With its warm hearts, amazing food, and stunning nature, Vietnam quickly won our hearts from the moment we landed in Phu Quoc until the time we left Hanoi. However, it was an experiment because this is the first time we’ve ever stayed in a country for the maximum visa stay without ever having been there. And while we absolutely loved…

Continue ReadingVietnam: It’s a Wrap!

Settling into Hoi An In early April 2024, we finally made it to the destination in Vietnam which seems to make everyone swoon who has ever been to the country, so we were eager to know if it would live up to its hype. The high value accommodation selection certainly did. For the week, we chose to stay on Cam…

Continue ReadingBikes, Bites and Lights in the Little Gem of Hoi An, Vietnam

Settling into Da Nang We firmly parked ourselves a block from the beach for a couple weeks in the seaside gem of Da Nang, where we could have definitely stayed longer. It felt like an undeniable blend of Rio de Janiero, Miami and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s a super comfortable place to slow down and just be for awhile thanks…

Continue ReadingBeaches, Buddies, and Buddhas in DaNang, Vietnam

Arriving to Hue & Our Accommodation After a very pleasant journey on the vintage railway, we arrived to the historic Hue train station at around 5 pm and caught a $2.40 Grab ride from the station to our apartment which bizarrely feels like it is dropped in France. Although it’s about a 25-minute walk to the center, it’s incredibly quiet…

Continue ReadingRoyalty, Rising Heat and Really Rad Finds in Hue, Vietnam

From Hue turned May (2024) so it was time to call it a day in the central part of Vietnam, as we only had one more month on our visa. This would be the most extensive journey, and only overnight in the country which proved to have a few hiccups, though nothing extreme, for our $30 “VIP” sleeper bus tickets.…

Continue ReadingThe Irresistible Landscape of Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Peaceful Homestay Mai Chau We thought things were idyllic in Tam Coc, but arriving to Mai Chau four hours northwest, took things to a whole other level. Mai Chau might just be as bucolic as it can possibly get…a rolling blanket of emerald rice paddies sprinkled with walking/bike paths, chickens clucking, (or doing other obnoxious chicken things), stilted wooden homes…

Continue ReadingOff the Beaten Path in the Magical Valley of Mai Chau, Vietnam

We had a lot of possibilities for our last few weeks in north Vietnam, but to be honest, things had been a bit challenging since Mandy’s stomach issues for both of us. Greg also had a head cold, and overall, we were just feeling a bit burnt out. This was further compounded by a four day mistake because we made…

Continue ReadingThe Ha Giang Loop that Never Could, Vietnam

Our Apartment Accommodation(s) Yes, we finally had real apartments and oh, did we need this downtime more than we thought. It only took one night in our super quiet(!) and cozy apartment to know we were gonna like Hanoi. Our first of two apartments $26/night on Booking was on the south end of Tây Ho, or West Lake and we were…

Continue ReadingTwo weeks of happiness in the Heart of Hanoi, Vietnam