Beach of Vietnam @ Mui Ne

You must know by now that if there is a beach nearby, we would be sure to be there. Apart from visiting our friends in Saigon, I wanted to see if the beaches in Vietnam could rival that of Thailand. Nga Trang, with the arrival of all the chic resorts, seem to be the beach to go. Well, I'm not like everyone. Besides I was there 15 years ago & wanted to keep the wonderful memories I had of the place then.

I finally settled on Phan Thiet, 200km outside of Saigon. I was looking forward to taking the train there but was advised against it cos it's unreliable. We considered hiring a car which would have cost us $85 one way or taking the bus for $7 per person which everybody assured us was very comfortable - I figured 200km is not that bad....wrong. It's a long drive - at least 5 hours because the so called highway is only 2 lanes & often congested. You can purchase bus tickets from any one of the many tour agencies in the backpacking area of Pham Ngu Lao.

The view from our room @ White Sands

Phan Thiet is the town. The beach is actually at Mui Ne which stretches over several kilometres. Most of the resorts seem to be along the first section. We were really disappointed with our hotel - White Sands Resort that got good reviews at tripadvisor. Granted, the view from our room was amazing but it was a isolated from the strip.

When choosing hotels, I don't like to be in the middle of the action but I do like to be able to walk out of the hotel & check out the local restaurants & shops. But the straw that broke the camel's back was the fact that they seemed to have super chlorinated the pool making it not suitable for the Little One.

Early morning cleaning of the beach @ White Sands

Right after we dropped off our bags, we proceeded to check out the other hotels in the area. We liked quite a few but we finally settled on Sun Sea Resort. Exactly the type of place that I like - 15 room resort with a decent pool, good breakfast selection, right by the beach & across from a bunch of restaurants & shops.

Restaurant @ Sun Sea Resort

The hotel provides these drums of water for rinsing off the sand & The Girl took great lengths to make sure she cleaned off every single speck of sand.

The pool is always a welcome change from the beach

Kite surfing is a big deal in Mui Ne & even though there seem to be a kite school every corner, in the entire time we were there, we didn't see 1 person doing it.

Vietnam has a huge hammock culture. Not just by the beach. Along the highway we saw lots of coffee shops with hammocks set up.

The surfer dudes at Mui Ne

When I took this photo, I was a little annoyed that the beach surfer got into my frame but then when looking at it now, I liked the contrast between him & the little fishing boat going out.

You see these round fishing boats everywhere

The ubiquitious peddler but compared to say Bali or Phuket, they are far fewer in numbers & less intrusive. Tending to stay their distance.

Any idea what this is ?
Skin of some sort ?
I tried this once in Hanoi
The snake / scorpion wine

Most of the shops stock up lots of alcohol. Even with imported liquor, the prices are not excessive. Trust me, when you cater to Russian tourists, you make sure you don't run out of liquor. Mui Ne is mini Russia. There are Russian signs everywhere - I'm surprised they don't show prices in roubles.

We had a good time collecting sea shells. The sand is fine & beautiful. Only problem is that the water is still not the clear blue like what you would get in Phuket. The waves are manageable for adults & you can still swim in the sea, but not for The Little One. So our search continues.

This star fish got washed up on the shore

We put her right back

Cu Chi Tunnels

My second trip to Vietnam was 6 years ago. That time, I wanted very much to see Halong Bay. You would too if you had seen the movie, Indochine with Catherine Denevue. I suspect that's why troops of French tourists head there every year. Despite the fact, it's still a magical place which is why between Saigon & Hanoi, the latter is still my favorite.

This time round the one place I want to visit is Cu chi Tunnels. I've heard so much about these underground tunnels that housed the Vietcongs during the War. Even if you have been living under a rock, you would have heard of the war - Hollywood made sure of that.

Cu Chi Tunnels are 40km outside of Ho Chi Minh. It's not far but due to the traffic, it would take you about 2 hours to get there from the city. You can sign up for a tour or you can just go there by car or taxi & there are many guides to take you around.

The entrance to the tunnels

Most of the entrances to the tunnels are camouflaged well & just to prove the point, the guide let us walked over one without knowing & then going back to show us where it was.

Whoever came up with the idea is pretty ingenious. The tunnels which extend some 200km were not only used in combat but provided housing & community life. There were 3 levels of tunnels & managed to house thousands who lived there, go to school, got married & given birth.


Another fascinating albeit gruesome part of the tour is the introduction of the various types of traps that were used against the American army.

It was at this point when it dawned on me how weird this whole experience has been - how something like this has turned into a major tourist attraction.

A shooting gallery where you get to fire an AK47 or M16
that's right next to the souvenir shop

I suppose to *soften* the experience, there was a demonstration of how rice paper (the ones used for spring rolls) is made.

The tunnels had been widen for the tourists of course & even then, we didn't get to go more than 200 meters under ground. X had some reservations about bringing The Girl there but she's too young to understand what's going on & the claustrophic tunnels didn't seem to faze her one bit. She was delighted the tunnels were the right height for her to run around in.

Would I recommend this ?
Yes because it gives a better understanding & thus appreciation of the determination of the poeple who lived & struggled there.

Bun Bo Hue

I consider myself fairly worldly when it comes to food ie. there's not much I've not tried nor is at least aware of. So it was a big surprise that I've not heard of Bun Bo Hue nor tried this before. As the name implies, this originates from Hue, the imperial capital of Vietnam.

Our friends in Saigon know the best places to go & this was one of them. Taking a break from eating Pho almost everyday, they decided that it was time for me to try this. Like all noodle joints in Vietnam, this one was opened for breakfast.

The plate that you see is shredded banana blossom, along with beansprouts, mint etc that is often served with the Hue noodles.

Unlike pho, the noodles used here are thick bee hoon. The broth is slightly spicy with a taste of lemongrass. Our bowl of bun bu hue had slices of beef & pork, pork knuckles, fish paste & fish balls. I always enjoy a well made bowl of noodles so this was no exception but it was X who surprised me by finishing everything up (except for the pork knuckles which he gave to me) & smacking his lips in satisfaction.

The open kitchen LOL

Memories of Saigon

I first visited Vietnam in Feb 1994. I remember it clearly because I was just about to start a new job & it was the first time I was going on vacation alone. I've gone often on business trips by myself but travelling for pleasure on my own was something new & something I'd come to really enjoy.

You don't need to make sure somebody else can take leave with you. You don't have to follow anybody's agenda. You make new friends (you do when you travel alone).

Back then, Vietnam was off the beaten track. Everybody warned me about going there by myself but I met some of the nicest people & had an amazing trip. I flew in to Saigon, took the train to Nga Trang, got acquainted with a local boy who brought me to all the sights (long before the big resorts set up shop), I cried when we parted, travelled with a Japanese exchange student who drove me around in his motobike as we visited the masouleums in Hue and fell in love with Hanoi.

Back then, Vietnam was beautiful.

Now it's a lot more chaotic & a little less charming.

Everybody will tell you about the gazillion motor bikes on the road. It is no longer off the beaten track, that's for sure. Starbucks style coffee chains have sprouted, skyscrapers but mostly, people just seem to be in a hurry all the time, not unlike any other big city.

I've just about made up my mind that I shouldn't be going to places that I'd had been years ago for the sole reason that I want to preserve the memory of what it was like back then. What do you think ? Have you had this experience yourself ?

You're not going to see pictures of the sights of Saigon only because we didn't go to many. It's my third trip. I've already done that & didn't fancy doing them again. I've never been to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels so we did do that.

Here are some shots of what we did do & see.

I never noticed this before but now, you only need to look up to be confronted by masses of electrical wires. Don't they pose a fire hazard ?

How does he even know what to look for ?

You can find the French baguette at every corner & as popular as they may be, we couldn't bring ourselves to eat the pate that has been sitting out in the sun for god knows how long.

I cannot resist going to markets even if it means tripping over tourists . Ben Thanh market is one of the best. Dried food stuff, food stalls if you're feeling hungry, flowers, clothes, handicrafts, handbags, tourist trinkets...

I even found the blossoming tea that the Dutchess first introduced me to & can't wait to try them out.
X wants to know where in Singapore we can find fresh meat like this.....

...and this.....

I don't believe you can buy chunks of crab meat (already deshelled) like this in Singapore.

Soft shell crabs
(again if somebody knows where we can buy them fresh in Singapore,
please let me know)

My favorite building in HCM - The Main Post Office

While X was busy scribbling postcards to family & friends back in France (almost everybody wanted a postcard from Vietnam), I witnessed this little photoshoot

FYI the backdrop was a huge Christmas tree
check out the tourists like me taking photos of the photoshoot

Notre Dame, the backdrop of all the wedding photos of every married couple in HCM.

More on Vietnam coming up.

Pho Bo @ Pho Hoa

Pho Bo has to be one of my favorite dishes of all time. So it's fitting that it should start off my posts on Vietnam. You can get Pho Bo all over Ho Chi Minh - from road side stalls to the more upmarket Pho 24 chain.

The hotel we stayed by the beach in Mui Ne does an awesome pho bo so guess what I had for breakfast every morning. X, of course, being the Frenchie that he is, cannot understand how anybody can eat soup noodles in the morning.

I can eat pho bo breakfast, lunch or dinner.

But the best pho bo that we had on this trip is at a restaurant called Pho Hoa. Our friends who live in Ho Chi Minh brought us there. It's one step above the hole in the wall places & the 2 storey restaurant is packed with locals & tourists. Judging from the smells, I knew I would be getting a good bowl of pho.

Pho is all about the broth. Which is why I have never tried to make it myself. The broth needs to have depth which is where a lot of places fall short.

You can order pho with raw beef fillet, flank, tripe, tendon or beef balls. Me, well I always order one with all of the above.


Each table had plates of bananas, puff pastry, cut limes, leaf like packages (which I never found what was inside) and of course a big plate of leaves.


And a plate of you tiao or yau char kwai - particularly useful in dunking & soaking up the flavorful broth. The pho I had there is probably one of the best I've ever had - meaty, flavorful broth with tender pieces of beef - yumm, I could eat this everyday.

Now you see why I wouldn't attempt to make it myself.

Pho Hoa
260C Pasteur