Category Archives: Vietnam

How do you make a round boat without a keel go straight? While we rode in one, we still have no surety of this, but we have a somewhat believable guess. Vietnamese fishers employ wood coracles—the word originates from wickerwork … Continue reading →

Nha Trang is a seaside resort community east and north of Saigon by 454 kilometers. From 1949 to 1975 it hosted an air force base for the French, Vietnamese and Americans, in that sequence. The US also stationed Navy, Marine … Continue reading →

We visited today the Reunification Palace located in downtown Saigon. From 1966 to 1975 this was the residence of the leaders of the Saigon government. By coincidence today was also the 120th birthday of Ho Chi Minh. Our tour guide … Continue reading →

Okay, it probably looks like we are eating the whole time we are in Vietnam. Not true. However, it’s tempting. Check out the grub.

The Mekong River divides into multiple branches as it enters Vietnam from Cambodia. We visited the most northern branch which flows by the community of My Tho south of Ho Chi Minh City. The vegetation is thick, varied and green … Continue reading →

Tapei, 2,228 flight kilometers north and some east of Ho Chi Minh City, has tens of thousands of two-wheeled, motorized vehicles. While we have yet to discover the statistics, Ho Chi Minh City must have at least double the number … Continue reading →

The Vietnamese Dong (VND) to Dollar Exchange rate on this day is about 19,000 to 1. Trade in $52.63 in US currency and you’ve got yourself 1,000,000 VND. You’re a millionaire in a foreign country. But don’t laugh. You can … Continue reading →

In folk medicine from Vietnam* you marinate your rice wine—that is correct, marinate the wine—by dropping in a dozen of so scorpions you hunt and trap in the mountains. When all is done you drink the wine, but don’t eat … Continue reading →

Big C in Vietnam really is a big box store with all of the things you would expect, including lots of Vietnamese products plus some American foods, such as A1 sauce. Because the management asked us not to take photos—we … Continue reading →

There are a lot of fruits in Vietnam. Some are new to us. Chom Chom—Rambutan in English—is colorful and chewy with a large central seed. Saboche has a firm texture and neutral taste—neither sweet nor sour—and grows across the street … Continue reading →