S5-E12 - Out and About in Mui Ne – Laying bare to the winds of change S5- E12 Out & About in Mui Ne Laying bare to the winds of change Kerry Newsome : Welcome everyone to the What About Vietnam podcast and my little mini series that I'm calling Out and About in Vietnam. Today I'm going to ask you to join me as I tell you a little story about my Out and about experiences in Mui Ne. Now a little bit of funny background to this visit in the sense that I actually went to one of my own previous episodes as some inspiration for it. So I'm talking about the episode I did back in December 21, would you believe, with a lovely lady by the name of Nikki Cornish. So it was episode, I think, S3-E17. I was talking about Mui Ne. Nikki was GM of the very luxurious resort there, the Sailing Club Resort, and I kind of used her storytelling and some of the things that she mentioned as a bit of inspiration to visit this place, because it has been touted as a very famous beachside location. And because I'd just come from Ho Tram, I sort of wanted to continue on that seaside excursion, for want of a better word, to explore beachside locations that are just a little bit out of the way or off the beaten track in amongst the other more famous ones. So, today's story is definitely about Mui Ne and my experiences there. So, that was the first inspiration for going. Secondly, I have a lovely friend who has family and a farm in the city or just out of the city of Phan Thiet. So Phan Thiet is located about 20-25 minutes out of Mui Ne. So I thought well this was close enough to get access to her. And then just out of that city is her farm. So I got to go and visit her, see the farm where they farm dragon fruit and melons and things like that. So that was kind of another motivation for me to visit this location. And then, you know, lastly, I was looking for some contrast, some contrast to other beachside cities that I have visited. So that would be Da Nang, that would be Hoi An and the beachside area there of An Bang, and of course, just coming from Ho Tram. So, let's get stuck into it. So, what can I tell you about my first impressions? Well, first impressions is or has to start with getting there. So, from Ho Chi Minh City, we opted for a driver, private driver and getting a car there. Now, that's not to say that's the only way to get there. The other option is definitely by train. Now, the reason I chose car was at the moment I'm traveling with a lot of luggage. And with the train, the train doesn't come into Fantip, it sort of comes into Place just about I don't know about 15 K's out of the city. So even if you come into that train station You still have to arrange like a taxi or whatever from there to you know, whatever your hotel Location is so if you're staying in Phan Thiet, you'd have to still get into the city or for us we had arranged accommodation actually at in or in Mui Ne So that was the motivation by the car choice, a private driver. And it's a speedy trip now. The highway has really shortened the trip. When I was talking to Nikki about this it was really a four hour at least drive. Now you can kind of get there in probably three hours. So it's really quicker and the road is good and it just makes that experience so much easier and more comfortable. So options are car is one option, train is the other. There's no airport so bus is another option but that's just kind of not my thing with luggage and bus travel etc. When we arrived into Mui Ne, I guess what was clearly apparent and it's well known in the city to be It was very windy. Now, for most people, you go, blah, you know, who cares? But it is seriously windy. And for the beach locations that you may be looking for as in accommodation, please take that into consideration, because we actually chose the cliffs, which is kind of up on a hill. And it left the beach very exposed. So while you may think in your head long walks on the beach and you know strolling along the beach and you know in a comfortable environment, It didn't really offer that for us because of the wind. And it was crazy that the hotel like all day has these kites that just continually can fly all day and into the evening because the wind is just so consistent. So, hand on heart, I can say I honestly didn't do a stroll on the beach. I saw the beach from my hotel, but on the beach front, in front of our hotel, I chose not to because it was just uncomfortable. However, there are better locations where you're going to get a bit more of a sheltered stay, and the sailing club is one of those. And I didn't want to stay there because I knew all about that location. So I wanted to stay somewhere else. So I would just have something to compare it to. But I did go and check it out and it is much more sheltered. It's boutique. It's really lovely. But there is a plethora of accommodations on the beach. So, my tip for anyone wanting to explore this as a beach side escape from Saigon, I would definitely put some work into or some thought about the kind of location accommodation that you want and the experiences that you want to have. Now, let me talk to you about the main experiences that I got to enjoy at this location. Firstly, it was definitely catching up with my friend Linh and going to the farm and experiencing that side, the agricultural side of Vietnam in small kind of hobby farming. So, you know, it's an experience you don't get to do that often as a tourist. So, for me, that was very special and also spending some time with her family. Secondly, was doing the major tourist attractions that this place is noted for. One is the sand dunes. And for me I'm not your energy bunny kind of girl, I'm not one seeking that kind of adrenaline, I don't need that kind of adventure but I wanted to see the sand dunes for myself and I wanted to kind of see that in action. So I did get to spend the day to go out and have a look at them And they are quite staggeringly beauty, beautiful. They are quite staggeringly amazing in the sense of them featuring just so much sand. And then with the wind, you can imagine that that sweeping kind of terrain is It's just fascinating and we did see some people out there enjoying, you know, June buggies and really having a fun time and tobogganing and things like that. So, it's definitely up there. If you like that kind of stuff, it's definitely there to do and I would suggest you go and check it out. The very cool thing that I really did enjoy was the fairy stream. Now, at first I thought in my mind when I had spoken to Nicky Cornish about the fairy stream, I imagined that quite a way out of town as well, because you're talking about, you know, an area of sand dunes again, and an area that you would think would not fit in the town, but it actually is in the town. So you go to this entrance and you go down some cement stairs and then you find yourself wading through kind of ankle deep water. of a stream and the stream just meanders on and on and on through these eroded walls of sand dunes and of course as they appear they're very weathered and you can see the various levels of erosion and the colours that that kind of features and shows. So, you know, you're paddling along and walking this, I don't know, could have been maybe up to a kilometre long. And that's the fairy stream. What was interesting was because Linh was able to join us on this day, she had said that they were actually much wider a few years ago. So, you know, probably four or five years ago, they were twice the width that they are now. So, it's very shallow water and it's getting narrower and narrower each year. So, who knows how long it will be before it like just disappears. So, it's a very simple thing to do, you know, there was a mix of couples and families and some small children and, you know, it was just very easy to just wade through that and it was quite pleasant and a lovely thing to do. period I would think that you would need to encompass these things is probably what we did, which was about, we did a 3 night stay. So that allowed us the first night to get in and then two extra nights and kind of two full days. And that meant that we could kind of do it and experience these things at a pace that was really easy. Of course I'm visiting it in the month of March so it was it was hot. You know we we added on one extra experience which was a journey out to they called the lighthouse. Now that was about an hour's drive out of Mui Ne and you know it was so hot and so blindingly are hard to experience on the white sands because these are just pristine white sands that the reflection you couldn't see your phone to take you know you couldn't really do much out there because the sun was just blaring down on it and so trying to take photos of, you know, the fishing villages and the locals, etc., with their nets, and that was really quite difficult, you know, even at about 9 a.m. in the morning. The other thing I want to mention when you are out and about in Mui Ne is it is not really a city, in my opinion, that is catering to Westerners. Now, it has been known to be a city very much favoured by the Russians. And, you know, we found it quite common to go to restaurants or bars, etc. And, you know, some menus were written in Russian and English, of course, in addition to Vietnamese. So that was quite fascinating in itself. And we did see a lot of Russians staying at various locations. Now, that may have changed a little bit post COVID, but certainly it was definitely known for it prior. But what I'm really wanting to hearken on here is that It is a remote fishing village by nature. I think the domestic tourist is going to be keener than the westerner to visit this location, purely because to get about, to do stuff there does take some extra planning, some thinking about it and some research. I think you'd be crazy to come to Mui Ne without having done some homework or, you know, talking to an agent or talking to a local who can speak English to give you the best advice for the best stay. you know, it's a four-hour commitment out of Ho Chi Minh City. So, you know, getting there, I wouldn't want you to try and get about by yourself without kind of knowing where you're going. I mean, when I send people there, I definitely make sure they are aware of the lack of ease of getting around. Like, for instance, they don't really have a strong grab comMui Nety. So you are going to be relying on taxis and you are not going to get that many people out of the hotel that speak good English. We were able to experience some great food like seafood is just obviously because it's a fishing area. The seafood was cheap and it was good. It was well cooked. It was made a lot easier for us because those three days we had access to Lin and Lin obviously being Vietnamese was able to translate for us and deal with the menu ordering and things like that. So it just made it all that much easier and gave us a little bit more of an authentic experience. So I think a guide would definitely be the go if you wanted to really get the full authentic immersion in that city. Because, you know, like when we went out to the lighthouse, we, you know, the car arrived into this very small village, which you and I wouldn't have a clue to know that that was where you went to, to arrange with one of the local fishermen to take a boat out to the lighthouse because it sits on an island. Fantastic views back to Mui Ne to get there. But there was no signs, there was no kind of easy instructions about that this was the place to come to, to arrange that kind of thing. So you'd have to be dealing with someone in the know of how to get around that city and how to access, you know, the next biggest city being Phan Thiet City. So, that was kind of my very clear takeaway was that we had the distinct advantage of being able to get a bit closer and see a bit more, understand a bit more about the city because we had access to a Vietnamese and a local at that point because she and her family live just out of Phan Thiep City. So that was kind of my main takeaways from being out and about in Mui Ne. It certainly does have the aspect for, I think, the budget traveller and certainly the adventure traveller who has an interest in kite surfing, wind surfing, any of those wind kind of sports on the water. We saw hundreds of them, people flying kites as well as actually kite surfing. And it was spectacular. So, I can understand why it is a hub for that sport. and to the extent that it's well known for major competitions to be held here. So, you know, for the, I guess, the more budget-minded, the single travelers, etc., you know, you would definitely love that. And because the weather is fairly consistent at about you know, 28 degrees plus, you're going to get most of the year to come here to do that sport with comfort and the kind of the heat that you need and the winds to do it. For anyone looking for a remote beachside location, it would definitely be the go. The sports are definitely ocean, wind options. The two main attractions being the ferry stream, the sand dunes is definitely there. But once again, they would only fill a couple of hours of your day and your stay. So if you're coming here, think chill out vibes, nice hotel, nice pool, eating tasty food, relaxing by the beach, and you're done. I think that would definitely be my wrap up for one of a better way of describing Mui Ne. I try to say to people as much as I can is that because Vietnam is just not a one-dimensional country, firstly decide yourself what you want to get out of your stay. If you want relaxation, if you want immersion into culture, if you want adventure, then it's easy to marry the place to those desires, to those travel experiences that you want to have. So for this one, I want those people to think about Mui Ne as a chill out vibe place, doing some small activities, or if you are the adventure traveller and you love kite surfing and you want a kite surfing location, bang that's your place. I hope you'll continue with the series with me, I hope you're enjoying it. I would love to get your feedback on as they're coming through. I will be able to share with you another out and about very, very soon in another beachside location, very different to Mui Ne and I look forward to sharing that with you. Please follow the show on your various platforms or you can listen for free on the website whataboutvietnam.com. You know I'm always around to give you any advice plan your trip A to Z or as much as your trip you'd like some help with, I'm definitely available to do that. Thank you for being such great listeners and I hope this is going to help you with your trip planning for Vietnam.

S4-02 Fine Dining Vietnam Fine Dining in Vietnam with talented chefs Episode 2 S4-02 Fine Dining Vietnam 00:00 / 46:29 Meet some of Vietnam’s talented chefs. Vietnam is legendary for its street food and fresh flavoursome cuisine. However you may be surprised to find out it also has a fast growing "Fine Dining" industry championed by some very talented Chefs. Hear what they have to say about their style of cuisine and restaurant experience. The best part of dining out at one of the Vietnam's top-tier restaurants is the sense of occasion it brings, and my guest Raj Taneja due to his leadership and culinary knowledge of the association la Chaine des Rotisseurs, is our guide to what we can expect to enjoy in fine dining in Vietnam. Raj's role within Chaîne des Rôtisseurs enables him to visit and review many fine culinary establishments and 5 star hotels in Vietnam. This makes him the ideal guest to speak about Vietnam's growing love of fine dining and world class status. Some of the chefs mentioned in the show:- 1. Chef Joon Chi 2. Chef Nico Ceccomoro 3.Chef Alession Rasom 4. Chef Sakal Phoeung 5. Chef Hoang Tung Download the full transcript including all the links to the restaurants and hotels mentioned in the show. Photo Credit: https://vietnam.chainedesrotisseurs.com/?lang=en Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S5-E6-Explore the ‘Land of Lychees’ – Bac Giang with return traveller to Vietnam S5-E6 –Explore the ‘Land of Lychees’ – Bac Giang with a return traveller to Vietnam Kerry Newsome: Xin chào and welcome to the What About Vietnam podcast. I'm very excited today to actually bring back a guest I spoke to back in June 2021. Now that's when we weren't able to go anywhere. But my guest, Jessie Pearlman, was sitting in Hanoi and I was really keen to talk to him at the time because he'd been to a place called Mu Cang Chai and he is a wonderful photographer and I had been following him on his Instagram page and I just fell in love with his photos and his stories and he came on the show and he's been a really big hit with you. So I asked him to come back on, and he's sitting in his home in Massachusetts, I think, in the U.S., and we're going to be talking to him, believe it or not, again about his return trip to Vietnam. So, let's welcome Jesse to the program. Great to have you on the show. Jesse Pearlman: Pleasure to be here, Kerry Kerry Newsome: Well, we're going to be talking about something that I am totally naive to. And so you're going to be educating me as well as everyone listening. And we're going to be talking about the lychee or the lychee festival, which is something that I think was the trigger for you to go back. But maybe for everyone, before we get into that in detail, Maybe give us a quick recap since you came back to the US after our last recording and what you've been doing in between time Like Jesse Pearlman: I said pleasure to be coming back to the podcast. I love talking about traveling specifically in Vietnam, so It's always great. I Came home about a month after we last spoke on air and After that, I've just been in school getting a master's degree in order to teach ESL. I think there are a lot of teachers who go to Asia to teach, and I think they kind of end up not really caring about the job itself, which is fine because it's what an opportunity it is to just be able to be born speaking English and be able to teach that. For whatever reason, I really loved the job. And I loved it from the first second I did it. When I landed in Korea, felt totally unprepared. First day I walked in the classroom, just kind of felt good. I felt at ease. And I've always loved working with children. So I'm going to be an ESL instructor here in a town in Massachusetts. One of the large portion of the ESL speakers that come in through this district are Vietnamese. So looking forward to working with them and their families. And they're Southern Vietnamese, so they probably wouldn't be able to understand my terrible Northern Vietnamese, especially because I'm not very good at pronouncing it. But either way, I'm looking forward to it. Kerry Newsome: That's exciting. And good on you for taking the job. you know, seriously and wanting to put your best foot forward in that space. And I think in Vietnam, especially, the country is developing and becoming, I guess, a little bit more sophisticated in that area and wanting people of a really good caliber to come into the country if they're going to teach. And I think that's just terrific. Now, I want to get into some detail with you, and I know you've got lots to share. So you decided to go back to Vietnam just very recently. What was the real motivation for you wanting to go back? Jesse Pearlman: To see my friends, to see all my Vietnamese friends. When I lived in Korea before I came to Vietnam, All of my friends were pretty much foreigners. So I played in a foreigner baseball league. I was in this hiking group that was foreigners for the most part. And I wouldn't say I integrated very well with the host culture of Korea. But when I moved to Vietnam, the first place I lived was a very small city called Yen Bai city in the province that Mu Cang Chai , Yen Bai province. And there weren't a lot of foreigners in general, maybe three in the whole place. I just, all my friends were Vietnamese. A lot of them were, some of them were my, a lot of them were my students who were adults, but a lot of them also were just people that kind of just came up and talked to me because they knew English and others were people who didn't speak English. And we kind of communicated via Google translate a lot of the time. And then of course I made my friends in Mu Cang Chai who were Hmong. But moving to Hanoi, you know, definitely met more foreigners there, but still a lot of there were a lot of really nice people at work who I became friends with. So my point is, is I was planning on coming back to Vietnam the second I came back to America, like I was, as soon as I as soon as the borders opened, and as soon as COVID was okay. And as soon as I had the money and time, it was going to happen. I had the trip planned. for the two years. Kerry Newsome: It's really funny you say that because I've spoken to so many people who have said the only way to get over any feeling of, I don't know, despair, loss, grief when you leave the country that, you know, is to plan the next trip. That's the only way to recover from that feeling when you get back. And I know it kills me when I get home to resettle back into Australia as much as I love my country. But yeah, I have to be planning the next trip. Thankfully, what I do allows me to do that. Jesse, let's talk about what month you went to in this trip, in this new trip you did and kind of where you first landed and where you're headed to because I think that's going to be of particular interest to everyone listening. Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, absolutely. My trip was mostly in the North because that's where I lived and I also feel quite intrigued by the north. The south is really nice for beaches. But you know, if obviously you're familiar, I'm sure all listeners here on the program are familiar with the, the geography of Vietnam gets so thin, there's not a lot of action going on, like in terms of mountains, and there are some but it's not like in the north, it just really opens up. So yeah, I flew into Hanoi. and just, you know, recalibrated and stayed in Truc Bach Lake. That's the place where I lived when I was living in Hanoi. It's very beautiful. To the American listeners, it's the place where John McCain's plane was shot down, and he became one of the first prisoners of war in the American-Vietnam War. Anyway, from there, I really came to Vietnam in June, which I think you asked earlier. That was the month that I went. I knew it was going to be hot, but I planned it, one, because I'm a teacher, I had to work around that schedule, but two, because I wanted to go to see the rice planting in Mu Cang Chai, which we talked about in a previous podcast, and then also the lychee harvest in Bac Giang. That's a district or, excuse me, that's a province about two and a half hours north of Hanoi. I want to say it might even be northeast of Hanoi. Um, pretty much just take the highway to get there at first. And then there are some not fun roads on the way to this particular village. Uh, the way I'll pronounce it is I'll just try to pronounce it in a, in a way it was very tough to pronounce this word in Vietnamese, but it's, L-U-C and then N-G-A-N, Luc Ngan. And it's this little district within the province that has kind of been designated since the late 1980s as the place where lychees are harvested. Lychee, lychee, what have you, those fruits that are incredibly juicy, have a pit in the middle. Some people even call them lychee nuts. And they have that bright red, almost like alligator skin coating on them. And this is the place if you enjoy this fruit and if you enjoy tropical fruit, rare fruit, this is the place to go. And I got the whole, I got really the whole tour of all the experiences you could have and I'm We'll definitely dive into that in a moment, but that was what I really wanted to see, funnily enough. Like that was my, that was one of my big goals of this trip. Kerry Newsome: So we're talking June and we're talking a trip by design to basically head straight for Bac Giang. Jesse Pearlman: That's a great question. It was just a two or three day trip. Honestly, I did it in about 24 hours and it was very doable. I think if you are a tourist who just kind of wants to have a little bit more time to just take things all in and you don't want to feel like you're constantly packing and moving, a two-day trip would be nice. I'm sure there's some other aspect. I know, for instance, they have a lake around that area. However, the weather is hot. I just think that it's a really nice trip you can do out of Hanoi for about one or two days And just get this experience that really has not been treated to a lot of tourists, even Vietnamese tourists. I would say a lot of them were surprised that that was a thing that I wanted to do. And I think the reason I wanted to do it was one, because I love lychees, but two, really for the photography and for the photos of these, these men and women bringing in you know, hundreds and kilos of lychees on the back of their motorbikes all at the same time to the morning market to have them shipped off to the countrywide, uh, to places like Japan and Korea, China in huge, massive amounts, the United States in massive amounts. And, uh, I mean, 180,000 tons of lychees are harvested each year in Bac Giang . It's the biggest. output in the country and they're one of the main countries that supply lychees to the world. Kerry Newsome: It's phenomenal, isn't it? I've seen the photos or some photos of the motorbikes absolutely chock-a-block all together coming down the street, etc. full to the brim with the lychees, or leeches as we figured out. We don't know which one is the right way to say it. I don't know. We'll just go with it anyway. But like 180,000 tons, that is definitely a lot of lychees. Tell us, Jessie, you said that you took the road, it's two and a half hours out of Hanoi. Did you do that by bike or did you decide to take a tour? What would you suggest for everyone to actually get out to this district is the best way, especially for new tourists? Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, I guess for new tourists, if you are not comfortable on a motorbike, I would not take it. There was a lot of highway driving. It rained the whole time. So I had to go very slow and pull over multiple times. And after the major highway, the road was unpaved and therefore there were puddles, it was going up and down. I would definitely suggest, depending on your level of motion sickness, either taking a bus or taking a private car. Private cars, and they call them transfers, are really readily available in Vietnam. I mean, any quick search will bring you to a company that, yes, they have set tours, but you can call them and ask them, I want you to just drive me to this place. You can pay for someone, pay extra for someone that can speak English who drives, or it can just be a person who drives that speaks Vietnamese. They still tend to be very friendly and wonderful people regardless. That's how I would suggest getting there. I think my motorbike experience, and this is someone who loves riding motorbikes, was not that pleasant. I did not enjoy the ride. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and I think it's important to kind of mention this because I have a lot of listeners that are really comfortable on bikes and, you know, have really traversed the country on motorbikes and done very well. But they are experienced riders in their own countries. I get nervous when I hear about or people are talking about, you know, just hiring a motorbike and off they go on a scooter and off they go when, you know, the roads in some areas are okay, but for long distances, the combination of weather and then when the road goes, you know, muddy and potholes and sometimes chock-a-block with traffic. I know that, you know, sometimes going around Ha Giang, that, you know, people have said you've got to queue in traffic to do the loop. So, you know, it's something to consider, but making sure that when you're considering this, you're getting the best advice possible for the locality that you're going into. Jesse Pearlman: I completely agree. And I think that the motorbiking thing is no joke in Vietnam. The number one death cause is motorbiking in Vietnam. So yeah, it's a huge situation. I think for people who are not advanced motorbikers, they should not take it with that. And people who are, my argument would just be it wasn't fun. Like I love driving my motorbike up through big passes, big mountain passes, but this was really bumpy and the traffic therefore was quite bad because of the unpaved roads. So I would definitely recommend taking either a bus or a A private car would be even better because it'll make the traffic feel a lot better. Kerry Newsome: I must admit, I'm a girl that's kind of built for comfort, not speed, so I definitely go with the private car option. Jesse Pearlman: My girlfriend agrees, by the way. When she came to visit me, she came for one of the weeks I was in Vietnam. She came from Massachusetts. She's a doctor, left America, came back, worked the next day. When she came back, she's an absolute trooper. But I was there for about a week with me, and yeah, it was private transfers all the way for both of us. That's what she told me. Kerry Newsome: Jessie, let's just talk a little bit about accommodation before we get into what you experienced around the Lychee's. Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, so I reached out to a woman who I worked with, I think I mentioned earlier. I had some friends from work, and she was from Bac Giang and she lived close to this Lychee area, and she was almost my in. Because if you look up lychee harvest in Pakistan, there's a lot of articles that are more or less just pumped out by the government. They use this word very liberally, the term propaganda. There's not as negative connotation with that word in Vietnam. So they write these articles just being like, yeah, this place is great. Look at how awesome we're doing with how much lychees we're picking. But there aren't a ton of blogs about people going there. So it was difficult for me to just figure out, do I just go? Like, I have my motorbike. I know where the place kind of is. I can just figure it out myself. I still reached out to someone who then put me in touch with a woman who actually runs a tour service in Luke Nunn for the Leeches and other tropical, other nice fruits that they grow. Once I was able to get in touch with that woman, it was actually quite difficult because of the language barrier. But once again, we are living in an era where we have this technology to be able to speak with each other and then translate our sentences. And Google Translate for Vietnamese is really good. I don't know if you ever had anybody talking about that on the podcast before. communication with locals and stuff. Google Translate is pretty awesome. It works quite well. We were able to communicate that way. Basically, she booked a hotel for me and then met me at the hotel when I arrived. The hotel was in the town where one of the markets takes place. It's probably a 10-kilometer stretch of where the orchards are and also where the markets are. But this is one of the main ones. And it was Luke Nunn Town. So she met me there. And then through Google Translate, just kind of said to me, hey, why don't you go shower and get ready? My husband will pick you up at 6.30. We're going to have dinner at our place. So I had already gotten excited, had Vietnamese dinners before with local families, and they're incredible. But this one was more than I ever could have imagined. It turns out that they live in this, or at least where their restaurant place was, was this grand outdoor place. And, you know, there were the fountains all over the place, large rocks with insignia. It was very, it was designed in a way that reminds me of kind of the Northern Vietnamese design. And there were various gazebos within the nature, flowers growing all over the place. And yeah, they just treated me to this dinner. I mean, obviously it came within the price of the tour, but yeah, we had this dinner that was expansive with some of the best stuff, you know, deep fried pork. You know, slow roasted pork and duck and then some really like some specialties from the region. Of course, all the leeches. At one point through the meal, the dad just took me with him and we walked outside their property across the street. And there were these men. It was raining. It was nighttime. They had full reindeer on and and flashlights on their head. And they were just harvesting leeches. And the guy talked to him and just said, hey, could you give some to my friend? And they just gave me fresh off the tree leeches. And that was a little sneak preview of what was to come. Kerry Newsome: We'll make sure that we put any contact with this lady in the show notes for people. So if you want to do this, you can reach out directly. Did she have a Facebook page or something like that? Because most people do. Jesse Pearlman: She had a Facebook page. So this is what's tricky about traveling in Vietnam. She had a Facebook page and most Vietnamese people are, are using Facebook and some people, however, especially it's kind of an older fashion thing is they're really, and actually maybe it's not because we do it in America. They're very phone based. They, they want your phone number and they want to text you and they want to call you. So the best way that people reach her and in a lot of these small businesses in Vietnam is they call. And that's out of the question for me. So, uh, I'm not going to be able to hold, I can speak a little Vietnamese, but I can't hold the phone conversation. I mean, just your ability to listen over the phone and the quality, quality, sound quality is important. So it's hard to understand them. And so, uh, then the other version they use is, um, this Vietnamese, Messaging app called Zalo. So if you go to Vietnam and you have a Vietnamese phone number You can download this app and then it's like WhatsApp or something and you can use it however, if you don't register with the Vietnamese number and what I did to get my SIM card was just Paying for a data plan. I now can't use Zalo. So now she's She's on her third method of communication, which is Facebook and that's the only way I can reach her And so it just took her a little bit, a while to figure out messenger, I think. And it was, she's, she's usually on the phone or texting or using Zalo. So once we were able to connect, the communication was great. She was on point 100% of the way. And after I finished that dinner, she told me that her husband was going to pick me up at 5am and we were going to go to the lychee market. Yeah, that's that's where it all began. That was this procession. I'd seen videos of this lychee procession and you get in a lychee traffic jam on the main road of the town just because there's so many cars coming in or motorbikes but also massive trucks that they fill with lychees for transportation. Kerry Newsome: Okay, so let's talk about that visit and that experience so that people can kind of get a visual. I'm sure you've got some great photos that I'll also put up on the page for people to see. But yeah, talk us through just what happened. They picked you up at 5 a.m. Where to from there? Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, so they picked me up at 5 a.m. and you're basically just on a motorbike. He drove my motorbike. I highly recommend for this portion of the trip, you're going to want this guy or another person to drive you on a motorbike and you're on the back. This is a very safe place to drive. No one's going over 10 kilometers per hour because of the amount of l ychee traffic. It's perfect. You have range of motion. for yourself, taking pictures, for you to turn around while he's driving. It's definitely the way to go. You can do it on foot. You definitely shouldn't do it on car, via car, because you'll just be stuck behind everything. But the motorbike's the way to go for this one. So basically, from what I understand, is there's a river that separates the town and the road from the lychee orchards. And that's where the people are collecting lychees, and they're starting at 2 a.m. on their farms, picking lychees out at dark. And then once, as soon as sunrise hits, they bike across these kind of hanging bridges. I'm sure some of the listeners have seen these bridges up in the mountains that kind of are one lane and feel like they could break at any time, but somehow they don't. I mean, the engineering in Vietnam is just incredible. But they drive across those, and then it's just kind of a race for them to get their stuff to the market. And once they're in line for the market, there's a person who comes along and almost seems to be appraising the lychees. And once they've been appraised, they then give the driver a little paper ticket that they can now give to whoever they're selling their market to, that basically it's been approved or appraised. I'm not sure whether the ticket system is how good your lychees look, and therefore you get a higher price, or whether you've just been cleared to do trade. But either way, something's going on. I go there, and it's just pandemonium. At these markets, it's absolute pandemonium. People are trying to grab all the leeches, they wash them off with the hose, they put them in these huge, almost pools, and wash them off and then drain them out. And then there's also men with gloves carrying dry ice, which is used for packaging, especially going to places like China, or other parts of Vietnam, or honestly, pretty much everywhere, just to make them remain as fresh as possible. And this dry ice, from what I would imagine, is like should not be touching your skin whatsoever. And like they come darn close to having a touch their skin, just casually bringing it from the truck onto the place. So that's, that's a site. And I have pictures of that too, uh, that, that you can include just to get a better, um, idea of it. But anyway, there's all these leachy people driving around left and right. And meanwhile, they're really interested in you, the foreigner being there because it's not a place where people go to. I, as a, as a photographer of people of something I've recently been doing, I'm still a little bit shy and feel a little bit bad of just taking pictures unsolicited of folks. And in a place like Mukong Chai where they're, they're quite shy. I don't really go out and try to take pictures of people unless I'm at a social gathering anymore. And even then I, I tried to do it only when I feel like they are going to give consent and it's. It feels like a safe space. But here, everybody's just smiling, posing, having a great time. It's totally new to them. And they're just, I don't know, they don't care. It doesn't affect their day. To them, that's at least how they see it. And so I had a lot of great interactions. And all the drivers were saying, oh, here, just take my lychees. Take as many as you want. I mean, they know you're not going to take a ton from them. Even if you did, by the way, which is something I haven't mentioned yet, a kilogram of these lychees are like one US dollar. So you're paying an unbelievably tiny amount. I left this entire place. They gave me a gift at the end, part of, I guess, this package. They gave me like five kilograms of lychees. It was way too much. I could not finish them. And this man told me that he eats, the man who ran the tour with his wife, told me that he eats one to two kilograms a day during lychee season. Wow. Kerry Newsome: So tell me, how long does it take to grow a lychee and what is required? Is it a tree? Is it in the soil? To be honest, as I said, I started this off by saying I'm clueless. Sure. Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, so I remember my mom growing up telling me it was a lychee nut. That is not the case. It grows from a tree. It grows from a tree in an orchard that looks similar to apple orchards. You know, short trees bent over, many short branches kind of bending over in an umbrella shape. Although the leaves run a little bit more wild, so it looks a little bit more healthy, I would say, than an apple tree. I think that the lychees probably it's a year-round process, but obviously, the heat plays a major role. So once summer rolls in, that's when they're going to start growing. And summer really begins in Vietnam, usually between April and May. Kerry Newsome: Do they take a year to grow? So it's like if they harvest every May, June or June, July, is that roundabout? Yes. Jesse Pearlman: It's a year. Yeah. It's only annually. It's just like the rice and mucang chai. It's just once a year. And it's from June to early July, pretty much all of the month of June. I came later on in June. And, you know, as I just described to you, it was the most of any one, maybe of one thing, like one unit of food I've ever seen in my entire life. And the whole time at that market, the man kept apologizing to me because of how few of these there were. And how much, how much crazier it was like, uh, in the peak part. And I was like, you know, couldn't believe that he said that, but yeah. So, uh, it's, it grows just at that one time a year and it's a little bit elevated, um, in terms of, uh, elevation, like, uh, it has to do with a little bit chilly winds and, uh, that has a major portion. And I think it's the humidity as well. That helps. these lychees grow. It used to be in a place called Haizhou, which I think might be its own province as well. I might be mistaken about that. But they ended up moving it to Bac Giang and Luc Ngan in particular, I think just because of changing weather conditions. I think they just determined that this was going to be the best growing conditions. Kerry Newsome: Is there any kind of medicinal aspect of the lychees? Are they good for you? I mean, people having, you know, one kilo a day seems, you know, exorbitant, but like, is there some kind of value or, you know, how does it play in their culture as far as their meals and, you know, how they treat the lychees? Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, it really, to me, seems like it is a giant export business. I think that it is just a massive opportunity for them to make money and for the country to make money, to bring them all around the world, and especially in Asia. That's the number one concern. I think the second part is definitely that it's a specialty and they're very proud of it, and they definitely eat it all the time for dessert. You might always just have some surplus lying around, too. You know, at night, sometimes when men, the men in Vietnam drink, they'll finish their drinking and they'll finish it by having some tea. And then during the tea, they might bring out some lychee, um, in a situation like that. And then I think that, uh, a funny thing about lychees and what people in Vietnam say is that it gives you really bad acne. Now I had never experienced that. And then I asked the people who ran the tour and they laughed and said, no, absolutely not. So that's a myth. It might just be a myth. It might be a myth. But when you asked me the questions about benefits, that was the first thing that came to mind. Right. Kerry Newsome: Well, yeah, getting acne probably is not a benefit for a lot of people. Jesse Pearlman: Exactly. It's a medical response. Yeah, it is a medical response. Kerry Newsome: Sure. OK. Is there anything else you want to tell everyone about this visit, this location, this experience before we kind of wrap things up? Jesse Pearlman: I think that one thing I would say is that like, you know, we are all dealing with a lot of small businesses struggling to stay afloat. And if you come to this place in Vietnam, you are supporting a small business. Like these are a group of people that pretty much have other jobs and are just doing this for one or two months a year. just trying to make a little bit more money to support their families. And these people were just absolute sweethearts were so efficient and good at their job. And, uh, I, I just don't really think that a lot of people know about it. And if you're in Hanoi, it's really not a huge extension in there. You know, they're just places that are getting really, really over touristed, which I think is another issue. in particular, like Ha Giang, the Ha Giang loop. The difference between when I left for Vietnam and now that was one of like the updates that people gave me was just, yeah, Ha Giang is almost like, it's untenable at this point. I don't know if they were, you know what I'm saying? So in places like that, I'd encourage people to maybe try to go somewhere different. And you're certainly going to get a response from the local people that is really positive because they're going to be so like interested in you. And hopefully, you know, if you're interested in Vietnam as a culture, that's a good thing to me because you can make more connections. And if you're a photographer, connections and photography go hand in hand, you can really form trust with these people and show them your kindness and, you know, if you want to give them some money after you take their picture, that's totally reasonable thing to want to do and to do. So, yeah, I just think supporting the small areas of Vietnam while we also have some really heavily touristed places. Ha Long Bay, another example. Here's some options. Here's another option for you. to take a two day, one day even trip out of Hanoi, get yourself picked up from your hotel and drop right back off there and you spend a night in a hotel which is a totally fine hotel, which is where I stayed. No issues. Kerry Newsome: Jesse, from a minority group standpoint, are they mostly Hmong in that area? Jesse Pearlman: Actually, they're pretty much all Vietnamese. Okay, this area is not an ethnic minority Location it's yeah, this is a pretty Vietnamese area. And I think that it's it's pretty close to Hanoi still to Relative to how far places can take to get in the north and I should also mention I just remember there's you like lotuses ,There's tons of lotus fields on the way and people selling lotuses on the side of this other road So it's another area, it's a very fertile area, the whole country is really fertile. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and I think you're right in saying that the North has certainly got that diversity, it's got the mountainous areas, it's got the diversity in minority groups and different experiences totally to the South, very, very, very different. So, I've been fascinated to find out about these lychees because I've seen them and I've gone, you know, what's the story there? Because it was just crazy that these bikes were just queued up for miles, it looked like, with these lychees. So, as an export business, I'm really glad that Vietnam can produce these and sell these around the world. They're an unusual fruit. They are kind of a prickly pear, for want of a better word, with that nut in the middle. I mean, how many can you consume in one sitting? Like, I could only do about two or three. That's a great question. I don't know. How many can you do? Jesse Pearlman: I'm a little bit more, I can do more than that, maybe like 10 or 15. Oh, wow. But I'll like, I'll go back to it. That's, that's what I'm about is I'll just, you know, I'll eat three or four or five and then maybe come back to it in a little bit. And also I should mention that it's very, at least for me, my experience was that it was very within Vietnamese culture for if you're eating food with, with Vietnamese people, they are going to encourage you to eat more and more and more. That was also some, some of the reasons why I ate more lychees than maybe I would have normally. Kerry Newsome: Look, thanks, Jessie. Thanks for being on the program. It's been really informative. I hope people will consider going out to this region. Let's make sure we put as many links as we can in the notes for people so that they can reach out because I'm all for supporting local businesses, community-based businesses, and Just giving people that extra information, I think, goes a long way to do that. So thanks again, Jesse, for being on the show. Jesse Pearlman: Yeah, and you know, just as an added thing, if you're not able to get in touch with these people, you're always welcome to reach out to me. My Instagram is PearlmanJ1, Pearlman, like a pearl earring, and then man, and then J, my first name, Jesse, PearlmanJ1. So if you want to send me a message on there, Or you could send me a Facebook message, Jesse Perlman is my name on Facebook. I can help you get there. So, you know, it wasn't easy for me. I want to try to make it easier. Kerry Newsome: That's really wonderful. And I'll make sure I put those links also in the notes and on the show page. Thanks again, Jesse. Hope you have a great day. Jesse Pearlman: Okay.

f633923d-dcb9-4cc1-b5e2-02708a05122dTam Ky and Tam Thanh beach - not on the regular tourist track yet! What About Vietnam - Series 2 - 4 Tam Ky and Tam Thanh Beach - Not on the regular Tourist Track YET! What about Vietnam? My name's Kerry Newsome and I'm your host. Today. We're going to be talking about a place I've wanted to learn about myself for quite some time. It's a place called Tam Ky and very close to Tam Ky is a beach called Tam Thanh. Very small Vietnamese style beach. Very local, very authentic area. I've asked Sander Seymore to come on today because he runs a consulting company called Keyway Consulting, and in that role is talking to many people in the region and in the hospitality and tourism industry. So, he has some very good knowledge to share with us about going to happen in tourism in this area and just what's available to the tourist if they would like to go there and visit. Hand on heart. I haven't been there myself yet, but I've wanted to go. And because it is so close to Hoi An, it does make an ideal day trip or possibly overnight trip. I hope you will welcome Sander to the program as he had a lot to share with us about this area. Good morning, Sander How are you? Sander Seymour: Hi. Good morning. It's Ah, nice and hot here in Vietnam. Kerry Newsome : Would I expect anything different in July in Vietnam? No, Sander Seymour: no, Absolutely not. Now it is great at the moment. Kerry Newsome : It's great to have you on the program. And you're going to be talking about a place that I in all the times I've been there, haven't managed to visit, which I feel very bad about because I've wanted to, but literally haven't got there. So we're gonna be talking about Tam Ky. Yes. Yeah. Sander Seymour: This is the capital of Quang Nam, where Hoi An is located, which I'm sure you've talked about extensively before. Kerry Newsome : Yes, yes. So maybe give us a little bit more as far as our location point of view. Where is Tam Ky. Am I even saying it right like Tam Ky. Sander Seymour: It is fine. And and both of us are going to be saying all of the words incorrectly, so well done. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, yeah, I feel good with that yet. So where is it? Actually, Sander Seymour : it's Ah, it's about ah, 45 kilometers south of Hoi An.. Um, which would be about 65. 60 south of Danang, which is quite a large city. That would be the closest large city. Tam Ky is Ah is also a pretty large city, actually. Kerry Newsome: okay. I keep thinking of Tam Ky as more like a village rather than a city. Sander Seymour: Yeah, they designated it as the capital of Quang Nam. Um and so now it is It's more, quite like a city. There's actually ah, south of Tam Ky. About 30 minutes. There's also quite a large seaport, , in Quang Nai, um which means there's a lot of big industrial area. And there's also, for example, Kia Motors operates a factory out of there. And so there's, um along with being the government area, off of Quang Nam. That means there's a lot of infrastructure and a lot of work down there, except it's just not a big tourist area yet. Kerry Newsome: YET. Okay, So if I am a tourist Ah, how long is it going to take me to get there, Say from Hoi An. And like, what's the best way to get there, I'm aware of many tour operators that offer different ways, but what what would you recommend the best way to get there? Sander Seymour: I think at this point, like you said, the tour operators would be the best. You can take a private car. You can even take a taxi. Of course. But the tour operators from, say, if you rented a room or a hotel in Hoi An, and that would be the best way to get there. Um, mainly because in Tam Ky, like I was saying, there is not a lot of tourism there, so there's not a lot of English spoken there yet, so it can be a little difficult to get around if you, uh, if you're on your own. Okay. For example, if you rented a motor biker a car, Kerry Newsome: Yes. Yes. Ah, and I do know some people who yet just just head off in that direction as ah as a key place to visit on a bike. But what they do there, I haven't actually got any feedback. So it’s good to have this chat. I mean, how do you come to discover Tam Ky. How did it get on your radar Sander Seymour: Basically because my fiance is from Tam Ky. Um, I've been working for a couple of years now in Hoi An and Danang, Um, and I met my fiance here, and we visited Tam ky. I think 3.5 years ago was the first time I came there with her, I barely knew her. So I've slowly kept going back to visit her family. And so basically, she is my tour guide. I'm very lucky. I I get to see a city runs that's completely Vietnamese operated. There's not a lot of Westerners there, and it's actually ah, it's quite an upper middle class city. Um, I mean, with a lot of cars and wide roads, and, uh, it's not based on tourism, so So it's not tourism based and focused, which is a quite unique for a lot of people who travel just to places like Hoi Ani and see the touristy areas of Danang or even Hanoi. Kerry Newsome: Yeah. You know, I'm really glad you've touched on that. Because, as I said, when I think of Tam Ky my vision off it is this small, touristy place with a village on a beach. I am I have not thought it about it in any respect to how you're describing it. So, I mean, what is it so special? About Tam Ky. It comes up on lots of discussions. So tell us about why a tourist might like to visit it. Sander Seymour: Well, let me differentiate Tam Ky from Tam Thanh, which is about 11 kilometers outside of Tam Ky. It is where, uh, probably if you were a tourist, you'd want to start there, because that is where the Mural villages are located. Um, so the tanking is the city? Yeah. I think that's what you were getting at. Tam Ky is the city center. I think a lot of people passing through would bypass Tam Ky. At the moment. It's Ah, it's a basic city centre, but it's more commercial and for Vietnamese. There's not a lot of tourism there at the moment. But for some people, if you are a if you are interested in Vietnam or you want a little more, uh, bit of a Vietnam experience compared to, say, maybe Hoi an ancient town just very touristy, that would be a nice place to check out. Kerry Newsome: Okay, so if I separate, those two places. From what you're telling me, there's probably two different sets of things to do, Okay. So, Tam Thanh has the mural village, maybe talk a little bit about the mural village because I've seen some lovely pictures of kids doing some fun things in that village. And, um, you know, I've got a friend of mine. Ah, who also goes there a, Vietnamese friend. Ah. She goes there to just have ah, like a beach experience. So, talk a little bit more about Tam Thanh. Sander Seymour: Sure, Tam Thanh is one of the next areas designated for ah tourism in Vietnam specifically because it is an easy drive from Hoi An. Roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Um uh, easily accessible, free way to get there. They've just completed a new bridge to get there. Um, right now it is. Ah, sort of like your your your friend described, its ah, fishing village. Um, but they put in a mural village there together with the, uh I think some businesses in Korea to try toe, get more tourism. Prior, it sort of was there, but it wasn't really, kept up. Since the Korean tools an interest,It was cleaned up and is a great idea. So now it's kind of Ah, it's There's a lot of changes happening there. There's, ah, a lot of large groups like Sun Group, one of the largest real estate investment company in Vietnam. They plan to build golf courses and, uh, you know, high end resorts there. However, right now it is still quite a nice little fishing village. If you went there, say around one or two PM Obviously it would be hot and it would be empty. You wouldn't see anybody there, but about five or 6 p.m. You will get the flood of After the sun goes down, you will get the flood off of locals, government workers and all the the 9 to 5 job people. They will flood into Tam Thanh and visit the fish restaurants, the local seafood restaurants and the beach will be packed with games and volleyball. It'd just be a flood of people. But if you go during the day, it is it's kind of your own little beach. Kerry Newsome : Ah, Vietnamese obviously taking advantage of it. I mean, obviously they know where the best spots are. Let's face it, Um I mean, when I think about a tourist, however going there, I know a friend of mine did a a sidecar trip down there, and they went as a family in the sidecar thing which looked hilarious like the photos are traveling down and but they I think they might have gone maybe mid morning or early morning and ah, they stayed in the mural village and they did some. Kid stuff. You know, there was things that kind of were geared towards kids and families, and, you know, they had a nice Vietnamese snack. I mean, are there things like that to do in the village? Do you know much happening there? Sander Seymour: That village scene, thats obviously great for kids cause if you go down there right now as a Westerner and you bring your kids, um, that will bring the families out and and they want to interact, especially if you have kids. You know how friendly Vietnamese are with kids. So there are some small shops that have opened up next to the art village. When I let me explain the art village a little more, it's Ah, it's basically murals done. Um, the painted murals done with a lot of local artists. Some artists from Korea, um, there are some kinds done to honor their fishing heritage. There are some basket boats that have been painted. There are some sort of small tower set up that the kids can climb on and take pictures and view the ocean. There's, of course, a couple of temples there you can check out. But I think if you did a day trip there, uh, the reason I say it's it is a very interesting location. As you know Hoi An is quite ah, full. There it is almost at the peak of the tourism. Kerry Newsome: We are recording these on the 14th of July in 2020. So, uh, yeah, maybe it was at its peak but now, not so. Yep. Sander Seymour: Yes, thinking of that. So, for example A large development with the casino and golf courses that is about seven kilometers from Hoi An. So that's to the south so you can get to Hoi An. Um, and then there's also ah, a new French distillery that's open down there, and that's maybe eight or nine kilometers. So on your way to Tam Thanh and Tam Ky, there's starting to be more and more activities and tourist stuff. So if you started yeah, and I think it would be important to mention the Heroic Mother Statue that's also on the way to Tam Ky, Um, if you were traveling down the main ocean road, you would, ah sort of go inland to Tam Ky. It would sort of go back to the coast to Tam Thanh. So right in the middle of that, there is a they call it the Heroic Mother Statue. It was, um, a statue created to honor. Ah, the women of the what? We would call it the Vietnam War. They would call it the Liberation War. So there's a really nice museum there, Its good to see the history. From the Vietnamese perspective. Kerry Newsome: Is it like Lady Buddha up in Danang? Is it similar to that? Sander Seymour : Different? Oh, it's, um it would Ah, it has the faces of about 11 Vietnam mothers on bears. A couple really famous one that one of the mothers they will talk about supposedly lost about 11 sons and grandchildren, and she became sort of ah patriotic for the for the Vietnamese, and to talk about the love for country. So you can visit the museum that's under these statues. It's big, big statues. It isfascinating, with lots of open spaces. There's restaurants across the street, small restaurants. When I say restaurants, I mean little red chairs and canopies where you can buy cold water and coconuts. But inside there is like a sort of underground in an air conditioned museum where there's a lot of relics from from the war that went on here in the sixties. Um, it's pretty amazing to see Yeah, and it's a comfortable, air conditioned museum, so it's a nice break. Kerry Newsome: Um, so if you were talking about a visit to this region, do you see it as a day trip for a tourist? Or would you recommend? I mean, do you have any favorite accommodations or places to it? I know my friend. That had a guide here. She went actually in, like November, so it actually rained and carried on with storms and all sorts of things when she was there. But she absolutely loved the fact that it was quiet; it was right on the beach. You know, she literally had the accommodation or home stay or whatever to herself and, you know, just lapped it up, you know, having some some peaceful time away. But for tourists, you know, Are they gonna make it a day trip, or would you recommend a night there or have you got any good ideas? I mean we appreciate now it's all gonna be Vietnamese, but there's nothing wrong with that. Sander Seymour: Yeah, it's It's all gonna be Vietnamese. Of course. Um, I actually took my mother, who lives here in Vietnam at the moment, and we went down there, and she I say, I use my mother is as an example because, being 73 , she wants comfort. So for her comfort level, we stayed at Tam Thanh Beach Resort. That's probably the main large one. It's a government-owned hotel, but it's got a beautiful outdoor pool overlooking the ocean; its a pretty high standard place. Um, I work in Tam Thanh sometimes. So, about 11 kilometers outside of the beaches, Tam Ky’s city centre, and I stay at Moung Thanh Hotels (See Episodes notes) I think you're probably familiar with that chain. I would, uh, I would consider it equivalent to like Hilton. We have Hilton in the United States that I'm sure you have in Australia. But, uh, that's sort of your basic four-star hotel. With your buffet breakfast, you can get Western food and Western amenities those two are the most comfortable located on the beach. A lot of people have realized that this is gonna be the next, um, tourism spot. S o the majority of oceanfront property has been bought up. There are big plans. I have yet to check it out, but one group is doing something called You - Retreat. So there I've been following them and spoke to them on the phone a few times about They're creating a small home stay style retreat for Westerners. So things like that are kind of coming up soon. As of now, you can stay at a nice place for equivalent of 50 to $60 a night, which is high for that area. Um, and then there are some small home stays as well. So, um, I think you know, if you're on a time limit, depending on how, and what kind of, ah vacation time you have, You could do a day trip. You could do a an overnight stay.. And a long the way: You could see the mother statue. Maybe go for the, uh, the distillery on the way back, I think. Probably the best. Yes. So you could do that in a day being 45 kilometers 45 50 kilometers round trip. He could be back in the day, but staying the night. You know,... Especially in these towns that aren't based on tourism. They move very slow. So So your time frame is it's not gonna be like the West. Um, you might run into some random things that are no cows in the road that will hold you up for some time, things like that. Kerry Newsome: Ah, and I mean, let's face it, that's that's definitely the authentic stay. That's more of an immersive stay. And as you say, the fact that the area has recognized the fact that it's got so much to offer in that authentic way, its a diversion from the touristy kind of aspect with the old town. So I guess if you want to escape that and get in touch with the very real Vietnam, that's how I always saw it. Would I be right in saying that? I Sander Seymour: Think absolutely. The word authentic is a nice, is a nice description because they're not based on tourism. So that would be a real nice way; to see how normal Vietnamese live without the benefit of tourism and how they operate their daily lives. I have a great story about the local Fishing village, which is the reason why I became so invested in that area, is ah, I met an older lady and through my fiance was translating, and she said that she was there all her life. She was a fisherman. Their fishing. Then they also made ah fish sauce the famous fish sauce there. That was, um but ah, when she was old enough to retire and she had some money, she wanted to move into back Tam Ky, because she didn't need her fishing village. So she sold her land in Tam Thanh on the beach for the equivalent of about a few $1000 USD Just nothing. And you know, now there's a golf course being built there. So the idea that Tam Thanh Beach could ever be anything but a place to support Tam Ky to the local population down there was unheard of. So they're only now realizing its value to Westerners. Kerry Newsome: Oh, yes. And as soon as that realization happens, in come the developers. Sander Seymour: Yeah, we might be too late. I'm pretty sure it's all been bought up. Well, actually everything's on hold now. So? So we are hitting the pause button for everyone. I believe, including devoted developers. So when Tam Thnanh does open back up, I think it will still be there, but busy in construction and tourism development. Kerry Newsome: Fantastic. Look, thanks very much for being on the program. I think I'm gonna put some links from our chat in the episode notes. So people watch out for that. As Sander mentioned a few places that I think would be handy for people to know about if they were to explore that area. I really appreciate you being on the show. Um, thanks for coming on. Sander Seymour : It was nice to see you.I'll see you in person again. Okay, Kerry Kerry Newsome: U bet, as soon as they open the gates. Okay, then Thank you for listening. Check out the episode notes for more information. Don't forget to subscribe. Rate review and stay tuned for more fun adventures in Vietnam

S4-08 Travel Addict podswap The Travel Addict Show featuring Kerry Newsome Episode 8 S4-08 Travel Addict podswap 00:00 / 41:09 Today's program is about sharing another Podcasters show, which will give you a whole new perspective on travel as seen through the eyes of a different host, on a different show. In this scenario I am the guest. Our topic is, as you would guess- Travel In Vietnam post covid.
 Malcom Teasdale is the host of the Travel addict podcast where he talks to all kinds of people and explores travels all over the world. Malcom heralds from the UK, so hello to all my UK listeners, you might really relate to Malcom as while he has travelled to Vietnam previously and really enjoyed his stay, he and I had much to share in experiences and certain cities he enjoyed as in Hanoi, HCMC and Nha Trang. My thanks to Malcolm for asking me to come on the show.
 Please see below:- The Original show notes from Travel Addict program release in June 2022.
 Kerry Newsome has a travel and marketing background and has been traveling back and forth to Vietnam from Australia for the last 14 years. She has a genuine love of the country and the people and enjoys sharing traveler stories and insights with anyone who is interested. She loves to travel and experience new cultures and has become a Travel expert for westerners interested in traveling to Vietnam. Personally, I have been to Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Nha Trang, all of which are great destinations and have different personalities. For more about Malcolm and his shows check some of his other channels here:- https://www.malcolmjteasdale.com/podcast-episodes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-travel-addict/id1529802944 https://open.spotify.com/show/31sDaMn2zvtPOekza0y9OB https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xMjg4ODA4LnJzcw https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/3091275 Due to copyright factors transcripts for this episode are not available Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

420eb988-0e37-4d4d-b111-0c95c2f050f7Fast becoming a major draw card for adventure seekers. What About Vietnam - S3-22 Phong Nha Cave tours – in depth Kerry Newsome: 00:23 Xin Chào and welcome to “What About Vietnam !” Today, we're going to explore Phong Nha caves. And I'm delighted to have my guest, Howard Limbert on the program, as he is going to take us through the Phong Nha caves in such a way that we can really get to understand what's truly achievable to experience in the caves. And just what kind of skill levels we need to do that, if in fact, we need any. 01:07 A little bit about Howard, & how he's been exploring caves, believe it or not, all over the world, and for 32 years. He is now the technical advisor for the Oxalis company. And in that role, he is all about putting together adventure tours for the company, and about making sure the safety level is there. And at the absolute best to ensure great experiences for all travelers. He negated to tell me until a little bit into the program, that in fact, he was a leader of the British team that explored the caves that actually discovered Son Doong back in 2009. 01:53 So needless to say, he's got a lot of information, and a lot to teach us about these caves. So, when you see all those fabulous photos of the cave systems, which definitely are out there on all your Instagram and your Facebook pages, showing off the system in Vietnam, you're going to learn in this program, just what sort of time you need to set aside, as in two days to do it, three days to do it, or four days, and then what you'll get to see in those time spans. So, I'm not going to waste any more time. I want to jump straight in. And let's welcome Howard Limbert to talk to us about Phong Nha . Howard Limbert: 02:48 Phong Nha is the name of the village where everything is situated. It's named after the cave, Phong Nha cave. And that was all that was known for many, many years, because they used that particular cave, in the war. Many of the boats, further from the military used to live in the cave. And they were also a hospital in the cave. So that was what was known for many years about Phong Nha , the village, there was this wonderful cave. And we came along in 1990 and explored Phong Nha cave, 10 kilometers long, one of the most amazing river caves in the world. But we realized this was just the lower parts of the cave system where the river comes out. 03:29 So, over the last 30 years, we've explored many, many caves, deep in the jungle upstream, like Phong Nha cave, and what people will know about, is Son Doong cave, the one that we were lucky enough to discover and explore in 2009, the world's largest cave. But this is just one of many cases that are in that area. It's tremendous, beautiful area. And we now employ many, many people, local people in the area as porters, as guides, even cleaning ladies, everybody. We employ nearly 550 people now. So, it's a major concern, and many people are starting to visit Phong Nha . 04:13 It is the fastest growing tourist destination in Vietnam. And it's the third most popular, certainly for foreigners coming into Vietnam, because foreigners are into sustainable tourism. They're into beautiful nature and peaceful and quiet. It's not like certain parts of Vietnam. It's very busy and you'll see hundreds of people going trekking or visiting the site. Phong Nha , we try to make it purely sustainable, and that, all the adventure tours that we certainly run, is very limited number of people. So, we usually have group sizes maximum of 10. So, when you go into the caves, when you go into the jungle with your team, your group, you will only see those people in general. So that's a great feeling for people to feel like they're going somewhere special, rather than hordes of tourists. And we'd like this to continue for the future, it seems to be doing well, this type of tourism. Kerry Newsome: 05:14 Absolutely. And I can remember, I did a Vietnam National Administration Tourism Board Roadshow with their team from Vietnam, over here in Australia. And one of the first slides that they put up was, the Son Doong cave. So, this is like back in 2017. And whilst I've been traveling back and forth to Vietnam since 2007, this was the first I'd seen of the cave of-- and just that imagery and the whole audience, their jaws just absolutely dropped, it just how amazing it was. Maybe tell us a little bit, Howard, you know, the kind of numbers that you know, across each of the tours, and we're going to get into the individual tours. But tell me, how many people are visiting Phong Nha caves in a year these days? Howard Limbert: 06:12 Well, in Phong Nha , and the caves, we've got two- what we class as mass tourism caves, one being Phong Nha cave, and the other being Paradise cave. And they attract many, many people, but they're tourists’ caves. They are lit up. One of the caves, you go in, in a boat, and there they walk through and it's a beautiful, superb tourist cave. And then we'll take maybe half a million people a year into those caves. We're not in that type of tourism. Were into sustainable, limited adventure tourism. So, people want to see nature. It's not lit up. There are no artificial paths. It's purely adventure. So, it's real caving. And we're taking over 20,000 people a year into all these different adventure caves. In fact, more people go caving, proper caving like multi days in Phong Nha , than anywhere in the world. Not just adventure tours. This is anybody going caving, so more people go caving in Phong Nha , in Vietnam than anywhere else at the moment. 07:24 We really look at, that these caves are perfect conditions. It's not like caves in Australia, caves in the UK, where I'm from, where it's quite cold in the caves and quite small and it can be miserable on times, some super caves. But here, they are generally very big, and the water temperature is usually around 24 to 26 degrees. And the air temperature in the cave is always, winter/summer 23 degrees, which is wonderful, perfect temperatures. It's like America, it's like California all the time. So, it might be 40 degrees out in the jungle, sweaty and hot. But once you get in the care, it's like having air conditioning. It's just perfect. So, we're really lucky in this part of Vietnam, which was perfect for caving, but people don't really want to reflect too much. Because we tend, we do a high standard of adventure. We look after people and the quality of the equipment, and the food is really high class and people appreciate that. Kerry Newsome: 08:26 Yeah. Well, actually, I think you told me a bit of a funny story before we started to record where you said, "One of the things that we have to impress upon people is to not eat too much because the food's too good." Howard Limbert: 08:38 It is. I mean, it is too good. And people are many, many people come at Son Doong , rarely come here as well. But "I'm looking forward to losing some weight." And I said, well, "You know, you had your chance. You really have to be strict to lose weight on this tour." Because you'll have like a choice of 10 dishes on an evening. I mean, it's serious good food. And there's a lot of it. You don't have to eat it all. But when you've had a tough day, [crosstalk] people tend to eat. You get a little bit hungry. Kerry Newsome: 09:10 Yeah. Howard Limbert: 09:11 So, it's so- we always have two chefs on each tour. And they've been doing it a while now and they know what people want. And they know what I want. Like, when I came to Phong Nha , it was very, very basic, like incredibly basic. And I'm one of the few people, who don't like rice. So, I had to teach them to cook chips. That was the first thing I had to do. Kerry Newsome: 09:35 [crosstalk] Don't tell me you're going to bring out the chip [inaudible 09:39] or something like that. Howard Limbert: 09:40 Very British. I am very British. So, I said, "We got to do chips, customers like chips and I love them." Kerry Newsome: 09:47 There's plenty of carbs in that. So that's probably helpful. Howard Limbert: 09:51 The other thing we noticed is lots of certainly foreign customers, don't do noodles. Certainly, many Americans can't do noodles for breakfast. We obviously supply various noodles bowls, and things like that. But after a few days, if you're on a four-day tour, for instance, they get a little bit fed up. So, I had to teach our chefs how to do pancakes. And how to do French toast, or eggy bread, as they call it. Just for foreign customers. So, it's very nice for breakfast. Now we have a great variety, but we try to do a variety for vegan, vegetarian, meat eaters, as there is no problem in this-- 10:30 Oh, yeah, we get a lot more of the gluten free. The only difficulty that we do have with gluten free is like sweet teas and snack products in Vietnam, obtaining gluten free snack products, so that's the only thing we ask, if there are genuinely gluten free. We have a lot of people that like to be gluten free, but not 100% genuinely, Celiac and other problems. So, we asked them to bring their own snacks, although we do find that the meals are so plentiful that you don't really need to bring snacks, very rarely people do. Kerry Newsome: 10:30 Gluten-free... Kerry Newsome: 11:08 And we had to get them to just stay shy of that rice wine because, whoa! that [crosstalk]. Howard Limbert: 11:17 We do bring a little bit of rice wine, but we limit it as, like just one on an evening, just to show people what it is because-- Kerry Newsome: 11:25 That would be enough-- Howard Limbert: 11:25 It's really dangerous. Kerry Newsome: 11:27 It is dangerous stuff. Howard Limbert: 11:29 My tip for rice wine is, if you get to like it, you've gone too far. You're in a real mess, if you like it. Kerry Newsome: 11:37 Because it doesn't taste nice. Howard Limbert: 11:39 It tastes awful. Kerry Newsome: 11:40 --nothing. Now, Howard, I'm going to get you if I may, we're going to kind of unpack some tours for people. Because something that I need to share with you is some of the queries and the questions that I've got over time is: · How much time should we allow? · If we've got an extra two days, what would we get to see in two days – · Or if we've got three days? S So, you and I kind of agreed that we would unpack a stay. And you could give them some guidance around periods of stay. So, time that they've got a lot. And one thing I loved about your website, and for everyone listening, I am going to put the links to the Oxalis website, because I've never seen a website that's got every Frequently Asked Question, that you could possibly come up with. That website has got it. 12:37 So, if you, after this episode, want to know even more, and we didn't cover it here, we'll definitely go there, the answer will be there. But having Howard with me, I want to talk about: If you do have extra days, or you can pack in some time, I definitely recommend you coming along to Phong Nha , and doing a cave discovery tour. Now, I want to preface this by saying, that, one of the things I learned from the website, is about managing expectations in the sense that, if you're flying in from the UK, it's probably not a good idea, if your land in the morning. And then you're getting yourself to Đồng Hới and then you're jumping straight into a tour, that's probably not a good idea, you would probably settle yourself in Phong Nha , have a good night's rest and then begin the tour the next day. 13:37 So, 99% of people have common sense and would apply that, but some think, "Oh, that'll be fine", and whatever. We would really recommend that you allow that day before and that day at the end. So, when you finish the tour, stay a night and as my friend Ben Mitchell says, come to one of the places in Phong Nha , have a Gin and Tonic, come and say hello to some locals and chill out and then take your journey home. So, starting with the one-day. Would you put that in, what you call the tourist cave? So, that's really what you're going to see in one-day or is there other options Howard? 14:22 We're going to come back to Howard, just as he explains that the Oxalis tours are not really what they classify as 'Tourist Tours'. If I may just explain that difference. There are very short, rounded tours of the Phong Nha caves, but they are very much for very short trips, maybe only half a day or a few hours at a time. These are not the tours that we're going to be talking about on this show. I just thought I'd jump in there to give some explanation and how it's going to go into a little bit more detail with that, just coming up right now. Howard Limbert: 15:16 No, these are not tourists’ caves, all tours, relatively remote areas in beautiful scenery in the jungle, you will not see 1000s of people. We run three types of one-day tours. The first one a simple one, is our family tours. We run family with children and parents into very easy caves, short walking, no swimming in the cave. But we love swimming in rivers and fun activities in the rivers. We keep young children from our main adventure tours. We don't want children involved in those, but we have some caves that we specially set up for children, shock proof caves, which they'll find very, very exciting and the parents will like, but it's not a great danger. And that can be well looked after. And so, we have that family tour. So, family tours are basically into Tu Lan area. And we look after the main specific caves, and they are really, really popular family groups. Kerry Newsome: 16:22 Okay. Howard Limbert: 16:22 Well, people over 16 years of age, we have two types of tour: We have a relatively easy one-day tour, which includes: · Swimming in a cave. · Jungle trekking in a dry cave. Lovely, lovely tour. It's like an introduction to our tours. We also have a more difficult one-day tour, which involves a lot more difficult trekking and you've got to be relatively fit to do this. You've got to have done some trekking and walking before and it's a full long tour. It is two caves, called Hang Tien , very spectacular, massive cave. And there are three one-day tours: 1. Family. Tú Làn 2. One-Day. 3. Hang Tien One-Day. There are currently [inaudible 17:06]. And that's a good introduction to Phong Nha . So, if you've got really limited time, do these tours, you'll enjoy them, people love them. However, I would recommend going longer, you get much, much more value. And not only that, but you also see the place and interact with the local people and get more out of it. Kerry Newsome: 17:06 Absolutely. Okay, so let's talk about a two-day tour. So, this is an overnight in a cave, yes? Howard Limbert: 17:36 So two-day tours, that we run, are all really special and very different. The first one is called Hang En , which has got a massive wow factor. This in fact is the first day of the Son Doong tour. So, this is where the Son Doong tour goes on the first day, because the only way to Son Doong cave is to actually go through Hang En cave. So massive cave, huge cave, in parts of its 200 meters wide, 140 meters tall, then you camp inside the cave. And it's got a spectacular large pool, where you come and there's daylight coming in. Like I say it's the third largest cave in the world. And this involves around 22 kilometers of trekking, in and out, relatively easy, the only class, that has a moderate sort of difficulty. The trekking is easy, incredibly beautiful. The swimming at the campsite inside the cave. And we have this open from December until the early September. So, during the rainy season of mid-September onwards to October and early November, we cannot go in this cave, because there's a very large river. Hence why Son Doong is the largest care in the world. 17:36 Yeah. These are overnight, not in a cave, somewhere in caves, somewhere camping next to caves, next to waterfalls, and jungle. And we have four different two-day tours. They're all very, very popular. In fact, these were probably our most popular tours, pre-COVID. We now find post-COVID people wanting to do longer tours, everybody wants to do three and four-day tours. And a lot of people now we're doing two-day tours and doing two, two-day tours together, do a two-day tour, come back to a lovely hotel, rest and then do another two-day tour, which is [crosstalk] for variety. And it's really, really popular. Kerry Newsome: 19:12 Absolutely correct. Howard Limbert: 19:30 So that's one of our most popular today's tours. Because when I say, a wow factor, I mean a wow factor. Photography is outrageous in this cave. Very easy. We did Peter Pan film there. Neverland is part of that cave. What I'd like to say is, this goes out to the world, so, the location is brilliant, but the film is terrible. The film didn't do justice, [laughter] for the location is fantastic. [laughter]. Kerry Newsome: 20:21 Mom's the word. Howard Limbert: 20:23 That's what we'd say about Hang En , very, very popular cave. Where the walking is relatively easy. There's nothing too technically difficult about that cave. And the walking, there is jungle and a lot of river crossings, you will get wet. 30 river crossings to get to-- Kerry Newsome: 20:41 As long as I get wet. And I don't get leeches on. I'm okay, but-- Howard Limbert: 20:45 No, there's not only not many leeches on that particular tour, but you can also never guarantee it sometimes on the way out. If you've had some rain. The leeches at least- no worries really, leeches are no problem. Tu Lan two-day. This was our first multi-day trip we ever invented. This involves five caves. Some are dry, some are very wet, because you have to swim through some of the curves. You swim from one entrance, go through and come out in the jungle, brilliant campsite, next to a lake and waterfalls. It's a tremendous fun tour, is Tu Lan two-day, very, very popular. And again, this is open from mid-November till mid-September. And it's only a moderate choice, not too difficult. And it's a great introduction to-- and it's a fun tour, a really fun tour, people like it. 21:44 My personal favorite is the next one is called Hang Va , that's V, A. It's a two day-tour again. And it really is a real cave, as caves, you do two caves. And one is huge, massive, fantastic cave, beautiful. But the other cave is-- it's you actually touch the sides in places. A lot of Vietnamese caves are so big, you can't even see the sides and the roof. But this cave, you're actually physically-- it's not tight or claustrophobic, but you'll actually touch the walls, and there's quite a lot of water in places, it is quite exciting. And people love it. And there's also some technical sections in this, where you wear [inaudible 22:30] and He clipped to ropes. So, it's very, very good for that. 22:35 I really, really would advise doing this, because it's got some of the most amazing formations, in caves in the world. We've got stalagmites that grow underwater, that are formed underwater, and there's nowhere else like it in the world to this particular cave. These are unique formations to this cave. And there's 1000s of them. And it's a really, really beautiful cave. Not too difficult of a walk. It's technical, scrambling up and down routes, but it's not a long, great distance. So, it's not too physically challenging. And again, we have lots of safety assistance, looking after people on any of the technical sections. Safety is our priority. Oxalis , we look after people. And you've only got to read the reports, they are well looked after. Kerry Newsome: 23:27 In a group of 10. That's [crosstalk] yeah. And it was great to hear that you've got support staff, like seven to 10 people, and then you've got people carrying your luggage and food and things like that, which is awesome. But out of that 10 people, give me an age break up, like immediately think of young people, taking the biggest chunk. But you alluded to me the other day, that it's more than 30 to 55. Is that correct? Howard Limbert: 24:02 That's correct. It's generally that sort of age. We've had everybody from 16 up to 80, doing our tours, including [crosstalk]. Kerry Newsome: 24:09 Yeah, but at that end, what's the biggest chunk of people? Howard Limbert: 24:13 Probably 30 to 55, I would say, that's our big chunk of people. We are finding now in COVID time, we get a lot of ladies, more ladies than men. We're about 60 to 70% ladies, this is for Son Doong as well. Young ladies from Ho Chi Minh, many, many, many now are coming up to do these and they love it. They just love doing that. Vietnamese are becoming very active. And they're really into this sort of adventure and it's great to see, rather than sticking on a computer that they're getting out-- And now they're finding that they realized they've got something really special. They did not realize that Vietnam has these incredible places. It's only that-- it started to go out to the world, that they realized that these are unique places, that are nowhere else in the world. And it's in their own country. Kerry Newsome: 25:07 It's a funny realization too, that for me sometimes the Vietnamese and, I mean this with the deepest respect, when they see the European or the Westerner, I think that the place is great, then they decided to look at it with new eyes. Howard Limbert: 25:24 The thing that Vietnamese really like, is the quality. Because let's be perfectly honest, some of the tools that are available in Vietnam and some parts of Asia are not the highest standard for safety. And they're really concerned about that. And Vietnamese love Oxalis , because they realize it's a very high standard of safety. And that's why they keep coming back and telling their friends and they keep coming back. Because of that standard. Because it is- we like to keep that quality of tools, you might pay a few dollars more, but you get better quality food and better-quality service, better quality equipment, and they understand that, that's why they keep coming back. 26:09 So, all our equipment is imported. All our caving ropes, all our harnesses, every safety equipment is imported from France, from the UK, Switzerland, because I've used it and know it's well. I know it will work, rather than buying something that might have been imported as a copy from China. So, we don't do that, ours is imported from Europe, we pay a bit more, you generally get better quality. Yeah, we've got Hang Tien . two-day, this involves three really big caves, some of the biggest caves, that we do outside of Son Doong . There's no swimming in this particular tour in the cave. So, this appeals to some people, that are not the strongest swimmers, but we do have rivers and pools by the campsite. So, it's very nice in hot weather to go in there. 26:59 But actually, in the cave, some people a little bit worried about swimming in caves. Other people love the idea of swimming in caves. So, this is a term that's very popular in people, a little bit apprehensive. We also have a, if the river is high inside the cave, we have a flying fox, which is quite exciting, you put harnesses on and you are 15 meters above this roaring river. And you clip into two big stainless-steel wires, and you zip across the river, because you get across the river in high water. So, we look after the safety there. 27:31 That's very, very popular. It's quite a tough tour. It's not the easy tour, involves quite a difficult walk out. But people like this sort of thing. They like a challenge. They don't like just a stroll in the park, they like to feel, they are doing something [crosstalk] these fantastic places, rather than drive into them and just seeing them, snap! snap! We're looking for people who like nature, we're not after people who just want to take a single picture and walk out, we are after people who enjoy the whole experience, mixing with the different cultures, the porters and seeing people and enjoying after you've had a meal, having a bit of a chat and fun with a pause. And this is why it's so appealing to many, many people throughout the world. Kerry Newsome: 28:16 Three days, Howard. So, we've got a little bit more time. Howard Limbert: 28:19 Well, three-days are now becoming our most popular tour. People realize, you see so much more. The longer you've got, the better. And we do find now, people are coming to this part of Vietnam, central Vietnam, realize, it's the best part of Vietnam or nature. So, they book their tours. Most importantly, they book them beforehand. And then they-- the other activities are around this. So, our three and four-day tours are our most popular tours. So, you got to book in advance really for these tours, you can't just turn up and go on a tour. And people decide to do these tours. And then they'll book their -- Hội An, Hạ Long Bay, etc., around this. And so many people are so disappointed when they go to the other places, and say, "I wish, we would have stayed longer, we should have done another tour." Because it's what they think Vietnam is, t's peaceful, beautiful people very clean, very tidy. And when they get to the other places, they tend to be a lot more touristic and a lot more people around. 29:27 They are beautiful, there is no doubt about it, it's beautiful, but if you're into nature, and wanting to see genuine Vietnam, try and spend a bit of time and book in advance. So, our three-day tours, which again are very, very popular, can give you more time to see the places and a little bit more relaxed. And the first one is the Tu Lan three-day. So, this involves around seven caves, all completely different, some are dry, with fantastic formations, great for opportunities. Now, I must mention this now. In all our caves, our guides, every guide, you'll always have an English-speaking guide on every tour, fluent English-speaking guide. They're absolutely top class at doing photography. So many people now come along with a cell phone, we can get wonderful shots for everybody, because we bring special lighting into the caves. And we've done a lot of teaching of our guides, how to do photography, and our guides have become particularly good at getting excellent photographs in caves, not just selfies. We're talking wonderful shots of the cave. Kerry Newsome: 30:36 So, these seven caves, is this dry and wet-- Howard Limbert: 30:40 Dry and wet, are absolutely dry with fantastic stalagmites, stalactites, everything, and some are wet, where you'll be swimming through the caves, going all the way through in rivers. And it's great having this variety. This is what's popular about it. And the camp size in this particular thing is deep in the jungle, always next to a river, pool and waterfalls. So, on an evening after you've done your caving, dive in the rivers, swimming, have a bit of fun, we often have paddle boards and things around, so people can enjoy themselves. Because as you know, Vietnam is quite warm. Certainly, after March, you want to be in the water. It's really nice. You don't worry about getting cold in Vietnam. Kerry Newsome: 31:31 I have been called in Vietnam, but in the north. Howard Limbert: 31:34 Yeah, in the north, and certainly around January, it can get a bit chilly. It's definitely glamping. They're super, super tense, big four mattresses really thick. It's like on a bed, you have a pillow, a lovely-- I mean, it's all made up, ready, clean every time, new every time that you go in. Beautiful. Kerry Newsome: 31:54 I hope you're enjoying the show with Howard, as we explore the caves. We are now going to start to talk about three-days and four-days in a tour program with Oxalis . And in this area, we start to maybe expand a little bit into the jungle, experience the caves themselves, some of the experiences that you can expect to have around campsite, etc. How it's going to give us plenty of detail. And of course, the pièce de résistance, the Son Doong cave itself. Please stay tuned, lots more to come. 32:41 So, Howard, we're up to the second tour that you run for three-days. Howard Limbert: 32:48 The second tour is very different from the first tour. It involves quite a lot of jungle trekking. It's for people who want to see more jungle and perhaps less caves. We see four caves on this tour, and they are really big, impressive caves. But what's very popular is the jungle trekking and the campsite. Spectacular remote campsites, again next to rivers in gorgeous, gorgeous areas. Very, very popular for people, who especially don't want to do a lot of swimming in the caves. There's a small number of people who are a little bit worried about swimming in a cave. I don't know why, because they are well looked after, everybody who swims, but some people are a little bit wary about the field is not for them. So, this is a track, quite a difficult track. And so, you've got to be relatively fit to do this particular tour because the jungle trekking is a little bit demanding, climbing quite a lot of hills. And it's in a jungle. So, it's still a bit rocky and slippery in places. So, it's very, very popular. It's become incredibly popular this tour. Kerry Newsome: 33:58 I would think, it would be popular with the European market in particular. Howard Limbert: 34:02 Absolutely. It has been. But we're-- Yeah, we're finding a lot of people, who like to do this tour. The caves are spectacular, but that's only one section of it. They love the campsites, the remote, beautiful campsites. Kerry Newsome: 34:15 And what's the name of that tour? What's that one? Howard Limbert: 34:18 Hang Tien , three-day tour. Kerry Newsome: 34:23 Okay. Alright, so now we come up, we've got four-days. Now, I just want to preface, before you begin this again to people, when we're saying four-days, that's four days of the tour. You need to allow then your day before and your day after. So really, you're looking at six days and you need to consider that for all of the other ones that Howard's talking about as well. Because you'd be doing yourself a real disfavor by not and let's face it, it might not be a place that you might get back to again very soon. Although Howard is shooting me in the foot with that and saying, he's getting a lot of repeat visitors, but certainly too- 35:07 So, to do it in a way that you can really enjoy it, that you're not pushed for time, you don't feel like the buzzers on you. And you've got to rush back. So, Phong Nha is really opening up, and I think that you would do yourself and the people that you're traveling with, because everyone kind of deals with exhaustion, and chewing up some energy doing these things, it can be quite tiring, I'm thinking, most people be lights out by seven o'clock or eight o'clock at night, because they're pretty exhausted after the day. And you are taking in all that beautiful oxygen and fresh air and just all that beautiful natural wildlife, so that can actually wear you out. So definitely give yourself those days either side. All right now, Howard, take us on the four-day expedition. Howard Limbert: 36:06 Before I do that, I would like to say that all our tours, even the one-day to start quite early in the morning. So, to get to your point, it is useful to come the day before because most of our tours will start at 7:30, we'll leave 7:30, drive to the drop off by so it's quite an early start, then you might not get back until five, six o'clock in the evening. And like you said, you may be a little bit weary. So, you don't want to be getting on a bus, train, plane that time and now you will maybe-- so we do strongly advise coming before and afterwards. And all our four-day tours, which leads on to, we supply a hotel resort before and afterwards, it is part of the tour. Kerry Newsome: 36:53 So that's included in it. Howard Limbert: 36:54 It's all included, including pickup from Đồng Hới, the airport, the train station, wherever, pickup and drop-off, everything's included from, once you land, everything's included all the way to-- Kerry Newsome: 37:08 This is your five-star tour, isn't it? Howard Limbert: 37:10 Yeah, these are the top tours, the four-day tours, because the four days, you really must be there the day before, in you really don't want to be leaving that evening. Because you've had a full four days and all four-day tours- well, we have a party afterwards on all the four-day tours. And then, we would have like a- as Vietnamese call it, a gala dinner. So, we have a meal and the guides and some of the porters will come along and have a bit of a celebration. Kerry Newsome: 37:36 I'm sure, there's lots of experiences to share. Howard Limbert: 37:40 Things I can tell you about that. Yeah. Kerry Newsome: 37:42 What's that- "What goes on tours, stays on tours." That kind of thing. [crosstalk] absolutely. Howard Limbert: 37:49 With Son Doong tour, that's slightly different, and that you must have a briefing the night before the tour, we have to go to make sure people understand what they are going into. So, we have a full briefing which lasts about 45 minutes-an hours, then we have a meal with all the customers, before we go. It gives them an introduction what they are going into, because you never know, people that always read. I can't believe that people don't read the website, and the frequently asked questions. Because the paying a lot of money. I would ask questions. I would look at the website. People come along and have no idea. Kerry Newsome: 38:27 Why do you think I'm doing a podcast, Howard? Yeah. Howard Limbert: 38:30 [crosstalk] Just don't do it. Kerry Newsome: 38:31 Yeah, I'm hoping the podcast is an easy way for people to consume the information in a way that's entertaining without too dry and too boring, etc. But they get the important points across and then they can go and delve deeper. There's enough Google out there for everybody to go digging away and getting all the nitty gritty. And that's not what my podcast is about. It's about talking to real people with real experiences. And that's why I'm loving what you're putting down. So, talk us through those four days. What options? Howard Limbert: 39:08 Okay, we have three four-day tours. These are very popular. And I'll do the first one, which is Son Doong . This, I don't really have to say anything about it. Because so much is out there in the world now. But this is the ultimate tour that we arrange. Kerry Newsome: 39:30 It's essential. Howard Limbert: 39:31 Yeah, this is what pulls everybody to Phong Nha . And this is where our idea- We use Son Doong as a promotion. So, everybody reads about Son Doong , they see all the pictures, go, "I want to see that." But they can't afford it. So, they come along and do the other tours. It's like Nepal, Mount Everest, people come to Nepal, because it's got the biggest mountain, but they'll go see other things very, very similar things. We tried to set up the to promote tourism in the area, and it seems to have done very well. And it is the ultimate tour. It's in the world's largest cave. But this is not what people will leave and talk about and tick: "I have done the world's largest cave." Because it is absolutely unique. There's nowhere else like in the world. In the cave, you get situations that you will not see anywhere else. You'd see jungle and animals inside the cave. Big jungle inside the cave. Now that normally doesn't happen in caves, because these huge skylights come in. Incredibly spectacular. Kerry Newsome: 40:37 And what animals do you see? Howard Limbert: 40:40 We see everything from-- we have our own species in there. We found seven new species in the cave. That's only in Son Doong , nowhere else in the world. Such as certain white fish, white spiders, white centipedes, white crayfish, white- what else-- They are all white, basically white things, they are seven things. They are generally small, obviously, because they've got to evolve. There are not many creatures, very clean Son Doong , amazing. There's no bugs, any nasty things. It's because of the two big holes in the cave. And that involved-- that allows wind to come through. So, it's always pristine. So, you expect when you go in jungle and caves, it'll be horrible, nasty creatures. No, there's very, very few in all our caves, they are spectacular, like that. Everybody's really worried about, [sysco 41:32] when will it be musky? No, you don't get any! Perfect! Perfect! for camping is really, really good. Kerry Newsome: 41:39 That's exciting for me. Howard Limbert: 41:41 I mean, I've been in a lot of caves. Kerry Newsome: 41:44 [crosstalk] carry me away. Howard Limbert: 41:46 Yeah, the horror. No, it's really nice. I mean, it's really special. Son Doong is the number one. I do believe, it's the number one adventure tour in the world. I have taken six people, who have climbed Mount Everest, to the top of Mount Everest, through Son Doong . And each and every one of them said, "Son Doong is a better experience than climbing Mount Everest." Because of the situation you get. They're all blown away. I can say all this now, because I know every single person who has ever been in Son Doong , will say, it's the best thing they've ever done. There's nothing like it. It's so unique. So, it's a wonderful thing. This is what I do most of the time, I look after customers and look after the safety in Son Doong . And on every tour, there's one of the original explorers goes along with the team. So, myself, my wife, and some of the original team, that first explored Son Doong will go as a safety expert. So, we can tell stories about how it was explored. As well as looking after the people. Kerry Newsome: 42:55 I'm just so excited when I realized that you were part of that English group of explorers that actually discovered the cave, that is kind of far out real unreal as it is, because I've been reading about this stuff for years now and talking about it at promotional events and things like that. And to think that you were one of them, that was just a little bit of fine detail, Howard, that you could have just expanded on from the very beginning, when we started talking. That is just incredible. Who discovers caves these days? I mean, there's a lot of the world, that they think there isn't anything else to discover. And here you were in 2009. And as I heard, 'stumbled across' or 'stumbled into' and found this amazing cave. I mean, I've heard descriptions as in that you could fit Big Ben inside. Is it true? Howard Limbert: 43:55 Easily. Yeah, it's huge. One place, it's 440 meters tall. That's quite big. Kerry Newsome: 44:02 How many storeys building is that? Howard Limbert: 44:04 I have no idea. People are asking. I have no idea. But I just know it's huge. Kerry Newsome: 44:08 440 meters. I'll ask my husband. He'll know that. Howard Limbert: 44:12 That's the height from the river to the top. That's the height. Kerry Newsome: 44:15 And from beginning to end. How long is it? Howard Limbert: 44:21 The whole cave is just over nine kilometers long. And we take customers around seven kilometers of that cave. We don't do all the little side passages. We do the main huge, impressive part of the cave. There's a lot of variety. It's not just a- it's not a walk in the park in Son Doong . Because it is [crosstalk]. Kerry Newsome: 44:40 No, so what's that level of difficulty? Howard Limbert: 44:43 That's our highest level of difficulty. The highest we do, because these technical sections, there's a descent of 80 meters, that's quite steep. And then there's an ascent of 95 meters. So, using technical equipment, you are totally safe, you're on lifelines, I'll stay all the time. But you've got to put a bit of effort in yourself. It's nice if customer does a little bit effort, and we don't have to pull them all the way up these climbs, and people like it as a challenge, so we do help them. But we like them to [crosstalk]. Kerry Newsome: 45:17 I bet; they find a few muscles they didn't know they had. Howard Limbert: 45:20 Yeah, yeah, they ache a little bit afterwards in places, they use different muscles in caving. And it's not all big and walking. Some of it is smaller, where you have to go through a little climb, and you do a lot of up and down. It's not flat. There's a lot of up and down and rocky terrain. And it helps if you've got a little bit of sense of balance. If you got [crosstalk] it's good. Kerry Newsome: 45:44 Yes, yeah, actually, balance was one of the key things that Ben Mitchell mentioned to me, he says, his mother has done it. Howard Limbert: 45:52 She did. Yeah. Kerry Newsome: 45:53 Yeah, and he said that, she struggled a little bit, but he said, for the most part, her feedback to him was, "You've got to have good balance." Like if you get- Yeah, so, no middle ear problems or anything on the day? Howard Limbert: 46:09 No, no, it helps, not to have that. I mean, what we find is, small people do better than tall people, because they've got a lower center of gravity. So Vietnamese, well, they are remarkably good at balance. Kerry Newsome: 46:22 I'd fit in with Vietnamese really well, I'm only 5ft 1. Howard Limbert: 46:25 It's really easy. If you're small. I mean, I'm sorry, it does help. It does help being smaller. Kerry Newsome: 46:30 I can understand the revelation that you would get, like the adrenaline, and all of that, and experience like this would give you. So, I hope I'm transferring that through this podcast, because I think that would be- that would last for ages after you finished it that, you would just be so high from it. Howard Limbert: 46:53 Well, all the caves in Phong Nha are all big. There are no small caves. They're all large, large cave. So, there's no claustrophobic problems and things like that. It's in a different scale, the place has got the largest caves in the world. It's the number one caving area in the world. Kerry Newsome: 47:11 A few final facts from Howard, as we wrap up the show and finishing off with the Son Doong cave itself, a little bit of insight, also into just how tourism is working in the area in a very positive way, just the impact that Oxalis , as the main tour company to be running these tours. In fact, you cannot do Son Doong with any other company other than Oxalis . So, while you may think that this show is actually an Oxalis advertisement, it's not. But I feel very lucky, very privileged to have Howard on as part of the expedition team that did discover Son Doong . And give us the insights into the tours that Oxalis run. Let's get back to Howard, now as he concludes our episode on the Phong Nha caves. Howard Limbert: 48:12 Son Doong is the most important part of it, it's very limited the number of people, it's a rule, a requirement. We're only allowed maximum, a 1000 people in a year. And the group size is maximum of 10. That goes into, that's only 100 tours in a year. And you've got to book ahead, it's not something that you will be able to come along at the last minute. Kerry Newsome: 48:38 How far in advance? I heard at one point; you have to book a year in advance. Howard Limbert: 48:43 Sometimes up to a year in advance, like I know next year will be sold out up until at least June. So, we'll have a few places, a few maybe 100 places left June, July and August. But a lot of people then will book the following year. Because this is something that they'll sort the holiday around. It's so special, so unique. They will book in advance this particular tour, and then they'll sort the rest of the holiday around it. Most of our four-day tour people do that. And you've got to do it in Son Doong , because very limited people are allowed to go in, it's for conservation and protection of the caves. Kerry Newsome: 49:23 For sure. Okay, so in the four-day package, we've got one other tour, that you offer. Howard Limbert: 49:29 Well, we have at the moment, but I'm going to tell you about a new tour as well. But the other four-day tour that we run, maybe two or three times a week, is what we call the Tu Lan four-day tour. This covers all the caves in Tu Lan and all Hang Tien caves together. It's a physically tough tour and people must have a good degree of fitness. This does involve abseiling if they wish into a river, swimming in caves, dry caves. In fact, everything is involved in this tour. It's a really, really great tour is this, and we run it from January to the end of August. It's again- it's popular because it's a four-day tour, we find in post-COVID, most people want to spend a long time, rather than just the odd day, if the traveling all this distance, they want to spend a long time in the area, 50:28 It's a great choice, Tu Lan and obviously, it's a lot cheaper than Son Doong , you see numerous caves, I think, it'd be the region of 10, 12 calves are completely different, magic campsite. But it is tough. It's not for everybody. It is a little bit tough. And it's probably more popular with a slightly younger people, because of the lack a little bit of a challenge. So maybe it's slightly younger, we still get people up to 60 doing it, but it is a little bit of a tough toll. And I would expect people to have some degree of fitness, you've got to have done something you've got to done quite a bit of trekking before you go on this particular tour. And the last of our tours is not up and running at the moment. But it will be end of February, March. And this is a-- 51:21 22, yeah, I lost track of tours and years with COVID. Yeah, this is going to be called Hang Ba . Now this tour is going to involve six caves, that nobody has been in. But the original explorers, who I was in 1994. I was fortunate to discover these caves, and they were really remote in 1994. Nowadays, it's possible to get into this area with a four- or five-hour jungle walk. Now this may be not for you. Because there will be leeches on the way, leeches++. But leeches don't cause any problems. But it's quite difficult walk-in and walk-out. But the caves are outrageously spectacular. They're massive. They're so unique and nobody's ever visited these caves. Photography will be tremendous. We'll get sunbeam in certain gifts, which is very, very nice to stand in a sunbeam in a certain cave. Kerry Newsome: 51:22 22. Howard Limbert: 52:34 Again, lots of swimming, swimming in the beautiful valleys, campsite, specky, really specky campsites, next to beaches. And again, we do have paddleboard, so people can use paddle boards at the campsite and in certain parts of the caves. You cannot do nothing before you do, you should be able to do a few treks, we advise people to have done some trekking, hopefully multi-day trekking. So, if you've done that, you'll be fine. I think this was the most popular tour after Son Doong . I think it's fabulous city position. I know this area quite well. And it is really unique, there will be a lot of wildlife because it's deep into the jungle. So, there's good chance to scene monkeys and things like that in this area. We see them also at Son Doong , but I think also in this area, we'll see monkeys because it is quite remote. So, I've got a great hope for this tour. And I'll be amazed if-- when people go on the tour, they don't come out and are blown away by it. Really blown away. Kerry Newsome: 53:43 So, this is going to be brand new. So, this is for February, March 22. Howard Limbert: 53:49 Yeah, I've got to get back to Vietnam and get in the jungle and set it all up. We've got a good idea. We've done a bit of work last year. But it's a rainy season at the moment. So, we cannot get into the jungle. But soon as a rainy season is over. By the end of November, we will go in, set the camp, set up the area and work out a proper four-day tour for people, which I guarantee will be spectacular. And people are already asking about. Because many people now, even though we've got lots and lots of tours, especially Vietnamese have done all our tour. And they've done them twice. And now they said, "Can you give us another tour?" And they always want to come back to Oxalis , because it's quite good, they look after people, and they really like it. 54:36 So, this is our new tour, that we're hoping to-- Well, we've got permission from the parks and the authorities to start a new tour. We just need to actually set it up and sort out the finer points of exactly where the campsites are going to be, and the exact route through the jungle. People talk about tourism, and they always feel that it's detrimental. But what we've seen with the tours that we run, because of tourism, there is a lot more wildlife. So, tourism has helped conservation. Now that's really unusual. And the reason isthat we employ, the people are used to the illegal activities, simple as that. So, we employ the best jungle man. 55:27 The people who used to go out, into the jungle collecting animals, collecting the rare wood, they're all employed by Oxalis now, because we decided, we wanted the best people. And these are the best people in the jungle for carrying and looking after people. And it's made a huge difference. Anybody who comes on tour, are really helping the local community. We employ over 98% local people in Oxalis - are 500 people, we have to have one or two from Ho Chi Minh, and Ha Noi, we- special qualifications that we need for certain posts, but the vast majority of people who are from that area, and so they enjoy working and it's a very young company, a lot of young people work, so great company to work for. And it's great fun work in that. And it's helping all the money comes back into the local community. 56:08 And I'm not bullying Oxalis , but the Vietnamese people are lovely helping other people. We give a lot of money to help the local people, be it toilets, floating houses, children, helping people out. I think we give something like underneath $80,000, last year to heritage. And this is purely from tourists, buying T shirts, buying pants, things like that, all- every single penny of the money goes back into foundations that we have, which I really like to see. That's why, I'm still working in Oxalis , rather than retiring and living a nice life. I enjoy being over there, because it's doing good things for the community and helping people, which I think is very important. Kerry Newsome: 57:08 Very important. And I'm really glad to hear that. And I've heard that from other people in Phong Nha as well. So, I'm just really glad to have you on the show, Howard, for your time for your insights, that everything I've learned a lot as well. I'll let you go and enjoy the rest of your day. I know you're off to Iceland, you lucky duck. But thank you again for being on the show and I hope to talk with you again soon. Howard Limbert: 57:35 Thank you, Kerry. It's been a pleasure.

S4-17 Vietnam Traveller Insights 2022 The best Vietnam traveller insights from 2022 Episode 17 S4-17 Vietnam Traveller Insights 2022 00:00 / 35:29 As we welcome in the Year of the Cat in Vietnam, I wanted to kick the year off with a very personal show. Having had a break and feeling super refreshed I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for listening, and to those that reached out to me during the break, I was extremely touched. I want you all to know that despite being a broadcaster of sorts, I am also a good listener. So, your thoughtful words and feedback have been heard. In this show I share with you my focus for 2023. Which is mainly about YOU. I want to respond to your concerns, interests, aspirations and requests as much as I can. If you go to the website you will see I have created a section for you to do that very easily. How would you like a show to feature one of your subject requests? What places and activities would you like to hear about? I have a lot in store already, but as I’ve said many times, Vietnam is developing fast and I am just trying to keep up with it. In this episode I do a brief recap on each of the shows we brought to you in 2022. I highlight the main attributes from each show and bring to light the main points covered and what you can expect to learn from each one. I hope you find that helpful and it sets the pace for your listening ear in 2023. We went far and wide in 2022 and we plan to do the same in 2023. You can hear my insights from last year’s shows by jumping to the time stamps below. Time stamps 2.35 – The year ahead 4.58 – Where to go for more in-depth information 10.54 – The year in Review – The comedy scene Saigon 12.07 – The language learning series of shows 12.54 – Phong Nha Caves show – in depth 14.07 – Wellness – where its heading in Vietnam 16.02 – Phu Quoc – Vietnam’s Island of sunsets 16.40 – A Teenager’s perspective 19.00 – Art in storytelling and Contemporary art of the future Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S6-E10 Why is Vietnam becoming so popular < Back S6-E10 Why is Vietnam becoming so popular S6-E10 Why is Vietnam becoming so popular 00:00 / 16:15 Series 6 Episode 10 Why is Vietnam suddenly everywhere right now? Not just on your social feeds…but in real conversations between travellers looking for somewhere that still feels exciting, welcoming, affordable… and genuinely different. In this episode of the award-winning What About Vietnam podcast, I unpack why Vietnam is having such a powerful moment in global travel — and why I believe this rise is only just beginning. From the shift in how Vietnam is perceived globally… to the incredible value it offers families, solo travellers, couples and long-stay visitors… this episode explores what’s really driving the surge in interest. Because Vietnam today isn’t just about ticking off famous landmarks. It’s about: • eating incredible regional food on tiny plastic stools • Value for money hotels at surprisingly affordable prices • beaches, mountains, cities and culture all in one trip • feeling safe while still feeling adventurous • and connecting with people in a way many travellers say they’ve lost elsewhere I also share what I’m personally seeing on the ground through trip planning conversations, traveller feedback, and years of returning to Vietnam myself. And perhaps the biggest shift of all? Vietnam is no longer simply being compared to places like Bali or Thailand. It’s becoming the destination people are choosing first. Timestamps: 00:01:19 – Vietnam’s rising travel popularity 00:08:11 – The value of travelling in Vietnam 00:11:39 – The diversity of experiences on offer 00:15:17 – Personalised travel and planning Vietnam well If this episode sparks your curiosity about Vietnam, you can also explore your own personalised plan by Kerry herself – Check out the page here - https://www.whataboutvietnam.com/series-6/question-9/what-vietnamese-dishes-should-i-try Do you have a travel question or wish to give some feedback? You have 90 seconds. Click to read the voicemail recording policy Previous Next

S5-E20 - Saigon Unseen: Missing the Sights S5- E20 – Saigon Unseen: The Sights You Didn’t Know You Were Missing Kerry Newsome: Xin chào and welcome to the What About Vietnam podcast. Well, people, here we are six weeks away from Christmas. I don't know about you, but I'm wondering where did the year go? It's been a terrific year. It's been a big year. It's been a busy year. I hope you've enjoyed the programs that we've been able to put on. I really want to extend a big thank you to everyone that follows the show. that sends me your feedback. I hope you gain some information to help you in your trip planning. As you know, I also offer the services of trip planning and I really do love putting those trips together for people and please reach out at whataboutvietnam.com for those services. Today we've got a really great program. I did something really different in this program. I took the risk of recording in an outside location, which is a restaurant in Saigon called The Refinery. While 90% of the recording was good, there is a little bit of background noise. And just as a bit of a heads up, I wanted to just ask for your forgiveness for a couple of spots towards the end of the show that aren't so great. I've done my best to edit those out, but if you'll just forgive those tiny little pieces there that aren't at my normal 100% perfect level that I would normally want to give. However, it hasn't taken anything away from the show. Just on the show schedule now for 24, we have this one and then one more before we wrap up for the end of the year. I will be taking an extensive break. The first show back for 25 will be at the end of January. So, you know, this show to go, one more, which is another great show to finish up the year, so hang in there. We've still got lots to tell you about Vietnam before we wrap up for 24. Now, launching into today's show, it was a really great opportunity, as I said, to try something different, to record outside. I got to meet this person who I've been following for quite a long time, and I'd like to tell you about my guest, Matt Cowan. Matt is the founder of The Bureau Asia , a media channel based in Saigon that he's been creating travel F&B and lifestyle content since 2018. You can find his content all over the web on YouTube, social media, podcast platforms and his website thebureauasia.com. Prior to becoming a media mogul, he was, I'm sure, a comedian in his past life. Matt was the managing editor of Saigon-based English language magazine Word Vietnam for a couple of years after he threw in his career as an educator at RMIT Vietnam, an Australian university with a campus in Saigon. He's also moonlighted for a number of magazines over the years, including Travel Plus Leisure Asia, Silver Chris, and that's your Singapore Airlines in-flight magazine, and others. And he still remains a pen for hire. If you wanted to reach out to him for his insights, his knowledge in the travel sector, F&B and lifestyle content, he would be your go-to guy. He's originally from Australia, from the Murray Valley region, which is just on the border of New South Wales and Victoria for Australians. So, you can imagine, and these are his words, he can be bought off very easily with a good cheese. Matt's been living in Saigon since 2010. and in that time has witnessed and reported on Vietnam's dynamic growth over the past 15 years. I got to meet him and his wife and it was very easy to tell that they really love Vietnam. In talking about his Vietnamese language skills, he's as bad as I am, it's an ongoing process. He says his knowledge of Vietnamese history and culture is getting better, however, not great at remembering names, dates and significant events. I told him that's okay. That's what Google's for. Matt loves Vietnam. He loves its people. And I think you're going to get a lot out of this show. We kind of really clicked. I loved my time with him. He's got some great insights to some parts of the city, which, you know, don't normally fit on your traditional visit map. So, you know, don't worry about trying to keep up with the show. There's lots of links to take you to this information. So, you're going to be able to access it easily when it comes to your visit and I just think you're just going to love the show. Let's welcome him to What About Vietnam. So here we are at the refinery in downtown Saigon and I'm very, very lucky this afternoon because I'm sitting here with a gentleman by the name of Matt Cowan. Matt Cowan : Matt, say hello. Yeah, hi. Hi, Kerry. Thanks for having me. It's an honor to be on your very special podcast that I've been listening to for a long time, by the way. I do tune in, as you say. Kerry Newsome : Well, like that in itself is an amazing feat. Matt Cowan: Yeah. I just hope I don't bore your listeners today. That's all. Kerry Newsome : No, we decided before this, you were the funny one. Remember, I was the serious one. You were very kind. No, you just have to be funny. Yeah, well, you're putting the pressure on. Matt Cowan : Yeah, yeah. Kerry Newsome : Hey guys, I just want you to, I don't know, get a better feel for Saigon in the sense that you have to dig a bit deeper to kind of get to the nitty gritty interesting kind of places. And interestingly enough, Mr Funny here tends to do that. scratch the surface. I said scratch decor. Matt Cowan : You've got to be careful though when you scratch here in this country. I've learnt that over the years. It may end up a trip to the doctor if you scratch a little too hard. Kerry Newsome: Yes, yes. Now be careful. So we're sitting in this beautiful, it's actually a French restaurant called The Refinery . And I've been here several times. It was Matt's decision to come here so I said yes to that very quickly. Matt Cowan : A little bit of history. Kerry Newsome : a little bit of history and I'm going to let Matt talk kind of about the bit of the history stuff because he's far cleverer than me. Matt Cowan: I'm actually not a historian. No. And I'm not actually very good with details. Kerry Newsome : No, but you're interesting. See, so that's okay. Matt Cowan : You can stay. That's two points already. I don't care. You can come back. Kerry Newsome : It's my show. You're on my show. Remember? Now over to you to talk a bit about this area. Matt Cowan: Thanks for dropping that on me. We're in the refinery as you said and just to give a little bit of background to the refinery. The refinery these days, if you say to people who live here, if you say, oh we're going to go to the refinery. It's a restaurant and bar. It's like a French brasserie, I think you would call it. It's like a French bistro kind of place. And I believe it's been open since about 2006. So, it's coming up on the 20 years. Nearly as long as I've been here, I think. No, 15. I've been here 15 years. And it's still here. Amazing. Yeah. And this was this precinct. was really where all the expats at that time would hang out. This building here that we're sitting in, I think it was actually part of the actual, well it's called the refinery because it was an opium refinery back in the day. So I believe in the late 1800s it was where the French government began refining opium and did whatever they did to it for consumption. So I think they imported most of it from India at the time. I think there was a little bit of opium grown here, and hence that's why the name refinery. And just for your listeners, if they do decide, if you guys do decide to come and eat here in this little precinct, There's a gate at the front on Hai Ba Trung Street. It's 74 Hai Ba Trung opposite the park higher. And if you look up at the top of the gate, there's still the opium motif that that was made out of, I don't know what, cast iron back in the day, I guess. And that's been there ever since this place has been open. So, what are we talking? How's your maths, Kerry? Oh, what are you talking about? 120, 160 years or something like that. So, yeah, and this… Because it's off the street. Kerry Newsome: That's what people need to understand. Yeah, there's a gate. There's an archway. Matt Cowan : Yeah. Kerry Newsome : And you have to walk down this little alley. Matt Cowan: That's right. Yeah. Kerry Newsome : And there's quite a collection of restaurants here. Matt Cowan: Yeah, yeah. Kerry Newsome : And it's kind of the first on your left. Matt Cowan: It's a very typical sort of gate of that period. So, if you can imagine back in the day when everything was horse and cart and that sort of thing. So, you know, they had to bring the horses and carts in here to pick up stuff. And when you're walking around town in the older parts of town, you still see a lot of gates like this. But this one in particular is quite unique because it was part of the opium refinery. And as I said, the cast iron motif at the top still has the opium poppies, which is quite intricate and quite beautiful. And I think that you can see it there, Kerry, but I'm just pointing out to Kerry here, there's a, what do you call those, a blind and the logo for the refinery is actually an opium poppy. Kerry Newsome : If, these walls could talk. Matt Cowan : Oh yeah. A little bit further down, there's another restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant there that your listeners might want to check out one day and it's called Hoa Thuc, which basically means flowers. Kerry Newsome : And there's a nice little bahn mi stand just next door. It's kind of like, it looks like a little caravan that they kind of lift up the doors and make bahn mi from. I love the decor here too. Matt Cowan : Oh, it's a great little spot. It's really cute. I actually came here for lunch a few months ago because with We'll probably get to it eventually, you know, the development of Vietnam and Saigon over the last decade or so has meant that I haven't come to these places so much and now that I've been here a long time, I'm sort of looking to get a little bit more nostalgic, so I came back here for lunch and I walked in and I just went, wow, this is sort of a step back in time, you know, you get a little bit of that French feel. Just before we move on, I was going to mention that back in the day, Mel and I, my wife's here, you know, taking photos of us and that, upstairs was a nightclub. So we used to go up there. It was called Vasco's nightclub. And that was the place where all the expats used to get together on whatever night of the week it was. And yeah, and there weren't too many places to go. Kerry Newsome : Typically back in those days, possibly the place to go would have been above the Caravelle, the rooftop bar there. That was pretty the hot spot to go for a nightlife and a lot of expats, etc. But yeah, keep going. Matt Cowan : Yeah, definitely anywhere that's a five-star hotel back in the day, you know, like when I first came here. So yeah, 2010, the beginning of 2010, there wasn't a hell of a lot of things to do even then, you know, we're talking 2010, you know, a weekend sort of staycation was all you could really do and it was go to say the Park Hyatt or the Sheraton or the Caravelle, have their buffet lunch and then hang by the pool for the rest of the day. There wasn't too much to do but there's a lot of things that have changed, lots of things to do now. Kerry Newsome : And I think maybe there was a preconception that you know, you fly into Saigon, and really it was the stepping point to other places in Vietnam. It was just too city-fied, people were overwhelmed with its busyness, et cetera, and there really wasn't enough info out there. As you said, 2010, it wasn't as civilized and as cosmopolitan, would you say it is now? Matt Cowan: Yep, for sure. Something happened around 2014, I think it was, I think, the Vietnamese government became signatories to a number of international trade agreements. So that sort of opened things up a bit. And then we saw the craft beer boom sort of around then. 2014 was when Pasteur Street first came onto the scene. Some of your listeners might be some of your listeners who are beer drinkers. I'm sure there's a few. they're probably familiar with Pasta Street and also the restaurants and that that came as well and it just built and built and built until the pandemic but we won't talk too much about that. Kerry Newsome : Well we'll have to at some point but I think the evolution of Saigon has been an interesting one as when even now when I'm talking to people and I'm building it into a an itinerary and I'm suggesting to stay extra days, there is a little bit of pushback by everyone saying, oh, do we really need to stay there? And I go, just give it a chance. But as you say, it's not on the surface. I mean, you're going to get a list of the, you know, what are the top five things to do that are going to be in you know, the Unification Palace and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But there's a lot more to that. And pretty much, that's why you're here, Matt, because I've been following you and how you've been, as you say, scratching below the surface to uncover the really cute, natty places. And that's what I want my listeners to get about this place. So knock yourself out with those places. Matt Cowan: Well, I think you hit the nail on the head. To a large extent, Ho Chi Minh City is still seen as that city where you either fly into or fly out of. I get that. And as a long-term resident here, I totally understand, you know. There's motorbikes everywhere. The footpaths are overtaken by motorbikes and street sellers. And if you happen to survive that, you'll roll your ankle. You know, the air quality is not so great. Take your mask off, Kerry. No, she hasn't got a mask on at the moment. But this time of year moves into, even though it's the best time of the year weather-wise, moving into December, It's also the build-up to Tet, the Tet holiday, and sometimes the air quality gets pretty bad, so January sort of into February it can, because the factories really the manufacturing places nearby really whip into gear before Tet. So that can be an issue and I get that, but having said all that, I still believe Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, is the best city in Vietnam. Wow, big statement. I'm a little bit biased, but I've had an opportunity to scratch beneath the surface and find out a little bit more. I was thinking about this on the way in, and it may be nothing new, but it's all about the people. Saigon is about the people. If you can in some way connect with the people, your stay is just going to be so much better. How do you do that? Well, I suppose come with an open mind and try things. Kerry Newsome : And I think what I like most about what you've been doing with your YouTube and with your podcast is talking to people about the history of this place, but in finding it in places like cafes and architecture and kind of the ambiance. Matt Cowan : The sort of the Indochina kind of thing. Kerry Newsome : Lost in translation kind of guy thing. Matt Cowan : Well, I mean that, how do I say this? Vietnam was colonized by the French. And so these days to sort of glorify the colonial days is perhaps not the thing to do. You know, it wouldn't be happening in Australia probably or in other sort of Western countries around the world. But we've got a, we're up to Generation Z now, I think it is, or Generation whatever they are. Kerry Newsome : I get lost in the alphabet. Matt Cowan : And that, you know, that was a million years ago for those guys and so what we, a little bit of a trend we're seeing at the moment is new cafes and bars opening up, cocktail, there's a lot of cocktail bars here by the way, if you love cocktails, I mean, you've come to the right town. Kerry Newsome : Yeah, I've just spent two weeks here so I think I can vouch for that. Matt Cowan: Oh, that's why you've got the bloodshot eyes. Kerry Newsome : Thanks, Matt. Now you know why I stick to audio and I don't do visual. So tell your wife to turn that camera off. Matt Cowan : But yeah, a lot of, you know, when you come here, you'll discover a lot of cafes and bars that are fairly new and they're harking back to that Indochina vibe, which to me, I love. To be honest, yeah. Dark places, all that lovely, you know, the interior, the French vibes, you know. So, there's a whole lot to discover here in that sense and despite what you hear probably on social media and in the media that, you know, so many of the French buildings are getting torn down and all that sort of stuff. There are actually still a lot of the big apartment blocks that were French built. They're looking a bit tired and weary and stuff like that and a bit smelly. But if you take the time to go in off the street, don't mind, remember we were in Chinatown the other day and you said, oh, I feel like I'm prying into their personal life. Kerry Newsome : Into a neighborhood, into a collective. Matt Cowan : Yeah, don't worry about that. Head in. head in and get up the stairs and have a look around because what you'll find is you know sort of three to four level apartment blocks that essentially hold communities and I'm talking hundreds of people maybe even thousands and where young people have come in the latest generation has come in and they've either traveled or they're better educated. They've come back to their hometown. They're like, okay, I'm going to open up a coffee shop or I'm going to open up a cocktail bar. And they do it. Kerry Newsome : Yeah. And one of the most typical ones, which, uh, you know, is like Instagram fave is the cafe building. Right now, if that, you saw that building in the U S or Australia or whatever, it would be demolished. Right. even to get into it and go up the stairs. Matt Cowan : There were rumors that they were going to pull that down back in the day. Guess what? They haven't. And you know why? Kerry Newsome : It's because it's turned into a major tourist attraction. But what I think I want to stress with just something that Matt's talking about some of these places, they are kind of down dingy alleys. I don't know where you hang out, Kerry. Yes, you actually do because you and I nodded to a lot of the places that we knew in the last few days. Matt Cowan : I know nothing. Kerry Newsome : So, don't give me that. Anyway, but apart from that also, you're not going to see a tourist bus with 40 people pile out in front of it. Matt Cowan: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, good point. Kerry Newsome : It's for the people who really hang around and spend some time to delve in that. Now, you can still be in that group with the bus and people and the 25 people and whatever, and you'll see the stock standard, tick, tick, tick, tick, the boxes, et cetera. But that's only a poof dink of what there is. And I think that's what Matt's trying to say in that. Matt Cowa n: I'm just on that apartment, apartment 42, isn't it? On Winway Street. Interesting that you raised that because About two years ago, I did a video with a local architect. He's a little bit older than me, not too much older than me, but lived here all his life, actually lived in District 1 in this neighborhood. And we did a video together about the Continental Hotel, which is quite famous and a lot of your listeners will be aware of. The Quiet American , the novel, and of course the movies, and Graham Greene, who was the author of that, and he famously stayed in room 214, which Mal and I, Mel, my wife, we stayed in that room a couple of years ago, and I did a video in there. did a bit of a walk around, but I also invited my friend who's the architect to come and talk about the building and talk about the area. Anyway, we've just been in touch and we're going to have lunch next week because we're going to do a video on that very building you're talking about, apartment 42. He's got a lot of knowledge about that and history about that particular building. Kerry Newsome : And it's a funky building in the sense that, you know, you keep climbing the stairs and, you know, you don't know what you're going to do. Matt Cowan: You can pay for the lift for anyone who needs a lift. Have you seen that lift, Matt, recently? It's one of those old French style. It's a cage, isn't it? It's a glorified cage. Kerry Newsome: And then if it got stuck, I'd just, you know, I'd do the stairs. I'll tell you another building is the CatNet building, right next to the new playground. Right. Have you, have you been in there? It's got a Kong cafe right on the corner and it's another mysterious, wild, up, up round stairs. Matt Cowan : I don't know. I get this wrong all the time. The old CIA building. I don't think it was the CIA building. It was the residences for CIA staff, I believe. Someone will correct us in the comments. But it's the spot where the famous photo where the chopper Landed on the day. No, that's not the building. Kerry Newsome : I know you're showing off. Like, sit down. Matt Cowan: It's not too far from here actually. We probably should have got a chopper to lift us in. Of course, that's just what we need. Drop us in and we could have done this podcast there. Kerry Newsome : A little bit of chopper noise in the background just to add more authenticity to us. Matt Cowan: I don't know if anyone would have heard anyway. Kerry Newsome : Anyway, the Catanat building, for everyone else who wants a simplified where is it, it's opposite H&M. You cross over the road and you go through this art dealers kind of thing and then you walk up the stairs. Matt Cowan: Yeah, that's the one where the Comme Café is on the bottom, on the corner, or the Catinat Building is on the corner and there used to be a Cong Café. Cong Café in the building. Yeah. For anyone who's into war history and, you know, the very famous photo that was taken April 29, I think it was, the day before the fall of Saigon. Rooftop is still there. I've been up there. There was a time when you could get up there and you could also pay the security guy to get you up there. Of course you could, Matt. Kerry Newsome : Yeah. Okay, so moving right along, can we talk a little bit about some of the history that comes through in places like the Opera House and some of the shows they put on there? Because I don't think we talk about that enough. I'll start with the one I know, which is the AO. Matt Cowan: Oh, I haven't done that one. I haven't been to that in all these years. Kerry Newsome : But the one you have done is the Tadar. Yeah, Tadar show. So maybe talk to my listeners about the Tadar. Matt Cowan : It was a little while ago, but an amazing show. Yeah, very Cirque du Soleil. And it's done by a troupe of dance, I suppose you call them a troupe, a troupe of dancers from the Central Highlands, somewhere around near Ducklack, I think, or something like that. And it's just a very acrobatic, How else can I? Systematic, no, acrobatic. The choreography's amazing. The choreography's amazing. And all the props are made out of bamboo, so they're manoeuvring these massive… I don't know, artefacts and yeah, boats and big circular things and whatever else made out of bamboo. And it's super daring. It's eye opening. If you get a chance, make sure you go and see it. Kerry Newsome : Yeah, I think it's a definite thing to do, which doesn't get mentioned that much. Matt Cowan: Yeah, funny that. Kerry Newsome : I mean, there's a massive opera house there that the show is featured on. For everyone listening, just be careful on the dates because it doesn't play every day of the year. Matt Cowan : It moves around. Sometimes they go on tour. They go overseas. Kerry Newsome : Yeah, and Hanoi. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But they are part of the same troop which is the A.O. show. I personally think the A.O. show is just a step up. And it's been going a lot longer. But it definitely does move around. And I think the company that runs it is called Lune. I'll put a link in the show notes for people to just check your calendars if you're here. You know, I think the whole family would get something out of it. It's really quite special. Matt Cowan : Really great chance to see the Opera House as well. And inside a tip, the comfiest seats in town. Oh, that's handy to know. Because there's not many comfy seats around in this city. There's none. So try and get yourself into the Opera House. Just outside the hop-on hop-off bus. I've seen it. I haven't done it. There's a little ticket booth just outside the front of the Opera House. Kerry Newsome: So you can just wander up there and the buses pull up across the street. I never do on-off buses. I know I should, but I don't. I want to make it hard for myself, obviously. But people say it's a really good summarising opportunity to them to see it. And they don't have to walk in the sweaty day or whatever. They can sit on the top deck and get a suntan. Matt Cowan : You've got to pick your time of day, otherwise you'd fry. You've got to sit inside. I think I've done it a couple of times now and I think we chose around about, well, depending on the season. So we're moving into the best season for tourists at the moment. Christmas in Saigon is the best time weather-wise and also a little bit of a festive atmosphere as well. The Vietnamese don't sort of, yeah, they don't celebrated in a religious sense so much and so great time for the double-decker bus and to sit up on top. Kerry Newsome : And you kind of got to fit it in people because you don't want to miss out on happy hours. You've really got maybe somewhere about three to four maybe do you think? It's about an hour trip, is that right? Matt Cowan: Yeah, it's about, well actually they've extended it as well. You can go into Chinatown now as well. So I haven't done that yet. But Mel and I have done it, the original one, and I think we went about four o'clock. Again, depending on the time of year. So, we're in Vietnam, we're moving into winter. So, you know, shorter daylight hours. It's usually dark at 6 p.m. anyway, isn't it? Usually around here. Yeah. Kerry Newsome : And you want it to be dark at 6 p.m. Matt Cowan: Yeah. So, it's not a bad idea to get the bus at about 4.30 if you can, if there's one going at that stage. So, then it moves into the twilight and then the lights come on. Kerry Newsome: I think Saigon is a night city. Oh. I think the city… Well, it's a lot easier on the eye. We're in a taxi. In some places, it's a lot, lot easier on the eye because some people kind of come out of the woodwork. Matt Cowan : Yeah. Kerry Newsome : Do you know… Yeah, there's some characters that come out. Matt Cowan : Oh, you know about that. You've just… Oh, they don't get around. Like, seriously. You've just taken one off my list. Kerry Newsome : I did that the other night with a friend of ours and it turned out to be, yeah. And I'd never done Bowie Vinn either. So it was a big night. So we did Bui Vinh I was like, from the start to the finish, I was, I'd done that in 15 minutes. But I got in early, I got in early, out early. Matt Cowan : But then we, when then we did the Japan… You might have to go to that hospital you keep telling me about to get some new ears. Kerry Newsome : Look, I save that for special occasions, that hospital, to get special work done. We can definitely talk about Japan Street, but talk about Chinatown. I loved what we did the other day. Matt Cowan : Well, this might be where I get to put a little bit of a plug in, because actually I took you on a small section of a walk that I've created. And so, you know, obviously you'll leave a link to that. But people can access that. That's a self-guided walk that you can do. So you don't need anybody. You just access it through one of my websites or whatever, which is easy, and just follow the prompts along. And there's a few little photos and stuff like that, and a few little explanations. And there's a map. Your time's finite, and same with your money and stuff like that. And so it's like, I don't really want to miss anything. We're calling it Japantown because there's a lot of Japanese sort of small restaurants. If you've been to Japan, you'll know izakayas, so they're sort of little snack bars there. There are, well, you're staring at me earlier, Carrie. Little sort of massage places and little bars where you can, what would you, how would you? No, I don't know how you'd say it, Matt. You would get a companion to sit with you. Buy a companion a drink, not buy a companion. Let's get that straight. Kerry Newsome: I think you'd buy them for more than just a drink. Matt Cowan : Well, I don't know. I don't know. I can't comment any further than that. This is a G-rated show. If you want the X-rated version, go to Patreon. No, my website isn't like that. Yes, so a lot of the Japanese expats will live there. So Vietnam has a lot of Japanese workers who come who are in construction. They do the engineering on skyscrapers. They build roads and bridges and stuff like that. So they've been responsible for a lot of the infrastructure development in Vietnam over the last couple of decades. And of course, when you've got groups of people, you want to generally speaking, kind of hang out with your own to a certain extent and get the food and the drink that you're used to and the massages, I suppose, that you're used to from back home. And a little bit of care and attention. And over the years, it's developed into a bit of a Japan town. But before that, We actually used to call it the ghetto because expats new to town would wind up there. That was where there was accommodation. The landlords were used to having foreigners live with them and they sorted out their, you know, their residence stuff there. rental agreements and leases and all that sort of stuff. But over time, over the last decade or so, it's evolved into this sort of almost like a red light entertainment. Kerry Newsome : Yeah, I was wondering whether those words were going to come out red and light together. Matt Cowan : Or if you're Japanese listening to this, pink. Kerry Newsome : It's like a maze, isn't it? It's a rabbit warren of little alleys. We were actually looking for, I think, a famous bar or some guy who was involved in a bar called The Power. Matt Cowan : Oh, OK. Kerry Newsome : I saw him on a YouTube channel the other day. And it was nothing like I expected. Matt Cowan : It looks a bit like a gentleman's bar. Let's put it that way. Kerry Newsome : Well, there wasn't even any gentleman there. Matt Cowan: Right. Kerry Newsome: It was dead as a doornail. Matt Cowan : What time was that? Kerry Newsome : Oh, probably about nine. Matt Cowan: Yeah, a little bit early. Probably a little bit early. Yeah. Yeah. And you're not really the demographic. No, thankfully. But then you moved on to Bui Vien Street, which is the backpacker area, Pham Nhu Lao area. Kerry Newsome: And that was just, as Matt's saying, you know, that's about ticking a box for me. I literally, from the archway that it begins to the archway, I reckon I hightailed that. I did that in about 15 minutes, 20 minutes. And as you say, demographically, that's not for me either. I stood out like the proverbial. Matt Cowan: It's worth having a look though, isn't it? Kerry Newsome : Look, the food here is so diverse. I get challenged with my clients in trying to describe the cuisine and the choices available in Saigon. Like, people say, oh, what happens if I don't like Vietnamese? That won't be a problem because there's Japanese, there's Greek, there's Italian, Like, you name it, it is here in Saigon and good quality and well-priced. Matt Cowan: Yeah. Kerry Newsome : There's plenty. So, yeah. So, I think and the cakes are like, I've got a girlfriend who recently had some surgery and as I said, we'll talk about that. But all she could eat was something very Ah, soluble and soft. So, she went for the cake. So, I have got some beautiful places to list out for you to explore as far as cake shops. Buttery - https://www.facebook.com/butterycakecafe/ Ivoire - https://www.facebook.com/ivoirepastry/ Matt Cowan: And that's the French history still hanging around, you know. It's a beautiful thing. And other things that are sort of French that you'll find, and especially deep into the outer districts as well, are flans. Kerry Newsome: Oh, okay. Matt Cowan : Yeah, there's a long tradition of flan here. So, the little, they're like the little custard tarts and stuff like that. Yes. You get the caramel flan or whatever. So, you'll be driving, you don't really see them so much in District 1, District 3, but if you go over the canal to District 4, there's a street there, all the other districts really. But eventually you'll come across someone who's got a little stand on wheels and they'll be selling flan and little sort of custard tartlets, little pastry on the outside and then the egg tart in the middle. And you just whack one of those back and get going. What advice am I going to give people? And probably, as I said at the beginning of the episode, was about the people. The people make this country. They make this city, you know? So, OK, you need your guard up. As a traveller, you need to take care of your things, take care of your bag, take care of everything else. Make sure you don't get run over crossing the street or whatever. But other than that, Be open to people approaching you and having a chat. The Vietnamese, I lived in Japan for three years, 25 years ago. And the Japanese really are not into speaking English. They're not great at it, generally speaking. It's very rare to be able to walk up the street and say, hey, can you help me in English? And someone will answer. Whereas here, it might be a lady on the street pushing a trolley. up a sort of a hill in the midday sun and you stop her and say, hey, can you show me where this cafe is or whatever and they'll have a go at it. Kerry Newsome : I'm a bit like you. I really do try to encourage my travelers to engage where they can. And people say, you know, well, how do I do that? And you can start with your reception staff at your hotel. They are your first point of contact. You'll probably find that they have a little bit more English at their disposal. I have had the most amazing relationships formed by getting to know the reception staff at various hotels. The other thing I'd encourage you to do is to do something that they will need to speak to you about, like a cooking class. And sometimes you'll, you know, engage with, I mean, I've got a very, very dear friend that started, she ran that cooking class. We just formed a relationship. The next thing she was sending me a text message at the end of the afternoon said, you know, what are you doing this afternoon? Would you like to meet up for a coffee? Would you like to go for a glass of wine, because I'd obviously shared with her I like a glass of wine. And, you know, we went from there. And I was then able to, you know, spend time with her and see Vietnam through her eyes. And that was just invaluable. Matt Cowan : Yeah. And you've just reminded me, one way to feel a part of the city and if you're brave enough, get on the back of a motorbike. Absolutely. It's one way that you can really feel like you're part of the crowd and while we're on it, there's just a couple of motorbike tours Can I mention them? Sure. That I'd recommend. One is Vesper Adventures . Definitely, I've done it and it's a great tour. It's really cool. Kerry Newsome : And then Vesper's a bike, an interesting bike in itself and it's probably only going to go about 40 k's an hour. Matt Cowan : They also do a craft beer pub crawl as well so you can book one of those if you want to do that, if you're into that. Another one, a young guy, he has one called Yes Ride. as well. So, they're young kids who get around, you know, early 20s or something like that, locals. So, that's really cool. Have we got time to just quickly, I've got a little list here of a couple of things. Go for the list. I kind of forgot about it. Okay. So, one other thing, if you're into history, in Saigon. One of the things on my list that I did, you know, the 25 things to do is eat in locations that are historic, just so you can sort of soak it in. And obviously the refinery is one of those. Another one is the Continental Hotel, which we mentioned, the Graham Green Hotel. So if you're a bit of a bookworm and, you know, nostalgic and stuff like that, you can sit there. And actually on Sundays, I think it is. Often on Sundays, the vintage cars will come out and they'll just park there. And the guys who have got these really old vintage cars, they'll want to show off their cars to people and they just park them there and people come along, take photos and you can have some sex on the beach or a blue lagoon or, you know, those old school cocktails back in the 70s. I mean, I wasn't around then, but you might remember. Another one, I just mentioned Tan Din before, where the pink church is. Not too far up the road there's a pho place, pho noodle soup place called Pho Bin. And it was a Viet Cong safe house during the war. And that's where they orchestrated the attack on the US embassy in 1968 for the Tet Offensive. And so what you can do is you can go there and have a bowl of fur. And then for a small fee, you can go upstairs and they've still got the room set up basically how it was back in 1968. And so it was a cover for all the, you know, the top brass to go up there and have meetings and stuff like that. And there's photos around of the father of the sons who still own the place. The sons are, you know, probably in their 70s now or something like that. And there's old photos there. So you can sort of soak it in a bit. And not too far away is a place called Cafe Dolfo. And it was also a similar sort of place. And Kerry, I think, I'll send you a, I'll give you a link and map location, stuff like that. And it's a quite a cool little spot to go because it was another one of those places that was sort of, you know, during the war, under everybody's noses, you know, the spies were coming in and out. And then allegedly across the street, there was a Korean army, you know, soldiers barracks and the soldiers, the Korean soldiers used to go in there and have breakfast. Little did they know that it was actually a VC safe house, sending messages and listening in to their conversations. And that's still there. And it's a national relic. So and it's free. to check out. So, yeah, but there's a whole lot of other things and if I think of them all, I'll let you know. Kerry Newsome: The great thing about talking with you, Matt, is that you've got a library of links, YouTube videos, bits and bobs. Matt Cowan : I'm glad because my memory's going. Kerry Newsome : I was actually thinking of coming to talk to you. How's he going to remember all that? And then I thought, no, it doesn't matter because, you know, there's that thing called the World Wide Web and it means that I can send links to you. But don't worry listeners if you think oh God I need to keep up with this or I need to read this very, very long transcript which it's turning out to be. I'm going to put some links in. You're going to be able to go straight to Matt's pages and his YouTube videos. Matt Cowan : On the other occasion I do a podcast as well as a podcast, the Bureau Asia podcast. That's how I found you Matt if you remember. Kerry Newsome : So, anything to wrap up with that we want to leave people with as far as Saigon? Matt Cowan: I just think if you're coming to Saigon, try not to think of it as a, you know. Leapfrog. Yeah. Spend a bit more time. Spend a few nights here. I think three nights might At least do it. Come with an open mind. Do everything in the morning or in the evening. Leave the middle of the day for you back at the hotel and have your nana nap or whatever. I'm big on that because the heat creeps up on you and then next thing you're ready to pass out. Kerry Newsome : And pick a time of year. Matt Cowan : Yeah, that's right, yeah. And typically I tell people around about Christmas, the end of the year is good for Saigon. Not too sure what it's like in Hanoi, pretty chilly that time of year, isn't it? Kerry Newsome: Getting December, January, it's starting to cool off dramatically, yeah, it drops because, you know, you're up near the China border and, you know, it's a totally different… But all the storms are pretty much done by then. Matt Cowan: Yes, it's just cold. You know, this time of year, Nha Trang tends to cop it a little bit. We get a bit of rain here this time of year, but… Kerry Newsome : No, Saigon is good. Okay Matt, thanks for being on the show. It's been great to have you. I really appreciated Matt coming on the program. As promised, you'll find a lot of the links to Matt's website and his social media platforms, including his podcast. We mentioned a few different places to visit in Saigon. I'll also include those links. So please go to the website whataboutvietnam.com to find those or check your podcast channel for information and the transcript. Thank you and I look forward to sharing more Vietnam travel stories next episode. Please enjoy some of the topics we managed to cover during the show. 00:07:03 - Exploring Saigon's Hidden Gems 00:08:16 - History of The Refinery 00:10:33 - French Colonial Architecture in Saigon 00:12:47 - Nightlife and Expat Hangouts 00:14:06 - Saigon's Evolution and Modernization 00:17:07 - Connecting with Saigon's People 00:18:10 - French Colonial Influence in Modern Cafes and Bars 00:20:05 - Exploring Historic Apartment Buildings 00:23:21 - Famous Historical Sites and Buildings 00:25:28 - Cultural Shows at the Opera House 00:27:47 - Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours 00:30:01 - Saigon as a Night City 00:31:04 - Exploring Japantown and Chinatown 00:40:04 - Motorbike Tours in Saigon 00:41:08 - Historic Dining Locations 00:45:06 - Best Time to Visit Saigon Links as mentioned for you to explore further:- Continental Hotel video with architect Hoanh Tran (The Bureau Asia YouTube Channel) https://youtu.be/YBqwIGvOuXw?si=lYVTgbhtjT5kRTR_ Cho Lon Self-Guided Walk (The Bureau Asia Substack Mailing List) https://thebureauasia.substack.com/p/cho-lon-self-guided-morning-walk The best places to EAT, PLAY, LOVE in HCMC in 2024 (links out to the 25 Things to Do in HCMC video) https://thebureauasia.com/2024/03/30/the-best-places-to-eat-play-love-in-ho-chi-minh-city-in-2024/ Then & Now - Saigon 20 Years On (The Bureau Asia Podcast) https://podcasts.apple.com/vn/podcast/then-now-saigon-20-years-on/id1478396971?i=1000656875461 The Bureau Asia Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebureauasiagroup Opera House shows https://www.luneproduction.com/

f633923d-dcb9-4cc1-b5e2-02708a05122dTam Ky and Tam Thanh beach - not on the regular tourist track yet! Tam Ky and Tam Thanh Beach - Not on the regular tourist track Episode 4 Tam Ky and Tam Thanh Beach - Not on the regular tourist track 00:00 / 23:23 Vietnam has so much to offer the tourist. You have all heard this said before! However, not all of its lively cities, or tranquil beaches, are played out in mainstream media or travel guides. Tam Ky is the capital of Quang Nam ( The same province Hoi An is located in) and Tam Thanh Beach are two of those places the tourist's HAVEN'T overrun or for that matter know much about. Meet Sander Seymour, my guest, today on the program. A fun American guy who came to Vietnam over 4 years ago, and try as he did, couldn't leave, He literally fell in love. With Vietnam and a lovely local girl from Tam Ky. Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S4-20 Life changer for singer songwiter Life changing experience for a singer songwriter Episode 20 S4-20 Life changer for singer songwiter 00:00 / 48:47 In today’s show we explore Vietnam and the high hopes of a young traveller, singer and songwriter, who through his love of adventure and music found himself falling in love with Vietnam and its people. Our guest Luke Webster talks about his travels and how he found himself enjoying a more relaxed pace, with happy smiling people and welcoming feelings of family and home. He describes the sensory overload that hit him when he first arrived, and the beauty and serendipitous happenings that steered him to create the kind of music he had been wanting to make all his life. Singer Songwriter, music teacher; Luke has written and recorded an album of his original music in Hoi An, Vietnam. He studied English Literature at Uni, then went on to do 3 Camp America seasons and two Ski seasons in France. At the age of 23 he took a leap of faith and flew to Vietnam on a one-way ticket; met a musician from Israel and formed a band in Hoi An called The Langurs. Details of his Album soon to be released on Spotify will be provided below. He gigged continuously throughout the COVID years, also teaching guitar, piano, singing, Ukelele, and drums to expats in Hoi An. After exploring the north, Hanoi and Cat Ba, he describes falling in love all over again in Hoi An. The vibe of this old town (or country town as he calls it) including the beach area of An Bang began to open doors to allow him to perform regularly and cfrat his own style and repertoire of music to an ever increasing local following. Luke speaks to all of us who recognise the value of travel and especially to places where the culture is foreign to your own. He talks about how traveling and working things out as you go develops you as a person, and how it can broaden the mind to think outside the box. I am sure you will resonate with Luke’s openness and honesty. Make sure to look out for his album to be released in April 2023. https://soundcloud.com/luke-webster-23 Luke Webster - Facebook - https://www.facebook Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

3f0e6c92-f3f3-4950-8fa3-5b1ae46c7755Five golden rules on getting the best accommodation Accommodation in Vietnam Episode 5 S1-05 Accommodation 00:00 / 22:51 It's time to book accommodation. This is the exciting part of trip planning because if you are like me, this is when you really feel like "THIS IS REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN". I'm going! Listen up to my 5 golden rules - to ensure you get the type of stay, and value for money you are always hearing about in Vietnam. It's available. Let me show you where. It's not always written in the detail, or reviews of the hotel you are viewing. You take those on face value. The question is:- Does it fit that picture in your head of your perfect stay? Let me give you my hard-earned truths about finding the right kind of accommodation for your visit. Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S5-E17 - Motorbike riding tips in Vietnam S5-E17 – Motorbike riding in Vietnam: Safety, local tips and Epic Adventures Kerry Newsome: Xin chào and welcome back to the What About Vietnam podcast. I'm thrilled to have you join me today. Before we jump into this episode, I wanted to address a new connectivity feature that initially I was really excited about because it opened up the door for what I thought would be a great way for us to interact more. However, it's not quite working out as I'd hoped. You may see at the beginning of the show notes in the podcast channel that you're listening from some words that say text me a message. It's a great idea. Don't get me wrong. I love hearing from you. And, you know, whether that's your thoughts on the episodes, some questions, messages of appreciation, you know, I just, I just love the feedback. It's really great. However, I feel it remiss of me to, A, not thank you for them, but to be not be able to respond directly to you. So if you have sent me a question and I've got lots and you haven't heard from me, there's a really good reason why I actually don't have the ability in the technology to respond to you. They kind of expect that you would or I would answer the questions in the form of a show and there's just kind of too many and I just think it's just too personal not to do it that way. So I wanted to alert you to the fact that if you do send me a message through that connection option, I'm not going to be able to respond to you directly. So, if you do have a question, and it is time sensitive, or you want to send me any kind of message, can I suggest the following two ways? One, send me an email to whataboutvietnamatgmail.com. That is the email address that I have the most constant access to, and I will aim to get back to you ASAP. Secondly, if you go to the website for the podcast, which is whataboutvietnam.com, if you scroll right to the bottom, there is a chance for you to leave a voice message. Now, in that voice message, I can respond to you equally with a response in voice. So if you want a quick response, that's your next best way. But I just wanted to get this into the show, make you aware of this as it really is becoming problematic. And I've just got too many and I can't kind of go naming people and answering each question. That's just a little bit silly. So if you have sent me a text message before and you're waiting on a message back as a response, I'm so sorry. I cannot do that. But if you want to send the question again, I'd be more than happy to answer. Just in the lead up to this episode, I thought I'd give you a little bit of context. Firstly, I've asked Ben Mitchell to come back on the show. I was able to have the opportunity to talk with him while I was in Fong Nah, and we were able to sit down and have a really frank and open discussion around motorbikes and travel around Vietnam on a motorbike. And, you know, for people who are thinking to come to Vietnam and have that experience, I just think this is one for you. This is one that I really encourage you to listen to, to give you some real context of what that actually would mean for you as you visit this amazing country, which as he calls it, a motorbike nation. In addition to having been on the show, I got the opportunity to ask my friend Chris Pantelli to come on. And his story is even more fresh, I guess, in my mind and certainly in his, as I got to share the story after he just finished a five-day trip in northern Vietnam in the Yen Bai province. Now, if you've been listening to my shows, you would have heard me put up a show about Yen Bai, but a totally different experience to the motorbike journey off-road and on-road that Chris Pantelli and his son did together in April of this year. So, stick with us, folks. It's a really meaty show. It's got a lot of great tips and hints. I'm going to put all the links to some of the companies that are mentioned, so you can go there, check them out for yourself and, you know, enjoy Vietnam if you're a motorbike rider, but don't come to Vietnam for the first time or any time if you're not an experienced rider and just jump on the bike. It's better to get on the back of someone else and let them take you around rather than take that risk yourself. It's just not the country to learn how to ride, it's the country to experience as an experienced rider. Anyway, let's jump into the show and let's say hello to Ben. Kerry Newsome: Hi, Ben. How you doing? Ben Mitchell: I'm good. Hi, Kerry. Kerry Newsome: What are we going to be talking about today? Motorbikes. Ben Mitchell: Motorbike, motorbike travel, motorbike tourism in Vietnam. Kerry Newsome: Do you know what? I reckon that's a really good topic to talk about as it comes up a lot. And, you know, there's some crazy things that happen with motorbikes. Ben Mitchell: Yeah, well, it's a motorbike nation, the Vietnam The people of Vietnam are all on a motorbike. You can put anything on a motorbike. You can put a large amount of people on a motorbike. As you travel through Vietnam, you'll see motorbikes being used in all sorts of different ways. As far as travelling in Vietnam by motorbike, it's very, very exhilarating. It's a great way to see the country. Kerry Newsome: All right. So let's let's dig a bit deeper into the different ways you can do that. And what do you need to know up front before you make that decision to ride a motorbike as part of your trip or part of your travel plan in Vietnam? Ben Mitchell: Well, there'll be many different ways that you could experience Vietnam involving motorbikes, I think the first thing we should talk about is safety. And yes, the elephant in the room, there is motorbike accidents in Vietnam. That is an issue. So, you know, if you're going to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, it's good to be able to ride a motorbike. Kerry Newsome: And can I interject and just say, That when you say you need to be able to ride a motorbike, do you mean that in the country you come from, you have ridden a motorbike and you have a motorbike licence? Is that what you mean? Ben Mitchell: I reckon that would be a very good start. Kerry Newsome: Right. A very good start or a minimum standard, Ben? Ben Mitchell: Yeah, minimum standard. I think learning to ride a motorbike in Vietnam is fraught with danger. Yeah. I think Kerry Newsome: I think it's probably not a good idea if I'm going to be… Let's say that really out loud because I hear a lot of people who decide to come to Vietnam for the very first time and get on a bike and think this is just easy peasy and it's not. Let alone the traffic, just learning to ride a bike. Ben Mitchell: I've been working in tourism for 15, 14 years here in Vietnam. And how many times I've heard, yeah, my first motorbike experience was riding out of Saigon or riding out of Hanoi on a motorbike I just bought earlier that day and off we went. And yeah, often there's an incident somewhere between there and when I meet them that involves a fair bit of skin off and they've got a bit of skin off at that point. And that's so yeah, just to sort of say that understanding how to ride a motorbike and having some experience in riding a motorbike would be a very good idea prior to coming to Vietnam and riding a motorbike. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, I'm going to still put it in my minimum standard category because, you know, people say, you know, oh, it's managing the traffic. You still have to know how to ride a bike. Ben Mitchell: Effectively, yeah. Not a scooter, a bike. I'd say in the country that you're from, go and get a motorbike license and learn to ride a motorbike prior to coming to Vietnam would be a minimum standard. Yeah, correct. Kerry Newsome: Okay. So you've done heaps on a bike, let's face it. So what would you be recommending for your first time traveller to Vietnam as an experienced rider? So they know how to ride. Ben Mitchell: Well, you've got a few choices. You can rent a motorbike and you can ride Through Vietnam you can rent a motorbike and ride through a segment of Vietnam on multi-day trips. You can travel from place to place through Vietnam and in most destinations, well all destinations that are set up for the tourist to visit in Vietnam, you can rent scooters and motorbikes for the day. and go out and explore the area. So some destinations in Vietnam are set up for people to rent a bike and go around and visit as a tourist. For day trips, some destinations you would be rented a motorbike for multi-days to visit the area. And then there's also the market of people renting motorbikes and riding through the country. People buy motorbikes in Saigon. They sell them in Hanoi. There's companies that will buy them and sell them from you. They buy them off other travelers and sell them to other travelers. And then there's the idea that you can go on a tour. And there is some really good reputable companies that provide motorbike tours. Tours can be a day trip, tours can be, you can do a tour for an evening, doing a food tour around Saigon. You can do tours in certain regions of Vietnam that might include a lot of cultural stuff and being way off the beaten track. A good way to get way off the beaten track in Vietnam is to travel by motorcycle. And then there's the way that I haven't really mentioned yet, and that is the easy rider. There is Vietnamese, normally men in most areas of Vietnam, that take tourists on day trips on the back of their motorbikes. or they take people on multi-day trips through segments of Vietnam, whether it be the South, the Central Highlands, Central Vietnam or the North, and they take people on the back of the motorbike. Now, for someone who is not a motorbike rider, to experience Vietnam in a very unique and amazing way, I would highly recommend EasyRiders as a great way to do it. You know, for instance, we get at Phong Nha Farmstay where I live, we get a lot of single female travelers staying with us. And I often say to them, are you heading south? And they're like, yeah. And I'm like, are you on a time restraint? And if they say no, I'm like, well, have you thought about doing a two-day trip from here to Hue via the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Khe Sanh on the back of an Easy Rider? And if they're up for it, it's a great way to get off the beaten track. probably their best opportunity in Vietnam to get off the beaten track with someone we trust to send them with. And they always send me an email at the end of the trip just saying, wow, thanks, that was amazing. So motorbike tourism is not just about being a competent motorbike rider and taking off on your own. You can experience some of the best of what Vietnam's got to offer. And you don't know how to ride a motorbike, but you can go on the back of a licensed local. Kerry Newsome: I feel very comfortable with that. I like it because out of the two of us, I know they know more than me and they know where they're going, they know how to manage traffic, they know the regions, they know the customs and they know the language. So that is a distinct advantage over anything I could offer to the situation. Ben Mitchell: Yeah, and it's unique and they often know some great places that no one else knows. Kerry Newsome: Hideaways. Yeah, absolutely. So they know the good food spots. They know where the potholes are. They can kind of navigate around and it's a really pleasurable experience. Ben, is there any kind of best times of the year to do this, you know, if people were planning ahead? Ben Mitchell: Yeah, if you break Vietnam into sort of three regions, the South, the Central and the North, there's better times to be in any one of those regions. If you were going to ride from all the way from up near the Chinese border down to the bottom of Vietnam at any time, you would probably find at some point along the way some uncomfortable weather, wet, hot, cold, given the time of year. Another way to look at Vietnam, as far as motorboat travel goes, would be to look at what part of the country is best for the time of year you have available to travel. I would personally say, and I've been told by the experts and I've experienced the North in October, September, October, amazing in the North. Yeah, you get a bit of light rain occasionally, but it's harvest time, so it's actually dry. The rice harvests are amazing to see, the countryside's amazing to see in September and October. Having said that, it gets cold up there January, February, and it gets hot up there in the summer, but it's great. any time of the year with the right preparation. And if you're an experienced motorbike rider, you'd know that having the correct gear is important for the time of year that you're traveling. Central Vietnam can be very wet. I often meet people traveling through central Vietnam during our wet season, which centers around October and early November. and they're discussing how amazing it is to ride in extreme rain conditions, which I wouldn't recommend, but another thing about traveling in central Vietnam by motorbike during that period is to be adaptable. with your time. If you need to change direction, if there's a storm, weather event, you need to change direction. Typhoon, yeah, typhoon. Typhoon's not good for motorbike riding. Very short-lived and often cause extreme flooding, but yeah. And then you've got the South, which is very, very hot in the summer and humid, but amazing in the winter. So, you know, leaving Central Vietnam in January, it can be 10 degrees Celsius. And then you can be down as far as Quang Ngai and you're 25. And so, yeah, spread out over two and a half thousand kilometers. What's the best time of year to travel in Vietnam by motorbike? That would be very regional. Kerry Newsome: Fair enough. And, you know, I'm a bit of fan of having my own gear. like my own boots, my own jackets, you know, I know that gear fits me well. Do you recommend people bring their own gear? Ben Mitchell: Yeah, certainly. Like if you're coming in to travel through Vietnam, I recommend you bring your own gear. If you want to buy gear over here, you'd probably find that gear is a lot cheaper here than it is in countries like Australia, where I'm from. You know, companies In Saigon, in Da Nang, in Hanoi, they have the right gear. Saigon motorcycles, Da Nang motorcycles, they sell a wide range of safety equipment at much more reasonable prices than you would get in Australia. But typically, when I travel, I always carry my own gear. Kerry Newsome: What's your average size of bike that you're going to be getting, especially for a long, like what sizes of bikes are we talking? Are we talking tourers? Are we talking off-road bikes? Are we talking on-road bikes? Ben Mitchell: For people that are just renting a bike to do day trips out of an area and around an area, typically they're going to ride scooters. People that are going to get a motorbike taxi or a local rider around an area on day trips, they're often on scooters or small motorbikes. There has been a big increase in Vietnam in options for bigger motorbikes in the last few years. Typically, you want to talk about 15 years ago and before that, most of the tourists that were coming through would ride old Russian Minsks. That chain, they're a 125cc bike that was bought out here during the Soviet era. They've gone out completely now. People went through a phase of riding cheap Hondas. Nowadays we see a lot of people riding like XR150s, little like sort of mixed trail road bikes. and scooters still, but there has been a big increase in the amount of companies running tours and renting out CB500s and other bigger bikes nowadays. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, I've seen more bigger bikes on the roads than I have before and that's getting back to that, you know, riders with proper licenses and maybe speak to everyone listening just about licensing, insurance and how strict Years ago I can remember being on a bike with my husband and we got pulled over and asked for paperwork and we had to kind of find a way around that at the time. I'm not sure that's still happening, but just what's the score there? Ben Mitchell: The licensing situation here in Vietnam is a little bit complicated for foreigners because There's different international license agreements like 1945 and 1968. Countries that signed the 1945 one and not the 1968 one are technically not recognized here in Vietnam. So you might have an Australian, a British or an American license in the country you're from, well that typically is not going to be legal here. Here in Vietnam, they have two different types of licenses for motorbikes. They have Class 1 and Class 2, or A and B. The A license is for under 175cc and the B license is for bikes over 175cc. What you really need here is an international driving permit. which is obtainable. Well, there is I know one company that can get them for you here in Vietnam prior to your arrival. That's Saigon Motorcycles. If you contact them, they can they can apply for that. If you've got a motorbike license, though, from Australia or America or England, most companies will allow you to do a tour and most companies will rent your motorbike. Where it's mainly going to affect you is in the instance of a fatality accident or something like that. Or an incident. Or your insurance. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, so let's talk about insurance because to be honest that's probably been the biggest deterrent for many and there's not many companies that do give you the option and if they do it's quite expensive. Have you got anything to share there because I think that would be of great interest. Ben Mitchell: Yeah, if you can apply for and get the international driving permit here prior to coming and you can get travel insurance that covers you for motorcycle, well then you should be legal. Kerry Newsome: My experience with the people on bikes that have fallen to incidents, let's say, some of that has got to do with maybe not being traffic aware or understanding of the road systems. Like in my country, as you would know, you only overtake on the right. You don't overtake on the left. where here people just move out of each other's way and, you know, there's some real grey areas as far as I'm concerned, as far as road rules are concerned. Can you talk to us a little bit about that? Ben Mitchell: Yeah, it's very different. We're very rigid in our thinking and we're very strict with our road rules in the West. Here in Vietnam, it's all very fluid. It's basically a very different mindset as to the list of responsibilities that you have as a driver over here. It's very different and it pays to actually talk to someone prior to jumping on the bike and heading off about getting some of the key points with that. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and fluid's a great word, Ben. I think that's the kindest word I've heard described. There's no road rage. That's the one thing I have noticed. Ben Mitchell: No, they don't have much road rage. I have noticed a little bit more tension on the road, though, as more and more people buy cars. Cars, yeah. There was a period here where cars were very rare on the road. True. And there was a lot of motorbikes on the road. And nowadays, each year, there's more and more cars and that is causing some tension situations on the road. But as far as looking at the way that everyone works on the road, people try not to stop. So they're driving in a way that limits the amount of physical stopping and They accept people pulling out in front of them and expect it, whereas we don't expect it, so we find it very difficult to understand. And people are always commenting from overseas about how, well, and the guy just pulled out in front of us. And we had to slow down. And that in itself is something that we just find hard to get our heads around. And the Vietnamese drive in a manner that is about keeping on moving, not about this stopping and starting and rigid behavior. Yeah. And very, very, very different ways of thinking. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and in some ways it's got a lot of politeness and give way. It actually does. It really does. We could learn a bit about that. Ben Mitchell: Yeah, and even the horn beeping, we instantly in our Western way see the horn as an aggressive comment. Whereas here, it's quite the opposite. It's a warning. It would be considered very rude to come up behind someone and not bite your horn. Kerry Newsome: Correct. Yeah. Do you know what? Only a few days ago, I got asked by a traveler of mine who came in, and she said, I just felt so sorry for all those people that they bit the horns at. And I said, do you know how appreciative those people are of those horns? Because they've just been told that there's a truck that's up their bum that is going to want them to move aside. So they take that hint as guidance to move out of the road and let the truck through. So it's not being rude or aggressive on the road at all. Ben Mitchell: Yeah, it's actually politeness. Kerry Newsome: What's the rules then, Ben, around drinking and driving? Ben Mitchell: It's highly illegal to drink and drive. Is it zero alcohol? They've got a zero alcohol. Kerry Newsome: Do they actually do breathalyzed tests? Ben Mitchell: They do. I got pulled over recently actually. Kerry Newsome: Tragic accidents with people that have been drinking and driving? Ben Mitchell: There has. One of the big causes of it has been the increase in cars. You know, everyone on motorbikes traveling around in Vietnam, especially in their local communities, they all put around Maybe, yes, there is a history of people having alcohol and riding their bikes and they'd putt around and they'd putt home and they'd… At 40 k's an hour. Yeah, and sometimes they'd bump into one another and they'd put their feet down and apologise and move on again because they're all going so slow. But then things have changed with the cars. There has been some big accidents with the cars and the government has brought in a zero alcohol policy and they are breathalysing. Enforcing that. And they do have some huge fines and they confiscate your car for a period of time. And you do go to jail for drink driving. They're very, very strict about it. Kerry Newsome: I'm really glad to hear that. I think the concern I have more is the new traveller, the young traveller that, you know, first time on a scooter, is hooning around, has had a few beers under his belt and doesn't understand the road rules or the the organized chaos, as we sometimes call it in the West, and then falls prey and has a tragic accident. So, you know, for everyone listening that is considering about a motorbike trip, I think what Ben is telling you here is really good to know about. But please learn the craft of riding a bike before you get here. Ben Mitchell: Yeah. And people that are sort of on a long unlimited amount of time or they can come through the country slowly and take it all in. Or they can be on the back of an easy rider bike. Or on the back of an easy rider. And people that have got good riding experience, they've got a limited amount of time and they want to get the most out of what they can get in Vietnam. I would highly recommend considering a tour, a motorbike tour. And there's a multitude of companies that do the motorbike tours. There's some companies that don't specialize in the north. There's companies that do all the way through the country, like Adrenaline Rush Trails. Up in the north, you've got some of the older ones, Flamingo and Kung's Motorbike Adventures. Down in the south, there's different operators. Based on the time of year, going with a professional company, safety levels are pretty good. Those tour companies, they know what they're doing. Kerry Newsome: Ben, thanks for coming on and talking about this subject as it's something I think we kind of skim over, comes up a lot as far as touring around Vietnam. And, you know, it is a bike culture here with trillions of them still on the road, even though cars are coming through. So I think great advice. Thanks for coming on. Ben Mitchell: Thanks, Kerry. Thanks for today. Kerry Newsome: Thanks very much, Ben. Now we'll jump into that interview I got to do with my friend Chris Pantelli about the ride he just did in April this year. You're going to love his ability to really put you in the picture of that ride with his son, Nicholas, and just some of the aspects of the trip that really hit home for him. Let's join up with Chris now. Okay, so here we are. Chris, thanks for coming on the show. Chris Panteli: My pleasure, Kerry. Kerry Newsome: Chris, before we jump in, I thought for everybody I'd just give a little bit of context on, you know, how I know you, how we found ourselves together in Vietnam, and a little bit about your bike riding experience. So, just two secs. So, we did a trip, quite a long trip this time in Vietnam, and I brought my husband. And this is about kind of March, April, and we got to meet up with Chris, his wife Danielle, and his son Nicholas in Hoi An. Chris and Nicholas had just come back from a four or five-day bike ride in northern Vietnam. So, you know, to say that they were pretty high after that would be an understatement, but I'll let Chris tell you a bit more about that. But I've asked Chris to come on because he's an experienced bike rider. He was traveling with his 25-year-old son, and they chose to do this ride in northern Vietnam. And I just thought Chris could bring to the show for you some real insights that are very relevant to undertaking this kind of experience in Vietnam. And certainly, he's going to be able to talk about that area and just give you some tips and hints to make it as hassle-free as possible. So maybe Chris, tell us Why did you choose this company? Because you chose a tour company, and I know you had a few reservations about that to begin with, and we spoke about that separately. But what was it about this company that made you say, yes, I want to go with this company called ADV Motorcycle Tours and Dirt Bike Travel? Chris Panteli: Oh, thank you. Look, it was, I guess, one of those moments where you're diving into a place that you don't know. The reason why I selected ADV was more so just from the assistance, the direction, I think their professionalism. Everything's sort of done through bank transfers, as you're aware, which is quite foreign to what we do. So, being a sceptic and not sort of, I don't know anybody in there, it was just a good feeling from the beginning, just in the way that everything's set up. So, immediately, it was more personal than business and that showed through from the beginning to the end. So, from the initial introduction, payments, to scheduling the plan, adjusting the plan, doing the ride, it was just comfortable from the beginning. So I had another few companies that I was looking at and I didn't feel as comfortable. So ADV was definitely our choice and a good choice in the long run. Kerry Newsome: Okay, so I think for everyone, it's key for you to give time, effort and put some thought into researching the right companies to work with. That is kind of primary and I want to start with that. And I'm happy to answer any questions if you want to come to me direct to recommendations. I'm going to put a link in the show notes to ADV because of Chris's great experience and he'll probably expand a bit more on that as we go. Chris, what was it about the area you chose? Because maybe talk a little bit about that northern region that you went into and what spoke to you and said, hey, that's where we want to head, that's where we want to go. Chris Panteli: Well, we were starting in Hanoi, so we were sort of destined to be either to the north or the south and we decided to do it just based on what ADV had I just sort of linked on their website in areas, tours, day tours and the like. We ended up doing a four-day tour. It was meant to be five, but my son was a little ill and again, ADV just adjusted. So we did a four-day massive tour, which was fantastic. We started in Hanoi, which was Amazing. The whole ride itself, I should probably say, is off-road and on-road. We were on WR250s, semi-motocross bikes, and we started off bustling through Hanoi, through to Tak Ba, which the scenery, by the way, was absolutely sensational. The guide that we had, Charlie, he's actually a tourist guide as well, so a wealth of knowledge, young kid, absolutely brilliant. But, you know, there was time to enjoy the scenery. It was, you know, amazing riding. There was boat tours, there was swimming, there were homestays. It was just absolutely spectacular. The riding was about 180 k's a day, so eight to 10 hours, you know, from Hanoi to Tak Ba, and then we went from Tak Ba to Bep Tam, and then from Bep Tam near the Lao border, and then from there back into Hanoi. But the scenery was spectacular. In fact, everything about it was spectacular. The organisation, the homestays, it was just sensational. Kerry Newsome: And you have chosen, without you even realising, one of the most scenic areas in northern Vietnam for sure. And I can back you up totally, because my husband and I went there a totally different way. We obviously weren't on the back of a bike, but we went up into the Yen Bai province. And for everyone listening, I did an episode on Yen Bai just recently, so you can flick back to that if you'd like to experience Yen Bai, but maybe not on a bike. But it is scenery at levels and expansiveness and kind of the rice fields, Chris, you would say, the ingenuity of them cascading down the mountains. Unbelievable, hey? Chris Panteli: It is so picturesque. It's exactly what you see in the guides and the tourist type, you know, magazines and the like. I think some of the spectacular things were what They chose a journey that was so memorable. For my son and I, it was memories and a life experience that you would never, ever be able to replicate again. I think when we do it again, as you know, we're booking again very soon. We'll be in touch. It will never be the same. That first experience, and especially where Charlie took us and the route, the scenery, the path, the engagements, even the dinners. Every night there was a special dinner or whatever it may be. It was absolutely spectacular. So I don't know what the rest of Vietnam's like, but I can tell you, you planned out our last trip. So we know we did Ha Long Bay and then all the other places. But that part for that motorcycle tour was absolutely sensational. Yeah. Kerry Newsome: So in, in a kind of getting to nitty gritty kind of things, talk to us a little bit about, um, your gear, the bike itself, like feeling safe, the road, you know, like how, how good were the roads to, to travel on and even off road. Did you kind of feel like that you were in an environment with your guide and the tour company kind of, they knew what they were doing and you were in good hands kind of thing. So talk us through some of those aspects for people. Chris Panteli: Well, from the beginning, um, sort of, uh, lie in, uh, picked up, but we were basically picked up and taken to where ADV headquarters was. Um, you went through, had a similar on the bike, the box with our both WR two 50s. So goodbye. So not, not, not rubbish, um, and well-maintained and the like. So very, very happy and I'm a very fussy person, um, and very particular. Um, so. On that part, we started well with the gear. We did bring some of our own riding gear, so helmets. I think that's a good idea. Yep. Yep. So we didn't bring boots. So if we could have got everything from ADV, but it wasn't a hassle. I think if you're a bike rider, bring your own helmet, the rest you can take on your own. But from there, it was based introduction, put your gear on, get familiar with the bike, adjust levers and all that sort of stuff, make sure it's all good. A bit of local knowledge on what's what. Once you're committed, you're committed in Vietnam and you're riding. Very, very different too. So it's first time for me. I've been lots of places in the world, but not into Vietnam. So it was very, very different. I guess, aspect in how people drive, their awareness, how everything just merges nicely. We are not used to those things. But from there, it was gear on, and we started off with a tour. There was a set time that we needed to get to certain places. I would say, even if you were a beginner rider, ADV would be able to put a tour appropriate to your skill level. um you know to achieve something that we would uh we were quite advanced and i think charlie enjoyed that you know nick and i've been riding for a long time he's been riding since he was a small kid as well he's 25 now um that we were quite advanced so i think charlie enjoyed um taking us to some of the more difficult areas um but it was always safe well guided so when we're driving through and i think that's an experience riding through vietnam hanoi peak hour um like that is amazing. But Charlie even made that very, very, you know, obviously we're on big bikes, so we stand up over most of the scooters and the like. So, Charlie, we had hand signals, you know, to speed up and slow down. It was just perfectly safe. In some of the off-road, some of it was quite difficult. Some of the bridge crossings were quite, you know, not impossible. Yeah, you know, average conditions. And, you know, some slippery, we were lucky the weather was perfect for us. So it was, you know, perfect in that April period for us. You know, there were boat tours, ferries, like it was just very, very well organized. And it would suit most levels, even beginner levels of riding. Kerry Newsome: I think covering off the things like gear and the quality of the bikes and, you know, good guides taking you to places that they know that you can handle. And because you were an experienced rider, they can kind of take you into places where, you know, somebody new to, to bike riding, uh, would be, you know, not, not the right thing to do. Would you say, Chris, you know, in, in planning that trip, what would you do? differently? Like, is there anything that you would do differently? Chris Panteli: Look, to be honest, I'd probably do a longer tour next time with maybe shorter days. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, it's a long day. Yeah. Chris Panteli: 180Ks a day. And Nick and I can ride and we love riding. And I'll tell you what, um, you know, you would get to the end destination and, um, you would just want to relax. Um, what I would not, what I absolutely, what I would not ever do is do that on my own. So some of the places that we went to were just so remote, just so beautiful, but have no idea where you are at all, like even crossing borders into other regions and stuff like that. Things change. It's crazy. So I really wouldn't change anything on the tour. I'd make it a little longer and maybe some shorter days, so duration longer, maybe shorter days. I would never attempt that without a guide. and we will only use ADV now, but I would, I think the importance of having someone organize something, even though stays, I'll send you some photos, but even where we stayed, the homestays, the rooms, the dinners that we had, it was just a cultural experience. So that's probably, I probably wouldn't change anything, maybe the duration and maybe, you know, maybe some shorter days. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and I think that's a good point. You know, Vietnam is such a big country and people get there and sometimes I just think they just try to pack in way too much, too quickly. And the advantage of a company like this is it's got that flexibility. And what I liked most to hear from you when we caught up was just, you know, what happened with Nicholas, you know, having, you know, an illness kind of very early on in the trip where you had to make some adaptations, maybe talk to everyone about that because, you know, It's very easy to talk and gloss over and say when everything's perfect, you know, it all goes rosy and you only hear those stories. But I think it's actually good to hear a story where, you know, things, you know, happen that aren't planned and yet they can be easily managed or can be better managed. So talk to us about poor Nick. Chris Panteli: It was most unfortunate. So a couple of friends of ours from Canada come down, so we ended up going into beer corner and all that sort of stuff, probably crazy light the day before we're going for a ride. Maybe we were also told not to eat communal peanuts and all that sort of stuff, but anyway, that went to the wayside. To say that Nick had probably the worst bounty gastro I've ever, ever seen, including anything on any of my tours or anything like that as well, is an understatement. He wasn't looking well. Everything was not well at all, you know, in bed, everything, you know, happening. So it was quite catastrophic. But I rang Min, and Min's the operations manager from ADV. And this is the guy that I was dealing with from the beginning. So I told him what happened and said, hey, listen, mate, I don't think that we'll be able to start the ride. Nick's got really bad gastro. Probably think I have to take him to the hospital. Anyway, Min, like normal, providing the best advice that he can. told me exactly what I needed from the pharmacy, exactly what he asked for. If they didn't understand me to call them, you know, call him, give him the phone and basically said, start taking these. And if he's not feeling, you know, much better in six hours, I will come and grab you and I'll take you to hospital. True to his name, it did work out. Nick was a little average on the first day. But again, you know, if we didn't have that person, obviously I could have called you, Kerry, but If I didn't have men on that part of it, it would have been catastrophic. We would have had to cancel. But also, we changed the five-day ride to a four-day ride and still did almost 180km a day. It was just sensational to have someone to give you correct advice, knowing, and it's happened before, how to get over it and overcome that illness. Kerry Newsome: cannot say more strongly how much it gives people that peace of mind. Just throwing yourself into Vietnam at times, I think people really underestimate the heat, the change in the foods, you know, people say, oh, am I going to get, you know, barley belly kind of things? Well, yeah, you might get that. Just purely in the way that, you know, the soils, some of the food types. And yeah, if you go to, you know, and maybe enjoy Bee Hoi and You know, but it's all part of the adventure, but it's really about how it's managed. And I've had a similar experience to you, Chris, you know, where, you know, the Vietnamese will just really step out, uh, in ways that in certainly in Australia and, and most Western countries would not do. They would not offer that kind of service to. You know, come and get you if it didn't work out, take you to the hospital, manage the language barrier, blah, blah, blah. You know, so I'm really glad to hear that because I think, you know, we talk about stories where everything goes great most of the time and, and that's wonderful. But, you know, on the occasion when things go awry, I mean, I saw Nicholas when you arrived in Toi An after he was beaming, looked the picture of health, was raving about the trip. So, you know, all power to ADV for helping you manage that, get you still involved in the tour and, you know, coming out the other side all smiling. So good to hear, Chris. Chris Panteli: And you know what, it sort of resonated through the whole trip as well. We had bunches, Charlie fixed it on the spot. We had a couple of breakages, he found parts. There was support crew if we needed it. So it was the whole thing was just taken care of. Couldn't have been in better hands. On your own though, well, I think it would have been a total different story. Kerry Newsome: Yeah, and just, you know, even that, you know, those few days that I had in Yanbai, you know, something that I really had to take note of was just the fact that in those regions, because of their remoteness, the language is another challenge. Not every place has good Wi-Fi, so once again, you can't get onto Google Translate to help you out there. And, you know, having someone to say, look, hey, go here. This is where this happens. You know, you're going to be fine. Just takes all that worry away, gives you back that sense of control. And, you know, you can really enjoy it without having to worry about the things that, you know, you shouldn't have to worry about it on a holiday because it is a holiday. So, have we inspired you, Chris, to come back to Vietnam, like with this trip? Chris Panteli: Oh, you already know that's happening. Kerry Newsome: We will be back. Well, I'm trying to go. What have I got to do to get you back? But no, that's right. You are coming back. Yeah. Chris Panteli: Yeah. So, Tash is going to do a placement in Cambodia Nursing, and well, the family's going to come for another holiday. So, we'll be back. Yeah, so we'll do something different on this one. Last one was brilliant. And yeah, Vietnam, you're right. I think everything will be disappointing in Asia outside of Vietnam, but who cares now? It's a beautiful place, so we'll be back. Kerry Newsome: Fantastic. Chris, is there anything we didn't cover that we should have covered about this trip? Is there anything I didn't ask or whatever before we wrap up? Chris Panteli: I just think if people are going to take on and do that on-road, off-road, so ours was combined on-road, off-road type thing, really consider who you're going with. I wouldn't recommend doing it on your own. I'm quite adventurous and so is Nick, but it's just not something we would do. The other thing is, if you happen to break down in some of those places, You would really need local knowledge to get yourself out of that, make yourself safe, be able to… And the other part was as well, everywhere we went with Charlie, Charlie was like a little rock star. So you almost got VIP service in all the restaurants and villages and kids running next to you and jumping on your bikes and stuff. I would just look at the value. It's not expensive, my goodness. It costs four times as much to do the same thing in Australia. But look at what you're going to get for it. I strongly recommend going with something like an ADV. I couldn't recommend them more. It's just for peace of mind and everything will be smooth. So that's probably it, really, Kerry. Kerry Newsome: Okay. Thanks very much, Chris, and I look forward to chatting with you again soon.

S4-09 Hanoi A Foodies Paradise P1 Hanoi is a foodies paradise - Part 1 Episode 9 S4-09 Hanoi A Foodies Paradise P1 00:00 / 33:22 When you think of Hanoi, do you automatically think of food? Probably not, but after you have a listen to this 2 Part Series, you may very well change your mind! You may even decide to spend more time in Vietnam’s capital city to explore its rich culture, history, labyrinth of tiny streets in the old quarter and, of course, its hearty food. My guest on today’s show is a prime example of someone who got swooped up by the city’s chaotic diversity and charm. However, while she loves the city this show….it is without a doubt “all about the food. The dishes. The places to enjoy food. And the districts to visit to expand your culinary horizons. Find out what is truly distinct about Northern Vietnamese cuisine in this episode of What About Vietnam Podcast. Let me tell you a little about my guest Corrin Carlson. Starting from her home in the U.S. Corrin let her passport lead the way to a working holiday in NZ. From there she navigated her way around SE Asia finally landing in Hanoi in about 2019. Before she knew it, a month had been extended to 3 months. Then Covid hit. However, for Corrin that meant work opportunities popped up, and a special someone who won her heart. Eventually, she found herself in Hanoi for 3 years. During her time in Vietnam, as a talented actress, she applied her skills to produce the very popular “The Fat Passport” Tik Tok and Instagram pages, sharing her “Plates of Hanoi” with her many followers. This is a show brimming with lots of helpful and cool information including answers to some of those tough questions related to food that both her and I get asked all the time. Make sure to check out the transcripts for all of the amazing details! And don’t forget to tune into Part 2 to follow! Time stamps for your easy reference: 07.29 – Best areas for Tourists to head to 08.20 – Tay Ho Lake district – Broadening your horizons 12.28 – Casual Dining – Plates of Hanoi 14.37 – Famous Hanoi Districts 16.58 – The vegetarian options 21.03 – Street food you wont want to miss 27.19 – Chicken street 29.05 – One dog of a question we get asked all the time Follow Corrin here – 
https://www.tiktok.com/@thefatpassport?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/thefatpassport/ Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S4-24 Take beautiful photos Part 2 How to capture beautiful photos - Part 2 Episode 24 S4-24 Take beautiful photos Part 2 00:00 / 39:16 In Part 2 we continue our journey in the pursuit of the best pics of Vietnam with Thomas Levine as my guest: - Are you taking notes? You don’t need to. Just go to the Transcript for the episode on the website on this page. Part 1 and Part 2. Meet once again our extraordinary photographer, and guest Thomas Levine whose talents and experiences have taken him on an incredible journey around the world! To his credit, Thomas’s travels have resulted in an extensive archive of photographs from many countries and more recently Vietnam, showcasing the rich tapestry of the continent. His images can literally transport viewers to awe-inspiring landscapes, bustling city streets, and intimate cultural moments, inviting you to experience the world through his lens. In this show Thomas expands on his photography tips:- How do we take photographs of some of the local people in Vietnam streets and regional locations? When taking pictures of people, Levine advises to look for expressions that show emotion, such as a person enjoying their food. He also suggests taking pictures of people in the background, so they don't know they are being photographed. When taking pictures in different locations, it is important to be aware of the local customs and rules. In some places, it is not acceptable to take pictures, while in others, it is encouraged. By understanding the local customs and rules, as well as looking for body language and expressions, your pictures can create stunning story telling. Learn how to bring the best memories home with you by capturing alluring pics of Vietnam like a real professional. Thomas is working on an e-book on travel photography. Links to his website below. 
https://www.levinephotography.com/ https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/levine-travel-stock https://thomaslevinephotography.com Skype: thomas.levine888 You will love learning Thomas’s handy tips applicable for any trip you have planned. Stay tuned for Part 3 of the series, where Kerry will talk to new guest about drone photography - Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more fun adventures in Vietnam. Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

S4-19 Vietnam wins the heart of the daring What About Vietnam – S4- E19 Why Vietnam wins the hearts of the daring! SPEAKERS : Kerry Newsome, Alvaro Moreno Kerry Newsome: 00:35 Just before we jump into the show, I have some great news to share. Starting first of March, What About Vietnam is offering up three new travel service products, which I hope you'll take advantage of. Just a very quick mention here: 1. The first one is Trip Planning and Design . So that's creating the perfect itinerary and tour plan just for you as a private program. 2. Secondly, we are offering Travel Companion Services , which is a very unique service into Vietnam, where you will have Kelley McCarthy as your travel companion to support you through your stay, should you require that service. 3. Lastly, I'm very excited about the Girls Getaway for 11 days in September, that's 11 days where we get to take you to a major city, an old town and an island. So I'm expecting lots of fun shopping, pampering food and some rich culture there. Trip Planning and Design 01:37 Firstly, I'd just like to tell you a little bit about the Trip Planning and Design. Because I hear from you, where a lot of people are struggling with so much information on the internet, where it's just so hard to make a decision. There's tour companies out there's Facebook pages, there's Facebook groups, and I just see you all kind of struggling to make decisions and relying on some people and feedback. Everyone's got something different to say, and some of you have reached out to me independently. I hope I've been of service there. But that's what Trip Planning & Design is about. It's a service that I'm hoping to provide you with that's tailored to you, customized to what you and I decide is important for you, and your travel companion or your family or your small group, whatever that may be. 02:32 So, check that out on our website. If you go to WhatAboutVietnam.com, click on the Travel Services tab. You'll see all of the services listed there, including the Trip Planning and Design. There is a small fee. If you decide to proceed with us for the tour that we will actually deliver the tour to you, then we actually deduct that original Trip Planning and Design fee from the overall tour price. So, check it out. As I said on the website, send me a message we've got this new message system on the website so you can actually leave me a voice message if you wish, or just reach out to me directly through email. WhatAboutVietnam@gmail.com . Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with the show. 03:31 Xin Chào and welcome to What About Vietnam . As a follow up from the previous episode talking about luxury travel. We’re in good stead as we've got Alvaro Moreno on the show today. He's General Manager of the Fusion Original Saigon Centre . A little bit about our Alvaro: Originally from Barcelona, he decided to take off from his hotel management job back in 2011, and go exploring in the Southeast Asia region, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, and even across to Nepal and India. He believes this trip had a big impact on him, becoming a better leader and mentor to his staff, along with his external studies at Cornell University. He's worked on the preopening phase of three hotels, and one rebrand in Vietnam. He's quite well known for his creative process, which is very hands on. He certainly excels in project management. 04:37 I know from talking to others, he's very highly regarded in the industry. For some people adapting to working in an unfamiliar culture can be difficult, but for Alvaro, he says his travel experiences contributed hugely to his own personal growth and that of his profession. The opportunity to speak with you him came up during my last visit to Vietnam, I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to indulge with him in some retrospection, really, as he speaks to us as both a previous traveler and now General Manager of this very upmarket luxury hotel right in the heart of Saigon Central, that operates with a tagline, I think I've said before that I just truly love: "The Home of the Daring ". At the heart of our conversation are some insights on what travelers should consider when planning a trip to Vietnam, like duration and budget. 05:36 However, he adds to that some inspiration as he describes Vietnam, as a country where a traveler can challenge themselves in relative safety. He goes on to talk about Vietnam in terms of its network of connectivity, digitally so, to the scope and broad range of transport easily accessible to the tourist, and normally at fairly reasonable prices. Right through of course, to hotel accommodation, offering 'good value for money' stays. We drill down a bit further to, to really delve into: "What is making Vietnam so attractive as a tourist destination in the region." Tipping the scales in favor of Vietnam, are things like its expansiveness, and experiences, the competition in the marketplace, in particular with international brands making a bigger footprint and offering up stays that are almost becoming a destination in themselves, but developing the regions that they sit in, as a kind of default really. 06:42 We touched on the culinary experiences available in Vietnam. And I took note of what Alvaro describes is the culture of Vietnam as being one of celebration. It's true. Vietnamese love to celebrate and are always looking for reasons to do so. He also spoke of the skills of new chefs stepping out in Vietnam and taking really big risks in developing new menus and experiences. This can be particularly seen in the big cities like Saigon, Hanoi and Danang. It was great to hear this because it kind of supports what I felt for a long time that we're really only on the cusp of what Vietnam is becoming. I'm sure you're going to love the show. He's a lovely guest. I think we're going to learn lots more about Vietnam and what it holds for us in the future. Let's welcome Alvaro to the show. 07:48 Welcome to the What About Vietnam podcast. It's really lovely to have you on the show. Alvaro Moreno: 07:52 Good afternoon, Kerry. Thanks for inviting me. Pleasure to be here with you. Kerry Newsome: 07:57 It was really lovely to meet you in Saigon and have a chat with you over dinner. I certainly love your hotel. I love the experience of your hotel and I love your tagline, "The Home of the Daring ". I think that's fabulous. Alvaro Moreno: 08:15 That's who we are. We wanted to be very, very long these new proposal of hotel that we just opened. So yeah, I'm glad that you like it. Kerry Newsome: 08:26 Okay, so, my audience, people that are listening to this program are thinking about coming to Vietnam. Of course, there's a lot of hotels in Vietnam, there's a lot of things to do in Vietnam. It's a big country. So, you were once a traveler, back in 2011, when you decided to come to explore Southeast Asia and you arrived in Vietnam. What would you put your hat on for now, versus that guy back in 2011? What would be some of the things that you would advise people? Like if you talk to your friends, and they say, "Oh, I don't know about coming to Vietnam, Alvaro." Tell me what's so great about Vietnam? What are some of the things you say? Alvaro Moreno: 09:18 Well, it's a very good question because my first experience in the country was as a tourist. I was traveling for a month way before deciding that I was gonna move to live here. Over the years, I had already been eight years in the country, a little bit more than that, eight and a half. I see now things from the perspective of our resident, being here part of the community already, rooted, having lots of friends, career established. I see things with a different perspective. But I always come back to the origins of what brought me to travel, and what are the things that I have enjoyed over the years. So, I have decided to stay here living in the country. For the new travelers, I think that what's your question. right? Like, what will be my advice for the travelers? 10:15 I think it will depend on- if the traveler is accustomed to traveling in Asia or not. That will be my first question. Are they familiar with the cultural aspects, specialty in Southeast Asia? Are they familiar with overall- the type of food that they are going to find? Do they know or can they guess how interactions with people are going to be? So, what will be important for the first traveler is to know first: How many days they have? The duration of their trip. I think that's key to understand what can you do, and how much you can maximize your trip to Vietnam? Another important one, and I think this is probably the most is: What's your budget? How much are you expecting to spend, and depending on the duration of your trip is, what are the options that will accommodate your pocket? Once you have defined that I think the most important will be to choose destination within Vietnam. I think that's probably the most difficult part because of course, we all want to see everything as much as we can. Depending on whether we have a month or a week, we will then need to look at what are transportation and accommodation within the country. But it will be necessary to define what are the destinations to discover. Kerry Newsome: 11:52 I take your point on all of those things. When I put together a trip planning podcast, which is series one in this format. One of the things that I stress in that is how much time you have. Because there is a perception that people can traverse the whole country in eight days and say that they've seen Vietnam. Of course, you and I both have a bit of a giggle about that. Because we understand that that's a blink. That's a quick wink of Vietnam, that is nowhere near saying that you've been able to see all of it now. I challenge people to even see whether they've really enjoyed that trip because it's moving so fast that you don't get time to breathe it in. I do advocate that people possibly see Vietnam more than a 'Once only' trip that they see it more to come back, and maybe use the first trip as, what some people would call like 'A reconnaissance trip' to maybe, check out and say, "Oh, I'd like to come back there and spend more time." That kind of thing. But I think how many days you have and how many days you should have. That will depend on the kind of experiences that you want. So, I agree with you totally. Then you to your point on budget. I think budget is a new word that's coming up in Vietnam, because before it was all- it was just everything in Vietnam was cheap. You could do absolutely everything and it was cheap. Where now I think there are some levels that you can still do cheaply. But there is more for the luxury traveler. There's more for the wellness traveler, there's more. So, these other areas, and all of those have a different dollar value attached to them. Then choosing the destination. Now most people come into Vietnam in three main ports, don't they? So, it's Ho Chi Minh, in Hanoi or De Nang's port. They are your main points. Now, because you're sitting in Ho Chi Minh City, how would you rate Ho Chi Minh versus Hanoi versus Da Nang for that first experience? Alvaro Moreno: 14:28 It's very attractive to say that you are moving from the north to south, or the other way around, because the country is very linear. It's a long stretch of almost 2000 kilometers. What happens there is that the trend that I have seen over the years is that people arriving Saigon and then they could finish their journey in Hanoi or the other way around. It could happen also from Da Nang to Saigon or Saigon to Da Nang. I think it all depends on the time that you have, and then how you want to divide your travel experience, because there is obviously a big difference between what you're gonna encounter in the north of the country, in central Vietnam, and then in the south. So, I could say already that you can split your journey in three times, to understand Vietnam, and to enjoy the best of it. But of course, if you are ready to go from one place to another, over your holiday or over your trip, I think you're going to have very different experiences. Kerry Newsome: 15:44 When you're talking to your friends, or people are asking you about, what is it like to have a holiday in Vietnam? Do you have like a short description that you have, that you can just pull out of your back pocket and explain it, because I find it very hard to explain, because I have so many different kinds of experiences. So, if you've got one that just encapsulates it, that would be wonderful. If you could just share that, before we move on. Alvaro Moreno: 16:17 I have had friends and family visit over and over the years, I kind of myself became a tour guide for all my- Kerry Newsome: 16:28 I'm sure that's why I am asking. Alvaro Moreno: 16:30 There is some topics in the country that people are interested in, but something very good that is a Evisa traveler, I don't say these are representing the country of Vietnam is a place where you can challenge yourself. Firstly, is a very welcoming society, very welcoming people, and very approachable, that's something that makes the tourists feel extremely comfortable when they come. Another one is that is a very safe country. Very, very safe. One of the safest indoors, yes, there are always small things you have to be mindful of, what you do and how you do it. But this is a country that is going to allow you to explore without having the fear in the back of your mind. 17:20 It's a country that is very well connected. Kerry Newsome: 17:30 Very well connected. Alvaro Moreno: 17:32 From a digital standpoint, Wi-Fi, networks, 4G works extremely well, pretty much everywhere you are in the country, even when you are in the middle of the mountains, you are going to have connection. Kerry Newsome: 17:45 Correct. Alvaro Moreno: 17:46 This is something that I find, sometimes when I go back to Spain, that's my origin country. I'm surprised that they don't have the same connectivity. They're here in some places. So, then I see that Vietnam made an effort on expanding their networks. So, it works really well. Another thing is, within that connectivity is mobility. How easy it is to move inside the country. How easy it is to take a taxi, to take a bus, to take a train and how easy is to take a plane, and how affordable are they? Kerry Newsome: 18:19 Yes. One of the things that I fell in love with in the very early days of my travel was that connectivity, when the hotel industry was going through that phase where they were deciding whether or not they were going to charge people for Wi-Fi in their room, you might remember those years. Then the customer, I think, drove the change in that too, that know you have to offer that free to the customer. Otherwise, your country or your facility is just not going to be at the same level as everybody else. So, you're right. And you can sit down at a restaurant or a cafe or whatever. And the first thing you're going to get is a menu with a Wi Fi password. So, connectivity, you're right. Then the thing I loved was that I could also sit there, and if I wanted to get a massage, or if I wanted to get my hair done, I could literally go to the Facebook page of the place I saw around the corner, send them a message, and lo and behold within minutes they have messaged me back and say, yes, there is availability at the time I want. And do I want to get a pickup? So that they're going to come and pick me up on the scooter because they're only three kilometers or five kilometers away. No mention of charging for that or anything like that. They'll bring a helmet. They'll pick me and I went, "Oh my God, I'm in heaven." 19:59 Wherein I country and I think similarly in your original country, you've got two weeks ahead, you've got to do it either online or via phone call, nobody's going to pick you up, you've got to find yourself there. So, it's just very, very small, incremental connectivity, that I think people get blown away. Because I travel quite a bit in Vietnam on my own, I find that not so challenging in the sense that I can just connect up with people. If I'm not sure about anything, I've found somebody, who, through some page or some social medium, can get me to where I want to go and Grab , for instance, the app. How fantastic is that? I have a favoritism towards Grab because I think it's their own cars, so they're gonna look after them, or their own bikes, they don't want anything to happen to them. So, they'll be a little bit more careful than the taxi driver. But that's just my theory on that, but yeah, I really liked that that you said, it gives you the chance to travel and explore. 21:12 So, if you're going to explore Vietnam, do you have like some favorite areas that you think a traveler should look at, or investigate or do some research on that there are some wonderful areas to explore. I mean, I've got mine, I talk about mine all the time. So, it's your chance. Alvaro Moreno: 21:40 I can tell you they have in this deal, discover everything that they plan to every year, more places in Vietnam, but this deal is- there is so many things to discover that I will say that it never ends, in the south is Mekong Delta. I think the experience of crossing the Mekong in a boat is something that is a must, especially if someone is going to come to Saigon and for the part of exploring nature and also for the part of understanding the ethnic minorities around there. It is fascinating. Another country inside the country, I will say. Kerry Newsome: 22:26 Yes, absolutely. Alvaro Moreno: 22:36 Hội An, Huế, both destinations have in terms of architectural value, in terms of monumental value also, especially Huế, the Imperial City. It was the old capital of the citadel. I think that the whole history of Hội An, Da Nang, Huế is a must. Then the North's, my favorite one is Hiking in Sapa, in these sites it is great. Kerry Newsome: 23:13 When a traveler is coming to Vietnam, and they want to experience a hotel because you get so involved, I understand, or you'd like to get involved with the creativity. What are some of the things your customers are telling you or your feedback that you're getting about what they like to experience? What are some of the trends and the things that they're looking for in hotel stays now? Alvaro Moreno: 23:46 I would say that for the leisure traveler, one that comes on holidays, what is going to be important for them, I mean, for us? I think what is important is to understand the full portion of their trip. And what do they need from their hotel. Why would they choose a hotel accommodation over another one? Location and convenience are something that plays a very important role. This is because most of the tourists will come to explore. So, they want to make sure that the hotel is a base for them to explore the area. So that's why location, I will say that this is something very important for them. Another one is value for money. Here we come back to what is the budget that they have? A very good thing about Vietnam is that there is a range of accommodation that goes from budget hotel, probably for you can have rooms for $25 and then you can go to luxury within most toward the big destinations of the country. As you mentioned before, there is a growth on some niche markets, which is, for example, the wellness, which is something that many hotels are developing right now, in Vietnam, especially their resorts, there is a lot of new hotel destination coming up, not hotels that they place themselves into destination, but hotels that become a destination on their own. Kerry Newsome: 25:26 A destination in themselves, yes. Alvaro Moreno: 25:29 That is something also growing. So, they help actually do to grow the destination itself. We see that having a very good range of options, what happens with the traveler is that they feel comfortable with what they choose. As being they were coming hometown. We know that we probably have a good match with te consumer that we have, because within the options that they have, they choose to stay with us for whatever reasons that could be. Kerry Newsome: 26:01 Yeah, and the hotel facilities and the hotel growth, as an industry has been something that I've had a fair bit to do with in the last well, since certainly, since 2014. One of the things that I've noticed about Vietnam is that back in 2014, if the hotel didn't have a pool, it didn't matter. If the hotel didn't have a gym, it didn't matter, if it didn't have a spa center, it didn't really matter. Because there was a perception of the new traveler that Vietnam was this developing country, you don't expect those things. But then in a very short amount of time, the hotels had to put in a spa center, had to put in a pool, because the demand was increasing, the traveler was becoming more educated, and the country itself as its own domestic traveler was becoming more sophisticated. So, you know, in working with hotels in the central area, you know, I was helping design gyms in there, what was before their meeting room, their sales meeting room, but it was getting outfitted with mirrors and treadmills and things like that, because they wanted to get up in that category ranking, and they wanted to be able to meet that traveler. They had to change things with their swimming pools and things like that. So, it has definitely seen growth, would you say? Alvaro Moreno: 27:38 Yes, I think that you have touched on a very good point that comes with the fact that the country is a growing economy, thus it is not only growing in the hospitality sector, but also in everything. What we see now is that there is an increase or there has been an increase on domestic travel during COVID Because borders were close, it was an excellent opportunity for the nationals to discover their own country and realize that the hospitality options and the destinations that they have are as good as what they find around the region. 28:23 Something that comes with development, this is also competition for us in the hotel. The more options there are, the better you need to be. And that comes either for the owner of our small homestay in their town, that he knows that he needs to probably not be cheaper, but he probably needs to be better in terms of the experience that he offered to us, in the niche of luxury hotels, more international brands came to the country there has been- the standards have also been raised. But also, one important factor here is that the industry has growth with education. If I may say that these better professionals more than 15 years ago with the growth of the country comes with the personal growth of all of them right so now there is a level of professionalism that is raising up and that's where most of the travelers have a great surprise when they get in touch with their first experience in Vietnam. Most realized that that level of hospitality is standard, regardless of how much you are paying, it's very high. One is because they are very hospitable. Vietnamese are very hospitable. But on the other side comes the professionalism of the industry and something very important also. Kerry Newsome: 30:00 Just by the sheer nature, I think the Vietnamese can excel in hospitality because of that. I mean, we did lose a lot of people from the industry during COVID. But this is where Vietnam was sort of protected, they had like over 60 million people moving around, during 2021 and 22. So, they didn't really cope as badly as some other countries because they got enough of their own people to move around. So, the foreign tourist is going to be the newbie, again, to bring back to Vietnam. It was one of the reasons why I came back, or, was eager to get back as soon as I could. Because I just needed to make sure, touch and feel that everything was okay, because I was getting mixed messages from some people. As you would appreciate, there were some areas that did get swallowed up, and then there were some areas that seem to manage a lot better than others. I think the biggest cities manage a lot better just because they've got sheer volume and sheer size, etc. Whether the smaller areas are taking a little while to get back. 31:17 When I'm talking to my customers about traveling to Vietnam, we talk about love about the food. One thing I'm seeing about Vietnam were years ago, all you could get in Vietnam was Vietnamese food. Like that's all there was for quite a long time. There was only that, but now you're getting pizza, and you're getting Thai. You've got a lot of Korean. It's become very multicultural, don't you think? Alvaro Moreno: 31:52 Especially in the big cities. I will say Saigon, which is the one that I know. But they've everything. You have everything. Kerry Newsome: 32:02 Yes. I went to a pizza place, and I just had the best meal in Hanoi. Oh my gosh, you won't believe me. I have to video this and tell them I'm sitting in Hanoi. Do you have some favorite places in Saigon? It doesn't have to be Vietnamese. But if it is even better. Alvaro Moreno: 32:24 Well, I have some topics. I am a big fan of Vietnamese food. There are of course in some other international restaurants that- or even specific. Like I have my favorite Hispanic restaurant, I have my favorite Japanese restaurant, there are a couple of them that are my favorite Vietnamese ones. I will say that the best of Saigon- My topic of Saigon is 'Street food'. How easy it is to have food at any time of the day and on any street of the city. I think that's my favorite part of living in Saigon from the culinary experience point. Kerry Newsome: 33:07 It's true, it is very true. I find the Vietnamese don't have Western clocks as far as when they should eat or when they shouldn't need. They will eat when they're hungry. That's four o'clock in the afternoon or seven o'clock in the morning, whatever. People don't think that you can have Phở for breakfast but in fact, it's one of the most common breakfast foods, which is Phở, so if you don't get there early enough, it's all gone. 33:46 I see, also there's a growing craft beer scene that's also happening in Saigon. Have you seen that? It kind of exploded there. Alvaro Moreno: 33:56 There is a good amount of very talented entrepreneurs doing great things with craft beer. The consumption of beer in Vietnam is one of the top I think in the world. Kerry Newsome: 34:10 It's the most consumed beverage other than water. Alvaro Moreno: 34:15 I wasn't sure but beer culture is- Kerry Newsome: 34:18 Now I've got statistics to prove that. Alvaro Moreno: 34:20 Okay. [laughter] Beer culture is something very well rooted. Especially because here we love to celebrate. That's something that comes with all those celebrations that are- the need to be on a special occasion. We are talking about day to day. Not only how I have seen a very nice development on craft beer that is also another side on the culinary industry that comes with Vietnamese chefs as future racing stuff. So, the same intrapreneurial spirit, very soon the craft beers are seen on the on the Vietnamese food. Those that are taking the tradition of the Vietnamese food, and they are elevating that. That's something that comes with the development that we mentioned before, in the hospitality industry. It also happens for the foodie scene, especially in Saigon, Saigon is the city that has the biggest progress. But also, I see that the biggest risks are taken in terms of culinary, and also entertainment. 24 hours city, it never closes, there are always things available. But now we can move to this point where we see that the hospitality industry is booming. Also, on the side of the food and beverage option, very interesting, craft beer and new chefs. Kerry Newsome: 36:02 What are your thoughts on the foreign tourism coming back to Vietnam? Where do you think it's going to come back from and who and when? Alvaro Moreno: 36:14 It hasn't been surprisingly fast. I think if I recall, the borders were opening was February, March. And when I say borders opened- entered the country without hotel quarantine, which the latest stage was one week. A couple of months of readjustment and then suddenly, we saw that the tourists were back and it felt almost like nothing happened. Now, if we look into the detail, we see that not everything is back to normal. We are not at that level where we were in in 2019. Korean tourists. Now they are back and slowly they are increasing again, that was one of the main traveler nationalities that we had, pre-covid. I think Japan just announced that they are easy to open, and we expect that the results are going to be recovering from that one. But then there is a good mix of different travelers that are back. For example, hearing in our hotel, what we experience is that we have a little bit of everything right now. So, that's something that gives us a lot of hope that we are over this COVID period, and we can look forward with a very positive mindset. Kerry Newsome: 37:43 Yes, when I was at your hotel, I ran into a lot of other Aussies staying at the hotel, and they only had good things to say which was good to know. Look, I won't take up any more of your time Alvaro. It's been great to chat. Is there anything that you'd like to finish up with, to share with people? My listeners are all over the world. They're keen to know as much as they can. So, they kind of use the podcast as part of their research, or I hope they do anyway. But I think that's the main aim. So, is there anything that you'd like to finish up with or say to people coming to Vietnam? Alvaro Moreno: 38:29 Well Kerry, knowing you already and understanding already a little bit better of why your listeners- I encourage everyone to come to Vietnam. I think this is a magical place. I don't say these because of the love that they have for the country, and all the years that they have been here. I also say this from a traveler- my travel insights story, over my life experience. It is a place that has become a must. I will say for someone coming, especially to the side of the world, I recommend everyone to come. I said before that, it is welcoming, it is safe, it is easy, and the exploring never stops. Kerry Newsome: 39:18 I'm just going to cut you off there and just say that's fabulous. That's just all we need to say. I think that's a wrap. Thanks very much, Alvaro. A Girls Getaway 39:25 When you hear the words: A Girls Getaway to Vietnam, is there just a little part of you that says, "That sounds really interesting. What's involved?" Let me tell you, A What About Vietnam Travel Companion hosted tour. This is something I have had in baking for at least three years. So let me assure you, it's going to be an absolutely wonderful experience for a group of girls. Let me tell you a little bit about it: 1. It starts in Saigon. You're going to get to experience the vibe of that city, shopping wise, cultural wise, food wise. 2. You're going to then move on to Hội An. I've spoken a lot about Hội An and on this program, so you're going to get to experience an old-world town. And just the sheer beauty of that old town and meeting some new people, beautiful beach, once again, great food, but also that beautiful sense of old-world charm. 3. Then lastly, you'll get to experience the island of Phú Quốc, which is another experience, which is totally different and unique. I'm hoping with those three experiences, you're just going to have the holiday of a lifetime. 40:55 So, think about coming as yourself, just on your own and joining in with the group. Or you might want to bring a couple of girls with you. It is a very small group. It's hosted by our Travel Companion services director, Kelley McCarthy. So let me assure you, she has got fun as the top priority for this trip. So, we're really in sync, please go to the website: WhatAboutVietnam.com. Click on the Travel Services tab, and it'll take you to the Girls Getaway page. There's a full itinerary there and you can reach out to Kelley directly to get more information. We'd love to have you on board. It is only a small group. So, it's very private. We put in a lot of work to get the itinerary just right. We just think you're going to have a fabulous time. So, get in touch. We are pretty excited about this trip. So, I'd love to have you on board.

S6-E9 What Vietnamese dishes should I try < Back S6-E9 What Vietnamese dishes should I try S6-E9 What Vietnamese dishes should I try 00:00 / 36:28 Question 9 What Vietnamese dishes should I try? What if I told you… the best meal you’ll have in Vietnam probably isn’t the one you planned? Today we get clear on the next question in this series - What Vietnamese dishes should I try? We begin our exploration through the streets of Hanoi for smoky, unforgettable bún chả…we go further afield to the Old Town of Hoi An for Cao lầu and delicate white rose dumplings… But lets not forget the explosiveness of food in Ho Chi Minh City, where every bite—from Cơm tấm to sizzling Bánh xèo—carries tastes and experiences you won't forget easily. This episode focuses on the standout dishes most intrinsic to each major region; the ones you will most likely visit as a first time traveller. I’ve included some of my own favourite spots to try these dishes—places I keep going back to—along with a little of my personal journey through Vietnamese food , and how it became one of the biggest learning curves to understanding Vietnam. Because in Vietnam…especially in regional areas, you don’t just eat. You sit, you pause, you reflect, you connect—and somewhere along the way, you start to understand the country differently. You become grateful for the occasion of sharing. If you’ve ever wondered where to start with Vietnamese food… this is your starting point:- [00:05:22] Bun Cha in Hanoi [00:10:32] Cao Lau – a must-try dish [00:16:07] Banh Xeo – the hero dish [00:21:41] Hue’s pancake – Banh Khoai [00:22:05] Vegetarian options in Hue [00:22:38] Coastal areas and seafood [00:24:42] Rustic food in Sapa [00:28:48] Vietnamese food’s diverse influences [00:30:58] Food tours and cooking classes [00:35:40] Special trip guidance in Vietnam Fair warning—you may finish this episode already planning your first meal. Restaurants mentioned in the show: Hanoi – Bun Cha -74 Hang Quat Hanoi Hanoi – Cha Ca Thang Long - 6B P. Đường Thành, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội Hoi An – Cao Lau - Quan An (ONG) Hai - 6A Truong Minh Luong ( alley next to Mia Café) Saigon – Com Tam Moc – Saigon Nha Trang – Lobster – Luong Son Cang PLEASE NOTE; This episode is not intended to be a complete guide to Vietnamese cuisine across all regions. Rather, it offers a curated sampler of standout dishes that are closely tied to the places you’re most likely to visit. There are, of course, many more specialties and local variations beyond those mentioned here—each worth discovering in their own time. Do you have a travel question or wish to give some feedback? You have 90 seconds. Click to read the voicemail recording policy Previous Next

cd6811b6-5086-4174-8bab-bb04fa9d2ec2Samantha Coomber guides us through Saigon's districts What About Vietnam – S3-3 Saigon / HCMC's best districts to visit in 2021 and beyond [00:00:35]Kerry Newsome: Xin chào. Welcome to What About Vietnam. Today, we take a wander around the districts of Ho Chi Minh City, otherwise known as Saigon, to bring you the most up-to-date areas to visit when the borders open up post the pandemic. For those of my listeners in Vietnam, I'm hoping that's going to be very soon. We cover some of the lesser-known local neighborhoods and introduce you to what I think is, I don't know, a little bit more of an authentic view of Saigon-ish life with great cafes, local eateries, pagodas, temples, and more. Look, like most busy cities, it's all about knowing where to go. You can waste so much time trying to find places. While some of the best experiences I've had have been when I've got lost, it's always best to get lost in a happening neighborhood. I'm delighted to have Samantha Coomber on the show, a British-Australian lady, who's currently living in Ho Chi Minh City. I caught up with her there. She was able to start the episode by just sharing with us the latest on what's happening with social distancing in Ho Chi Minh City as it's June 21. I thought it was important for context to include that. Thankfully, it sounds like it's mostly under control. Thankfully, we were able to get into the really good stuff, which is to talk about the districts of Saigon that she's fallen in love with. Samantha comes to the show with a library of knowledge and a passion for this city, developed over 12 years of traveling around as a freelance travel and lifestyle writer, including guidebook writing. Samantha's respect in the travel industry was earned very early in her days employed as a foreigner and editorial consultant, full-time by the state-run V.N.A.T - Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in the years 2002 to 2004. She went on to co-author the first edition Insight guides: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Smart Guide, covering the Ho Chi Minh City, Southern Vietnam sections and published in 2009. Beyond that, she has written for a myriad of travel publications around the world. She really walks the talk. Some of these publications include The Wall Street Journal Asia, National Geographic Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler UK and India, and many, many more. She has her own blog called The Jaded Empress Chronicles. You will be able to catch up with all her writings from the links in the episode notes. For all the detail that she shares with us on this show, that's going to be included in the transcription notes. You'll be able to download and print that and use that when you come to this amazing city. I know you're going to love this episode. Samantha is going to really give us some insights that you couldn't get anywhere else. Please welcome her to the program. [music] Hi, Samantha. Lovely to have you on the show. How are things tracking in Saigon at the moment? [00:03:46] Samantha Coomber: Hi, Kerry. Lovely to be here. Yes, at the moment in Saigon, we have, what is called, "A social distancing two weeks" We had this last April. After a year, we've got that again. It's basically because we got some spikes in cases in Saigon. The government wants to keep everything in hand. It's basically I can go out of my house and do what I want, go for walk. I see plenty of people on their motorbikes. People going out to get delivery or takeouts, but non-essential services are closed, which means things like cafes, restaurants, gyms, salons, bars. It's only for two weeks. I just want to put this in context, Kerry, that the past year or so, compared to other people, I've had complete freedom, virtually complete freedom to go out, do what I want, take a flight down to Phu Quoc Island, socialize with my friends in bars, squashed into restaurants and cafes with all the locals. It has been a great year, but I think the government's just trying to keep everything under wraps, before any explosions happened, being on the safe side. [00:05:04] Kerry Newsome: I agree. I think the attitude that the Vietnam government took right from the very beginning with being very aggressive and assertive in closing areas down, and closing airports was the best thing they could have done. The numbers have been so low in comparison to other countries. I'm glad you did that by putting it into perspective. Look, we're going to be talking districts today. I'm really thrilled to do this with you. You're a travel writer, a very seasoned professional in the area of the travel industry with your own blog, etc and writing for international publications, and the fact that you live in Saigon. You can give us both perspectives as a tourist once yourself and writing for those magazines, as I said, but also as a local. I always think the locals know the great places. You and I got together before today. We decided to pick out the best districts to focus on, but we need to start with number 1 I think. District 1, for me, certainly has been where I've spent most time. It's only really been in my last couple of trips that I've ventured further. There is a lot more in the other districts, but I think this is where most people find themself from the very beginning and for very good reasons because it's got a lot to offer. Now, over to you, Samantha. Tell us what you know about District 1. [00:06:38] Samantha Coomber: Well, District 1 is obviously the main tourist area, but it's where the French actually came over in the late 19th century and set up their own little city as such. They started building a lot of the buildings in the style of French Colonial architecture. A lot of those remnants are legacies of what you see today. It's a lovely area. Central District 1 is quite compact. It's easily walkable. A lot of the sites are down a main artery called Dong Khoi Street. You can just walk, or take a cyclo ride is nice, or perhaps take a Vespa scooter ride in the evening. It's quite manageable. The landmarks are pretty impressive. You've got the People's Committee Building, Hôtel de Ville, the Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was modeled on the Notre-Dame of Paris, the beautiful Saigon Opera House. Then, you've got a couple of lovely colonial hotels, which are the Majestic and the Continental. As you walk around here, there are other sites, of course, things I must point out to your listeners. There's a big boulevard, which is now pedestrianized, just by Dong Khoi. Nguyen Hue. That's lovely at nighttime to walk down. All the high rises around. The boulevard is all lit up. It goes down towards the river, but everyone's out, all the locals around, families and tourists. It's lined with cafes. Then, you've got quite a few war remnants, as you know, in war legacies that are in the city. One of them is the Independence Palace. That's where the reunification all started. That's in the center of town, but then you've got all these modern buildings, like the Bitexco Financial Tower. I think that's about 59 floors with a helipad. [00:08:48] Kerry Newsome: Yes. [chuckles] [00:08:49] Samantha Coomber: I'm scared of heights, Kerry. I haven't had the bottle to go up there, but if you do go to the top, it's fantastic views across the city. That's recommended. Then, you've got real favorites. I'm sure you've been there Ben Thanh Market, which is another-- [00:09:09] Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. [00:09:10] Samantha Coomber: Yes. It's another old colonial building. Looks a bit dilapidated, but it's actually a fun place. That's one thing I want to point out about Vietnam and Saigon, that they are quite fun people with a good sense of humor. When you go into Ben Thanh Market, you can do a bit of haggling. Everything on sale. There are souvenirs. There's a wet market and you can get your coffee beans there. That's lovely, but as you were pointing out, Kerry, there are other places in District 1, which are worth visiting as well. [00:09:44] Kerry Newsome: Yes. I think the district also offers up a lot of rooftop bars. It's got quite a nightlife vicinity where you can enjoy all sorts of food, etc. There are lots of bars and clubs and cafes. We talked about on another episode, I was talking to a girl, just where there are artists and bars and dj’s playing all different kinds of music. You've got coffee shops. You've got craft beers. It's quite an eclectic mix in some areas, isn't it? it's got a vibe. It definitely has a vibe. [00:10:29] Samantha Coomber: Absolutely, yes. I must point out one of my favorite things in Saigon is the cafes and coffee houses. There are too many to mention, but there are lots of them, obviously, around this area. You pointed out the other rooftop bars. That's really progressed in the last few years. Look up when you're walking around because there are some wonderful ones. Two of the ones actually that are my favorites at the Majestic Hotel overlooking the river and the Caravelle Hotel, which is actually where all the war correspondents used to congregate for that sundowners. I don't think they did much work, but that's a big, popular bar. That's lovely. obviously, rooftop bars, they've got great cocktails, but fabulous views for the sunset. A lot of them have great deejays now. It's quite a party atmosphere. Of course, there are also clubs and artisan bars. Yes, the last few years, It's really quite the cool cosmopolitan city now. [00:11:36] Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. [00:11:37] Samantha Coomber: Also, Kerry, I'd like to point out to your listeners about an area then we don't know much about. It's in the very northeast corner of District 1. It's called Tan Dinh neighborhood. It's actually that they have wards in Ho Chi Minh City, but it's a small little neighborhood, right in the pocket of Northeastern District 1. People might know it because it's where that beautiful pink Catholic church is the home of. Tan Dinh Church, a Catholic church, but there's so much in this area. It's packed into a compact area. You just wander around. One of the great things about Tan Dinh neighborhood is they've got fantastic street food, which is everywhere on the street. It was originally an old Chinese ghetto centuries ago. You've still got traces of the Chinese there. You've got a wonderful marketplace called Tan Dinh Market. If you find Ben Thanh a bit commercialized, then this one is a very local one. They've got things like a martial arts center. You can watch them practice their martial arts at a temple in the evening. You can just wander around cafes and street food in the marketplace. It's a wonderful-- it's an authentic slice of Saigon, but it's still in District 1. [00:13:11] Kerry Newsome: Okay. If I'm staying at a hotel in the primary area of District 1, say, at The Rex or something like that-- In that vicinity, if I go to the receptionist, and I say, "I need a grab car or a taxi to go to the Tan Dinh area." They're going to know what I'm talking about? [00:13:35] Samantha Coomber: Oh, yes, definitely. They'll know. You can say it's the Pink Church and Tan Dinh Market. They all know that. It's quite well-known, but it's not so wellknown for tourists and travelers. I think it's a real treat for people to have a wander around. [00:13:57] Kerry Newsome: Samantha, if we're going to, head to District 2, that does come up as there's a lot of ex-pats in the area. We've talked about that. I did find some shopping there last time. There are a few venues like The Deck and Mia Saigon Hotel. Can you tell us a little bit more just to give my listeners your take on District 2? [00:14:24] Samantha Coomber: Yes. District 2, I joke, it's called "The Republic of District 2" Because it's across the river. It's a bit of a drive-out. It is where all the ex-pats tend to congregate to live. I don't think, in terms of the history and the ambiance, it's so good, but what's so wonderful about District 2 is that it's right along the Saigon River. There are lots of new developments there to really enjoy the river life. As you mentioned, there's The Deck with a-- there's a few bars as well. Now, The Deck has been voted recently, "One of the top 50 bars in the world." It's obviously a great place. It's a deck along the river, as the name suggests. Great cocktails. They have brunches, lunch, and dinner there. It's very, very popular, but there are others as well. You're basically sitting out with the cool river breeze, surrounded by coconut trees, and you watch the boats go past. There are great places for sundowners, but I want to point out to your listeners that there are also three hotels that I know along the riverbank, which are great places. If you want to get out today-- Much as we love Saigon, it can be a bit frenetic and energetic. Motorbike traffic. If you want to have a couple of nights, where you’re waking up beside the river. There's the An Lam, the Mia Saigon, and the Villa Song. These are beautiful boutique hotels. You can dine, have your breakfast by the river, or as such, a candlelit dinner. Wonderful places to just retreat a bit at the beginning or the end of your holiday. [00:16:09] Kerry Newsome: Sounds lovely. I think sometimes if you can allow yourself a few extra days in Saigon, you can tend to get into its rhythm a bit more. I think when you just arrive, it is kind of overwhelming. I can remember my sister coming on a visit with me. She was just struck by millions and millions of motorbikes and Ben Thanh Market. I found her gasping standing outside. [00:16:42] Samantha Coomber: [chuckles] [00:16:43] Kerry Newsome: Sometimes, as you say, a district like District 2 is a little bit of a reprieve. It is a little bit more civilized and a little bit, I guess, catering to the Westerner, but with some lovely little gems in there, like you described, with those hotels. I think it's one to still put on everyone's list to check out. Of course, I'm going to have a transcription in this podcast. You're going to be able to look up these places. Also, you're going to be able to contact Samantha for any more information that she can share. Obviously, she's got some blogs on this as well. [00:17:23] Samantha Coomber: I just want to tell your listeners as well that the hidden beauty of this is a lot of them provide free speedboat, transfer shuttles from the center of town, which is the Bach Dang Wharf. You actually get this James-Bond-style speedboat trip along the Saigon River. [00:17:41] Kerry Newsome: [chuckles] [00:17:44] Samantha Coomber: You can live the Champagne lifestyle on a shoestring budget. It's quite interesting because you're passing a lot of the new Saigon, a lot of new developments. Then, you get the cargo boats going past and some fishermen or local people on a sunny day. It takes, usually, about 15 to 20 minutes to get to these places. It's such a treat. As I said, a lot of these places do throw it in for free, but you have to book up in advance because they've only got eight seats on the speedboat or something. A wonderful treat. I really enjoy it. [00:18:24] Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. I think it's good to mention the river. It took me a couple of visits before I got onto the river. I think when you're on the river and there are some lovely cruises, dinner cruises that you can do also. [00:18:37] Samantha Coomber: Absolutely, yes. [00:18:39] Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. I think from the dinner cruise or from a boat, you actually get to look back at the city. Certainly, at night, it looks absolutely stunning. It gives you another perspective. Sometimes, when you're in the thick of it, you think, "Oh, gosh." You're getting swallowed up, but from the river, you get a chance to reflect back on it, to see it as a city from a different perspective. I just thought that was also worth mentioning as we're talking about that area. now, I'm going to move you on to District 3. The reason I want you to touch on that is that it rarely gets mentioned, in my experience, District 3. Maybe you can give us a little bit more detail about what District 3 offers up. [00:19:28] Samantha Coomber: Well, Kerry, if you've got all day. [00:19:31] Kerry Newsome: [chuckles] [00:19:32] Samantha Coomber: I'm such a huge fan of District 3. I always wanted to live here, actually. Then, I got my wish came true. just to point out, it's probably the oldest part of the Saigon proper and that the French were actually developing this bit before the actual downtown District 1. What I want to point out as well is that it's such a pretty area. They've still got the remnants of the beautiful tree-lined boulevards, quite a few of those. I think Pasteur and Truong Dinh are some of the prettiest, but this quite a few. They're lovely places to wander around. as I mentioned, there are sites in District 1. There's a whole list of them, but there's a lot going on in District 3 as well. For example, one of the top tourist attractions in Saigon is actually the War Remnants Museum, which is in District 3, and a very prominent pagoda called Xa Loi, which was the scene of a lot of Buddhist monk activity before the Vietnam War. There are lots of other lovely sites. There's a place called Turtle Lake that your listeners should go to. This is just above the Notre-Dame Cathedral. It's where all the young lovers in Saigon go to. It's a big intersection with the lake. It's full of cafes and street food places. a wonderful atmosphere. Then, what District 3 is really known for is one of the best places in the city for Saigon's wonderful street food. Street food is everywhere in Saigon, but this is a particular note. My Vietnamese isn't that good. [00:21:21] Kerry Newsome: [laughs] We have that in common. [00:21:25] Samantha Coomber: As you said, they can read on the transcript, but I'll just say it's Nguyen Thuong Hien. It's designated as street food. It's in lots of guidebooks and magazines. It's packed with street food stalls and eateries. There's another one called Nguyen Dinh Chieu, which is another place which is excellent for street food. Then, there's Saigon's oldest building, which is here, which is this Tan Xa Palace, which is built about 1790. There are also some very interesting wartime legacies here from the Vietnam War. One of them is a secret weapon cellar, where they stashed away weapons during the Vietnam War, which is on Nguyen Dinh Chieu. There's another place maybe-- some people know about it, some don't. It's a noodle shop, which is your Pho ga, which is the chicken noodles. There's a place called Pho Binh. When you go away and you just have your-- which is one of Vietnam's iconic dishes, the Pho ga, the noodle soup. You're eating your noodle soup, but it was actually a secret HQ of the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. They actually used to congregate up in the mezzanine level to plan the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, but no one knew about this. People were just eating their soup. When you go in nowadays, the owner will give you photographs and talk through about this. You have these wonderful wartime legacies. It's definitely worth wandering around. just soaking up the atmosphere and eating yourself crazy with the street food. [00:23:18] Kerry Newsome: I'm sure people that have an interest in Vietnam and Vietnam history and certainly war history, whilst some of that isn't for all of us, but people that were involved in the Vietnam War and sometimes go back to visit. There are lots of tours that do take you around some of those places that featured strongly during that period. I think that was really good to mention, Samantha. Very good. I think one of the other things I think we talked about was, wasn't it voted one of the world's top 50 coolest neighborhoods or something? [00:24:00] Samantha Coomber: Yes. Of course, I have to live in one of the world's coolest neighborhoods. [crosstalk] [00:24:04] Kerry Newsome: Of course you do. [00:24:05] Samantha Coomber: Of course I do. This is actually ‘Time Out’ London. I'm actually from London. That was great. They did a list of the world's coolest neighborhoods. It was amongst the top 50, but I think they recognize the historical buildings. There are lots of French colonial villas. Obviously, some have been pulled down, but actually, there are quite a few still standing, which the people at the consulates now are housed in. There's another thing I wanted to discuss with you and the listeners. Where I live in District 3, there's a wonderful canal area. Again, my Vietnamese is not the best. It's called Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal. To be fair, it does go through five districts, including District 1. There are a few others, but in District 3, I think it's the poshest bit. It's the most scenic part. That's why I wanted to discuss it in District 3. Kerry, shall I tell your listeners about what's going on along this canal area? I stumbled across it by accident. judging by how few foreigners are walking around this canal, I think people should maybe know about this because it's one of Ho Chi Minh City's biggest urban redevelopment projects. It was finished redevelopment in about 2012. Today, when you're walking along, it's a wide, broad canal, which is lined with trees, hibiscus flowers, bamboo, frangipani trees. This is right in the center of the city. It's got a lovely walkway. You can do your exercise or have a lovely evening stroll along. That's packed with locals all out, doing their exercising and gossiping, just getting together, walking the dog, and whatever. another thing which is wonderful about this. It's lined with the most gorgeous little cafes, very atmospheric, very artsy, which a lot of people don't know, packed with locals, some of the most beautiful pagodas, which I didn't expect to find along the canal, which I have written about on my blog, posting quite a lot of detail, some fantastic old pagodas which have been here for centuries. It's a wonderful place to soak up the local atmosphere, have a coffee, have some street food. The street food is delicious here. If you don't want to have a stroll along-- you were mentioning river cruises. What I find fascinating is now, they run sunset cruises along this canal, from District 1 through District 3 at Sunset Cruises. I've been doing my exercise for five o'clock in the afternoon and I-- on Sunset Cruises with deejays for the tourists go past. They have dinner cruises lit with fairy lights and gondola rides like little [crosstalk]. [00:27:23] Kerry Newsome: Oh, gondolas. [00:27:24] Samantha Coomber: Gondolas. For that romantic-- maybe you want to drop a proposal or something, but for me, this is like-- [00:27:33] Kerry Newsome: [laughs] [00:27:34] Samantha Coomber: When I first came to Saigon, this was what I class as a stinky, black canal years ago. Now, it's a happening area. Like I said, it does go down into District 1, It runs past the Saigon Zoo, but you can actually do a boat ride. I've even seen standup paddleboarders along there and kayaks. [00:27:58] Kerry Newsome: Oh my God. [00:27:59] Samantha Coomber: A lot of people go fishing there. Well, I think people should know about is a real slice of local life. Everyone is out doing their thing, but you get authentic cafes and street foods and beautiful little pagodas. They're not crowded. They're just virtually empty. It's a wonderful place to just stroll around, explore or maybe take a boat cruise through. [00:28:26] Kerry Newsome: Samantha, I think that's a good thing to just cover off for everyone listening is that the things that we're talking about aren't totally reliant on the overseas tourist because we're talking about a population of-- what? Is it 8,000,000 or something like that? [00:28:44] Samantha Coomber: Yes. Maybe 9,000,000. Yes, that's in the metro area. [00:28:50] Kerry Newsome: We're talking about places that are going to be here beyond COVID because let's face it. We're probably not looking for the country to open its borders, maybe, till 2022. I thought it was a good thing to just mention for everyone listening that we don't have an expiry date on this episode. We're trying to talk and keep the focus for everyone who's listening that these are the things that you're still going to be able to experience and be able to wander around and explore after COVID, when COVID is a thing of the past. [00:29:27] Samantha Coomber: Exactly. This place is buzzing all the time. Even during the social distancing, you still got people whizzing around and everything. It's a wonderful, wonderful energy here. That's the same for the Tan Dinh neighborhood in District 1. That's such a buzzy local area. Whatever happens in Vietnam, they just keep rolling on with their energy at their local communities. [00:29:58] Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. Now, I think almost every major city in the world has one of these. I'm referring now to Chinatown, which sits in District 5. I hear from you, also, that this is a favorite one as well. Tell us more about Chinatown, Saigon. [00:30:19] Samantha Coomber: Yes, I love Chinatowns around the world. As you said, everyone's got one, but Chinatown, in a sense, in Ho Chi Minh City, it's to the West, quite to the West. It takes about 25 minutes in a taxi ride to get there. a lot of visitors tend to go on tour buses and just do this quick, in and out, do all the main sites, and then going out, which is fine. I think it's a very underrated area. Why I really love the Chinatown here is that it hasn't been commercialized. It's not like the Singapore one. I love that one, but it's almost like Disneyfied in terms of a big tourist area. Whereas the Chinatown here, which is called Cho Lon, is very much a working local area. Of course, you've got the main pagodas, which I'll discuss in a few sites, but it's not laid out for tourists. It's a big working area. The name Cho Lon is actually translated as "Big market" That's the thing about this. It's all about trading and wholesale and retail and a hive of activity. When you go to Chinatown, you're seeing a really local area, but very different from the ones I've described because it's the local Chinese- Vietnamese community. It hasn't got a sign. When you actually getting into Chinatown territory, you know you're getting in that because you've got all these Chinese characters on the buildings and signs. It doesn't say, "Welcome to Cho Lon, Chinatown." [00:32:05] Kerry Newsome: [laughs] Yes, I get you. [00:32:07] Samantha Coomber: Yes, you know because you've got the Chinese characters. It's got a very distinct feel to it compared to other parts. I've been going there for years. I wrote a walking tour for a Wall Street Journal Asia. I'm obsessed with the place. Every time I go down there, I see very few foreigners. people don't speak English, but I must say people have been so friendly to me. You just point at stuff if you can't communicate with each other. People have been very welcoming and friendly to me. Perfectly safe to just wander around. I just want to point out there's going to be, obviously, the main landmark areas, which a lot of tours will go to. They are worth the visit. The main things in Chinatown are the pagodas. They are not only the oldest ones in Ho Chi Minh City, but they are also, I'd say, the loveliest. They're just so exquisite, beautifully decorated. They are working pagodas and temples. When you go in there, it's not for show. It's packed with people worshipping. You're almost crying because the incense is so strong in that. They preserve them very well. They are absolutely stunning. The main one is Quan Am Pagoda. This is the oldest. It was built in 1740, but you've also got the other one, which is very well-known, Thien Hau Pagoda, that 1760 built. Then, there are a few others. This is the beauty of Chinatown. It's a vast area and actually spills out into District 6 and District 10, but the main area that you want to visit is actually quite walkable. The only site that is a little bit further out is the famous Binh Tay Market, which you must go to. It's the biggest market in Chinatown. It dwarfs the size of Ben Thanh Market. It's just into District 6, but it's a wholesale market, but it's absolutely fascinating. Then, you just jump in a taxi back to the main concentration of the pagodas. Also, there are two other sites I want to point out. There's a street called the Luong Nhu Hoc, which is where you want to buy your Lion Dance masks. It's a ritual costume street. It's where everyone buys their things to worship in the pagodas and the temples. It's also called Lanterns Street because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the end of September. It's all beautifully lit up with lanterns. [00:35:16] Kerry Newsome: Oh, beautiful. Love that. [00:35:18] Samantha Coomber: If you've got any energy left because there's a lot to see. It's still worth visiting is the traditional Chinese medicine street. I'm not even going to pronounce the name, but it's very well-known. That's when you wander along, you see all the bags of Chinese herbal medicine and roots and bags. That was very important before. It's dwindled a bit, but it's still quite visible. That said, all this is quite walkable. Then, when you've had enough, if you're not on a tour bus, you can get a taxi back into the center of town again. It's very manageable, but I do recommend having a wander around District 5 Chinatown. [00:36:06] Kerry Newsome: That's on the top of my list when I'm back. I haven't had a chance to experience Chinatown in Saigon. That's definitely on my list. I think some of the things that you've mentioned, which ring some bells for me in the sense of some of these districts are about 25 minutes out of town. by the sounds of what you're saying, you need to allow yourself at least a few hours to walk around to discover everything. I think people have got to be prepared for that. There's a little bit of smooching and musing. some of the sights and smells and things are going to be strange and probably taking some people out of their comfort zone to experience, but definitely worth being curious and sticking your nose into places. Being mindful. However, when you are walking around, you've just got your bag that you're carrying, etc., well sealed, so that you can't have any experience like bag-snatching or anything like that happen in any of these districts or anywhere in Saigon. I know some people have had that happen. That's marred their experience of Saigon. I would hate that to be the case. I'm mentioning it just to be aware and holding phones out and taking photographs. By all means, do that, but just be mindful that a driver could just whiz past and grab that phone very quickly. It's just a matter of common sense. [00:37:45] Samantha Coomber: Yes, it's common sense. I must say I've been here for a total of eight years. I personally have found it myself, I've used common sense, etc, but I found it very safe to wander around on my own as a single female. Wandering around the city, as long as you use your common sense and not dress ostentatiously, and as you said, stick your hand out and taking lots of photos and everything, but I find it very safe and very welcoming. It's a great place to just-- people are very friendly. If you wander down an alleyway-- I think when the borders are open again, I think people are going to be more welcoming because they'll be so happy to see tourists back again. how I've done a lot of my discoveries in this city is just sticking my nose down an alleyway or-- being curious and looking up. I found a fantastic cafe at the end of Dong Khoi in District 1, which is wonderful river views. I didn’t know it existed, but I looked up and I saw, "Oh, this is a great rooftop cafe." It's a case of-- being careful, but having a good look around because you'll find, on the whole, people are very friendly and welcoming here. [00:39:04] Kerry Newsome: Yes. One thing I want to mention is definitely keeping that curious and open mind and keeping a positive attitude, because I know sometimes you'll be taking some, "Oh, I'll be taking a friend. I'll say, oh, we're just going to go down this alley." Now, a Westerner doesn't really think that that's a good idea in a lot of cities around the world going down small, dingy alleys, etc.. You can go down a small alley in any city in Vietnam, in fact, and find yourself then into an oasis or then open a door, and then, you're walking up some steps. I'm even in the Caravelle Hotel. I don't think it's changed, but you get the elevator to level 9 or 10. I think it is. Then, you go up these crappy old steps. Then, you on this amazing rooftop bar that overlooks the city. There's got to be a little bit of trust. I think that goes into some of your travels and other trusting the guidance that you're getting. I think people, I'm hoping, listening to this podcast are going to get from yourself and myself that, we've had good experiences because we have been curious and been willing to just step out of our comfort zone a little bit. being mindful of not being, as you say, ostentatious or flippant and being respectful. I think the Vietnamese are very open to being friendly if you are friendly to them and courteous and being respectful. I think you get more from the Vietnamese out of that, even if you fail to be able to pronounce their language. I think if you try, and I think if you endeavor to be show politeness, they will do anything for you. This podcast's given me a great opportunity to talk to people who have traveled in Vietnam and people sharing their stories, telling me that people have opened their homes to them, to heal from an injury. They've lost something in the street. Someone's running after them with their key card because they dropped it or something like that. There are really good stories to be told, but it takes two to tango. I think you're right. I think coming back after COVID, the country will be very welcoming for tourists. It is what motivates me to do this podcast. I think the fact that we've been able to talk to you, Samantha, today to share your insights is just going to be gold for people coming back. Samantha, it's been absolutely fabulous having you on the show. I'm going to have to say farewell now, but I hope everything continues to go well in Vietnam. Maybe we'll see you in Australia very soon. [00:42:04] Samantha Coomber: Thanks so much, Kerry, for this wonderful opportunity to chat with you. Thanks so much. All the best. [music]

S6-E12 What about medical care in Vietnam < Back S6-E12 What about medical care in Vietnam S6-E12 What about medical care in Vietnam 00:00 / 38:00 Series 6. Episode 12. What about medical care in Vietnam? So….What happens if you get sick in Vietnam? Or have an accident? This episode is particularly relevant for today's independent traveller—the person who has researched extensively, joined Facebook groups, watched countless YouTube videos, and perhaps even used AI to help plan their entire trip. While these tools can provide an extraordinary amount of information, they can't provide real-world experience, local knowledge, or immediate support on the ground when something unexpected happens. In this episode, I explore the reality of life and what can happen, without you even trying. Let me share with you firsthand experiences of travellers Tim and Lucy as they navigate the world as retirees destined to use the world as their new playground. Their experience in Danang will open your eyes to a new standard of treatment you may not experience even in your own country – Now that would be nice, wouldn’t it? I don’t hold back in the show. I discuss the most common health issues visitors encounter, and Lucy and Tim speak to the quality of an international hospital, English-speaking doctors, healthcare costs, and travel insurance. You'll hear how Vietnam's major cities now offer access to modern private hospitals, internationally trained specialists, and healthcare services that may be far more advanced and affordable than many travellers expect including dental and cosmetic surgery. We also cover the simple steps you can take before and during your trip to minimise health risks; Thanks to Tim and Lucy for coming on the show and sharing their experience. You can follow their travels here - https://www.facebook.com/travelingtwoeverywhere Time stamps: 02:00 – Why Medical Care in Vietnam Worries Travellers 06:00 – The Top 5 Health Issues Travellers Experience in Vietnam 14:00 – What Happened to Lucy? A Real Hospital Experience in Da Nang 22:00 – How Good Are Vietnam's Hospitals? 31:00 – Costs, Travel Insurance & Peace of Mind If concerns about medical care have been on your radar, this episode may change your perspective entirely and provide the reassurance you need to travel with confidence. NOTE - Dental Discount with Worlwide Dental - https://worldwidedentalhospital.com/travel-partners/ using Code - WAV25 for a 5% discount. Disclaimer: The information shared in this episode is provided for general informational purposes only and is based on personal experiences, guest contributions, and publicly available information at the time of recording. It should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or conditions. Healthcare facilities, services, costs, and regulations may change over time, and listeners should conduct their own research and obtain appropriate travel insurance before travelling. Do you have a travel question or wish to give some feedback? You have 90 seconds. Click to read the voicemail recording policy Previous Next

ffec553b-eb28-4811-bb2e-1d4e55c50e8bIn all the natural beauty and culture you can find yourself What About Vietnam - Series 2 – 17 What about a holiday that ended up being a life changing experience? Xin Chao and welcome to what about Vietnam? I hope you've been enjoying the series I have recorded talking to local health and wellness practitioners in Vietnam. It's an evolving area of travel experience in Vietnam and while in many ways Vietnam uniquely can offer wellness and the opportunity to build a healthier and stronger body and mind just by luring you to its shores. Because of its natural landscapes, fresh food and warm culture….. It still has a way to go to meeting the demands and expectations of the western travelers, especially those that are well-versed in true wellness and therapeutic wellness systems. But it's people like my guest today, I think who will be at the forefront of this kind of development in Vietnam. I'm really delighted to be talking with Michell Ford from luminarylife.com, the business designing life-changing experiences. Talking with Michell, you will get a sense of her devotion to this area in Vietnam, her and her team. Originally from Cape Town, she tells me she came to Vietnam for one year and has stayed for 15. Michell comes with a very in-depth resume on the wellness project development space. Having brought on ambitious wellness concepts and bringing on six hotels with a very high-quality bespoke spas and treatment centers. It is the collective knowledge of how and where this industry is heading in Vietnam. But I'm hoping it will help you better understand how to navigate and how to choose what's right for you, be it the right location, type of treatment and practitioner. When you see a promotion for wellness, health benefits, therapeutic centers, things like that,..... I hope after this episode, you are going to be a little bit more the wiser. Vietnam is destined to be a hot destination in the future for wellness, as we transition through COVID and begin to heal collectively as a community and as individuals. Because I know Vietnam in my heart has so much to offer. I wanted to get Michell's take on how to go about finding the right place for you, what to look for. So please welcome Michelle to the program. Michell Ford: Actually, when I arrived in Vietnam, there was no wellness at all. So, I kind of grew into it with Vietnam and so I think it was an interesting part of my own growth process and a way, at the same time, to see how it's growing in Vietnam. And because it was such an exciting new field for this area, I was really interested in taking that further. That's really how I started to explore it with Vietnam, I would say. Kerry Newsome: And from looking at your experience Michelle, you kind of, if I could use the term, cut your teeth, in hotels and trying to bring that experience into hotels, which haven't traditionally been very good at that. Michell Ford: So, yes working in hotels, very often the hotels are looking at wellness from a different frame, or from a different perspective. When a client's looking for wellness, they're really looking for what problem you're solving. They are not looking for what accommodation and inclusions are in the package. And so hotels are traditionally creating from the experience level to say, this is the experience I'm creating for you. So that is what we saw to be quite a challenge. And in addition, you need so much more expertise in wellness to build a frame like that and to bring the right people together, to be able to solve that problem for the clients. So that's really where we, through experience in the hotel side, I could really see how we needed to bridge the gap because this was not existing in Vietnam as such. Kerry Newsome: And I think if I draw my own experience in earlier years, I think Vietnam sort of thought, ah look we can just put on a gorgeous hotel with all luxury experiences within the hotel, as in, you know, by the pool and all that ambiance that goes with that. Provide massage treatments and kind of that's it!! Michell Ford: Right. Kerry Newsome: And I think, what I've seen, and what's good to talk to you about is the evolution of wellness and retreats, and retreats that are becoming more focused and more specialized. Would you agree? Michell Ford: Definitely. I think traditionally it was easy to add on just that one thing or the other. But I think going forward, Vietnam risked “wellness washing” if we keep doing that. I think it's time to stop that and that's why we really feel we need to spend a lot of time in-depth to develop those programs. In addition, there's a lot more expertise in Vietnam. In the beginning, yoga was pretty new here and that is how it started. But Vietnamese themselves and the experts that are here, the expertise is much broader. You're able to develop stronger wellness programs than what we could in the past too. Kerry Newsome: You've decided to put roots down in Vietnam and obviously extend your skills in this area to hotels and your own center. What happened next? Michell Ford: What happens next? So basically, we have two parts at the moment. We're doing one, which is a wellness consulting and management, where we offered this exact support to hotels. We can help them build their full wellness program and we can help them integrate it into the hotel if we manage it as well. We really develop targeted programs specific for their destination and their skills and make sure that all the parts are aligned in the resort to offer that. And in the other branch that we're following, due to seeing that there will be this growth of wellness retreats in Vietnam, we've built an online retreat platform, kind of booking.com for wellness. Kerry Newsome: Okay. Michell Ford: And what we have done is, we're busy curating, we're supporting the hotels to develop the programs that they sell on there. We provide that advisory and we're categorizing it really in detail so that clients can find what they need. And thirdly we actually are setting up a call center with wellness coaches so that clients really can see, okay, I'm coming to Vietnam, this is what I want to do, how can I find what I want to do? What places would you recommend to me if I want you to do this, or I don't want to do that. So that we can really give them that level of support they need. Kerry Newsome: Well, that's sort of speaks to where I was heading with this. This time with you in this interview, which is really trying to help travellers navigate this space. As you said, Vietnam is not really known for being well-managed, if that's the best word. And just finding a hotel and thinking that that's going to be the be end and all end is not the solution. So, if I'm a traveller and I'm sitting in some part of the world right now, and I'm thinking, I'd love to go to Vietnam to experience a wellness retreat. I've been in lockdown, I need to reboot, to re-energize. How would you advise someone in planning a trip to Vietnam on that basis? Michell Ford: At the moment, the resources are still a bit limited for them. Of course, they would be looking at some retreat platforms on Google, and they would start to explore what specific niche that they want to focus on. If they want to do yoga or they want to do transformational healing it might be two completely separate things. In Vietnam, it's not always consolidated under one umbrella. For example, you could stay in Hoi An, very comfortably, and then you could work with all the practitioners and healers in the area and join the classes. Or there are some niche retreats, but they're also generally not always available. It seems a little bit by calendar basis. So, it's a little bit harder to navigate as you say. Kerry Newsome: Yes and... Michell Ford: Sorry, from our perspective, with our platform that we're developing, we're really helping guests with that by creating a wellness spectrum. We say on the beginning of the spectrum is this “recreational level” where you want to trek, or you want to go cycling. You just want to relax and enjoy your time with a little bit of these wellness activities, the spa, a bit of yoga. Then we look more at an “experiential level”, where the wellness starts to go deeper, where there is a bit of a formalized program around it and so on. Michell Ford: Then there's this “transformational level” where you really want to be on a specific program for a specific outcome. For example, the detox program. And then we have an immersion program where you really want to get, let's say 30 days really deep into meditation, or really deep into yoga where you're really going on that full educational and immersive program. I think if you know where you want to be on that already, it's easier as a starting point. Kerry Newsome: And what do you think Vietnam brings to the table? Tell us what makes a retreat in Vietnam more attractive than anywhere else? Let's say. Michell Ford: I think Vietnam has some natural resources for that. I think the nature and the diversity throughout the country and the options that you could choose. Because nature is obviously a big part of how you immerse yourself and wellness, so beautiful destinations for that. The people are just that genuine and offer a nurturing care that you just don’t get in many places. So just feeling loved and nurtured and cared for in everything. And certainly, obviously the food is almost naturally healthy. You're already naturally eating, let's say a semi plant-based meal plan while you're here as well. So that's kind of the easy entries which laid a solid foundation for a wellness program. Kerry Newsome: Exactly. Now, something that you talk a lot about in your services and certainly your expertise extends into this area. And I'm going to bring up the subject wellness ecosystem. Can you talk to us a little bit about that because I think sometimes people get a little bit miffed by a lot of the language? Michell Ford: Right. Kerry Newsome: And it becomes very academic around simple things. And there are some trendy words that are being bantered around and they might say it on the brochure, but they don't actually deliver it if you know what I mean. Michell Ford: Yeah. Kerry Newsome: Talk to us a little bit about, and explain for everyone listening, just what's in a wellness ecosystem, both for yourself personally, and in the bigger picture. Michell Ford: So, we implement that on all levels of our business. We can say there's a wellness ecosystem globally, but there's also a wellness ecosystem in our business and there's a wellness ecosystem within us. It's in principle that theory that what we do micro is the macro, it is the seed to the macro. From our business perspective, in the wellness ecosystem, we really want a good balance of what the client needs how the practitioners fit into that and who they are and how they're supported in their work and also what the hotel brings. What are the hotel facilities available? What can the staff provide? And we really build the program as an ecosystem around that. Kerry Newsome: Can you tell me Michell, a time you have attended a wellness retreat in Vietnam. And tell us about that experience. Michell Ford: In Vietnam, to be honest, because I've been here for most of it, I tended to go out for my wellness retreats at that time. It's always the opposite of what you have. Yes, so let's see in Vietnam, I haven't specifically done wellness retreats, but really much more wellness. I'm very specific on picking specialists. I really enjoy working with wellness specialists, so I might not have picked a retreat in Vietnam at that time, but I would travel to a location and search out the best wellness specialists in that area and work with them. Kerry Newsome: And that's a good point to raise in the sense that some people think there's only one choice, which is, if I want wellness, I have to kind of go away and lock myself down to a hotel or resort or a center for two or three days. Where, what you're saying is the traveler's got the option to find specialists and we've talked about Hoi An and Danag and kind of the central region, Hue,I know also has some, nice venues for that. But being able to find and recruit or get the services of specialists in particular modalities and whether that's yoga, whether that's reiki, whether that's hypnosis or whatever. Talk to us a little bit about the options with that, because that's not something that people would normally think about Vietnam in that sense. Michell Ford: Right. You know, even if you pick up a private yoga teacher here, you could do your daily beach classes. You can go onto the beach and have morning yoga every day by yourself. Having a private teacher like that, you can really go a little bit more into the depths of why are you doing the sunrise salutation, and what does it mean for you. It can work on your posture during that. So very practical that you learn through the process. But it really depends on what you're looking for because if you're doing that, you almost need to be able to already know a little bit of what you want and what you need. I would say, if you're really more coming into wellness or you really have a serious issue that you want to work on, whether it's medical or mental or whatever it might be, I would say it's really good to go on a structured program where people can guide you and advise you. But if you've already been through some of those and you enjoy it and you kind of know which areas you want to work on, you can do this more freestyle, if I can put it that way. Kerry Newsome: Yes. And I think, as you say with Vietnam growing into this space, I mean, I try to think about Vietnam as having so many places to offer it. But would you think that central Vietnam would be the best region to focus on? I mean, or is it also available in the North and the South as well? Michell Ford: I would say definitely this region is really strong for it. It's got all the tools available, both in Hoi An and Da Nang. There are a lot of really good practitioners in the area. A lot of venues you can join, a variety of classes and different studios, a lot of plant food restaurants or vegan cafes so it is definitely easy here. There is definitely also a part of it more towards like Sapa area, if you want to get more into the treking side. There are some of that too, but maybe a little bit less specialists, but more immersion into nature and that experience. Kerry Newsome: Michell to put aside an amount of time to devote to a retreat or whatever, what would you recommend is a good amount of time to invest in that? Just how much should you allocate? Because people get, I think a bit thinking they're self-indulgent or they're going on a holiday and they're going off into a retreat and they get a bit guilty about that. Michell Ford: Yes. That's something we come across often, there are people that say I'm a little bit guilty to do that. But it's really by you being able to do that you can give the best of yourself to everyone around you. You really have to see it as being of service to everyone around you, as opposed to feeling guilty that this is only for you because it's not only for you. You're impacting everyone around you when you come back. For the time period, there isn't a fixed time because it really depends on what you want. If you're super-stressed and really just want to come down from that, or if you really have serious medical issues and need to cleanse your body, it might take 21 days compared to a three-day relaxation. I think, it really comes down to what you want out of it and then build back how much time you need as opposed to the other way around. Kerry Newsome: And I think these came up in the other parts of the series that I put together with some other practitioners. The first question kind of has to be to yourself, as in what you want to get out of it. Michell Ford: And think in terms of what do you want to change in your life, because sometimes you don't even know what you need to get out of that to change. You can be quite practical to say what you want to change or shift in your life and then how can I do that? Where can I go? How long do I need? Kerry Newsome: I can't talk about this subject without bringing COVID into it because obviously COVID has affected us all. So, talking to that, how has COVID changed your business and your attitude in this space? Talk to us about that. Michell Ford: To be honest, the wellness business is in the right place at the right time. Kerry Newsome: I was going to say. Michell Ford: I think there's not someone that has come out of COVID without more awareness around wellness and what that means to them. And that would maybe be physical because of the immune system and the fear of what's coming there, but it may also be totally a mental around anxiety and stress. And it may be wellness around relationships because we were stuck together in a small apartment, 24/7. It kind of highlighted whatever wellness needs we have right now and brought that to the front to say, okay I really need to work on this. So this is what I want the change in my life to be. I think it's really supported people to find this path for them and which one is the priority as well. Kerry Newsome: And one question that comes up for me with people who follow me and talk to me, is just about how Vietnam faired through COVID and what assurances can they get that Vietnam is safe to travel and to travel in this wellness space? Michell Ford: Vietnamese has been really amazing at handling this, so we had basically zero deaths if I'm not mistaken. We have no transmissions anymore for four months already. They've been so proactive and I think the other part of it is Vietnam is a really community driven society. We see that people do things for the greater good of others. It wasn't just, I don't want to wear my mask, so I won't. It was knowing that if we wear our masks, we support other people as well. If we take care, if we self-isolate, it's really much more a community focused society in general. Vietnam was very strict, if they found a case, they traced four levels of contact and they were very specific to say what those levels were and they published the person's itinerary for the period before they travelled. When they published that you could also see, oh goodness I was in that area, so I need to self-isolate. They were very transparent with that, so it was very easy to see. And they themselves were tracing where it went and would basically follow to quarantine people to disinfect areas that were involved. After the second rise up in Da Nang they basically quarantined everybody and they tested every single person. So proactive to really jump on there and get it going. The big thing that we felt here, we always felt it was under control, it was in good hands. Decisions were being made, if they were tough, that was fine we understood that. And at the same time, we felt safe. We didn't have that same collective fear going on here and because of that we can pretty much live our lives here already which we're so fortunate for. So really, as a destination for traveling, I would say Vietnam should be on the forefront of anyone's radar as the first place to travel because of its safety. Kerry Newsome: And that's kind of a little bit how I feel as well. I mean, I was there in March, and I got out just in time to get back to Australia before they shut the doors kind of thing. And I was in a bit of a state of denial I have to say at the beginning. Michell Ford: I know, I think we all were a little bit, we didn't realize just how big this would become and what global impact, it would have. Kerry Newsome: Exactly. But I think where the future of travel is heading is definitely where countries have managed it well, and I think Vietnam has shown the world just how jumping on it quickly and quite strictly. And, I think the part is, as you said when they were publishing people's itineraries. Coming from a country where privacy is such an issue and things like that, that was kind of all blown out the door, you know? Lists everywhere of where people were, so as you say, they could say, yes, I was in that coffee shop or, I was attending that tour or things like that. So, whilst we might've not agreed in all their approaches. Michell Ford: Right. Kerry Newsome: I think as a community, as you say, everyone did support it and get behind it and it's achieved the success, it has. Michell Ford: Yes, yes. Kerry Newsome: Michelle just lastly, I just want to maybe steer the conversation to the time of year in Vietnam and you've been belted with some terrible typhoons of late. I mean, we're sitting here in November. Would you suggest there's a better time of the year to come? To do something like this in the area of self-healing and wellness. Michell Ford: Let's say specifically in the central region, it's really lovely all the way from April to let's say September. Kerry Newsome: Hot. Michell Ford: Very hot when you start to get to July and August, but you are guaranteed sunshine. Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. Michell Ford: It really depends on what you like, but of course in rainy season, with wellness it's not as important because if you're coming on in something for transformation and you've got your program, it's not really as important as the weather as well. But for sure, much nicer in the spring, summer months. Kerry Newsome: And do you have some recommendations for places that people might consider to come to do a wellness retreat? Michell Ford: We have a few practitioners in Hoi An that are running wellness retreat programs, shorter programs, for example, Victoria Wellness, she's running some. Vietnam Detox is running some and we have two projects coming up next year that will run in this region full programs as well. Kerry Newsome: Okay. And any actual hotels that you've been involved with that you can speak to from personal experience that you worked on, that you would advocate. Michell Ford: In the area at the moment, most of the wellness is still more experiential relaxation-based. I would say at the moment, there's not one that has really moved forward to more of the transformative space. But of course, the one we're working on now, we're hoping to launch in February or March. We would have to share that with everyone soon. Kerry Newsome: Okay. Great. Well, I can put those links in the episode notes for sure. Michell, thanks for being on the program. And I look forward to seeing you in Vietnam hopefully soon. Michell Ford: Yes, please. I think Hoi An needs it as well, everyone's businesses and livelihoods somehow depend on it too. Kerry Newsome: Absolutely. Thanks, Michell. OUTRO: Thank you for listening. Check out the episode notes for more information. What about Vietnam? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review and stay tuned for more fun adventures in Vietnam.

S4-25 A fun Guide to droning - Photos Part 3 A fun guide to droning in Vietnam - Photos Part 3 Episode 25 S4-25 A fun Guide to droning - Photos Part 3 00:00 / 48:23 Are you a drone enthusiast planning to visit Vietnam? Or do you have a general interest in drone photography. Either way you won't want to miss this episode where my guest Anton, a local drone enthusiast, shares his tips and experiences on drone use in the country. Along with some humorous tales of motor bike riding in Vietnam.

 Anton, known as 'Alright Anton' from his YouTube channel is able to share with us his insights and tips on how to simplify the process of using drones for non-commercial purposes. He shares very real circumstances that can impact your drone flying success in some locations; and you will laugh hysterically at the stories he shares containing birds, wind and avoiding mountains.
 The big tip: - Stick to avoiding 'no fly' zones and you won't have any problems.

 For the real amateurs like myself I share some of my own experiences with my DJI Mavic Pro 3, and how travelling with this camera can cause some challenges. However, with some forethought, and proper planning, these can easily be overcome. 

It's a fun show as in addition to Anton's droning experiences he shares his genuine love of places like Ninh Binh, Ha Giang, and Sapa and while some of his travel stories are scary, his tales are very amusing.

 This is Part 3 of the mini series of Photography, which I hope you are enjoying and will keep for reference and share with other interested travellers.

 Please check out Anton's work here, truly worthwhile :-
 Alright Anton's YouTube page:https://www.youtube.com/channelUCrg2HDkWT86HENJHQPKk3gg Alright Anton's Instagram page:https://www.instagram.com/alright_anton/
 This is the drone Anton uses: https://www.dji.com/mini-2 Download Transcript PDF Read the transcript here

904b3f1d-7edf-4010-a819-4d0c3138d175What does your Dong buy you in Vietnam? What About Vietnam - Series 1 - 4 What can your money buy you in Vietnam? Tipping? Travel Insurance? Should I get a Sim Card? Xing Chau and Welcome to What About Vietnam. My name is Kerry Newsome and I am your host. You are listening to the _What About Vietnam - Everything you need to know before you go, series. I am having so much fun. I can talk about Vietnam till the cows come home, but the thing I really want to do is give you the best advice I can from my own experience, and that of my travellers who are my continual source of inspiration, so you have the best holiday possible. In the previous episode we got into The HOW, ….. How should you travel to Vietnam as in what style…. as part of a tour, through a travel agent, do it all yourself, online ???, and the best way to get around. Hopefully you are now really confident there are plenty of options available to you. Its just a matter of choice, time and budget. Did I mention budget or money… of course any holidays depends on it. In this session I plan to cover off those rudimentary things I wish someone had been able to explain to me clearly before I set off to Vietnam the first time. Things like _ Money( how much are things and spending power)_ Tipping_ Travel Insurance_ATM’s_And should you get a SIM card? Lets start with the biggy - Money SO,.....lets get your head around Money before you go, so you can budget for your trip and not worry as you go around. I want to be so prepared before you go that nothing will stop you having a sensational trip. Plus you are going to find that going to Vietnam is cheaper than most other Indochina countries. Vietnamese DONG as it is called has 6 main notes, and no coins. I say main, in the sense they are coated paper notes of a value starting at 10,000 The first thing you will notice after you get over the fact that you have become an instant millionaire, is that there are no coins! The government stopped issuing coins in 2003, making your wallet significantly less heavy and transactions way less complicated. There are only paper notes now. The lowest value banknote is the VND$200 (USD$0.01), and the highest is the VND$500,000 (USD$21.00) note. The front side of the notes all have an image of beloved Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh), whereas on the back are various national symbols. All the notes are divided into two distinct categories: the Cotton Family ( printed on a linen stock I believ) and the Polymer Family which are now printed using a form of plastic developed by an Australian company, believe it or not. The Cotton Family The notes that belong to the Cotton Family signify low value – you may barely use them, There are five notes in the Cotton Family: VND$200, VND$500, VND$1,000, VND$2,000, and VND$5,000. I do keep them for low value tips, but they are really a bit of a nuisance. The 5,000, 1,000 and 2,000 note however can be useful if you want to use for a Grab car, or Taxi tip. Because the notes fill up your wallet and it feels awkward knowing what is what, I often suggest to my travellers to create what I call a Ready Reckoner. If you could right now, get a piece of paper, draw 2 columns. In one column you put the Vietnam currency starting with10,000 Dong = and the other column what that equals in your country of origin. So for example If I start it with 10,000 Dong = 62c. AUD That means I know instantly by looking at the Ready Reckoner that if I buy a bottle of water for 20,000 Dong it has cost me $1.20 or close enough. Go through each note and apply each value in your currency. Or maybe doing stepped levels as in 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 etc. I tend to write this up on the plane on small piece of paper and stick in in my wallet. It’s so easy to just check it out when you go to pay for something, to get a guide to see how much you are paying for things. You don’t need your phone or internet to do so. This helps you to get a feel for the value and not scare the life out of you. And you are….. going to be pleasantly surprised. Eating out, street food, coffees, local produce and locally guided day tours are all well priced in Vietnam. However, I have seen many people freak out or think they are being ripped off because they are being asked to pay 1million Dong for something, only to find out that is $62.00 AUD or $42.00 USD. Please go to the link at the end of this episode. Familiarise yourself with the currency, it really can take the fear out of spending 350,000 Dong for a massage, only to find out it is only $14 USD. BTW, you can have a lovely massage for that price in Vietnam. If you love Apps, like I do. You might want to download an App called XE currency, the link is in my notes. This App makes it easy to type the value in Dong once you select VN currency to see what it equals in your chosen currency. It applies the world currency rate of the day so it’s close to a Reserve bank rate, but not 100% accurate. Good enough. I use it when I am purchasing multiple items or when I know the item is expensive like a flight, tour or designer dress. You can buying Dong before you leave and bring it with you, but its not a readily available currency in most countries. The exchange rate is ridiculous. Plus you often to have to order it weeks in advance through your bank. My personal advice is to wait to get to Vietnam where ATM's are plentiful and you can easily withdraw 3,000,000 per day, at some machines even more, with only one transaction fee for about 22,000 - 50,000 Approximately. Don’t slam on the rates, as it does vary, it depends on which bank ATM you use. But they are truly everywhere and mostly safe to use. Credit cards are widely accepted in most establishments so if you prefer to use a credit card, always advise your bank before leaving your country where you are travelling to so they don’t identify the transaction as fraudulent. My years of working at Travelex and Mastercard have taught me well on best practices in travelling overseas with money. For even stronger safety you might want to consider bringing a travel money card with your own currency on it, and keep it as a back up or for the use during your trip to minimise over spending. Good luck with that over spending bit. I go crazy when I am in Vietnam in Hoi An on tailoring, so I am not a good model of moderate spending to be talking here. To give you some example of a days spend, I can a typical first say as I arrive into Danang:- Arrive into Danang - pick up from airport to hotel in Danang - 80,000 3 star Hotel stay - 348,000 per night 40% discount massage - 350,000 massage Lunch - Banh Mi - 25,000 Dinner - Thai dinner with a glass of wine - 300,000 Total for the 1million, 100,000 which includes my accommodation. Pretty great hey! Lets jump now to Tipping. Tipping - Is not expected, unless you play golf ( when they actually give you a guide) and you need to pay your tips directly to the caddies in Cash - Dong. Im serious. Tipping around golf, caddies, carts etc is a thing. But for another time. In the norm however, tipping is not expected. It is earnt. I don't have any steadfast rule, but I do keep enough Dong on me so that if I think the service and circumstances are definitely warranted I can tip that person. Here's where the trick comes in! Getting it to the right person. Always where you can give directly to the person. Sometimes the management doesn't give it to the person you wish to get, but if the overall service is good and the management is fair, the person deserving your tip will get a good share of the tipping for the day. I allow about 10-20% as a tip, as a general rule, but again depending on the service I may go more or less. If you come back to the place regularly, then be sure to tell them that, and that you will tip again on your next visit. Sometimes if you want a particular person to provide you the service ie at the Tailors or Massage Spa, then I would also tip to ensure I get that person. Taxis can be difficult to go short distances so it may serve you to tip there if you want the air conditioning of a taxi ride…..versus a slow hot walk back to your hotel. I’m just saying for a few bob…..it could be worth it. You will find that your Dong goes a long way. If you thin that the average wage is about $148- $200.00 USD per month. About 4.6 million Dong…….. I’m hoping if you think the service is worth it, you will be happy to tip, as the Vietnamese don’t expect it, like they do in many other countries, but they are appreciative. Now moving into Travel Insurance , so we can make sure you are fully covered for your trip. As a bit of a disclaimer, at this point, I don't recommend nor am affiliated with any brand. I do have my favourites though. So please contact me direct if you wish my advice. More importantly As I am recording this during the middle of the Covid Virus, I feel I should cover of some facts in regard to what most insurance companies will cover. As far as I am aware, and this has been the case for a long time, no travel insurance case will insure you against a Pandemic. This is written in the fine print and for those that do find one that does, you will pay heavily for it. I therefore recommend that prior to travel of any kind, if you consider you are in a high risk category, then you may be wise not to travel until a vaccine is available, or you have had it and recovered. We will be travelling in a new generation of travel post the lifting of travel bans since Covid19, and while we don’t know as of this date what that will look like, we have to take history as our guide. This will mean Insurance companies will update their Product Disclosure Statements, so be sure to check what you are covered for prior to departing, that goes for things like malaria, dengue fever etc...based on the preface you plan to go into areas where that is prevalent. You do not need to take Malaria tablets as a mainstream traveller. But I do suggest you take good quality insect repellent as the mosquitoes are always out and about looking for a healthy feast of us foreigners. Last but not least for this episode let me cover off for you the next most asked question I get...Should you get a SIM card? This is very much a personal choice. How do you want to use your phone? Sim cards are available and can be purchased at the airport and in local booking offices. VERY cheaply. However, WIFI in Vietnam is everywhere. And its free in almost 99% of hotels and Home stays. So, if you are happy to use Apps, like WhatsApp, Viber or Messenger you will never need to use a normal phone to keep in contact with folks at home or with your tour guide. Some people do like to get one for data, as a safer download option as most FREE WIFI is not extremely safe, so don’t go checking on your bank account possibly as a safety measure. But for most general searches, Google Maps etc. It works like a treat. Given you are a tourist who cannot speak good Vietnamese, ( Like me, mine is terrible) its always best to ask your hotel staff at reception to do this for you and 99% of the time they will do it for you with their compliments. If you are not using a local simcard, make sure you put your phone on flight mode, then re-enable wifi. This will ensure you don’t accidentally rack up any international roaming charges. If you are worried about booking a massage place, restaurant or tour company most of these are accessible on Facebook and Messenger so you will find it very easy to connect with them if you know their Facebook address. In fact, alot of the country operates their business shop front online via facebook. It’s brilliant. I have booked a massage with a Spa centre during the TET festival one year, thinking they wont be open, and even got picked up by scooter to get me there as Taxi’s were not operating. Most businesses, have at least someone in the company that speaks English enough to greet tourists and get you, what you want. So in wrapping up this session, covering _ Money_ Tipping_ Travel Insurance_ATM’s_And should you get a SIM card? I hope I have been able to give you a good read on what to expect and how best to manage these things to ensure that you have plenty of money and feel safe at all times. Please check with the Episode notes for any links mentioned and feel free to contact me anytime. I look forward to paving the way for you to have a magical time in Vietnam as I share more trip planning tips over future episodes ... ….stay tuned for more to come in the super 6 series, Whatabout Vietnam - before you book. Thanks for listening.