here are some of the details from our most recent trip. 

Where we stayed:

• Truong's Airbnb in Saigon - Perfect for those who are looking to stay in the central part of the city but away from the hotel zone. It is within walking distance of many of Saigon's major sights and scenes like Chợ Bến Thành. Plus, the neighbors are incredibly nice! 
• Christina's Hoi An Riverside Suite - We primarily chose this place because of its proximity to our wedding venue, but it wasn't hard falling in love with the friendly staff and the picturesque views surrounding the hotel. Great for anyone looking to have a more quiet experience within the villages of Hoi An. Not to mention, you can rent a scooter for $6 a day from the hotel, which we did to cruise the beachside roads and scenes while heading into Đà Nẵng to visit P's family.
• Khang's Airbnb in Saigon - Right across the street from the Saigon zoo and again within walking distance to many of the city's main attractions like the Saigon Central Post Office as well as a myriad of restaurants and localities. 

What we did/saw:

Besides the usual ambling about and wandering around, P and I did a couple of tours this trip. We wanted to stay away from the typical tourist routes, so we went with our first Airbnb experience riding around Saigon with some local students as well as an eco-tour of the Cần Giờ Mangrove Forest, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.  We also rode our rental scooter to the foot of Ngũ Hành Sơn (Marble Mountain) and from there hiked. It was a lot of fun, but I would not recommend doing it in an off-the-shoulder top and a backpack — my tan was atrocious!

Where we ate & drank:

• Saigon: 
  • Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (26 Lê Thị Riêng, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam)
  • Bánh Xèo 46A Đinh Công Tráng (46A Đinh Công Tráng, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam)
  • Cậu Ba Quán (885 Hoàng Sa, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam) - Pretty sure this is my second favorite restaurant following the previously mentioned Cục Gạch. Owned by Houston's Chef Nickie Tran, this restaurant specializes in Vietnamese-Cajun fusion. Favorites include the bò tái chanh (five colored beef salad) and the miến xào cua (glass noodle stir fried with crab). The restaurant was featured in the Saigon episode of Netflix's "Somebody Feed Phil," so if you're curious to learn more check it out!
  • Cục Gạch Quán (10 Đặng Tất, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam) - Probably my favorite restaurant in all of Vietnam. With its simple and delicious family style dishes, eating here makes me feel like I'm sharing a meal with friends and family in a home kitchen instead of a restaurant. 
  • Pizza 4P's (various locations all over Saigon) - I know what you're thinking: why would I eat pizza in Vietnam? But seriously, don't knock it until you try it! This place kickstarted a real love (possible obsession) with buratta for P that has lasted all summer. 
  • Quán Ăn Cô Liêng (321 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam) - Bò lá lốt (grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf) is the speciality here and it is one of my favorite Viet foods. If you've eaten bò 7 món, or seven course beef, you'll recognize this dish as one of the courses!
  • Quán Bụi (17a Ngô Văn Năm, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam; pictured below)
    
    To our surprise, Saigon's craft beer scene has grown immensely since our last trip to Vietnam. Below are few of the breweries we enjoyed:
  • East West Brewing Co. (181 - 185 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam)
  • Pasteur Street Brewing (144 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam)
  • Winking Seal Beer Co. (50 Đặng Thị Nhu, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam)
     
• Hội An/Đà Nẵng
  • Bánh Bèo Bà Bé (100 Đường Hoàng Văn Thụ, Phước Ninh, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam; pictured below)
  • Bánh Mì̀ Bà Lan (62 Trưng Nữ Vương, Bình Hiên, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng 550000, Vietnam)
  • Bánh Mì Phượng (2B Phan Chu Trinh, Cẩm Châu, Hội An, Quảng Nam 560000, Vietnam) - I linked a video of the late and great Anthony Bourdain enjoying a bite from Bánh Mì Phượng, which he described as a "symphony in a sandwich." Miss you, AB! 

Fried shrimp chips, pork belly, Saigon style egg rolls, spring rolls, and grapefruit lotus stem salad from  Quán Bụi in Saigon (May 2018)

Ridin' dirty after meeting our wedding planner in Hội An (yes, I actually wore a helmet when the scooter was in motion, and yes, I got an earful about the dangers of moped riding from my mom afterwards) (May 2018)

View from the top of the bird watching area at Cần Giờ Mangrove Forest 🐦(June 2018)

Bánh ít ram (fried sticky rice dumplings) and bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes) from Bánh Bèo Bà Bé in Đà Nẵng (May 2018)