Vietnam

We are on a trail through Southeast Asia far more traveled than the one we were on in China, and it is so much easier (not to be confused with easy, just easier). We were pretty giddy to get off the plane in Hanoi, check into our Airbnb, and grab our first of many banh mi sandwiches. We lost count after a while but, overall, we collectively had somewhere between 30-40 banh mis during our 3 weeks in Vietnam. There is at least one banh mi cart on every block and each one is different. Our favorite, at Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An, also happened to be Anthony Bourdain’s favorite.

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Getting around Vietnam was so easy. Within each city, we used Grab – a service similar to Uber. It cost $1-2 to get from place to place. Within the country, we flew VietJet, where every flight was about $40 per person (that includes all taxes and fees). The money situation took some getting used to. The exchange rate is about 23,000 dong to 1 US dollar, and the bills range from 100 dong notes to 500,000 dong notes. This made my wallet very messy.

We went to four different cities/regions in Vietnam: we ate our way through Hanoi, we cruised in the beauty of Ha Long Bay, we relaxed in the picturesque city of Hoi An, and we got stuck in a lot of traffic in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon.

Hanoi

Hanoi is not a stroller friendly city; it is not pedestrian friendly either, for that matter. There are so many motorcycles and so much traffic, and the sidewalks are non-existent because they are used for motorcycle parking. But we stayed in the old quarter, close to some of the best eateries and sights so we didn’t have to walk very far to see anything.

We arrived in Hanoi on our 13th anniversary and treated ourselves to some fine French food and wine.

The next day, we visited the Temple of Literature – one of the most important educational and spiritual monuments in Hanoi. We were guided by two university students affiliated with HanoiKids, an organization that partners travelers with university students who give free tours to practice their English. Our guides were Kao and Cun, and they will forever remember our kids for their incessant crying and whining throughout the tour (we have no post-worthy pictures of the temple because we were too busy trying to wrangle them). Not our best moment. But we made up for it with a great lunch with our guides at Bún Bo Nam Bo, a restaurant that serves only one absolutely delicious dish – rice vermicelli topped with grilled meat, herbs, peanuts, and a delicious sauce. The word “bún” (pronounced boon) means rice vermicelli in Vietnamese, bo means beef, and nam bo means from the south. We ate many different varieties of bún dishes throughout our time in Vietnam, but this was a favorite.

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We spent one day just walking through the city (gripping our kids’ hands as we navigated through traffic), and visited Hoa Lo Prison (referred to as the “Hanoi Hilton” by American soldiers during the war). The prison is right smack in the middle of the city; it was originally built by the French in the late 19th century to imprison the Vietnamese who protested the French occupation, and was later used during the Vietnam War to imprison American POWs, including John McCain. His flight suit is on display there. The American POW exhibit includes a claim that no American prisoners were tortured at the prison, and that they were treated and fed well, but that is bullshit propaganda. No one was treated well in that place. Ari and Reed took the audio tour (Ari didn’t understand much but would not pass up the opportunity to wear headphones).

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We are not big museum people, especially when traveling with really young kids, but we visited the Museum of Ethnology, which highlights the 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam. The outdoor area exhibits a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas, with beautiful gardens. The kids loved climbing into and exploring the houses.

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Despite the bustle of Hanoi, we loved it there, but we were very happy to leave behind the traffic for the tranquility of Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam.

Ha Long Bay/Bai Tu Long Bay

Our cruise through Ha Long Bay was the very first excursion I booked when we decided to go on this trip. I traveled through Vietnam many years ago but did not make it to Ha Long Bay, and couldn’t wait for it. We booked a two night cruise on a junk boat called the Dragon Pearl (“junk” boats are ancient Chinese sailing ships).

There are ten rooms on the ship and there were about 19 guests, including Australians, Brits, Americans, and a German. Our kids were the only kids and they were (somewhat) well behaved. Everything about the boat exceeded our expectations, especially and most notably the food and the views. The boat was slow moving, which allowed us to really take in every limestone karst. We kayaked, swam, saw a floating village, ate very well, and stared at the gorgeous views. We took so many pictures. Here are some favorites.

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After our cruise, we made our way to Hoi An, a coastal town in southern Vietnam.

Hoi An

Hoi An, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways.

1. Beach and Resorts. We stayed near the beach, which is a bit far from the old quarter, because we wanted to take advantage of the swimming. The water was warm, there were lots of shells to collect and hermit crabs to catch (and release), and the tide was perfect for the kids. Our Airbnb was very close to some beautiful resorts, and we were able to use the pools for free or for a small fee. We swam nearly every day.

2. Old Quarter. We visited the picturesque old quarter almost every day to window shop and admire the views. There are loads of tailors in Hoi An and I had to resist every impulse not to have a new wardrobe designed and made for me. Each time we went into town, we stopped to have the most delicious drink called mot: an herbal tea concoction on ice. Silk lanterns were everywhere, and were so bright and vibrant and beautiful.

3. The Lantern Lady. The kids designed and made silk lanterns. This was one of our most favorite activities. The Lantern Lady has a cute little studio within the old quarter, and created such a calm and relaxing environment. Reed and Ari loved it.

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4. Cooking Class. Robby and Reed took a cooking class with Hoi An Eco Cooking School. They started the tour by exploring the local market and then took a round bamboo boat through a coconut forest and caught crabs (Reed caught three). The boat took them to the cooking school where they hulled rice, and made rice paper, spring rolls, banana flower salad (banana flowers are edible and are very delicious), banh xeo (crispy, savory pancakes), pho, grilled eggplant, and sweet and sour fish. According to Reed, this was the most fun of the three cooking classes he has taken so far.

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5. Bike Ride. Reed and I rented bikes and rode for a few hours through local villages.

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6. Thanh Ha Pottery Village. There is a cute little pottery village at the edge of town. Ari and Reed designed and made their own pottery dishes.

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7. Fishing. Our Airbnb host took us fishing and graciously let the kids drive his boat. Reed caught so many fish.

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We stayed in Hoi An for a total of 9 days. It is a beautiful and quaint town, and we had a great time, but it is not without challenges. There are so many motorcycles and it is quite touristy. And it took us five days – FIVE – to find a loaf of bread and other food essentials. There are no markets; just mini marts. Our Airbnb host told us we could find bread and peanut butter and all the food we want at the outdoor local market, which closed at 10am daily. But we could only find raw fruits and veggies and fish and chicken there. We finally met an Israeli family living in Hoi An, and they pointed us to the bakery that sells sliced bread and the mini mart that sells cheese, granola, and yogurt. We would never have found them on our own.

Vietnam War side note: the Israelis that we met are in Hoi An because the husband, who spent his time in the Israeli Army diffusing bombs, is now working to diffuse landmines in Vietnam. About 6.6 million tons of bombs were dropped on Vietnam during the war, more than three times the amount that were dropped in Europe during World War II. I asked if there is a lot of work left to do, and he said our grandchildren’s children will still be working to diffuse the landmines.

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Reed’s very good friend, Wolf, and his family (the Weisbergs) moved to Saigon in July, and the reunited friends could not be happier to see each other. Reed went to school with Wolf for the day and he was very happy to be away from us and in the company of other 5th graders.

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We stayed with the Weisbergs in their spectacular home with a beautiful view of the Saigon River, and they were the most gracious of hosts. We swam in their pool, Robby finally got to cook (with an oven!), and we ate very very well.

We did not do a whole lot of sightseeing in Saigon (so much traffic) but we did go to the War Remnants Museum. The outdoor exhibit showcases American military aircraft, including Hueys (helicopters) and bombs. Inside are horrific pictures of the effects of Agent Orange (napalm) and the atrocities of war. This was my second time at this museum and it left just as strong of an impact as the first time. Nothing is even remotely sugar coated here. Reed and I read the book 10,000 Days of Thunder during our time in Vietnam. It is a fantastic primer about the war for middle graders. According to Reed: “the War Remnants Museum helped me understand what happened in Vietnam during the war. I learned people’s backstories and more about how Agent Orange affected the people exposed to it. I didn’t know that chemicals could have that effect on people. I don’t think the Americans should have gotten involved in the war and maybe it would have been better if the country was split into two.”

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We also went to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, the series of tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. Our guide was a veteran of the South Vietnamese army. He spent eight years fighting in the war, and after it ended, he was sent to a reeducation camp for 5 years and 7 months. I asked him what prompted his release. He dodged that question but was otherwise extremely honest and forthright about the war, the fear, and the disappointment of surrender.

The US knew about the tunnels and tried, unsuccessfully, to destroy them with B-52 bombs, leaving huge craters throughout the Cu Chi area. There is a shooting range at the tunnels and one can shoot an AK-47 or any number of war weapons at the range. So throughout the tour – every 30 seconds or so – we would hear the crack of gunfire. The symbolism did not go unnoticed (by me, at least).

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Robby, Reed, and Ari crawled through a portion of the tunnel (I’d been many years ago already, so I stayed out with Miles). Reed made it through the whole tunnel; Robby cut out at the earliest opportunity. It was way too claustrophobic for him.

Thoughts and Musings

Traffic in Vietnam. We don’t have a good picture of the traffic in Vietnam, but take our word for it: it is horrendous, mostly because it’s a free-for-all. There aren’t too many streetlights, the roads get flooded when it rains heavily, and there are so many motorcycles (apparently, Vietnam has the second largest motorcycle ownership in the world after Taiwan). I read somewhere that pedestrians in Vietnam have the same status as a pigeon: it is expected that the pedestrian will “fly” out of the way by the time the motorbike gets to him or her. The foremost priority is that traffic flows smoothly.

Scooters. We weren’t sure if bringing the kids’ scooters would be a good idea or bad one. Turns out, it is one of the best decisions we made. They are incredibly helpful in airports when we have long walks to gates or to the baggage claim, and, of course, they make long walks through town fun and easy. We highly recommend them for travel with young kids who are over the stroller.

In celebration of our 75th day on this journey, we interviewed Reed (below). Feel free to ask more questions. He would be happy to answer them.

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Is the trip different than you expected? Yes, I expected it to be more resorts and hotels, and a little fancier, and I expected to meet more people along the way and be able to make friends.

Are you happy to be on the trip? Well, I miss home, but I am learning a lot. The most interesting thing I learned about so far is the Vietnam War.

Are you having fun? Yes.

What do you least like about the trip? Not being with my friends, not being able to communicate with people, not being able to eat my dad’s food.

What do you like most about the trip? I like trying new foods. My favorites have been banh mi sandwiches, curries, and pad thai. I also really like visiting cool landmarks. Some of my favorites have been the Cu Chi Tunnels (Vietnam), Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and just hanging out at the [local] lake in Chiang Mai (Thailand).

Do you miss traditional school? YES. My mom is strict and gives me a lot of work.
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This post is a bit belated – after Vietnam, we spent a week in Bangkok, 2 weeks in northern Thailand, and we are now in Cambodia where we will be for about 2-3 weeks. We have long passed the point of planned travel, and we are now playing things more by ear, which is nice because we are able to adjust to our needs. The trip has definitely been harder than we envisioned but such is life with three young kids. The days melt into each other and we don’t think in terms of weekly schedules but rather, how many more days we have in a particular location. We rarely ever know what day or date it is. I, for one, love the relative simplicity of traveling and living minimally, figuring out travel logistics, and adjusting to new foods and cultures. It is a nice change from “real” life.

Thank you for reading this very long post. We look forward to sharing Thailand and Cambodia soon. xo