VIETNAM - Country with 3,000 km of coastline, rainforest, karst landscapes, colorful mountain tribes and the legacy of ancient civilizations has got a lot to show. And to all this add the great food, hospitable and friendly prices.
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TAXI drivers in Saigon are known for overcharging forigners. So it is wise to use reliable taxis of the companies Mai Linh and Vinasun. To avoid trouble I’ve decided to order an excelent transfer throught the Green path transfers www.greenpathtransfers.com
STREET LIFE - Crossing a wide road in Saigon can become a real adrenalin filled adventure, as traffic signals are used mostly for colourful decoration and nobody, and I really mean nobody, stops for a pedestrian! You have to bravely stand on the street and slowly make your way forth. Scooter drivers are not too fast and skilfully avoid pedestrians. They only get confused is a pedestrian stops or takes a step back, so never do that while crossing a street in Vietnam!
From the beginning I enjoyed the city life which is literally happening on the street, with an endless stream of pubs with tables on the sidewalk. If there’s some free space, a food stand will pop out in the evening, with a stove and a rich array of cuisine to offer at best of prices. Guests will get their food on small tables and chairs on the sidewalk and when it gets too full on the road itself!
FOOD - Vietnams cuisine is not too spicy but they add a fish sauce. It looks like soya sauce and is prepared in a similar way, only it features fermented fish instead of soya beans. And it smells the part. But the taste is great especially in combination with many different spices and herb they add. Apart from spring rolls, various vegetable, fish and crab dishes I really loved their soup called pho. I wanted to learn more about their cooking secrets, so I took a cooking class. First at
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After visiting the local market where we got to know the key ingredients, the class has started under the tutorage of the experienced chef. We prepared the pho soup, fresh vegetables and a chicken with fresh green mango salad. I liked the place which at the first sight look lake a market with street stals all around. It is interesting just to walk around and take a look how all that vietnamese food is prepared.
GOING AROUND – Main stops were Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat Saigon and Mekong delta. Tours are so cheap that somethimes is worth to take one. I did it with
www.longphutourist.com, which operates the boat to the islands and bays around Monkey island. First we stoped at the uninhabited peninsula Nha Phu. Thre ís a kind of Disneyland with plenty attractions for kids and adults- elpehant, ostrich, horse riding, paintball, paragliding, beach activities... If you want tranqulity there is a nice waterfall about 30 min away or if you want beach for yourself just walk a few hunderd meters from the restaurant and beach umbrelas. Lunch is included in tour - good seection of sea food, ostrich and even a bottle of good vitnamise red wine. After lunch we went to the Monkey island. It ís fun to see all the monkeys around, but be carefull feeding them! They tend to take the food from your open bag or backpack or from your hands.
www.longphutourist.com, which operates the boat to the islands and bays around Monkey island. First we stoped at the uninhabited peninsula Nha Phu. Thre ís a kind of Disneyland with plenty attractions for kids and adults- elpehant, ostrich, horse riding, paintball, paragliding, beach activities... If you want tranqulity there is a nice waterfall about 30 min away or if you want beach for yourself just walk a few hunderd meters from the restaurant and beach umbrelas. Lunch is included in tour - good seection of sea food, ostrich and even a bottle of good vitnamise red wine. After lunch we went to the Monkey island. It ís fun to see all the monkeys around, but be carefull feeding them! They tend to take the food from your open bag or backpack or from your hands.
RIDE ON THE VINTAGE SCOOTER
Cafe Zoom in Saigon is also the headquarters of the Vietnams Vespa Adventure agency, organizing tours across the city and its surroundings, or even tours lasting several days. I was easy to convince and I decided to take up the half day adventure on the pack of a scooter, which was among the most pleasant trips I took on the whole stay in Vietnam. Ideal for nostalgia searchers who can enjoy a ride on a vintage vespa to the small villages, water canals, markets, crowded ferries, narrow bridges... I went with a driver as I wanted to enjoy the sightseeing www.vietnamvespaadventures.com/tours
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Scooters, currently mostly modern Japanese, are an inevitable part of daily life in Vietnam. A car is too expensive and usually not too practical for the traffic jams in the city, so a scooter is much faster. This makes the streets filled with honking scoters zig-zaging all over the place, with up to five grown people, and a pet or baby on board. And I haven’t even mentioned the huge loads of stuff they pack on those two wheels.
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SAIGON – Madame Cuc 127 www.madamcuchotels.com -The hotel is well located, just a few meters from the main Saigon travelers area, so the street is not too noisy. The room was nice, clean, with a big balcony and great view, even of the most known town buildings. Great breakfast is served at the massive table and the same dark coloured heavy but nice looking chairs. Look at the passport size photographs, which left satisified guests on the table! There are also nice photographs on the walls, which were taken by housband of madame Cuc and are for sale. The staff were attentive and helpfull, the room and service were excellent for that price range.
HUE – Orchid hotel www.orchidhotel.com.vn
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I also admired lovely violet flowers in our room and on the paintings all over the hotel. The room was spacious, with nice dark colored furniture. We even had a computer with internet connection in the room! Brakfast was fabolous - lots of selection, specially with various tropical fruits and sweets, as well as with different spring rolls. Excelent choice for a few more US dollars...
DA LAT – Crazy house www.crazyhouse.vn
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I loved the extravagant house from the first minute! I came in the late afternoon, so the last visitors were leaving and the house was left almost alone for me to research all the wired, fantastic places. That, you can do only if you stay there overnight, as during the opening hours there are just too many people to admire the masterpiece in peace. I really loved it. The history of the house and its arhitect is also interesting and she even lives in the central part of the house and her sun with his family downstares. Real fun for big and small kids. It was a special and unique experience and I would love to spend more nights there.
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more impressions: http://travelfrog.jimdo.com/vietnam/
INFO
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/
Video - crazy traffic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=idJL1G96BOQ
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