It arrives in Vietnam with a vengeance; the rainy season. No rain for months and then it just starts; daily downpours that relieve you from the heat and make you run for cover. Most people hear the words “Vietnam rainy season” and immediately start looking at other vacation alternatives. But I say embrace the rainy […]
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Back to DestinationsPho Lessons
Before I left Vietnam I had a goal – I wanted to learn how to make Pho. I had eaten it a few times a week for a year while living in Ho Chi Minh City, and I never tired of it. The thought of eating boiling hot soup in humid 90 degrees somehow appealed […]
What to expect in a Vietnamese Restaurant
Going out to eat at a restaurant is easy, right? …not always. Often when you find yourself in other countries, even though there’s a waiter, a table, you are putting food in your mouth, and there’s a bill – there are many things that can be vastly different. As I lived in Vietnam there were […]
Fruit in Vietnam: Try this Market Scavenger Hunt
The most common thing you’ll say as you walk around a Vietnamese market is “What is that?” I lived in Vietnam for a year, and one of my favorite things to do was walk around the markets. It wasn’t until I met local Vietnamese friends who enjoyed taking me to markets, that I could actually […]
30 Lessons I Learned as a Vietnam Expat
I love to reflect upon my time in a place, so it’s fitting that after a year as a expat in Vietnam I sat down and actually thought about what I’ve learned about Vietnam, Asia, and myself. It wasn’t an easy road, and until I met some local friends about 6 months in did things […]
Coming Full Circle
I spent the weekend going back to square one; back to where I started my life in Ho Chi Minh City. Let me back up a bit; I’ve been living out in a ‘suburb’ district for the last 6 months. Even though I have to come into the ‘city center’ (District 1) a few days […]
Motorbike Diaries – Vol. 17
Rush Hour Start from the Beginning – Motorbike Diaries Vol. 1 Resistance is Futile – Assimilation I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve become one of them. I wear a jacket (which I’m boiling in), a mask, a poncho, ….I’m a Vietnamese motorbike driver. I’ve become used to being squeezed into small places and driving […]
Motorbike Diaries – Vol. 16
Start from the Beginning – Motorbike Diaries Vol. 1 You won’t believe your eyes this week! I’ve collected some of my recent motorbike photography that will amaze and baffle you. After living here for a year, I’m still absolutely dumbfounded and tickled by what I see the Vietnamese strap to their motorbikes. The motorbike culture here […]
The Dust Bowl
I often wonder how many months the pollution and dust in Saigon will take off my life. For this reason, I can’t imagine living here long term. Hell, I imagine that living here long term is akin to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day! That may be an exageration, however no one really knows what […]
Butchers in Vietnam
I recently made a trip to a local market to purchase and eat durian for the first time. While I was there, I was able to capture some photos of butchers of the market. I love this mixture of personalities, ages, and genders! They were all working in the same market and all selling meat. […]