South Vietnam

South Vietnam

Kilometers Traveled: 18,119 

Countries Visited: 7

Cities Visited: 16

Number of Scooters in Saigon: 4 million

It's crazy to think that we originally weren't planning to go to Vietnam. The stories about getting ripped off, deadly bus rides, the opaque visa process and the fast approaching typhoon Phaillin (that had just devastated the Philippines) was almost enough to keep us out of the country. Almost. To anyone that has any doubts about visiting Vietnam  - let us tell you first hand that this is an incredibly enchanting place that will steal your heart. It has gorgeous and varied landscapes, fascinating culture, genuinely friendly people and one of the world's greatest cuisines. Ok, they will try to charge you a little more as a foreigner but everything is still incredibly cheap, who cares if you're getting charged 50% more when your meal is only a couple bucks.

Our trajectory was to go against the tourist flow and start in the South. Most backpackers enter Vietnam in the North and work their way down. But since we wanted to wait out the typhoon that was heading to the north we decided instead to work our way up slowly from Saigon. Southern Vietnam is where you can find beaches, spicy food, warm welcomes, and the chilled out attitude of life along the Mekong Delta. 

Hi Chi Minh City

The city formerly known as Saigon is a chaotic metropolis that is the economic powerhouse of Vietnam. If you can look beyond the terrifyingly busy exterior (try crossing the street without being scared out of your mind by the traffic), you'll find a warm and easy going center. Like any large city, this place has a concentration of amazing restaurants, museums and nightlife. And like Phnom Penh, Saigon is not hesitant to show off the scars of the past as tourist attractions. As a tourist you can crawl into the the Cu Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong to elude the American soldiers, visit the War Remnants Museum (formally called the American War Crimes Museum) and see the Reunification Palace where the Vietnamese army defeated the Americans by capturing Saigon. 

We chose to only visit the War Remnants Museum (we were still a little depressed after Phnom Penh) and despite the propagandist slant, we got a stark reminder of the horrifying damage the previous administrations did to this country. 500,000 civilians killed, 4.8 million people exposed to Agent Orange (dioxin) causing birth defects for three generations, and 7 million tons of bombs dropped. 

As soon as we left the museum, our somber mood was quickly turned around by the friendliness of the Vietnamese. It seems that the whole country wishes to move on and it shows, Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and could soon blow past its neighbors in SE Asia for tourism and industry.

Since we were on a mission to get to a beach asap, we only stayed here for one day but we wished we stayed for more. The food was fantastic and the beer was decent and cheap. What else do you need?

Despite the overwhelming traffic, Saigon had plenty of parks to get some peace and quiet..and play badminton or jazzercise, they are both huge here. 

The Reunification Palace where Vietnamese tanks crashed through the front gate officially taking control of Saigon and putting an end to the war.

The War Remnants Museum.  A new perspective to an incomprehensible war.

However, the museum did have a bit of a Commie slant. Americans don't have claws.

A Bell UH-1 aka the  "Huey". The most heavily used aircraft in the war. 7,013 served in Vietnam of which 3,305 were destroyed. In total 1,074 Huey pilots were killed, along with 1,103 other crew members.

It's like playing the video game Frogger at the fastest possible setting, except with more cancer causing fumes.

Pham Ngu Lao district. Backpacker and bar scene paradise. It's a fun place to grab a Green Saigon beer at one of the side walk bars.

The next day we jumped on a "sleeper" bus to Mui Ne. The seats recline into beds and we had WiFi. If you need to ride a bus, this is the way to do it.

Mui Ne

Arriving in Mui Ne is like getting sent to an alternate universe where Vietnam is occupied by the Russians. There is a direct flight to the neighboring town of Nha Trang from Moscow and these two cities have become extremely popular with the Russian vacation-package tourists. Nonetheless, Mui Ne has remained relatively undeveloped and has a very laid back atmosphere with great seafood, sand dunes and a beautiful expansive beach.

The influx of Russians has made this place pricier than most other areas in Vietnam. So to keep costs down we booked a couple beds in a dorm for the first time. We managed to blend in pretty well with the youths except that we were usually in bed by 9 pm while they were heading out to the bars.

A much needed beach escape.

Mui Ne is also good and cheap place to learn how kite surf. We met a few people who stayed here for weeks just to master their skills.

The Russians were also really into this snake wine stuff. In Soviet Russia snake doesn't bite you, you bite snake.

The best way to get around Mui Ne is by scooter which is also happens to be my favorite way to get around. 50cc is all I need.

At the Red Sand Dunes but I was pretending we were on Tatooine. Yes those ARE the droids I'm looking for. I can't believe its taken me this long to get in a Star Wars reference.

Mui Ne fishing village.

Mui Ne is also a big producer of fish sauce (after the island of Phu Quoc). Anchovies are fermented in these large barrels that sit out in the sun producing a fantastic rotten fish smell. Fish sauce is the key ingredient for Nuoc Cham - a sweet, sour, salty, garlicy sauce used in most Vietnamese cooking. Sounds gross but this stuff is delicious.

The Fairy Springs River. A mini canyon carved in the dunes and strange rocks behind Mui Ne. A good place to wade in the warm water and take a dip in a waterfall. Just watch out for snakes!

Our last day in paradise and the last day with sun. A storm moved in just as we were about to leave.

Time for another 6 hour bus ride with the most distracted bus driver yet. The dude was on the phone, smoking a cigarette while trying to shift and steer with the same hand. Luckily the route was flat and deserted.

Nha Trang

We arrived in Nha Trang (Vietnam's major beach resort) right as a large storm was passing through. The storm caused devastating floods at our next destinations, Hoi An and Hue in Central Vietnam, killing 18 people. So we decided to stay here three nights to wait for it to pass through. We didn't want to stay here this long due to Nha Trang's infamous party reputation but we ended up having a relaxed time taking a dip in thermal mud baths and hanging out with our gracious hotel hosts. We have never stayed in a hotel with such amazing employees. They made us feel like family for three days.

A dreary day did not deter the Russians - the only people on the beach during the storm.

Bucket of booze anyone? Only 3 dollars for the blackout special.

We had to imagine how beautiful this place must look with the sun out.

Russians everywhere. Everywhere.

  

The iResort Thermal Mud Baths. The warm pools made the cold rainy days much more enjoyable,.

The amazing ladies of Mojzo Hotel. We miss you guys!

The vendors of the Cho Dam Market. Vietnamese markets provide some of the best cultural experiences.

Street Food Heaven

Half of the fun of eating in Vietnam is trying the multitudes of street food. We enjoyed getting eating instructions from the locals and learning about the proper method of preparation.

Vietnamese cuisine centers around the law of five.

• Five tastes - spicy, sour, bitter, salty, and sweet heal the five organs (gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, and urinary bladder). 
• Five colors - white (metal), green (wood), yellow (Earth), red (fire) and black (water) signify the five elements in Vietnamese philosophy. 
• Five nutrients - powder, water or liquid, mineral elements, protein and fat.
• Five senses - arrangement (sight), crispiness (sound), spiciness (taste), herbs (smell), finger foods (touch).

In the South, the food is usually spicier, sweeter and has more vegetables due the more fertile lands.

1. Ban Xeo - Crispy rice crepes stuffed with shrimp, pork and vegetables. This a Central Vietnamese creation but in the South they make them bigger and wrap them in lettuce instead of rice paper. Caution: eating a whole one will induce a food coma
2. Barbecued scallops cooked in bacon and scallions
3. Pho - Beef noodle soup. Vietnam's most popular dish and really more of a Hanoi specialty but they make a good one in the South.
4. Banh Cuon - soft rice cakes with scallions served with spicy sauce
5. Bun Rieu - Crab noodle soup with fish sausage and mushrooms
6. Banh Canh Cua - Crap stew with tapioca
7. Barbecued tiger prawns
8. Banh mi (not pictured)- The best sandwich ever created by mortals. Popular in the States as well - make sure to try one next time you pass a Vietnamese restaurant