{"id":857,"date":"2013-12-15T20:25:54","date_gmt":"2013-12-15T20:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=857"},"modified":"2025-04-20T17:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T17:18:16","slug":"eight-days-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/eight-days-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Days in South Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnam: A Failed Mission (Sort Of)<\/strong><\/p>\n

My trip to Vietnam was meant to be a bit of a mission<\/em>. For years, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d heard nothing but negative stories: scams, rude vendors, rigged taxi meters, unwelcoming locals… the list went on. Nearly everyone I met who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d travelled through Vietnam had something negative to say, often claiming it was their least favourite country in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

Then I saw a stat that floored me: Vietnam has a return rate of just 5%<\/strong>. In contrast, Thailand boasts a solid 50%<\/strong>. What gives?<\/p>\n

I had to find out for myself. I went in eyes wide open, ready to sniff out the scams and fight back. I mentally summoned my fiercest alter ego \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the one that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hesitate to shout back at someone trying to hustle her on the street. I was ready to scam the scammer<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So what did I find?<\/p>\n

None of it. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get scammed. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mugged, yelled at, pressured, or manipulated into anything. What I did find were friendly, no-nonsense people who, unlike their neighbours, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spend their days buttering up tourists. And honestly? That felt incredibly refreshing. More real. Less fake smiles, more authentic interactions.<\/p>\n

So yes \u00e2\u20ac\u201d my mission to find chaos was kind of a flop. But in the process, I came to understand why some travellers might walk away with less-than-stellar impressions. (More on that in a future post.)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, I had a jolly good time<\/em> in South Vietnam.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is how I spent 8 days soaking it all in\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Drinking Vietnamese white coffee<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Strong black coffee, sweetened with condensed milk and poured over ice. I had no idea what I was ordering, but the name intrigued me. One sip and I was hooked. Two a day became the rule.<\/p>\n

\"white<\/a>
white Vietnamese coffee, an intense pick-me up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strolling around the old quarter of Hoi An in the evening<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Lanterns glowing, quiet motor-free streets, candles floating on the river… Even without a love interest around, the place practically screamed romance. I found myself daydreaming for days after.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"lanterns<\/a>
lanterns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hoi<\/a>
Hoi An by night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Admiring colourful dilapidated walls<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It took a few days for my travel buddy to catch on, but eventually, she too was pointing them out.
“Look at that one! What a beauty…”
We became wall connoisseurs. Unashamedly.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Contemplating a meal at every street corner<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Vietnamese street food smells<\/em> divine. Every other corner, I was greeted by the mouthwatering smells of a steaming bowl of food. All I needed to do was grab one of the tiny stools, join the locals and dig in. . They say five meals a day is healthy, right? <\/span><\/p>\n

\"street<\/a>
street stall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"street<\/a>
street dining<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"puppies<\/a>
puppies love street food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Getting lost in Hoi An’s tiny streets<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

No map. No plan. Just wandering \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and loving every second of it.<\/p>\n

\"narrow<\/a>
narrow streets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Waking up at the crack of dawn to experience the hustle and bustle of the morning markets
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"market<\/a>
surprising popularity of the conical hats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"fresh<\/a>
fresh herbs used royally in every dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
“I love the smell of duck and nicotine in the morning…”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"ducklings\"<\/a>
the one that got away<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being in awe of the dramatic landscape changes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From misty mountains to flooded rice paddies to quiet beaches to… sand dunes<\/em> and red dirt?! At one point, I genuinely questioned whether I was still in Vietnam. The dunes in Mui N\u00c3\u00a9, though marred by mass tourism and roaring quads, still held a certain magic. Standing among the tall yellow dunes could have been -and probably once was- a mind boggling experience. But the dozens of deafening quads zooming by killed the marvel. The dunes of Mui N\u00c3\u00a9 are still worth a visit though.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
from coastal villages…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"sand<\/a>
…to sand dunes covered in quad tracks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Discovering a new kind of stress free work ethic<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Some locals have nailed the art of doing just enough \u00e2\u20ac\u201d with zero stress and a smile on their face. Enviable, really.<\/p>\n

\"no<\/a>
no clients? no stress!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"fruit<\/a>
fruit stall napping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"taking<\/a>
taking a break from work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
“I’ll be in my hammock, if you need anything”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exploring the Mekong delta by boat and by bicycle\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A glimpse into another pace of life, floating along the river or pedaling through palm-lined paths.<\/p>\n

\"float<\/a>
an easy float on the Mekong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mekong<\/a>
Mekong by bicycle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Indulging in Vietnamese cuisine in Saigon<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A foodie friend of mine \u00e2\u20ac\u201d now a ten-year Saigon local \u00e2\u20ac\u201d took me on a culinary tour I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget. Dish after dish, I fell deeper in love with Vietnamese food. Complex, vibrant, and a total revelation.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"food<\/a>
food sampling in Saigon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Downing shots of “cobra eats scorpion” liquor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a real thing. A bottle of strong alcohol containing a dead cobra with a scorpion in its mouth. More dramatic than delicious \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it tasted like rotten fish eaten out of the stomach of an alcoholic<\/span>. I spent the next few hours on the loo, regretting my curiosity.<\/p>\n

\"snake<\/a>
“cobra bites scorpion” infused liquor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having sandals custom made<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Who knew choosing design, colour, and material could be this stressful? After much debate, I finally made my pick. The shoemaker traced my feet and whipped up a pair of very cute sandals in just a few hours \u00e2\u20ac\u201d for fifteen bucks. They looked great and fit like a glove. They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last.<\/p>\n

\"hoi<\/a>
existing models to chose from and customize<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trying a new and exciting kind of “exotic meat”<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You know I love sampling the unusual (remember my dog story in East-Timor<\/a><\/span>?). This time, I hesitated. I even slept on it. But once again curiosity won \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I ordered a portion. It was delicious<\/em>.
What was it?
Ah… I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll tell you one day.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>
the mystery meat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you been to Vietnam? Is it on your bucket list?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0The post “8 days in South Vietnam<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vietnam: A Failed Mission (Sort Of) My trip to Vietnam was meant to be a bit of a mission. For years, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d heard nothing but negative stories: scams, rude vendors, rigged taxi meters, unwelcoming locals… the list went on. Nearly everyone I met who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d travelled through Vietnam had something negative to say, often claiming it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,126],"tags":[5,38,27,44,58],"country":[269],"class_list":["post-857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-vietnam","tag-asia","tag-backpacking","tag-photo-essay","tag-top-things","tag-vietnam","post_format-post-format-image","country-vietnam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4505,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions\/4505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}