Author Archives: Jean Nguyen

Many Americans I know who have been to Vietnam often exhale a sigh of disdain when mentioning Nha Trang. “It’s too touristy,” they say. “It’s overrun with Russians,” they say. Although true facts, there is still more to Nha Trang (at … Continue reading →

For $15 each, we hired a private jeep and driver for 5 hours to take us 34 km out of Mui Ne to watch the sun rise over the white sand dunes. Off we went at 4:30am, and we arrived … Continue reading →

Mui Ne is a little touristy beach resort in Southern Vietnam, known for its sand dunes pushed up against the ocean. In my opinion, the main tourist attractions are the red sand dunes at sunset, the white sand dunes at … Continue reading →

We briefly returned to Hanoi after Sapa for just 1 night before heading out again…this time to Saigon. The plan was to stay in Saigon just for 1 night, and then leave on Sunday, March 30 to Mui Ne. Our … Continue reading →

The picture below pretty much sums up our entire experience at Sapa, especially after the trek we did from March 25-26: Mao showed up in front of our hotel at 9:30am, as promised. She told us that we would trek … Continue reading →

Our first full day in Sapa was spent exploring Ham Rong (Dragon Jaw) Mountain and nearby Cat Cat Village. Ham Rong Mountain was part of a larger park and included a steep, rocky climb to the top with views that … Continue reading →

After our lovely dinner with Bao and his family, Chris and I got dropped off at the Ha Noi Train Station via scooter, thanks to Bao and his dad. Despite it being dark and drizzly, we made it safely. We … Continue reading →

Our first week in Hanoi was spent settling in, getting accustomed to the time zone, hanging out with friends, and most importantly, eating the best Vietnamese food in the world. Below is a quick summary. Tuesday, March 18: First meal … Continue reading →