Southern Vietnam: Da Nang & Saigon

Long time no entry lol. Haven't been posting since November last year!! Anyway, finally working to finish #VietVietPao series (series???). This was actually supposed to be the 3rd to the last since I was planning to do a separate one for Saigon, but I was stupid & I lost my iPhone 6 where all my Saigon photos were so I'll just put everything here instead.

My Son Ruins

There's nothing much that you can do in Hoi An except admiring the beautiful old houses in the town center. It's like Siem Reap without the Angkor Wat, the chillest of the chill. So I read up on some possible side trips I could do from Hoi An and the most interesting thing that I stumbled upon was a few kilometers on the western side of the town, the My Son ruins.

Town As Old As Time

The sun was setting when I woke up in the middle of road somewhere along the Vietnamese countryside. That was my last day in Hue and I was en route to Hoi An from a sketchy shuttle bus that I booked online. The average travel time between the two towns is usually around 3 hours via private car, but I took an open bus and the driver had to drop other tourists off in Da Nang so the trip lasted about 5 hours to Hoi An. We left Hue around 4:30 PM and it was already 8:00 when we arrived in Da Nang, the highly urbanized city in central Vietnam, about 30km from Hoi An.

Thien Mu Pagoda & The Nguyen Imperial Tombs

Located on the Ha Khe Hill on the northern bank of the Perfume River is the site where, according to legends, an old lady appeared to the locals and foretold that one day a lord will build a pagoda on this hill that will bring peace to the land. Upon hearing the story, one of the Nguyen Lords fulfilled the prophecy and erected the Thien Mu Pagoda.

Imperial Citadel of Hue

Much has been written about the Chinese Forbidden City, after all it's the largest palatial structure in the world and one of the greatest legacies of ancient China; however, it's not the only Forbidden City. You probably haven't heard of it yet but another one actually exists in the not-so-popular Imperial City of Hue, former capital and political center of Vietnam.

Ho Quyen and the Palace of the Crying Elephants

Elephants are held in high regard in many parts of the world, especially in Hindu and Buddhist countries. These sacred animals are associated with the divine and Southeast Asian monarchies transformed them into symbols of power.

Of all the places that I visited in Vietnam, Hue in the central region is easily one of my favorites because this was the seat of power of the last Vietnamese monarchy. Being a former imperial city, I thought this place HAD to have some remains of the royal court besides the Forbidden City so I did my research and found out about the Ho Quyen, Asia's version of the Roman Colosseum.

Journey To The Center Of Vietnam

No this isn't some sci-fi fantasy movie with Josh Hutcherson. This is literally a journey to central Vietnam by me, sorry to disappoint hahaha!

First of all, central Vietnam is probably on of the most beautiful places I've been to, it's so beautiful it's the reason why I decided to go on an 11-day backpacking trip from northern to southern Vietnam.

A Day in Hanoi

Lake of the Returned Sword

I've been delaying this post for months now I'm so sorry. I got too busy playing League of Legends, my new Alpha Sapphire, and Ragnarok hahaha! Now I'm actually rushing this because I need to leave for my cousin's wedding in a few hours, so I apologize in advance for the overload of photos.

That Time I Joined A Buddhist Pilgrimage

When I was planning my Vietnam itinerary, I had been searching for activities that most people -- at least in my circle haven't done yet, just so I have something new to share. My research led me to this temple called Perfume Pagoda near Hanoi, which sounds pretty interesting I mean who wouldn't be curious about a temple called 'Perfume?" So I read more and learned about the Buddhist festival every February to March at the temple, which by the way is Buddhism's most sacred place in all of Vietnam.

Bay of the Descending Dragons

Okay this is it, I'm finally working on my Vietnam blog! Pushing my Taiwan blog to the latter posts since most people (I think) would be more interested in my 11-day trip across Vietnam.

I'm actually smiling while writing this because the entire trip's probably my most memorable one. If you're not aware, I did my first ever (hopefully not the last) solo backpacking trip just this February in Vietnam. That's 11 days from Hanoi in the north to Saigon in the south.

Surviving Indochina

Hello! I've actually written (links below) about my Indochina trip already but since many people are still asking, I decided to write this more detailed /guide/ instead together with basic cost estimates. Early November of 2014, I went on a trip to mainland Southeast Asia with my boyfriend and traveled for 8 days across 4 cities in 3 countries. Here is our P28,350-itinerary slash survival guide.

A Day in Saigon

Saigon, aaaaah beautiful Saigon. Even though our stay was brief in the former capital of the French colony in Vietnam, it was definitely one for the books. In all the places I’ve been to, I’ve never seen so many motorcycles and coffee shops in one place!