Browsing: Vietnam

meking delta diy trip

The ‘Best of Vietnam’ photo gallery below is a collection of images I took in May 2013 while traveling in Vietnam. In 3 weeks of travel, I explored the southern half of the country: from Saigon to the Mekong Delta region and back, then on to the sand dunes of Mui Ne, the Dalat countryside and central highlands, central coast beaches, and tailor shops of Hoi An.

independent travel blog

I budgeted 4 days in Hoi An for the famous Hoi An tailoring experience. Here’s how I expected it would go:

  • Day 1: Do some window shopping, see what I might want to get custom-made
  • Day 2: Decide what to order, look through books and customize my own items, get measured
  • Day 3: Alterations
  • Day 4: Pick up finished product(s)!
independent travel

I was on the fence about Dalat: should I or shouldn’t I visit the Central Highlands of Vietnam? I hadn’t heard all too much about it, and it’d be so easy to just continue on up the coast from Mui Ne to Nha Trang and keep the beach vibes going.

independent travel blog

You know the feeling of having discovered something so incredible and special that you wonder how on earth others haven’t found out about it yet? And then finally they do find out about it, and it “sells out” and no longer has that charm that captivated you in the first place?

vietnam tunnel tour

I normally write about all of the awesome things I’ve seen and done while traveling and try to convince YOU to do the same someday.

But not this time. This time, I’m telling you what NOT to do when you’re in Vietnam: Do NOT book the Cu Chi tunnels tour.

When you think of Vietnam, what comes to mind?

I always pictured colorful markets, women in conical hats, and people working and living on the river. So not surprisingly, spending time in the Mekong Delta region was an absolute must-do for me – and it ended up being one of the highlights of my entire 2013 Asia trip.