The cheapest way to get from Hoi An to Hue, Vietnam is also the most fun: take a motorbike. The drive takes you past the beautiful beaches of De Nang and through Hai Van Pass, a famously beautiful 21 kilometer mountain pass. I did it myself, and it worked out really well because I just…
Month: April 2019
Hoi An, Vietnam
I took a 13-hour night bus to Hoi An, a coastal city with colorful architecture. I spent most of my time there wandering around the Old Town and near the river. Once a major port and silk exporter, Hoi An is still known for its tailors, where custom-made clothes can be bought for a fraction…
Da Lat, Vietnam
Da Lat, a mountain town famous for its coffee, was an unplanned stop on my trip through Vietnam. From Mui Ne, the only buses available were either back to Saigon or North to Da Lat, so I chose to keep moving North as planned and figured I would just stay a night in Da Lat….
Mui Ne, Vietnam
When I pictured Vietnam, I thought of mountains, jungles, and greenery. I most certainly did not picture the sand dunes I found in Mui Ne, a small coastal town on the South China Sea. I only spent one day there (it was soooooo hot) but I packed in most of the highlights. First, I woke…
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as most Vietnamese still refer to it, is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of about 9 million people. I stayed in the backpackers district of the city, so the first thing I did was explore Bui Viên Walking Street with its endless salons, bars, restaurants, clubs,…
Mekong Delta, Vietnam
I am so excited to have finally arrived in Vietnam! I’ll be backpacking my way through the country South to North, starting at the maze of rivers and swamps that make up the Mekong Delta. Starting at My Tho city, my group and I took a big boat along the muddy waters of the Mekong…
Kampot, Cambodia
Kampot, the small fishing town on the Preaek Tuek Chhu River in Southern Cambodia, was my absolute favorite trip in the country. When my friends and I finally got WiFi again after a few days on Ko Rong Samloem, we were surprised to find that most accommodation had already been booked because of Khmer New…
Sihanoukville & Ko Rong Samloem, Cambodia
Sihanoukville is a coastal city on the Gulf of Thailand in Southwestern Cambodia. I have been told by lots of travelers that five years ago, it was a backpackers paradise with beautiful beaches and a chill, laid back vibe. Unfortunately, by the time I got to Sihanoukville, it had been completely destroyed by unchecked Chinese…
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Cambodia’s capital city is a bit rough around the edges, with kind of a bad reputation among the backpackers that I’ve met. Because of that, I didn’t have very high hopes for Phnom Penh. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by the smiling people, unique architecture, and rich culture of the city. Before I dive into…
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Over the last six months, Thailand became a second home to me. I can communicate in basic Thai, I had a Thai phone number, and I no longer needed to convert baht to USD every time I made a purchase. I understood Thailand’s infrastructure and felt completely comfortable traveling there, so I was a little…