Mui Ne is a coastal beach town approximately four hours from Ho Chi Minh City in the southeastern region of Vietnam. I found the town to be like most other beach towns I’ve traveled to around the world. There were…
Sweating on a Sleeper Bus to Mui Ne, Vietnam
When traveling north from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), people have a number of options when deciding where to venture next. Many people choose to take a faster route, skipping a few smaller cities along the way to end up…
HCMC, Vietnam – War Remnants & HCMC Museums
Like most major and capital cities around the world there are a plethora of museums that people can visit throughout Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). According to most travel guides and walking tour itineraries available on the internet, writers suggest…
HCMC, Vietnam – Sickness, Soccer & Saigon
As I mentioned my first few days in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) also commonly referred to by its former name Saigon had me spinning out of control looking for some sort of normalcy for me to grab onto. Not…
HCMC, Vietnam – Reunification Palace
Reunification Palace also referred to as Independence Palace was once the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The original capital building Norodom Palace was bombed in 1962, and a new building was designed to…
HCMC, Vietnam – Walking Tour
Getting Lost I decided to spend my first full day wandering the streets of Saigon combining a recommended walking tour route with a few additional sites I wanted to visit. I decided to take a cab to drive me to…
HCMC, Vietnam – Arrival: Airport, Hotel, & Eating at the Ben Thanh Market
Airport I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC – Saigon) in the early afternoon. I had no issues clearing Customs & Immigration. In general, the agents in Vietnam were slower, appearing to look through documentation more thoroughly, but that is…
Flying to Taipei, Taiwan
Flying to Taipei, Taiwan was much easier than the first leg. I said flying was not getting into the country. This connecting flight was only approximately 3 hours, but it felt more like 4. Maybe I did my math wrong while…
Trip Preparations & Flying to Osaka, Japan
I’m currently sitting in John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport Terminal 4 waiting for my already delayed flight to Vietnam. Actually I am flying first to Osaka, Japan where I will pick up an almost immediate connection to Taipei, Taiwan.…
Thailand Updates
I have just completed a number of Thailand updates from my 2011 trip, where I visited Ayatthaya, Bangkok and the island of Phuket. From explorations, to countless temples, to island hopping in speedboats around the Andaman Sea, there was enough adventure and culture to make it…