Phong Nha Park has long been famous for its beautiful caves, but it is from 2009, thanks to the discovery of the largest cave in the world “Sơn Đoòng”, that tourist services are as accelerated. Now it is very easy to get to Phong Nha. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get there We took a bus from Hoi An. A minibus comes to pick us up at the hotel at 1:30 pm to drop us in front of a big bus (with bunks) which leaves at 2 pm and arrives at 10 pm in Phong Nha. On the way, we change…

Sitting on a 10cm high plastic chair in the street, I am eating one of my favorite desserts in Hoi An when a group of French tourists pass by. They are both intrigued by my dessert, which looks like an uncooked tofu, and by the size of the chairs, which is as small as a brick.If these chairs are so small, it is because they allow the saleswoman to store everything in her two baskets, each hanging on a long bamboo stem, and “walk” her boui boui from one street to another. The Vietnamese call this kind of walking boui boui, and ephemeral, “Gánh Hàng Rong”.Gánh Hàng Rong, the name…

After a month in Chiang Mai, we are in Ha Noi – MY hometown, to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year. As soon as we arrive at the airport, we realize that the wait at the immigration office will be long. Vietnamese living abroad are slowly starting to return to Vietnam. After 45 minutes of waiting, we finally manage to get out. JB quickly buys a SIM card while I withdraw money next door. 50 000VND fee to withdraw only 3 million VND (1.6% fee) – at VPBank, there is no fee, but their ATM isn’t present at the airport. We then take a cab to my parents’ house, who lent…

Sorry to disappear for so long. You know, sometimes I get a little bored when I travel (especially at night), and I take the opportunity to blog. But when I’m in MY city, MY country, I’m not bored for a second. There are so many things to eat, so many friends and cousins to see again, so much shopping to do… that I let go of my blog. After Chiang Mai, JB and I went to Hanoi, my hometown, the best of the best of Vietnam, of Asia, finally of the world. This is only my personal opinion because most tourists (and especially JB) don’t agree with me. Of course,…

That’s it, we are in Vietnam, in Hanoi at my parents’ house. For our first getaway in Vietnam, we chose to go to Mai Chau, a valley nested in a mountainous zone still little exploited Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Ba Vì As we are by car, we make a small detour to Ba Vì, an area known for its cow’s milk and dairy products. It’s not easy in Vietnam to find an area suitable for raising dairy cows. Milk cows don’t eat the same food as buffaloes. Farmers have to trade their rice fields for grass to feed their cash cows We…

Nha Trang is one of the most awaited destinations of our world tour, I went there twice, years ago, and I kept excellent memories of it. The return to Nha Trang this time is like a slap in the face as the city has changed so much and has become a tourist destination Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary We left Mui Ne at 8am by bus to arrive around 1pm in Nha Trang (bus with couchettes please) It rains for part of the trip. There are storms in progress and planned for a week, not in Nha Trang but in Central Vietnam. On…