Weekend in Vietnam

[armstrong]

Had a quick jolly to Vietnam this weekend.

Flew from Suvarnabhumi on Vietjet. Arrived in Vietnam along with about 5 other plane loads so immigration was fucking awful. At one point we left the queue to go have a drink and sit down as it just wasn't moving.

The taxi I'd booked for 9:30pm was nowhere to be seen which wasn't a massive suprise as it was 12:30am by the time we got out of the airport.

It was daughter's first time out of Thailand but by then even her excitement was starting to wane...

Anyway, managed to get a taxi and checked into our hotel in District 1.

Hammock Hotel.



They had a room upstairs with free snacks and beer which I I made full use of. Even sneaking my mate in to help me get my money's worth.

Daughter loved the hammock.

Nipped out for something to eat at 1am...



The next day I had a walking route all mapped out so we could see all the sights. We got about halfway to the first one before the moaning started so we ditched that plan and had a look around the area nearby.

In the afternoon we met up with my friends to play some football.

Here's me getting a yellow card.



Then it pissed it down.



Dinner was pretty crap because we went to Walking St but daughter did enjoy the walk this time..



By Sunday my daughter had made it quite clear that she misses rice more than anything in the world so in the land of bahn mi's we ended up in a fucking Thai restaurant...



Feeling happier we made it to the Vietnam version of Chatujak where we went full tourist and got a rickshaw back to the hotel.

I also got my shoes "cleaned" but couldn't really tell the difference...



Thai immigration was a dream, the taxi driver who apparently has never heard of Mega Bang Na bought us back to reality a bit.

Work was a struggle today.




Airport beers

[PAG]

Hotel looks quite good, thanks for posting. Sure it was an interesting experience for your daughter.

[hallelujah]

I've lived, worked and travelled through Vietnam and even did my CELTA there many moons ago!

I know you're not a food type of person, but you need to eat bun bo Hue.

Everyone raves about pho bo, which is a Vietnames staple, but there are much better soups. Bun bo Hue is one of them.

[armstrong]

Hotel looks quite good, thanks for posting. Sure it was an interesting experience for your daughter.

She loved it despite the lack of white rice.

Will do it again for a bit longer and use taxis instead of walking so much next time though..

[armstrong]

I've lived, worked and travelled through Vietnam and even did my CELTA there many moons ago!

I know you're not a food type of person, but you need to eat bun bo Hue.

Everyone raves about pho bo, which is a Vietnames staple, but there are much better soups. Bun bo Hue is one of them.

Even being in tourist central a lot of the menus didn't say what each dish was which was annoying and a new experience for wife and daughter

[spliff]

When I visited for 45 days in the winter of 1992, I was humorously surprised to notice that wherever one was, the deep jungle to the center city, people were selling Heinekens for 1$ US.

[BLD]

Vietnam's great . We used to drive over from Lao but the couple of times we flew I noticed that ho chi Minh airport was a headfuck.

[BLD]

But once your out avail yourself of some cheap food and beers , the beers ok to, gotta be one of the cheapest countries in Asia for swirling wobbly pops and strapping on d feed bag

[cyrille]

Aye, Saigon is a top spot for aimless afternoon drinking.

30 years since I was there - might be time for another visit.

[DrWilly]

Has a football trip to Vietnam.takes wife and kid.

[Stumpy]

I quite enjoy Vietnam. Last trip was Hanoi on business. Downtown at night was hoppin and some good bars and food eats. Vietnamese lager beer is pretty good. Wife enjoyed it as well.

[katie23]

Even being in tourist central a lot of the menus didn't say what each dish was which was annoying and a new experience for wife and daughter

Next time, if you're with your family you can go to Streetfood Market. It's like a food court - lots of choices/ food kiosks. There are many stalls selling rice dishes. Beers available too, from the beverage stalls.

It's near Ben Thanh market which is similar to Charuchak. If your wife likes shopping for knick-knacks, she'll enjoy the place.

Thanks for the pics!

*****

@hal - yes, Bun bo hue is great. Bo kho (also a noodle dish but the soup is thicker) is good too.

[Ghost61]

When I visited for 45 days in the winter of 1992, I was humorously surprised to notice that wherever one was, the deep jungle to the center city, people were selling Heinekens for 1$ US.

On previous travels, Bia 333 was good. When not available, Beer "Big Ken" was usually on offer. Very similar packaging, label and taste to Heineken, but labelled Big Ken; cheap also. Not sure if it is still available.

[nidhogg]

Seem to remember something called bia hoi (??) - fresh beer? Was rather nice....they still making it?

[spliff]

hmmmmm.....Beer Ken an obvious rip off from Heineken co.

[nidhogg]

Thai immigration was a dream, the taxi driver who apparently has never heard of Mega Bang Na bought us back to reality a bit.

Was in UK a while back for a fairly long holiday. Was looking forward to getting back home (Thailand) right up to the minute I got in the f*cking airport taxi. Huge fight with the driver as he insisted for some reason I had to pay a fucking surcharge (500 baht). Ended up getting dropped off at some point to take a different taxi. C*nt would not be corrected that no surcharge was due.

Pretty much every time there is a problem with a taxi driver coming from the airport.

[armstrong]

Next time, if you're with your family you can go to Streetfood Market. It's like a food court - lots of choices/ food kiosks. There are many stalls selling rice dishes. Beers available too, from the beverage stalls.

It's near Ben Thanh market which is similar to Charuchak. If your wife likes shopping for knick-knacks, she'll enjoy the place.

Thanks for the pics!

*****

@hal - yes, Bun bo hue is great. Bo kho (also a noodle dish but the soup is thicker) is good too.

Yeah we went to that market. Spent a fortune on coffee

The street food market sounds good for next time.

[armstrong]

Bia viet and bia Saigon were the two most popular local beers. Quite a bit of tiger around to.

[armstrong]

Has a football trip to Vietnam.takes wife and kid.

Yeah such a loser for liking my family right.

[hallelujah]

Even being in tourist central a lot of the menus didn't say what each dish was which was annoying and a new experience for wife and daughter

Yeah, you wanna make sure you don't order the dog soup.

[Edmond]

Yeah, you wanna make sure you don't order the dog soup.

Apparently it's good after a night out if you're feeling a bit woof.

[nidhogg]

Bia viet and bia Saigon were the two most popular local beers. Quite a bit of tiger around to.

Those are both bottle/can beers. Bia hoi is dropped off in kegs to outlets daily, and is basically only good for a day as there are no preservatives. A cheap street beer - but well worth hunting down.

[malmomike77]

^ agreed, and a good laugh in the street joints that sell it - dirt cheap too.

[hallelujah]

^ agreed, and a good laugh in the street joints that sell it - dirt cheap too.

I was paying 8p for a glass in Hanoi 15 years ago or so.

Only a penny more expensive than what I managed to find in Prague in 1996.

[armstrong]

That sounds mental.