By the time we got to Hoi An, we’d been in Vietnam for 3 weeks, and Thailand for 10 days. The increased cost of food in Hoi An was a little surprise. Six dollars for dinner?! $2 for a cup of coffee? That’s crazy. Hoi An is a resort town and the prices match if you buy tourist food. ​ There are three categories of food–at least in our minds. Market Food : at the night markets, there are stands selling lots of fried things and things on skewers. A lot of this food is geared to

Food in Hanoi, Vietnam  We've got you, foodies!  We searched out all the standards in Hanoi, plus some extras we learned about from hotel staff.  We were so lucky to have inside tips from a local food maven. It was better than a street food tour! Finally, we have our list of sweet treats in Hanoi! General rules: The more rustic your seating and the chef's tools, the better the food will be. This means you'll need to sit on the sidewalk on little plastic stools at little plast

We chose a visit to Ha Giang because we had read that Sapa was very touristy. We greatly enjoyed our time in Ha Giang. It had amazing hiking, wonderful weather, interesting homestays with ethnic minorities, and new foods at roadside stands. The best shopping I had was at our first homestay. We had a private guide and driver for our trip. We used YESD (Youth Employment and Society Development): https://yesd.org/ . We found this organization in our quest to volunteer while in V

Vietnam – The Basics Want to know the basics like how to cross the street, make a call, or find local currency? We’ve got you covered. Posts on Vietnam : Hanoi: Things to Do , Food , Markets/Shopping Hoi An: Things to Do , Food (Hoi An and Hue), Markets/Shopping Ninh Binh Ha Giang Lan Ha Bay/Halong Bay Hotels in Vietnam Running in Vietnam Sim cards Most websites recommend Viettel first, then Mobifone or Vinaphone. TLDR: buy the cheapest, most convenient or best da

Running in Vietnam It is hot year-round in Vietnam – the lows when we were there were 23-25 oC and humid. I decided our 6-week trip to...

7 Things to do in and around Hoi An Day trips and local finds for you! 1. Hoi An Old Town – shopping, exploring, biking. Your hotel will...

Hoi An, Vietnam Shopping (with prices) Hoi An is a resort town. Like resort towns elsewhere in the world, it comes with resort prices....

Lan Ha Bay/Halong Bay Cruising, Vietnam TLDR: Halong Bay/Lan Ha Bay really live up to their reputation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. ...

Shopping and Markets in Hanoi, Vietnam (with prices) A good way to start shopping is to look online for prices (when you are in Vietnam). For example, I googled “North Face men’s pants” and the local vendors pop up first (thanks Google search engine). I find the best price and take a screenshot so that if I’m tired of bargaining or just need to remember the right price range I can pull it up. Showing a shop owner the price I can order it for online worked every time to secur

13 things to do in Hanoi , Vietnam 1. The Night Market in Old Town This night market, aka the Weekend Market, is located along Pho Hang Dao/Pho Hang Ngang/Hang Duong/P. Dong Xuan (these are all the same street; the name changes several times) on Friday-Sunday from 6 – 10 pm. It runs about a kilometer in length. You can find clothes, shoes, souvenirs, sunglasses, etc. Many food vendors set up on street corners but we wouldn’t call this a food-oriented market. A better