Vietnam

Vietnam has been our home for nearly 2 years now and we realized we’ve been delinquent in not sharing some photos of our daily life here. It is quite an impossible task to narrow down dozens of experiences to just a few photos, but we’ve tried our best. Things we will miss most when we leave Vietnam in no special order

1. The food – Phở, Hủ tiếu Nam Vang, chả giò (fried spring rolls), đậu hũ nước đường (soy bean pudding…insanely delicious), nước mía (sugarcane juice), Bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), bún bò Huế…sigh, the list is endless. We will definitely miss the food the second we get on that plane!

2. The people – we’ve felt completely welcome here over the past few years. It will be hard to say goodbye to everyone who has touched our lives in some way.

3. The weather – we like all seasons Saigon has to offer, definitely preferring hot and humid to cold and snowy. Goodbye tank tops and flip flops…we’ll really miss our lazy, beach bum attire!

In 2020, we plan to be back in Vietnam for more language lessons and new travel adventures in this part of the world. Until then, tạm biệt Việt Nam! Chúng tôi sẽ nhớ bạn rất nhiều!

Day 1 and Robby is already partaking in the Vietnamese tradition of "đi nhậu" (to go drinking) Saigon Zoo - open since 1865, it is Vietnam's largest zoo. We drove past this every day on our way to Vietnamese language lessons at VLS Thankfully, it only took us a few weeks to understand how to ride a motorbike in Saigon, hands down the best way to get around the city Surgical masks and sunglasses are a must when riding around Saigon city! Rain ponchos - another necessity during monsoon season Chatting with a group of students studying English; 23/9 Park Buying a brand new Honda Blade with Dì Tám's assistance 5 on a bike...only in Vietnam! Notre Dame Cathredral, built in the 1880s by French Colonists; Saigon Robby practising figure 8 loops during off duty hours in preparation for his motorcycle driver's license test A bountiful feast of endless dishes at Dì Sáu's house Group photo with Becky's extended Vietnamese family International Food Festival 2017...this foodie's delight was packed! Crispy noodle dishes, one of dozens of booths at the International Food Festival Who is the skinniest? Fried spring rolls (chả giò), dipped in nước mắm...one of our favorites! Endless rounds of beer at Becky's cousin's wedding reception...and its not even noon yet! The ladies all want to stand next to Robby! Foreigners are VIPs at a Vietnamese wedding with strangers coming up to propose a toast. Put your game face on as it is gonna be a long day of drinking! Robby successfully climbed a jackfruit tree Massive golden dragon statue One Pillar Pagoda; Thủ Đức District Reclining Buddha at Buu Long Pagoda (Chùa Bửu Long) Ladies show off their pretty "áo dài" (traditional dress); Buu Long Pagoda Pomelo wine for sale on Tân Triều Island Learning how to make "Bánh tét", a glutinous rice cake; Tân Triều Island Thumbs up from Robby after he makes his  "Bánh tét", not an easy feat! Duck farm; Tân Triều Island Becky next to a massive pomelo; Tân Triều Island Vietnamese spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) Miniature Ben Thanh Market; Tet 2017 display Young and old alike dressed in their best flock to Nguyễn Huệ flower street to celebrate Tet We loved all the traditional outfits on display during Tet; Nguyễn Huệ Flower Street Ho Chi Minh statue in front of Saigon City Hall Feng Shui Gods of Wealth, the Three Wise Men display during Tet 2017 Saigon Opera House Lion dance during Tet 2017 celebrations A pretty lady strikes a pose; Nguyễn Huệ Flower Street The Cafe Apartments; District 1 Ben Thanh Market gets a temporary face-life during Tet celebrations Kiwi, watermelon and mango display - one of Dì Phương's artistic designs Tet snacks - a lot of eating and drinking required during the week long celebration! Basket boats on display at Ho Tram Beach Orchids at Ho Tram Beach Boutique Ho Tram Beach Boutique Resort & Spa Robby and Chị Xuân - she would feed us breakfast, lunch and dinner daily Flying back into Saigon after a 6 month break Making mid-Autumn lanterns for under-privileged children at VLS, our Vietnamse Language School A herd of water buffalo near our apartment in District 9 Walking dogs - our twice daily activity Taking our aunts to see Lee Kirby, an English singer who specializes in Vietnamese songs One of two kittens we rescued from certain death - abandoned by cruel owners in the countryside Bali running away from the neighborhood pigs Becky comforts an abused greyhound; Animal Rescue and Care in District 2 Village scene near our apartment. Can you believe we are only 6 km from downtown Saigon?! This landscape will change quickly over the upcoming years Robby turns 43! Best dress contest during "Teacher's Appreciation Day", VLS School Saigon Hash House Harriers - a great way to see the countryside! Downing Wild Turkey shots during the Thanksgiving day run; Saigon Hash House Harriers Yay! We made it to the end of the run...celebrating with a bit of water and beer; Saigon Hash House Harriers Playing with one of Dì Sáu's puppies Christmas in Saigon The rat killers - Ahmah and Lucky to the rescue! View from Cô Binh's apartment; Phú Nhuận District Tuấn Anh smiles in an apron as we prepare "Cá thu nướng nghệ" (grilled tuna fish) Becky smiles before digging in to our delicious homemade lunch Into the woods we go...hashing with the Saigon Hash House Harriers River crossings don't faze us; Saigon Hash Club Becky's cousin dressed in a traditional outfit...such a cute photo! Huy and Robby on Bui Vien Street (famous backpacker drinking area); Saigon District 1 prepares to ring in the New Year; downtown Saigon Ba Thien Hau Pagoda, a Chinese style Buddhist Temple built in 1760 by Vietnam's Cantonese community Burning incense; Thien Hau Temple Museum of Fine Arts housed in a spectacular colonial era mansion; Saigon Artwork on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Robby and Tuấn Anh strike a pose; Museum of Fine Arts Drawing class for school kids; Museum of Fine Arts Tiny stores packed with an array of antiques and reproductions;  Le Cong Kieu St (Antique Street) Rickety bridge; Long An Province This portion of our Saigon hash run required boarding a boat to cross the river! Our babies - Bali, Balat, Ahmah and Lucky Saigon street scene Robby taking in Saigon's skyline at The View rooftop bar on Bui Vien street Dusk view of Saigon Saigon hash run ending at a waterfall Bear and Bull statue at the Saigon Stock Exchange Craving a taste of home at Quán Ụt Ụt, an American BBQ joint in Saigon Becky's birthday meal Dressed in their best - locals take photos during Tet 2018; Ben Binh Fruit trees and flowers for sale; Ben Binh For a week leading up to Tet, dozens of boats from the Mekong Delta will line up at Ben Binh to sell flowers and fruit trees in a temporary "floating flower market" The pink scene; Ben Binh Coconut plants for sale; Ben Binh A nice selection of áo dài for sale; Ben Binh Robby befriending a Vietnam vet who spoke impeccable English; Ben Binh Rex hotel preparing for Tet 2018; Saigon Tet 2018, Year of the Dog Locals striking a pose by Ho Chi Minh's statue; Saigon Making "Bánh chưng" at Cô Binh's apartment. This traditional Vietnamese rice cake consists of glutinous rice, mung beans and pork Cô Binh shows us how easy it is to make Bánh chưng Birthday party banquet dinner for one of Becky's aunts The daughters gather on stage to pay tribute to their mom on her 69th birthday Our trekking group prepares to start our 3 day hike; Tà Năng The boys smile on our ride out to the starting point; Tà Năng Other groups opt to hire a horse to carry their gear on the Tà Năng to Phan Dũng route Day 1 and we are still full of smiles; Tà Năng It is early March and the ground is still parched, which makes for easy hiking but a lack of greenery Becky stopping to admire the scenery on our Tà Năng - Phan Dũng trek The trekking wasn't as gruelling as we were led to believe; Tà Năng - Phan Dũng First night's campsite by a river By the end of Day 2, we reached a waterfall. Happy times! Jumping for joy at the end of Day 2's trek The poor chicken that hiked for 2 days with us ended up being dinner tonight. Becky unsuccessfully tried to rally for its freedom A hot cup of tea after an uncomfortable night's sleep...check out those rocks! Day 3 and we have several river crossings Our trekking group on the 3 Day, 55 KM hike from Tà Năng to Phan Dũng Smiling as we reach the end of our hike! Becky strikes a pose with a farmer's basket Vroom, vrooom...we are ready for our ride out to freedom. Hot showers here we come! Happy baby on a hammock Ann and Becky by the AO show bicycle...a must see cultural show The newest member of Becky's family...such a cutie! Grilled shrimp for dinner Enjoying free drinks before the AO Show; Saigon Opera House Our Turkish wedding carpet finallly gets put to use in our Saigon apartment Wine and oysters by the pool side Saigon landscape on our short domestic flight to Nha Trang View of Nha Trang, our week long mini-break from Saigon Nha Trang's long sandy beach Communist propaganda poster; Nha Trang Locals passing time at Nha Trang's port Boner Kebab anyone? Lobsters for sale; Nha Trang Crocodile and snake, two popular meal options in Nha Trang Night market; Nha Trang Lotus tower; Nha Trang View of Nha Trang from Skylight Bar, where 2 for 1 sunset cocktails can be enjoyed daily Park statue; Nha Trang Swim through tunnels on our SCUBA day trip with Rainbow Divers; Nha Trang Posing with our amazing Vietnamese teacher, Hiển Dương. We will miss our daily lessons with this guy! An emotional farewell...Robby and Tuấn Anh hug it out VLS staff and students "đi nhậu" (to go drinking) A bowl of delicious "hủ tiếu Nam Vang", one of our favorite noodle soups Frogs and fish for sale; Saigon market scene Fresh pineapple for sale (and the seller will cut it for you), for about 40 cents Durians, jackfrutis, watermelon and bananas for sale; Saigon fruit seller Buddhist Temple; Saigon Posing with staff and students on our VLS shopping trip to a local market foto gallery lightboxby VisualLightBox.com v6.1

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