Compared with Saigon and Hanoi, extending your visa in Hoi An can be a costly and complicated process. Rules and prices change with every travel agent you speak to and prices can spiral out of control if time is not on your side. We spent a day finding out the options, from extending a first … read the full post

Hanoi and Saigon may be steaming ahead when it comes to modern development, but rural Vietnam and in particular Hoi An has kept a firm handle on its roots in tradition where generations of families still hold faith in myths, legends, fables and folklore which for thousands of years has formed the heart of the … read the full post

Nam Son Beefsteak, which has two locations in downtown Saigon within short walking distance of the Reunification Palace, is a great no-frills Vietnamese beefsteak restaurant. If you can get past the barebones setting, and the limited menu, you’ll find some of the best steaks in Saigon. Both locations are surprisingly close to each other; recently … read the full post

What better way to take a break from sightseeing or shopping in Saigon than a massage and facial? My Spa is a well-located, mid-priced spa, and if you can make your way safely through their dark and crowded hallways you may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the treatments. On a recent trip to … read the full post

Saigon is a big city with plenty of high-dollar, splurge restaurants ready to take your hard-earned vacation money. Luckily for the thriftier of travellers, however, it’s still easy to eat on the cheap in HCMC. Here’s how to eat for less than 100,000 VND (US$5) a day. You can start strong during breakfast. Just head … read the full post

Maybe Hanoi’s Church Boutique Hotel heard me complaining about it looking tired and dated when I last passed through here for Travelfish.org, as not only have they opened another hotel on nearby Hang Gai Street, the original Nha Tho location has been completely refurbished — and my jaw hit the floor when I saw the … read the full post

Cheesy though it may sound, a cruise down the Thu Bon river is one of the best ways to idle away an hour or two when in Hoi An, and although you can do it the posh way by jumping aboard a tourist boat, it’s far better to go local; and by local I mean … read the full post

If you are one of those travellers with a tendency to lose your bearings, the towering Thanh Van 2 with its illuminated rooftop sign screams “I’m here!”, making it an easy hotel to find your way back to. But even if you’ve got an inbuilt compass, Thanh Van 2 packs a punch with its huge … read the full post

Cha ca, a fish dish of legendary reputation made famous by the Cha Ca La Vong restaurant in Hanoi, has been listed as one of the 1,001 dishes to eat before you die. If you’re in Vietnam though, you don’t have to go all the way to Hanoi to get a taste; a restaurant of … read the full post

Au Trieu is one of my favourite spots in Hoan Kiem and thus, despite not being one of the 36 streets, deserves its very own post; spend a few hours here enjoying the shopping, eating and activities for an enjoyable Hanoi experience. Au Trieu was the nickname of Le Thi Dan, a female revolutionary of … read the full post