Touring Vietnam with Phong Part 1: Nha Trang

When planning my trip, I was lucky enough to be able to schedule it at the same time as Phong's and Lindsay's return to Vietnam. We met up in Saigon and Phong invited me to meet his family and friends and I even got to see the house he grew up in. I've known Phong for about eight years now, but have never heard a lot of his story of moving from Vietnam to Seattle. Being able to see his childhood home and interact with his friends and family gave me a much greater understanding for how difficult it was for him to adapt to Seattle (he said it took ten years to fully feel comfortable) and ultimately a greater appreciation for how far he's come to make Seattle his home. Phong won't admit it (everyone knows how humble he is...), but everyone in his neighborhood looks up to him as a great example to follow.

Eating dinner with Phong's childhood friends Tai and Dream On. Yup, Dream On.

After Saigon, Phong, Lindsay, Carolyn, Tina (she joined us from Korea) and I headed up to beautiful, beautiful Nha Trang. For those who don't know much about Nha Trang, all you need to know is that they have amazing beaches and really good (and insanely cheap - everything's under a $1!) street food everywhere (We also took mud baths and sat in mineral springs. Nothing like cooling off from the humid heat like sitting in giant hot tubs!).

The first night we arrived, Phong and I scoured the streets for food and were not disappointed. We even discovered foods that Phong never even heard of. We had soup noodles, rice, flan, squid, baked egg, pork chop, escargot, fresh smoothies at almost every meal, and much more. We were able to eat so much in so little time because Phong and I repeatedly ignored our stomach's signals and ate at least two dinners plus dessert each night - we paid for it, but it was worth it. Again, it's such a better experience when you get to tour a country with someone who knows their way around. Hanging around Phong was like having access to a VIP pass to all of the back alleys and hole-in-the-walls that I'd never think of going to. (On a side note, watching Phong work his Vietnamese charisma with the food vendords was like watching Kristi Yamaguchi in the '92 Olympics (hey, I love her). He was in his element and it was a thing of beauty to witness).

Best bun bo hue ever (and it wasn't even in Hue).

Vietnamese - family style.

Baked egg/flour mixture with fish sauce and green onions.

Many. many, many smoothies were had.

Durian. Popcorn. DURIAN POPCORN!

Sticky rice with banana and coconut milk.

Now to the beaches. The main beach in Nha Trang was beautiful,  but a little touristy an full of people selling you stuff (I bought three pairs of sunglasses). The real beauties were the surrounding islands. We took a boat one day to island hop and beach after beach we were blown away. At the first beach, we got to snorkel in the clearest water I've ever seen (or not seen - get it? anyways...). The other amazing beach we went to was a private resort that was pretty much empty besides us on the boat. It had some of the finest sand you'll ever feel and the water was beautiful too.

The main beach in Nha Trang.

The super clear water we snorkeled in.

Lunch on the boat.

The private resort beach - all to ourselves.

Even though the beaches were great, the best part about the boat tour was meeting a Parisian named Delphine. We got to talking and found out she'd been traveling for about 15 months around southeast Asia and Australia/New Zealand. Luckily for us, she was moving up Vietnam's coast as well, so she joined us for another five days all the way up to Halong Bay (more on these cities in the coming posts). She taught me some French (croissant is pronounced kwussou) and I showed off my beard (both equally enlightened, I say). And lucky for me, She'll be showing me around Paris when I visit at the end of July.

Delphine!

If you ever go to Vietnam, you must, must, must stop by Nha Trang for the amazing food and beaches. Just don't forget to bring your own charismatic, Vietnamese dude to help you navigate the food stands. Your stomach will love and hate you for it - but it'll be worth it.