After a red-eye flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok, we had low expectations for our first night in Bangkok. We decided to stay relatively close to the airport in a residential neighborhood and didn’t plan much, knowing we would likely be tired and had our flight to Vietnam the next day. We braved the heat and humidity to explore our local neighborhood and grab lunch at an amazing crab noodle curry place that Simon had read about. Walking around we saw many spirit houses, miniature ornate dwellings built for spirits who, when happy, are believed to bring good fortune. The spirit houses are adorned with offerings – marigold garlands, incense sticks, and surprisingly, open bottles of red Fanta. Apparently, Thailand has become one of the world’s top consumers of strawberry Fanta due to the popularity of the soda as an offering. The internet did not offer a conclusive explanation, but I read that strawberry Fanta resembles an offering previously made from palm sugar and herbal infusions, that red is believed to be an auspicious color, and that offering a bottle of red Fanta will bring you 10 wishes.

Despite our exhaustion and the challenge of adjusting to the heat and humidity during the day, our first night in Bangkok was one of the highlights of our trip. We headed to the Srinagarindra Train Night Market, a bustling weekend market with rows upon rows of stalls selling new and vintage goods and food vendors selling some of the most flavorful bites we had on our trip. We ate our way through the market (spicy grilled shrimp, cold Leo beers, crunchy salad rolls, sweet coconut smoothies) while enjoying its festive vibes.

The next morning we landed in the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City where we were quickly overwhelmed by the insane scooter scene on our drive to our apartment. I can’t imagine driving here and was thankful that our taxi driver seemed to know how to navigate through the constant rush of scooters. Crossing the street as a pedestrian in Vietnam was definitely not my favorite part of the trip – you had to step off the curb with confidence, trusting that you would make it across without being run over by the honking onslaught of bikes seeming to play a game of “chicken” with you.

We were excited to reunite with our friend Jorge, our former hallmate and colleague in Kazan, who is now teaching in HCMC.

We dragged the kids on a walking tour of other city highlights, stopping every 30 minutes or so to cool off somewhere with AC and cold drinks. On our walk, we saw some locals playing Đá Cầu, a popular sport that is a mix of hacky-sack and badminton. We searched out a store where we could buy one of the feathery shuttlecocks (see photo of Alden) to bring home as a souvenir.

We visited the War Remnants Museum, a collection of military equipment, photographs, and artifacts that offer a harrowing glimpse into life during the war and its lasting impact. While traveling, I read three books by Vietnamese authors that I highly recommend if you want to deepen your understanding of the human experience during the war from a Vietnamese perspective:

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui is a graphic novel memoir that tells a multigenerational story of her family’s war and immigration experience.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a novel that spans decades and depicts the incredible struggles of a northern Vietnamese family during the communist land reforms and the war.

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places is a memoir by Le Ly Hayslip that recounts her experiences as a child and young adult during the Vietnam War, her immigration experience, and her return to Vietnam as an adult in the 80s.

These statues at the War Remnants Museum capture the brutal human impact of war and the importance of peace and reconciliation in the face of conflict.

In the evening, Mila and I saw an amazing performance at the opera house at the A.O. Bamboo Circus while Alden and Simon searched for Banh Mi.

Another highlight in HCMC was a cooking class with Lua where we learned to make tasty crepes, vermicelli noodle bowls, and fish soup. She also introduced us to the simple dessert of passionfruit with honey and recommended a local spot to grab a salt coffee after the class. Coffee was a huge highlight throughout the trip – from simple Vietnamese iced coffees to the interesting flavors of salt coffee and egg coffee, and the refreshingly frosty coconut coffee (Alden’s favorite) – we were happily caffeinated throughout our trip.

Our next stop was Da Nang- a place I have longed to visit after reading and hearing our friend Russ’ stories about his years living there. Thanks to his tips, we had a fabulous two days of exploring the city. We devoured a delicious seafood feast or two, took in the beauty of the Son Tra peninsula with her 67-meter tall lady Buddha statue, and were wowed by the pyrotechnic show at the dragon bridge from our party boat.

While in Danang we met a taxi driver who called himself “Uncle Ho” and was not shy about communicating with us via his car’s Google translate setup. He earned our loyalty after our trip to Son Tra where he went out of his way to help us find monkeys in the forest. We were drawn to his positive energy and friendly laugh so, when we left Da Nang, we decided to hire Uncle Ho to take us on a day trip to the My Son Sanctuary and then drop us in Hoi An.

The full week of bustling cityscapes made us welcome the tranquility of the countryside, swapping the urban clamor for the serene buzz of cicadas and chirps of hidden birds amid lush greenery. My Son Sanctuary is an ancient Hindu temple complex dating back to the Champa Kingdom (4th-13th century). The heat was sweltering as we explored the ruins and impressive carvings of My Son.

After the heat and activity of our first week, we were excited to chill in Hoi An with our Kazan friends Richard and Aislyn and their daughter Zoe. They currently live and teach in Hanoi but met up with us in Hoi An for three nights. We rented a villa together in what turned out to be a strange compound – spacious and nicely decorated apartments with luxurious pools neighbored by overgrown abandoned villas. Despite the slightly post-apocalyptic vibe, we had a relaxing time, cooling off in the pool during the heat of the day, getting in some adventuring at the beach and in the old town during the “cooler” parts of the day, and chilling at night playing games and watching Blippi, Bluey, and aviation documentaries.

We said a sad farewell to a teary Zoe promising we would see her again in Hanoi and hopped into the car with Uncle Ho. After some breakfast Bahn Mi, we stopped by the Marble Mountains, a cluster of limestone hills adorned with caves, pagodas, and sculptures. It was incredibly hot and hard for everyone to rally but the scenic views, ancient temples, and hidden grottoes were impressive. We were grateful for the AC in Uncle Ho’s car on the drive to Hue.

Walking around Hue on our first evening we stumbled upon a park full of kids zipping and drifting around on illuminated “crazy carts.” Mila and Alden begged us for a turn and the price was right so they took off, joining the glowing throng of local and tourist kids.

Following crazy carts, we enjoyed a hot pot dinner on the sidewalk and tried “sweet dessert soup” from one of the vendors in the park. The stall was set with large bowls of various colorful sweets, fruits, liquids, and shaved ice. The choices were a bit overwhelming and there was no translation of the menu but a friendly local helped order for us. Yum!

We returned later to our cozy homestay to cool off and I hopped into the shower. Moments later I heard lots of commotion and screaming coming from the bedroom. Turns out a HUGE cockroach (2-3 inches long) had emerged up by the ceiling and when Simon tried to trap it another cockroach friend came for backup and they both started flying around the room, one sliding behind our bed and the other disappearing somewhere in the curtains. Alden started googling Vietnamese cockroaches and quickly decided he couldn’t possibly sleep in the room as apparently, they can “latch onto your face at night.” We made a few more attempts to find/remove the cockroaches and then Simon started googling how much it would cost to stay somewhere else in the neighborhood. We planned to rent another place for the next day anyway as we were taking the night train and wanted a refuge from the heat during the day. Luckily, Simon found a reasonably-priced five-star hotel right around the corner that had availability and could give us a late checkout. We packed up our stuff and tiptoed out, returning the next morning to turn in our key.

We attempted an early start the next day to beat the heat and take in as many sites as possible. Hue was the site of the former imperial capital and is rich in historical sites with ancient citadels, royal tombs, and ornate pagodas. Walking around the Imperial Citadel, it was easy to imagine the grandeur of imperial life. As we entered through the sprawling gates, I saw two beautifully costumed women posing at the entrance. At first, I thought the citadel was a living history museum like at Plymouth Plantation. But as we explored the sprawling complex, we quickly realized that these were visitors, decked out in beautiful traditional outfits taking glamour shots for their social media.

After a couple hours at the Imperial City, I was persuaded that it was too hot to continue sightseeing and was lured back to the resort pool. That evening, before getting on our night train, I took a nasty spill as I was trying to cross the street. I limped back to the hotel where they cleaned up my wounds and gave me ice for my swollen ankle. I was worried about the impact of this injury on the rest of the trip.

We were about halfway through our trip and about halfway geographically through Vietnam. Hue is located just south of the 17th parallel, the historic boundary between North and South Vietnam established during the Geneva Accords that lasted until the end of the war. We crossed the divide on our cozy night train, the kids happily claiming their top bunks as we settled in for the night, resting and readying ourselves for our next epic adventures in the northern provinces.