When I started this site over 6 years ago, I hadn’t even been to Asia. Now, I’ve been to over 10 Asian countries and lived in 2 of them. I love Asia. There is so much to see and do, so many attractions for travelers. The culture is incredibly unique from country to country. There was a time I thought Vietnam and China were similar. Not even close. If you are looking for an alternate view of Asia, this collection of tips and articles will help you plan a trip, or learn about the largest and most populous continent in the world.
We arrived in Myanmar late at night. We flew into Yangon and then immediately transferred to Heho where we took a taxi to Nyaung Shwe, the town that acts as the jumping off point for Inle Lake. It was dark when we arrived. We had no idea what beauty surrounded us as we slept that night.
I know how it goes.
I get on a bus, someone’s always late, we head out and I listen to people talk about how much they drank last night, everyone gets off the bus and piles onto a boat, we’re herded to various sites that are very much setup for tourists, I start to plan how I could secretly execute the loudest most obnoxious person on the tour, I get back on the bus and head back disappointed because I didn’t get a chance to execute that annoying person.
A tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. Probably, the best beaches in Vietnam. Soft sand. Warm turquoise waters. It sounds like a paradise — like an amazing way to spend a week after a long stretch of hard work (for Sara, not me). Unfortunately, this vacation didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. How could this be? Were we attacked by a Kraken? No, I can’t blame squid. In fact, squid definitely made the vacation better. The blame comes down on the island itself. Phu Quoc currently isn’t the paradise that it should be, but hopefully that will change.
While 1 month in Vietnam isn’t nearly enough time to see everything, it is a decent amount of time to travel from one end of the country to the other, getting a taste of the natural beauty, beaches, culture, and more. In this guide, I start in Ho Chi Minh City and head north, but this can easily be switched to north-to-south.
Dai Nam Park, or Dai Nam Tourism Complex, is a huge 22 hectare amusement park that includes a cultural/historical area, a zoo, a water park, and amusement rides. There’s a hotel there (400,000VND per night), camping (about 230,000/night including tent and mattress rental), and many restaurants. Like I said, it’s huge.
If you’re in Saigon and you need a break from the ‘beep’ or the ‘beeep beeeep!’, then a trip to Mui Ne is my suggestion to you. It’s a cheap bus ride from the backpacker district and there are plenty of hotels and resort where you can sit by the pool or the ocean and just relax. There’s also a few sights to see around the area. We rented a scooter and cruised around, stopping to see the amazing Fairy Stream. The seafood in Mui Ne is great. We spent far too much time throwing entire once-living creatures down our gullets. For lots more information about traveling to Mui Ne on the cheap, check out my guide to Mui Ne, Vietnam.
When Sara and I were asked by a Vietnamese friend to join her on a trip to her hometown, we hesitated at first. Truthfully, the 7 hour ride on a night-bus scared us more than a bit, but after a brief consultation we were 100% on-board. This would be a true off the beaten path Vietnam experience. Next stop: Ea H’leo, Dak Lak.
I have to admit, the first time I was in Hoi An I didn’t like it. The main reason: The tourists. I didn’t come to Vietnam to see westerners. The whole town is centered around tourism. Locals are aggressive when it comes to getting your business. The beautiful buildings are all shops selling — well, it doesn’t matter what they’re selling — I’m not here to shop. Truth be told, Sara and I were in and out of Hoi An in only a few hours. The heat and the harassing was just too much for your favourite budget travel couple. This time around though, I would be stationed in the city for 3 days. I’d have to do things differently if I wanted to keep my cool, so I brought my mom… She thinks I’m cool.
I woke up late. The previous day I was up extra early to catch a 7AM bus from Ho Chi Minh City for a 6 hour ride to Phnom Penh.