Friends! It was so exciting to land in Ho Chi Minh as we would be spending the next 2 weeks with some of our best friends. Domi and Guillermo had booked a 2 week trip to Vietnam, and we were thrilled to join them as they made their way from Ho Chi Minh/ Saigon in the South to Hanoi in the North.
We were surprised to see so many flights from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Ho Chi Minh, so did a bit of research to find out more. It turns out Taiwan and Vietnam have incredibly close links as countries. For the trivia fans, Taiwan boasts the 4th most visitors to Vietnam each year, behind South Korea, China and Japan, with the USA coming in at number 5. Given the number of people reading this blog from the UK who will have been to Vietnam or know someone who has, this gives you a sense of how many people in the world view this country as a top holiday destination. The Vietnamese are incredible hosts and know how to party. It was the perfect place to explore with some friends and felt like a real “Spring Break”.
For our first day in Ho Chi Minh or Saigon, we kicked off the morning with a famous iced coffee. Coffee, iced or hot, is a culture in Vietnam. It is drunk throughout the day and well into the night, some of my favourite spots were the coffee shops where young people hang out in the evenings, sitting on the street on low chairs and chatting well into the night. The one that is most famous, at least in the UK, is iced coffee made with condensed milk. This was how I accelerated my morning and as a result was buzzing as we headed off to the Cu Chi tunnels. Most coffee shops also offer staples including egg coffee, think coffee with custard on top and, according to Domi and G similar to tiramisu, salted coffee, tastes more like iced coffee with marshmallow fluff on the top, I can confirm deliciously naughty, and coconut coffee, we didn’t try this one but apparently is also delightful.
Caffeine fuelled I headed out with Domi and G to the Cu Chi tunnels. Nik had already visited on a previous trip so decided to give it a miss. This is the tunnel network used by the Vietnamese resistance against the Americans in the Vietnam war and is a very moving day out. The war is very present all across the country, and the tunnels really hit home the degree of impact on the local population. Using small hand spades 250km of tunnels were built around Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh. People navigated these tiny, stifling caves in the dark and many people even lived down there with bombing and heavily armed soldiers regularly patrolling feet above their heads. It's an incredible feat of endurance and resistance. The whole day is a bit of an odd experience however, throughout the tour you hear loud gunshots and it then transpires you have the option to fire a wide range of guns at the firing range, and to have your picture taken sitting on top of a tank. Lots of beaming tourists giving the thumbs up on a tank is a very different vibe to other war memorials and left me feeling a bit confused. We also noticed that all the visitors were western, perhaps surprising given my new trivia knowledge about overall tourist rates to Vietnam. If you haven't been before, it's definitely worth a visit but beware, it's a bit conflicting as a day.
Our first night out started on "the strip". An outrageous street of bars that makes Albufeira look tame. We had a few drinks in a sports bar that is how I imagine a teenage boy with the money cheat would design a bar on the Sims, rosebud IYKYK, and I learnt the hard way that Vietnamese wine is not the one. Nik had his first 2 vegan Bahn Mi's of the trip (this would become a daily staple) and we all set off for dinner. Our first dinner at Bêp Me In of Vietnamese pancakes, coconut rice and summer rolls was amazingly herbaceous and delicious. Nik and I were clearly out of practice when it comes to staying up late, and despite Domi and Guillermo fighting a 7 hour time difference jet lag, we were yawning by the late night coffee stop and called it a night early. We would need to get our act together for Hoi An. In all the excitement of catching up friends, we also forgot to take any photos, apologies for the poor blogging.
Our flight was the next evening so we filled the morning with a good vegan Bahn Mi at Nâunâu and some very intense but good Thai massages. I have never been yanked and stretched like that before, and am not sure it's my massage of choice but it was enjoyable and I did come out feeling a few inches taller. Our final stop in Ho Chi Minh was the famous (to Nik at least) chocolate shop Maison Marou. If you are looking for some linguistic diversity and a 34 year old equivalent to the saying "like a kid in a candy shop", may I offer up "like Nik in Maison Marou". We would end up visiting one in every city. I could swear that he was more excited by MM than Tao.
Nik had told me Hoi An was one of his favourite places in Vietnam, a beautiful and serene Unesco World Heritage site. Hoi An is undoubtably stunning, the old town is made up of gorgeous 2 story, yellow buildings, with plenty of trees, flowers and lanterns surrounding each shop or restaurant. A river runs down the center of the town, and small boats bedecked with more lanterns float down the river. The secret of it's beauty has perhaps got out since Nik's last visit, as while lovely, it is difficult to call it serene. There are A LOT of tourists, particularly from 4-7pm when it feels like everyone has finished their morning day tours and the day trippers from Da Nang haven't left yet. Luckily it does quieten down a bit after 7pm and parking up in a cafe or bar to enjoy some people watching is highly recommend. We had a lot of fun viewing the various levels of commitment for the perfect insta moment from fellow tourists, there were many influencers in the wild working for their content.
Later in the evening, if you stick to Old Town, you can decide on the increasingly sleepy side or The Strip. On The Strip, bars compete with the OG, Tiger Tiger, for customers with cheap drinks and impressively loud bands. Singers crank out bangers like Zombie, while punters enjoy their drinks, bahn mis or balloons. These aren't just regular balloons, these are Vietnamese balloons. They are enormous, think mini space hoppers, made with space hopper grade rubber to keep the goods inside safe. Space hopper grade balloons can't be cheap and consequently these vessels are reused, seemingly instantly and without a wash, for the next customer. While the balloons were not for us, we did have a very fun night out. Nik, Domi, Guillermo and I were joined by Lauren and Gregg from Tao, who were also in town. We started the evening with a romantic triple date down the river and things escalated as Nik was transformed by the vibes in Hoi An. He went from Sleepy Nik in Ho Chi Minh, to Party Nik. Party Nik likes to dance and also enjoys apple juice with vodka.
The high spirits of Party Nik would continue through our time in Hoi An. This included bringing the vibes the next day. We had booked a day trip that included a ride down the river on basket boats and a cooking class. (Basket boats emerged as a trend in Vietnam after the French introduced a tax on boats so people developed large baskets instead, that could be used as boats without the tax). Some of us found the heat of the kitchen a bit of struggle, particularly after being spun around in the circular basket boats, but Party Nik made friends with some Aussies who were clearly seasoned party people, and powered through. Later in the week Party Nik even gave surfing a go on Hoi An beach, and despite the very dunky waves kept at it for quite a long time. Allegedly he did manage to stand, and while we did not witness the single successful surf he claims, we did see him standing triumphantly on the beach after he'd been at it for quite some time. For the record, he is counting Vietnam as a country he's surfed in, something I can't lay claim to myself.
Hoi An is famous for it's many tailors and we were keen to get some things made. After doing some research and visiting our shortlist, we settled on Blue Eye Tailor. Full of enthusiasm (Party) Nik quickly got measured up for a green linen suit and some shirts, and despite a slow start I somehow blinked and had ordered a jacket and 2 suits. The service is amazing, on day 1 we ordered suits, had a slightly less successful 2nd fitting on day 2 and would pick up our items, happy, in the evening of day 3 after a final fitting that morning. I haven't had anything tailored before, and would say trust the process and that the beauty of tailored items, is that they will be improved as they are fitted. Also, don't go to fittings with a deathly hangover. The fateful 2nd fitting took place after our morning on the basket boats/ cooking lesson, and it could be argued that my mood wasn't atitss best. The jackets initially came back a bit tight, and under the bright lights of the fitting room, I felt appalling and started to panic I'd spent way too much money on something that looked awful. After some confused/ panicked looks between Nik and the amazing women at Blue Eye, they managed to work out what I was concerned about and quickly responded, averting my oncoming meltdown. By the next morning, the outfits were fitting brilliantly and I was suitably abashed and grateful for their patience. Fitting 3 was so positive in fact, that Nik decided to go for another suit, and a blue cord number that fit like a glove after being turned around in just 6 hours. Our suits are currently on a ship home, and we can't wait to wear them when we're back.
Other highlights of Hoi An included more incredible food, snack Bahn Mi's became a daily occurrence. Our favourite being one of the ones made famous by Anthony Bourdain, Madam Khanh. VVegan (no that is a not a typo saying wegan, V-vegan) is an incredible restaurant we visited multiple time, highlights included the cold noodle salad and various dim sums. Nhan's Kitchen is a delicious local restaurant, slightly outside the old town, highly recommended by a friend of Domi's where we had a lovely dinner. We also continued our strong record on regular massages and enjoyed riding around on the free bikes provided by our amazing hotel. The beach was also a great place to spend the day. I can't resist a small brag in that on arrival, I was, in some lights, more tanned than Guillermo. What a result! It only took 3 months away to get a bit of colour going. This wouldn't last long however, as he and Domi hit the beach with focused intention to catch some sun. Domi's burns weren't quite enough to require Nik shaving a moustache, but can't have made tailor fitting's fun either. Luckily they had turned to the desired brown by the time we hit Peony, so arguably the pain was worth it.
Although it is true that you can't call Hoi An any sort of hidden gem, it is a stunning spot and a lovely place to while away a few days. It is unique, very beautiful and dangerously easy to spend money. Enjoying the cafe culture and catching up with friends was real treat. Hoi An remains one of Nik's favourite places, however I think Ho Chi Minh had the edge for me. We are both agreed on incredibly hospitality of Vietnam, and left looking forward to experiencing another another side of Vietnam in the peaceful mountain town of Sapa.
Looks amazing! Hope you have got a hat for mum...