Did you go in the water?
[RD] Backpacking Việt Nam (2019)
- Thread starter warpus
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warpus
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I didn't, although I did get my feet wet a bit. I considered renting one of those reclining chairs for a couple hours, but instead found a restaurant facing the beach and hung out there for a while instead. From what I remember I was happy to sit in the shade instead of being out in the sun.. and I knew that I would be flying to a tropical island in the next couple days, where a beach hut and a potentially even nicer beach awaited me.
warpus
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Phở on the Beach
I found a restaurant on the beach that had a set of seats out in the open, with a straw umbrella overtop for shade. There were a lot of restaurants right on the beach with the same setup, but this one seemed to get better reviews than anything else nearby, so I went for it even though I had just eaten breakfast an hour or so beforehand.. It was a hot and humid day and I did have a whole bunch of postcards that needed to be filled out! I ordered a bowl of phở, a beer, and a coffee, and sat back in my comfortable seat, taking in the beach vibes..
One thing I forgot to mention is that I woke up this morning with no power in my room and construction noises coming from the hallway. My day started with a cold and dark shower. It wasn't a great start to the day, but it sure felt amazing to sit on the beach, casually filling out some postcards and sipping on a beer. The phở hit the spot as well, and the coffee of course was amazing.. as it usually was in Vietnam.
I found a restaurant on the beach that had a set of seats out in the open, with a straw umbrella overtop for shade. There were a lot of restaurants right on the beach with the same setup, but this one seemed to get better reviews than anything else nearby, so I went for it even though I had just eaten breakfast an hour or so beforehand.. It was a hot and humid day and I did have a whole bunch of postcards that needed to be filled out! I ordered a bowl of phở, a beer, and a coffee, and sat back in my comfortable seat, taking in the beach vibes..
One thing I forgot to mention is that I woke up this morning with no power in my room and construction noises coming from the hallway. My day started with a cold and dark shower. It wasn't a great start to the day, but it sure felt amazing to sit on the beach, casually filling out some postcards and sipping on a beer. The phở hit the spot as well, and the coffee of course was amazing.. as it usually was in Vietnam.
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
My Favourite Phở in Vietnam
And goodbye to Hội An
At this point you might be asking yourself.. How much food did I eat in Vietnam exactly? I keep posting photos of food. How much weight did I gain? While it's true that I could not stop eating on my trip, mainly due to how delicious it all was.. I actually ended up losing a bit of weight (and wearing out the soles of the shoes I had bought specifically for this trip).
On my very last day in Hội An I got lucky and visited the restaurant which would serve me what I would in the end consider to be the best bowl of phở in Vietnam. There are likely better bowls of phở to be had elsewhere in the country, but this was my personal favourite, even beating out the $1.50 bowl of phở at the main market that Anthony Bourdain really liked (and I really liked as well)
This was the only restaurant in the whole country where I was served raw beef in my phở. You are told to never order such a thing when visiting Vietnam if you are coming from a western country, because your stomach might just not be able to handle such a thing here, due to the generally lower food standards. The waiter asked me specifically if I want the beef to be raw or not.. explaining that they handle all their ingredients, including the meat, with the highest possible standards in mind. He reassured me that ordering raw beef here would be perfectly fine and that the chef is very experienced and used to western food handling standards. Looking around the restaurant, this wasn't hard to believe.. The prices were a bit higher here, and everything around me seemed to be saying "elevated culinary experience".
When the phở arrived and I took a sip of the broth... I couldn't stop eating until everything was done. It was incredible, as if the chef had spent extra care to make sure that every single ingredient was perfect and that every single step of the process was followed without any shortcuts. You could taste the quality of the ingredients used, including the beef. This was the best bowl of phở I've ever had, anywhere. The waiter was also very attentive and spoke near perfect English, happy to walk me through any questions that I had about the menu. Overall an amazing experience. I really can't stop raving about it.
And remember those white rose dumplings that I said I would probably never order again? Well.. I did
What, more food? At this point in my trip Vietnam was making a very strong case for being the best culinary trip I'd ever been on - on the verge of beating out Thailand and Japan. In the end that's exactly what happened.. although thinking back it's very hard to say whether Japan or Vietnam had the better food. Thailand was definitely beaten out by Vietnam, which surprised me, as I was always a big fan of Thai food. Japan though.. It's a very tough call, but I really have to say that Vietnam was a tad better. If I had to pick one part of the world for food - it would have to be Vietnam. Central Vietnam specifically really impressed me when it comes to the cuisine.
I had more or less fallen in love with Hội An during my stay here and was sad it was coming to an end.. but like they say all good things do eventually come to an end.. The previous day I had booked a flight to Phú Quốc island using a local travel agent, who was able to get me a deal on a flight that beat out the prices I was seeing online. I was actually going to arrive a day early.. which means I could have stayed in Hội An an extra day.. but in the end everything ended up working out far better than I could have imagined.
My flight was very early the next morning. My homestay hosts arranged for a driver to pick me up in his relatively nice looking car and drive me to the airport at around 6am. Knowing that I'd have to wake up early I returned to the homestay early in the evening, with that delicious bowl of phở and those extra couple beers I had still happily sloshing around in my stomach.. As I slowly walked down the streets I looked around and tried to take everything in for the very last time...
And goodbye to Hội An
At this point you might be asking yourself.. How much food did I eat in Vietnam exactly? I keep posting photos of food. How much weight did I gain? While it's true that I could not stop eating on my trip, mainly due to how delicious it all was.. I actually ended up losing a bit of weight (and wearing out the soles of the shoes I had bought specifically for this trip).
On my very last day in Hội An I got lucky and visited the restaurant which would serve me what I would in the end consider to be the best bowl of phở in Vietnam. There are likely better bowls of phở to be had elsewhere in the country, but this was my personal favourite, even beating out the $1.50 bowl of phở at the main market that Anthony Bourdain really liked (and I really liked as well)
This was the only restaurant in the whole country where I was served raw beef in my phở. You are told to never order such a thing when visiting Vietnam if you are coming from a western country, because your stomach might just not be able to handle such a thing here, due to the generally lower food standards. The waiter asked me specifically if I want the beef to be raw or not.. explaining that they handle all their ingredients, including the meat, with the highest possible standards in mind. He reassured me that ordering raw beef here would be perfectly fine and that the chef is very experienced and used to western food handling standards. Looking around the restaurant, this wasn't hard to believe.. The prices were a bit higher here, and everything around me seemed to be saying "elevated culinary experience".
When the phở arrived and I took a sip of the broth... I couldn't stop eating until everything was done. It was incredible, as if the chef had spent extra care to make sure that every single ingredient was perfect and that every single step of the process was followed without any shortcuts. You could taste the quality of the ingredients used, including the beef. This was the best bowl of phở I've ever had, anywhere. The waiter was also very attentive and spoke near perfect English, happy to walk me through any questions that I had about the menu. Overall an amazing experience. I really can't stop raving about it.
And remember those white rose dumplings that I said I would probably never order again? Well.. I did
What, more food? At this point in my trip Vietnam was making a very strong case for being the best culinary trip I'd ever been on - on the verge of beating out Thailand and Japan. In the end that's exactly what happened.. although thinking back it's very hard to say whether Japan or Vietnam had the better food. Thailand was definitely beaten out by Vietnam, which surprised me, as I was always a big fan of Thai food. Japan though.. It's a very tough call, but I really have to say that Vietnam was a tad better. If I had to pick one part of the world for food - it would have to be Vietnam. Central Vietnam specifically really impressed me when it comes to the cuisine.
I had more or less fallen in love with Hội An during my stay here and was sad it was coming to an end.. but like they say all good things do eventually come to an end.. The previous day I had booked a flight to Phú Quốc island using a local travel agent, who was able to get me a deal on a flight that beat out the prices I was seeing online. I was actually going to arrive a day early.. which means I could have stayed in Hội An an extra day.. but in the end everything ended up working out far better than I could have imagined.
My flight was very early the next morning. My homestay hosts arranged for a driver to pick me up in his relatively nice looking car and drive me to the airport at around 6am. Knowing that I'd have to wake up early I returned to the homestay early in the evening, with that delicious bowl of phở and those extra couple beers I had still happily sloshing around in my stomach.. As I slowly walked down the streets I looked around and tried to take everything in for the very last time...
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warpus
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Flight to Phú Quốc Island
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Initially I was going to spend some time in Đà Nẵng, which is the largest city in central Vietnam, and then fly to Phú Quốc island on the 18th. One of the only bookings I had made well ahead of time was an island beach hut for 3 nights starting on the 18th. Instead I stayed a bit longer in Hội An and ended up booking a flight to Phú Quốc island a day ahead of schedule, completely bypassing Đà Nẵng in the process.
The thing is that the only airport in the region is the Đà Nẵng airport, so I had to wake up especially early on the 17th so I could catch my early morning flight. I had to also quickly book a room for the night of the 17th, so I'd have a place to sleep the night before I could check into my beach hut. I found a reasonable accommodation close enough to the beach hut that cost me $15 a night or so. I figured that arriving a day early would give me a chance to explore the area around my beach hut and get a good sense of what's nearby.
I had booked my flight by walking into a travel office recommended by my homestay hosts. The travel agent was able to hook me up with a flight cheaper than what I was able to find online. The flight departed at around 7:30am and had a layover in Hồ Chí Minh City. From what I remember this cost me around $130 USD.
My homestay hosts also set me up with a driver who would transport me right from the homestay to the airport terminal for a reasonable fee that was decided ahead of time. It was about an hour long drive, although I think we ended up making it in about 45 minutes, since it was still so early that there wasn't a lot of traffic out on the roads. We drove through Đà Nẵng, which I tried to quickly take in while still a bit half asleep. Đà Nẵng is known for several bridges as well as its nice beaches. I ended up seeing two of the bridges from the car, which satisfied my curiousity as far as Đà Nẵng was concerned. I knew that even nicer beaches were awaiting me on Phú Quốc Island.
Phú Quốc Island is a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia. It is the largest island in the country and is known for its white sand beaches and tropical resorts. More than half the island is a part of a protected national park which features mountains and a dense tropical jungle.
To find Phú Quốc island on the above map look way down and to the left. The flight took me from Đà Nẵng in central Vietnam to Hồ Chí Minh City, where I had a brief layover. I think I remember the plane touching down on the island just after lunch. The below photo however was taken at the Đà Nẵng airport during boarding.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Initially I was going to spend some time in Đà Nẵng, which is the largest city in central Vietnam, and then fly to Phú Quốc island on the 18th. One of the only bookings I had made well ahead of time was an island beach hut for 3 nights starting on the 18th. Instead I stayed a bit longer in Hội An and ended up booking a flight to Phú Quốc island a day ahead of schedule, completely bypassing Đà Nẵng in the process.
The thing is that the only airport in the region is the Đà Nẵng airport, so I had to wake up especially early on the 17th so I could catch my early morning flight. I had to also quickly book a room for the night of the 17th, so I'd have a place to sleep the night before I could check into my beach hut. I found a reasonable accommodation close enough to the beach hut that cost me $15 a night or so. I figured that arriving a day early would give me a chance to explore the area around my beach hut and get a good sense of what's nearby.
I had booked my flight by walking into a travel office recommended by my homestay hosts. The travel agent was able to hook me up with a flight cheaper than what I was able to find online. The flight departed at around 7:30am and had a layover in Hồ Chí Minh City. From what I remember this cost me around $130 USD.
My homestay hosts also set me up with a driver who would transport me right from the homestay to the airport terminal for a reasonable fee that was decided ahead of time. It was about an hour long drive, although I think we ended up making it in about 45 minutes, since it was still so early that there wasn't a lot of traffic out on the roads. We drove through Đà Nẵng, which I tried to quickly take in while still a bit half asleep. Đà Nẵng is known for several bridges as well as its nice beaches. I ended up seeing two of the bridges from the car, which satisfied my curiousity as far as Đà Nẵng was concerned. I knew that even nicer beaches were awaiting me on Phú Quốc Island.
Phú Quốc Island is a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia. It is the largest island in the country and is known for its white sand beaches and tropical resorts. More than half the island is a part of a protected national park which features mountains and a dense tropical jungle.
To find Phú Quốc island on the above map look way down and to the left. The flight took me from Đà Nẵng in central Vietnam to Hồ Chí Minh City, where I had a brief layover. I think I remember the plane touching down on the island just after lunch. The below photo however was taken at the Đà Nẵng airport during boarding.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Philip Bungalow
After landing at Phú Quốc International Airport I jumped in a cab and asked the driver to take me to Philip Bungalow, which is where I would be spending my first night on the island. Philip Bungalow was the most promising accommodation I could find on short notice near the beach hut I would be checking into the next day. It cost me about $15 USD for the night, so I wasn't expecting much. Many of the accommodations here were charging western prices.
Turns out this was a relatively new business and was not on the driver's GPS or any of the maps.. He just couldn't find it.. but I did have my trusty phone with a Vietnamese SIM card in it, so I could follow our journey on google maps and ask the driver to let me off where I thought Philip Bungalow was.
Which is what I did.. but could still not find this place! I started asking around and nobody knew where it was either, including several people working at nearby restaurants and shops. According to the address it should have been right where the cab let me out.. but nope.
Eventually I did find it. It was tucked in behind a bit of a side street.
My room was air conditioned and had a very comfy bed, a private bathroom, and even satellite TV. I was very happy with my booking!
I was even happier when I ran into the pool.
I didn't think much of it yet, but there was nobody else there. It appeared as though I had this whole place to myself, aside from the employee working at the front desk. I shrugged, took a short nap, and went on a walk to the beach.
After landing at Phú Quốc International Airport I jumped in a cab and asked the driver to take me to Philip Bungalow, which is where I would be spending my first night on the island. Philip Bungalow was the most promising accommodation I could find on short notice near the beach hut I would be checking into the next day. It cost me about $15 USD for the night, so I wasn't expecting much. Many of the accommodations here were charging western prices.
Turns out this was a relatively new business and was not on the driver's GPS or any of the maps.. He just couldn't find it.. but I did have my trusty phone with a Vietnamese SIM card in it, so I could follow our journey on google maps and ask the driver to let me off where I thought Philip Bungalow was.
Which is what I did.. but could still not find this place! I started asking around and nobody knew where it was either, including several people working at nearby restaurants and shops. According to the address it should have been right where the cab let me out.. but nope.
Eventually I did find it. It was tucked in behind a bit of a side street.
My room was air conditioned and had a very comfy bed, a private bathroom, and even satellite TV. I was very happy with my booking!
I was even happier when I ran into the pool.
I didn't think much of it yet, but there was nobody else there. It appeared as though I had this whole place to myself, aside from the employee working at the front desk. I shrugged, took a short nap, and went on a walk to the beach.
Nice looking pool!
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
That's the weird part, there was nobody else there, it looked like all the other rooms were empty and I was the only one who had checked in. I did not at any point see anybody else on the premises except for employees doing occasional maintenance and the like..
At one point I was out at the pool just hanging out, going for a swim, getting a tan on the lounge chair (of my choice), then I read a book for a while, I had a couple beers out; it felt like a complete tropical resort experience. But after an hour of that you lie there in the sun and wonder why there is nobody else there enjoying this wonderful pool with you. It's quiet and amazing but also a bit.. almost eerie. I really enjoyed it overall, but just couldn't shake the feeling that something fishy must surely be going on in some capacity somewhere. For a while I daydreamed that it was all a David Lynch or Wes Anderson movie set but overall had a great and relaxing time.
At one point I was out at the pool just hanging out, going for a swim, getting a tan on the lounge chair (of my choice), then I read a book for a while, I had a couple beers out; it felt like a complete tropical resort experience. But after an hour of that you lie there in the sun and wonder why there is nobody else there enjoying this wonderful pool with you. It's quiet and amazing but also a bit.. almost eerie. I really enjoyed it overall, but just couldn't shake the feeling that something fishy must surely be going on in some capacity somewhere. For a while I daydreamed that it was all a David Lynch or Wes Anderson movie set but overall had a great and relaxing time.
Buying out a resort to have it all to yourself is usually pretty expensive. At $15 per night, it seems like a real bargain.
tjs282
Stone \ Cold / Fish
Maybe everyone else who booked in, failed to find the place...? 
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
It's tough to say. The brief amount of research I did seems to suggest that the Vietnamese mafia mainly operates in the north. I know that in a country like Thailand the mafia seems to be involved in many tourist operations.. but that's also sort of based on rumours. Vietnam is supposed to have a fairly low amount of crime overall. However, Phú Quốc island seems to be popular with tourists who are well off, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's some corruption going on somewhere.
In this case I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if some group wanted to book this whole resort for some number of days in a row.. and I managed to squeeze in on a sunday for one night, whereas others might have been looking for accommodations for multiple nights instead.
This place was also not right on the beach.. and yeah, it was a bit out of view and at first not easy to find.. So who knows what was going on. Maybe they really did open up that very weekend, although it seems unlikely.
In this case I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if some group wanted to book this whole resort for some number of days in a row.. and I managed to squeeze in on a sunday for one night, whereas others might have been looking for accommodations for multiple nights instead.
This place was also not right on the beach.. and yeah, it was a bit out of view and at first not easy to find.. So who knows what was going on. Maybe they really did open up that very weekend, although it seems unlikely.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Russians on the Beach
One of the first things I noticed on my first walk was the significant Russian presence on the island. I knew that Phú Quốc island was popular with Russian tourists, but I did not expect to see storefronts written in Russian, advertisements in Russian, and even travel agency and tourist information kiosks staffed by Russians handing out pamphlets written in Russian.
It took me a while to get to the beach even though it was about 200 m away. There's a set of narrow roads and walkways, some of which lead to resort entrances.. I wanted to find the beach hut that I would be checking into the next day, so that I could explore the area and get used to the surroundings. I did end up finding the entrance to the resort, but never made it as far as the beach hut.. Instead I ended up at a restaurant right on a beach just a 2 minute walk away from there.
Russian folk music was playing on the speakers, reminding me of music my parents used to listen to when I was younger (They learned Russian in school). The food was good but plain, just some rice, with beef and veggies and some crispy spring rolls. I hung out here for a while and took in the Russian beach vibes.
One of the first things I noticed on my first walk was the significant Russian presence on the island. I knew that Phú Quốc island was popular with Russian tourists, but I did not expect to see storefronts written in Russian, advertisements in Russian, and even travel agency and tourist information kiosks staffed by Russians handing out pamphlets written in Russian.
It took me a while to get to the beach even though it was about 200 m away. There's a set of narrow roads and walkways, some of which lead to resort entrances.. I wanted to find the beach hut that I would be checking into the next day, so that I could explore the area and get used to the surroundings. I did end up finding the entrance to the resort, but never made it as far as the beach hut.. Instead I ended up at a restaurant right on a beach just a 2 minute walk away from there.
Russian folk music was playing on the speakers, reminding me of music my parents used to listen to when I was younger (They learned Russian in school). The food was good but plain, just some rice, with beef and veggies and some crispy spring rolls. I hung out here for a while and took in the Russian beach vibes.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Arcadia Resort Beachfront Hut
Monday, March 18, 2019
This booking was a bit of a splurge that I decided on well ahead of time. The idea was to book something right on the beach in southern Vietnam closer to the end of my trip, so that I would have to place to relax for a couple days after getting worn out by all the travel. My flight home was from Hồ Chí Minh City, the largest city in southern Vietnam.. So after I was done with the hut I would fly there and spend my last couple days in the country in HCMC before flying home. This would also sort of turn the first couple weeks of the trip into a bit more of an adventure - I had to get here by the 18th or lose out on the booking.
This hut wasn't super expensive by western standards, from what I remember about $100 a night. Definitely pricy by local standards, although there were beachfront resorts nearby that were charging a lot more than this. I ended up being about a 45 second walk to the water, which was exactly what I was after. It was also very quiet and peaceful here, although one morning I was woken up by some loud machine that could have been a generator.
I was happy with my booking and checked in at around lunchtime.
The beach here was very nice and not busy at all.
Monday, March 18, 2019
This booking was a bit of a splurge that I decided on well ahead of time. The idea was to book something right on the beach in southern Vietnam closer to the end of my trip, so that I would have to place to relax for a couple days after getting worn out by all the travel. My flight home was from Hồ Chí Minh City, the largest city in southern Vietnam.. So after I was done with the hut I would fly there and spend my last couple days in the country in HCMC before flying home. This would also sort of turn the first couple weeks of the trip into a bit more of an adventure - I had to get here by the 18th or lose out on the booking.
This hut wasn't super expensive by western standards, from what I remember about $100 a night. Definitely pricy by local standards, although there were beachfront resorts nearby that were charging a lot more than this. I ended up being about a 45 second walk to the water, which was exactly what I was after. It was also very quiet and peaceful here, although one morning I was woken up by some loud machine that could have been a generator.
I was happy with my booking and checked in at around lunchtime.
The beach here was very nice and not busy at all.
Looks wonderful!
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Chillin on the Beach
I spent most of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. The rise in temperature and humidity compared to central Vietnam was noticable, the water was nice and warm, the beach beautiful, my beach hut very close, and several bars and restaurants were nearby and right on the beachfront.. All these factors contributed to my decision to lazy around on the beach all day long and soak in the sun.
At one point a very friendly dog walked over and lied down right under my lounge chair. We instantly became best friends.
If you're wondering what book I was reading (you can see it in the first photo), it was Firstborn by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. I have a bit of a tradition to always have a sci-fi paperback with me when I travel, and at this point I was making my way through the Time Odyssey trilogy.
I spent most of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. The rise in temperature and humidity compared to central Vietnam was noticable, the water was nice and warm, the beach beautiful, my beach hut very close, and several bars and restaurants were nearby and right on the beachfront.. All these factors contributed to my decision to lazy around on the beach all day long and soak in the sun.
At one point a very friendly dog walked over and lied down right under my lounge chair. We instantly became best friends.
If you're wondering what book I was reading (you can see it in the first photo), it was Firstborn by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. I have a bit of a tradition to always have a sci-fi paperback with me when I travel, and at this point I was making my way through the Time Odyssey trilogy.
Not much surf. It looks like a wonderful place to relax in the water as well as on the beach.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
This beach faces the Gulf of Thailand so maybe that's why. It was definitely a great place to relax!
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Phú Quốc After Dark
I lounged around on the beach until sundown and then went looking for food.
There were a lot of touristy options for food available nearby, including one place that claimed to have the best burgers on the island (and craft beer). Vietnam is the one Asian country I've been to so far that seems to get Western style food right on a consistent basis.. So I went for it... and ended up at Winston's Burgers & Beer
The burger definitely delivered. The craft beer options here were great too.
I hung out here for a bit and seem to remember discussing something or other related to football with a group of other patrons. It was very nice out and most people were sitting on the large outdoor patio.
Eventually I ended up at Coco Bar, which was relatively small and empty and located fairly close to my beach hut. A last stop before I called it a night. I remember liking the music they were playing here; a custom spotify playlist with relaxing yet groovy beats. The food here was pretty good too. A bit of a fusion "pub grub" sort of direction with a slant towards the tropical and Asian.
I let the waitress pick out my last drink of the night and got this
Zero complaints - it was pretty good.
I lounged around on the beach until sundown and then went looking for food.
There were a lot of touristy options for food available nearby, including one place that claimed to have the best burgers on the island (and craft beer). Vietnam is the one Asian country I've been to so far that seems to get Western style food right on a consistent basis.. So I went for it... and ended up at Winston's Burgers & Beer
The burger definitely delivered. The craft beer options here were great too.
Spoiler :
I hung out here for a bit and seem to remember discussing something or other related to football with a group of other patrons. It was very nice out and most people were sitting on the large outdoor patio.
Eventually I ended up at Coco Bar, which was relatively small and empty and located fairly close to my beach hut. A last stop before I called it a night. I remember liking the music they were playing here; a custom spotify playlist with relaxing yet groovy beats. The food here was pretty good too. A bit of a fusion "pub grub" sort of direction with a slant towards the tropical and Asian.
I let the waitress pick out my last drink of the night and got this
Spoiler :
Zero complaints - it was pretty good.
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