One Week of Hiking and Relaxation in Sapa, Vietnam
October 6, 2021
After a breathtaking five-day tour of Ha Giang, our journey through Northern Vietnam continued in Sapa. We would do some hiking with Sapa O’Chau, followed by some much-needed R&R at Sapa Clay House. Night Bus Ride from Ha Giang to Sapa We boarded a rather uncomfortable night bus in Ha Giang around 8pm, and it led us to Sapa in…
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Five-Day Car Tour to Discover Vietnam’s Ha Giang Region with YESD
June 22, 2021
While researching our journey in the Ha Giang region in Northern Vietnam, motorbike tours appeared popular. Yet, some friends who’ve visited the area recommended against motorbike tours, citing frequent accidents. My research led me to YESD, a social enterprise focusing on responsible tourism that provides tours in the region. The company offers a motorbike tour, where each adult rides on…
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2020 Year-in-Review: Be Intentional
December 30, 2020
Last year, in the 2019 year-end review, I wrote about how time went by slowly in the best possible way. And then, 2020 happened. The year felt exponentially longer. Fortunately, it hasn’t all been bad. There had been many challenges for sure, but overall, I’ve been very lucky and was able to do plenty of traveling within Vietnam. I began…
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Relaxing Three-Day Stay at La Vie Vu Linh Ecolodge
October 7, 2020
The first stop of our Northern Vietnam tour is Vu Linh, a village half way between Hanoi and Ha Giang. We had decided to stop here as a way to break up the long 8+ hour drive. A quick search led us to La Vie Vu Linh, an eco-lodge on the Thac Ba Lake. Founded by a French guy who…
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Back to the Motherland: Goodbye Saigon, Hello Taiwan!
September 29, 2020
What a wild year 2020 has been! I rang in the new year in Taichung, Taiwan, helping my parents settle back into our home after 20 years of living in the United States as immigrants. The homecoming was bittersweet for them, and I was grateful to be there as emotional support. At the time, I had no idea that I…
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Saigon City Break: Cat Tien National Park, Nha Trang, Ho Tram, and More
September 25, 2020
In the 15 months that I’ve lived in Saigon, I’ve only managed a handful of weekend trips outside of the city. Mostly because during the first six months, we were still recovering from our year-long around-the-world travel and wanted to stay put. Saigon is chaotic and full of energy. A periodic trip away is helpful to decompress and reset. Here…
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The Practical Guide to Saigon Living
September 7, 2020
It’s taken me over a year of living in Saigon to finally feel like I have a decent grasp of life in this chaotic city. Even still, I’m learning about new spots that make life just a tad easier every week. I am paying it forward here with a list of things I wish I had known during week 1…
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Tet Holiday on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam
March 29, 2020
After our year-long whirlwind travel, we were looking for a vacation. Not travel, but a vacation, where we don’t feel pressured to check out all the sites, and hanging out all day by the beach is perfectly acceptable. Five days on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam checked the boxes. The Night Before Tet Holiday We flew out the night before…
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Saigon Chronicle Month 4: The Saigon vs. Shanghai Battle
November 1, 2019
I’ve just returned from 10 days of visiting Shanghai. This was my first trip back to the city since we bid farewell in June 2018. Since arriving in Saigon four months ago, despite my best effort to be objective, I couldn’t help but compare this new home to Shanghai, a city that I knew so intimately well. I suppose our…
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Saigon Chronicle – Week 1: Traffic. Noise. Heat.
July 10, 2019
After a year of globetrotting, we gathered our belongings, added a couple more bags, and headed for Saigon. By now, moving across the world has become rather habitual. My first big global move was from Taiwan to St. Louis at age 12. That was seriously major. Moving to Cameroon with the Peace Corps was a rather big deal as well,…
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