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A Long Stay in Hanoi (Vietnam) in 2022: Between Gastronomy, Shopping, and Frustrations
Every time I’m in Hanoi, my hometown, I struggle to post on the blog because I don’t have a moment to myself. There’s too much to do, too many people to see, too many dishes to try, too many weekends to plan in the North… We spent several months in Hanoi, and here’s a summary of what we did. We flew from Paris to Hanoi in March 2022 on a nearly empty plane. We each had three seats to ourselves. I slept straight through. Because of the war, we had to take a longer route to avoid flying over Ukraine. The usual 10 hours turned into 11 hours and 20…
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Custom leather goods: My hand-stitched saddle-stitch bag in Novonappa Gold
Today, I’ll tell you how I had my custom leather bag made by a Vietnamese leather craftsman. It’s entirely hand-stitched (saddle stitch) and made of Novonappa leather, lined with Sully goat leather. Story time This section could have been titled “how I got here” because I didn’t like leather to begin with. In 2020, I bought my first Hermès scarf and fell into a kind of obsession with this luxury brand. I learned that it’s one of the few luxury brands that still hand-stitches a small part of their bags (the others do it by machine). I read several books on Hermès and started familiarizing myself with the different leathers…
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Yen Tu & MGallery Legacy: The Most Spiritual Place in Vietnam
At the end of JB’s recovery in Nha Trang, we return to Hanoi for a month. Due to our very busy schedule, we only have one long weekend to recharge our batteries. Having lost a lot of energy in that “surprise” surgery story, we all (my parents & us) need to recharge. That’s when I think back to a 5-star hotel not far from Hanoi whose photos made me dream a few years ago: Mgallery Legacy Yen Tu (Booking link). Note: we paid for everything out of our own pockets Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Yen Tu is a name that vaguely rings a…
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My bespoke Himalayan Crocodile Bag #bespoke
As everyone knows, the most expensive bags in the world are sold at auction, and the records are held by Hermès bags made from Himalayan crocodile skin. “Himalaya” is simply the name of the Hermès color for this particular combination of white, beige, and gray. It is meant to evoke snowy mountains, which is the only reason Himalaya comes into the equation here. Apparently, light colors and shade transitions are particularly difficult and time-consuming to create. Light colors are especially hard to achieve on crocodile, so getting this shade requires considerable skill from the tanner, as the natural color must be completely removed. The most expensive bags in the world…
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Prepaid SIM / eSIM in Iceland: how to buy a 4G internet chip?
Roaming fees Planning a road trip in Iceland? You won’t regret it, it’s an A-MA-ZING country! To avoid nasty surprises when you get back, watch out for roaming charges if you plan to use your SIM card there. Indeed, although it’s European, Iceland is not part of the European Union, so it’s not covered by free roaming agreements. However, charges are reasonable for most French operators. Carrier Roaming rates Free Mobile Included in the €20 plan Orange €0.0030 / MB SFR €13.20 / MB Bouygues Telecom Included Buy a SIM card before you leave One way to avoid roaming charges is to get a prepaid SIM card before you leave.…
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Prepaid SIM / eSIM in Norway: how to buy a 4G internet chip?
Roaming fees Norway is not a member of the European Union and is therefore not covered by the “free roaming” rule between EU countries. Despite this, Free and Bouygues have decided to include Norway in their offers. Orange’s roaming rate is very reasonable, but SFR’s is not! Carrier Roaming rates Free Mobile Included Orange €0.0030 / MB Bouygues Telecom Included SFR €13.20 / MB Buy a SIM card before you leave If you plan a little ahead, you can buy a prepaid SIM card before your trip to Norway. You’ll receive it by mail and all you have to do is put the card in your phone when you arrive.…
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Prepaid SIM / eSIM in Cuba: how to buy a 4G internet chip?
Cuba is one of the hardest countries in the world to access the internet. Don’t expect free Wi-Fi everywhere. Public hotspots are rare and you have to buy specific cards (waiting in line) to use them. Even then, the speed is very low and disconnections are frequent. Here’s how you can go about it anyway. Roaming fees As usual outside the EU, roaming fees are very high. However, a pleasant surprise from Bouygues Télécom, even if it comes to more than €500 per gigabyte of data, to avoid! Carrier Roaming rates SFR €13.20 / MB Free Mobile €9.70 / MB Orange €13.31/MB Bouygues Telecom €0.54 / MB Buy a SIM…
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My take on the benefits of the American Express Platinum card (and referral)
This article is about the personal American Express Platinum card. If you’re interested in the ‘business’ version (for your company), check out this article. If you’d like a referral, click this link. American Express: What Is It? While common in some countries, American Express is still relatively underdeveloped in France. Contrary to what you might think, American Express is not a bank—it’s a payment method (like Visa or Mastercard). If you choose to become an American Express customer, it doesn’t mean changing your bank account. When you sign up, you’ll need to authorize Amex to debit your account. Once you receive your card, you can use it daily. Only at…
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How to withdraw money without fees in Vietnam
When you withdraw money from an ATM outside the eurozone, you’re likely to pay two types of fees: To avoid currency conversion commissions, you absolutely need a bank card that applies the real exchange rate without any markup. I recommend the following free cards: As for the fixed fees from the ATM bank, there’s no secret: you have to try several banks and see if they charge fees. In Vietnam, most banks charge 55,000 VND in fees, with a maximum withdrawal limit of 3,000,000 VND. That’s 1.8% in fees in the best case. Like everyone, we don’t like paying fees. When it’s below 1%, we accept it without complaint; above…
