Vietnam Travel Diary Archives

Vietnam

An Alien, Spaceman & Angry Pig on a Dancefloor

My sixty visa-free days in Thailand had come to an end, so I took the short flight across the border from Chiang Mai to Hanoi in Vietnam. My previous experience of Vietnam had always felt a little overwhelming compared to Thailand, but I was up for a dance after settling in.

Vietnam

Xin Chào! (Vietnam Travel Diary #1)

Despite winging my travels in many ways, I do like to be prepared. I held out until there were just 2 weeks left to apply for a Vietnam visa, as a big update was coming. It was worth the wait. They opened e-visa applications for all countries! And what a breeze.

Vietnam

Danang Downtown and Cosplay Competition (Vietnam Diary #6)

I headed to Danang Downtown as there was some kind of costume festival on the Tet calendar. I just had no idea what time or type. Turns out it was a sort of cosplay competition! These youths must have spent the entire day prepping and some of the outfits were amazing!

Vietnam

Hue Days in Central Vietnam (Vietnam Diary #7)

Hue (pronounced “hway”) is an interesting city in central Vietnam where a popular emperor from 18-voetsak used to make important decisions from a golden throne. More academically put, it was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty in the national capital from 1802 to 1945. The major attraction is the 19th

Vietnam

Tet in Danang, Pimps & The Bunker (Vietnam Diary #5)

I jumped wide awake thinking that Danang was being carpet-bombed! It was midnight on 29 January 2025. Tet in Danang (the Lunar New Year) had officially begun. I got a decent view of the show from my hotel window and didn’t feel the need to head towards it. Fireworks are

Vietnam

Vietnam Football Frenzy & Tet Prep (Vietnam Diary #4)

One night when I was back in Tam Coc Bich Dong, I followed my ears towards loud cheering. A huge crowd was chanting what sounded exactly like “NASI GORENG! NASI GORENG” (that lovely Indonesian rice dish with peanut sauce). It was a football match between Vietnam and Thailand. (Mr Goreng

Vietnam

Tam Coc Bich Dong & Ninh Binh (Vietnam Diary #3)

Yes, it sounds exactly like that phonetically. No one (however Trump-like) can put a price on fresh air. Well, Hanoi got officially declared as the world’s most polluted city in 2025. In the New Year, authorities were encouraging residents to pretty much avoid breathing. The Air Quality Index peaked above