Vietnam

Getting Beaten Up By An 80lb Woman And Other Fun Massage/Acupuncture Experiences

August 28, 2012

In Siem Reap I got a chance to try a few things I’ve never done before. When confronted with the opportunity to try something new, within reason, I never turn down the opportunity! Acupuncture I was familiar with acupuncture before coming here, but I had never had it done before. I don’t have any health [...]

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Sunday Lunch With Four Generations Of A Vietnamese Family – And I Was Invited!

August 22, 2012

On my last day in Ho Chi Minh City I had the opportunity to do something wonderful – have a family lunch with a friend’s family! My friend, Dung, and I met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2004 while in training for the oil company we were both to start working for, Schlumberger. We stayed [...]

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Volunteering With Smile Group In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam And Visiting A Buddhist Orphanage/Nursing Home

August 21, 2012

Smile Group is an organization started by Nguyen Van Hung to help children live in dignity with AIDS. More specifically, their mission statement is “to restore dignity and hope to children and families affected by AIDS, through financial, educational, moral and psychological support. We are committed to helping children and young adults have equal access to [...]

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Being An American In Vietnam

August 20, 2012

Many people asked me what it’s like being an American in Vietnam. I’d say it’s probably quite similar to being a Brazilian or a Swede in Vietnam. There were no problems or hard feelings at all. I experienced this phenomenon in the Middle East. When I moved to Abu Dhabi in 2004 I expected a [...]

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Meeting Vietnam’s Most Famous Author – And Being Inspired To Write

August 18, 2012

On my last night in Ho Chi Minh City, Long, my couchsurfing host, and I decided to see a movie. We got the ticket and had two hours to eat dinner before the movie started. He told me there was a nice café nearby where we could eat and that Vietnam’s most famous author, Nguyen [...]

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Peace Through Children’s Eyes

August 16, 2012

At the War Crimes Museum/War Remnants Museum there was an exhibit dedicated to “Peace Through Children’s Eyes.” The goal was for children of Ho Chi Minh City to express their “thoughts and feelings on their peaceful and beautiful homeland and a war-free world full of friendship between peoples of the world.” Below are pictures of [...]

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Visiting The Vietnam War Remnants / War Crimes Museum On July 4th

August 15, 2012

I made the grave error of visiting the War Crimes Museum/War Remnants Museum on July 4th. The museum had remnants of American planes and tanks from the war and told the story of the war from the Vietnamese side. There’s no need to rehash the events of 40 years ago. There are plenty of books [...]

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam – The Times They Are A-Changin

August 14, 2012

Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon before the war) was my entry point to Vietnam. I arrived a bit sick from Singapore and full of weariness of what was to come. I wasn’t afraid, but I had no idea how much of the awesomeness from Latin America I’d have to sacrifice as a [...]

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Saigon Cafe Culture – The Best In The World

August 13, 2012

You probably aren’t expecting me to say this, given that I’ve done my fair share of traveling around Europe, but Ho Chi Minh City, by far, has the best café culture I’ve ever seen. Seriously. There are cafes everywhere. They all have free wifi and most restaurants do as well. As a nomad with a [...]

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