What to do in Vietnam
Iconic Saigon – The Caravelle Hotel
International media. Cocktails. The Opera House. Diplomats. Throw in a bomb scare against the backdrop of a war with an inexorably ominous ending for good measure. If it’s drama you wanted, the Caravelle Hotel in the 1960s was the place to be, home to various embassies and the Saigon bureaus...
Vung Tau, Vietnam — How to go to the beach like a local
Saigon can be… frenetic. There’s so much to love about this city, including unexpected sights around every corner. But even for the most spasmodic, sometimes it can get a bit… much. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation’s 2010 stats, there are 320,000 cars and 3.2 million...
Photo of the Week — Driver’s Ed, Vietnamese Style
I remember the first time I ever visited Ho Chi Minh City. I was walking with a local friend when she very nonchalantly crossed the street, inadvertently leaving me paralyzed on the other side, an image of the 1980’s videogame, Frogger, flashing through my mind. For those of you from...
Home, Sweet, Home Chi Minh City
I just have that kind of face. I’ve been blessed (or is it cursed?) with a face that is home in any Asian country. After a recent trip to Thailand, the taxi driver who picked me up asked out of the blue, “Flying back to Singapore?” Ummmm. No. Good guess,...