We are officially in Vietnam! We landed a few days ago and spent the first two days in Ho Chi Min city (be warned, we did not take many photos during our stay… mainly we just forgot, so apologies!). Ho Chi Min is a lively city with tons of people, tons of mopeds, and tons of food. We unknowingly booked a hotel room in one of the main tourist areas (also known for being a red light district, nice!), so our room was far from quiet. It honestly felt like being in a club even when we were laying in bed (loud music, strobe lights, the works); but surprisingly we slept great, who would have thought!

Our first day was far from strenuous. We checked into our room, then basically walked around for a few hours eating all the food we could find. We got out first Vietnamese pho (a classic noodle soup). Though to be honest, the best pho we had was surprisingly… in Australia? Either way, it was great to check out a new city and experience a whole new culture of food. One thing we noticed right away was the fact that all the street food vendors have tables and chair for you to sit at, which isn’t weird, but for some reason they are all sized perfectly for…preschoolers. It’s odd to turn the corner and see dozens of grown adults hunched over in tiny plastic chairs eating food. But if that’s the norm, count us in!

Our second day in Vietnam started off with having lunch with a guy named Ben who is originally from Philadelphia, but had been living in Vietnam for a year. Ironically, he had reached out to Tristan because he heard about his company via a podcast and was intrigued (for those who don’t know, go check out The One Gallon Soap Company!). We had never met Ben, but decided to accept an invite to lunch because why not?! (Also, we haven’t seen our friends/family in almost three months so I guess you could say we were “eager” for friends).

We had a wonderful meal at a local spot that Ben recommended and immediately fell into conversation. It was great to meet up with another person our age who was from the states; we felt like we had known him for ages! After lunch, we decided to part ways for the afternoon and planned to meet up later that evening. We decided to spend the afternoon at the War Remnants Museum, which was, a bit heavy, to say the least.

The museum is about the Vietnam war and focuses largely on the war crimes committed by the United States against the Vietnamese people. The building houses old American military equipment and many disturbing photos from the war. It was definitely informative to learn about the tragic and ongoing effects of “agent orange” and to understand just how many journalists and reporters died trying to cover the war, but we couldn’t help feeling mixed emotions when we left. We felt terrible knowing what the Vietnamese people had gone through, while we simultaneously felt like we had just viewed a bunch of propaganda. At many museums we have been to, the photo descriptions include facts and are void of any emotional undertone, which was not the case at the War Remnants Museum. But at the end of the day, the museum is funded by the Vietnamese government, and this war did not happened very long ago,so we can’t blame them. Either way, when we left we felt humbled, educated, and in need of a few beers. That’s when we decided to meet up with our new friend Ben at a brewery!

Hanging with our friend, Ben!

We chatted for a couple of hours on topics ranging from political science, to American rappers, to Vietnamese footwear. We concluded the night at another local hangout where we had some more beer and played “menu roulette” where we ordered a mystery menu item and were pleasantly surprised when we discovered it was a delightful fried chicken dish. We eventually parted ways with Ben and thanked him for showing us around. It was a truly wild experience to meet up with a stranger on the other side of the world simply because they heard Tristan’s podcast. We hope to stay in touch with Ben in the future and if you ever plan to visit Ho Chi Min city, go hang out with Ben. You won’t be disappointed!

This has nothing to do with Ben, but we saw this cool church that looked like a delicious cake (that, or Taylor was super hungry and thought it looked like food) so we figured we would share it: The next morning we took an 8 hour bus ride up to Da Lat and before we conclude this post, we just need to tell you how insanely amazing this bus was. Like many of you in the states, a bus ride usually consists of a coach bus with relatively comfortable seats that recline… to some degree. So we booked our bus for a whopping $12 per person, and didn’t think much else about it. The next morning, we arrive at the bus station and are greeted with a fairly normal “coach bus” looking vehicle… that is, until we step inside.

The inside of the bus, from our views on the bottom bunks:

The only way to describe it would be if you had three rows of single sleeper bunk beds with a walking path between each row. Not only could you stretch your legs out, but you could lay ALL the way down. It was the most obscure and fantastic bus experience we have ever had.

Tristan trying to figure out the best position for spooning with that random guy next to him: The ride was long, twisty, and slightly terrifying (because our driver was either in a rush or had road rage?) but we arrived ahead of schedule in Da Lat that evening. It was a memorable experience and one that we may end up repeating again at some point while in Vietnam (simply because you can’t beat the cost or the comfort!).

Until next time!

Love and hugs from T&T