Departure

One last shot from the speedboat before we hit the mainland. Sunrise over the mountains at 5:00am. No filter. Iphone 4S camera. Breathtaking.

3 days at the An Lam Villas Ninh Van Bay

Private boat dock 30 min north of Nha Trang.  The resort is only accessible by boat.  There are no roads in or out.


15 min ride.


Welcoming party at the bay.


All villas have private plunge pools and open walls.


Peering into the air-conditioned bedroom from the pool.


Standing at the outdoor lounge area looking across the pool at the living room.


Living room view standing on the outside deck.


Living room at night


Bathroom behind living room, and outdoor shower/soaking tub behind bathroom.


Looking for crabs on the rocks.


Free roaming pigs raised by the resort and donated to the local villagers.


View of the bay and canopy from atop the yoga treehouse.


View of the infiniti pool and beach. 

Oh and to top it all off, we received notice on the last day that we have an offer on our house in Houston.   Perfect end to a perfect trip.  5-stars from beginning to end.  

Nha Trang Day 3

This is pretty much all we did today.  

Nha Trang Day 2

The water at Nha Trang is rough and the sand is very coarse.


Since swimming here is not very optimal, make sure to bring entertainment.


Dipping in the water is quite nice though.  Just make sure you don't get sucked away by the strong undertow.


Lunch at Nha Trang Xua, situated next to a lily pond and rice paddy.  Rustic and intimate.


We came here for the Banh Xeo which is very good here.  My personal favorite was the Goi bap chuoi.


Nha Trang is a lazy beach town.  Even the lizards are lazy here.  This guy let me get pretty close.









Cho dem.  


Drinks at the Sailing Club.  Touristy and expensive.  Quan nhau is much more fun.

Nha Trang Day 1

Sorry for the pause.  Internet access has been spotty at the hotel, and I've been working on my tan.


Nha Trang from the air.


Sunrise Hotel and Spa: gigantic beds which are really 2 small beds pushed together.


Nha Trang beachfront from the 10th floor.


Urchin, prawns, snails, rau muong, xoai.


Che suong sa hot luu, che ba mau, che ba ba, che sam bo luong..

Day 3 HCMC

Woke up at 7am on our final day and decided to head to the rooftop pool to soak in the city.  


Lunch at Pho Hoa Pasteur.  40 some-odd years old, still going strong today.


Legendary bowl of soup.  Could have eaten 2.


The city has installed public exercise machines throughout parks in the city for people to use and stay fit.  After a big lunch, this seems appropriate.  


After eating Com Tam for dinner and walking Ben Thanh market at night, we decided to take a break from the alchohol and have fruity drinks and ice cream instead.  We found a lively outdoor cafe nearby and listened to a band singing oldies while motorbikes zipped by in the background.  Our table is center bottom in the picture.  I ended up cheating and having a Pina Colada.  Next stop:  Nha Trang.

Day 2 HCMC

Street graffiti.  Vietnamese kids are hip to the memes.


More graffiti.


Lunch at Quan An Ngon, an open-air restaurant where various vendors surround the eating area selling a huge variety of Vietnamese dishes.  The food in Vietnam is insanely delicious.


<3 Banh Cuon <3 



Pre-dinner relaxation at the rooftop pool of our hotel.


While Calvin got a haircut I hung out outside the salon at a small food stand on the street corner to people watch.  As the sun disappeared, the street grew alive with vendors as tourists and locals flooded the block lit with neon signs and open flames from barbecue grills.  As I drank my Heineken, a peddler came by and sold me a bag of peanuts which turned out to be rotten and full of mold.  I really enjoyed this moment of the trip.


During Calvin's haircut the transformer to the building blew out and killed all the lights.  Fortunately three of us in the store had iphones with flashlight apps and were able to help the barber finish the job, much to the amusement of the staff and people passing by the store.  I paused to take a picture, then turned the 3rd lamp back on.


Fancy drinks at the Park Hyatt bar waiting to meet friends later in the evening.  Quite tasty.


Hai con gai dep.  


Allen, Calvin, me, and Brian.  2 tourists surrounded by 2 Vietnamese ex-pats living in Vietnam.  Very nice guys.


Ex-pat night club.  Every nationality under the sun came out to play.

Day 1 HCMC part 2: How to get rid of jetlag

Step 1:  Have an amazing seafood dinner in District 4 and polish off 30 tiger beers.


Step 2:  Go to club Chill/Skybar and polish off 1 bottle of Ciroc vodka.  Dance briefly, but vigorously.


Step 3:  Go to karaoke bar and polish off 1 bottle of Johnny Walker scotch.  Also be sure to order dau hu chien and cashews to assist consumption.




Step 4:  Return to hotel, sleep like the dead.

Day 1 HCMC

Owl coffin art at SEA.


Cool ceiling architecture at SFO



How kids sleep on China Airlines.




How we sleep on China airlines.


Long flight.


Hello kitty wall at TPE.


Wall of greeters outside of SGN.


Delicious first meal courtesy of May's friends at Cuc Gach Quan.  


Grand Silverland Hotel, HCMC.  Very nice, good shower.


Bac Tram would approve.   


Afternoon refreshments at L'usine.


Women.


$7 pedicure.  My feet are pretty now.