The Itinerary
3 weeks in Southeast Asia! First Stop, Singapore 🇸🇬, where we hit the Hawker Centers for 🍗 and 🍚, 🍜 and 🍧🍡. Watch the 🎆 ⛲️shows at Marina Bay Sands. On to Cambodia to explore the 🛕🌳🗿 of Angkor Wat. From there we ✈️ to Ho Chi Minh City in 🇻🇳🪷 South Vietnam. The highlight was a street food tour on 🛵 , loved every minute, from the thrilling ride weaving through traffic, in a city of ~12-15 million, to the yummy ‧₊˚ ⋅ 🥢🍜‧₊˚ ⋅🍤 🫕🥩🔥. Visited the War Remembrance 🏛️. The Vietnam War through their eyes, enlightening to say the least. We worked our way north stopping at Hue’s Forbidden 🏙️, Phong Na’s magnificent ⛰️🦇🔦 caves. Hoi An and finally Hanoi.
Singapore
The movie Crazy Rich Asians had folks packing their suitcases and heading to Singapore. We headed to the waterfront promenade for a view of the Singapore skyline and the above Apple Store that sits on the water. Then a walk around the swanky Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the upscale shopping mall, Shoppes, next to it. The evening ended with dinner at Yardbirds of fried chicken and waffles. Which was quite good! Our last American-style food for a while.
Greetings from Singapore and Angkor Wat. A study in contrast. Singapore is a wealthy, cosmopolitan city-state where you can shop and play. Cambodia, for the most part, is still a struggling economy. Tourism plays a major role in Cambodia’s economy, and the ancient temples are, justifiably, a key attraction. Angkor Wat and Ta Prom, where Tomb Raider was filmed, are not to be missed.
Transportation HIghlights
Ho Chi Minh City is a city of 12 to 15 million people, and motorbikes are their main mode of transportation. We took a street food tour on Vespas. The food was delicious, but the ride was exhilarating, a little scary, and not to be missed. There is only one traffic rule: don’t get run over! The War Remembrance Museum and Hanoi Hilton were also highlights. Learning about the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese. Considering what is happening at home…it is a tough pill to swallow. American domination via toppling governments is a tough pill to swallow.
Trip to the Mekong Delta showed history, economy, and daily life away from the big cities. We then headed to Da Nang and Hoi An, a coastal city in Vietnam.
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park: Vietnam
Do not miss the caves. Vietnam has the most caves than any other country in the world. Wet caves, dry caves, and boasts the largest cave in the world, Hang Sơn Đoòng (Mountain River Cave). I’m a city girl, but Phong Nha blew me away. We hiked through Paradise Cave and took a boat ride through Phong Nha Cave. If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, pencil this treasure in.
It’s been a whirlwind trip. Lots of history and sites to take in. The natural beauty of Vietnam is amazing, from caves to scenic river tours, it’s spectacular. We ended with a relaxing overnight cruise in Halong Bay. We kayaked and took a dip in the bay, the perfect way to finish the trip.
The food has been solid. I’ve concluded that we are lucky to live in California, where you can get pretty darn good Vietnamese, even some great Cambodian and Singaporean food. The Pho and other noodle dishes were probably the most memorable and the hotel breakfasts are heaven if you are a lover of noodles and congee.
This is quite possibly the most famous single-noodle dish in Hanoi: Bun Cha from the very same restaurant, Huong Lien, that President Obama and Anthony Bourdain enjoyed. It was very good and definitely a highlight on my reel for multiple reasons. Stay tuned for my own attempt at Bun Cha when I’m home.