Travelfish correspondent Sarah Turner

Sarah's South East Asia expedition started in 2009, when she packed up her company, home and beloved car and left South West London with her boyfriend and a vague plan to travel and then live in the region. Whilst travelling they both fell in love with Hanoi, and seven months, seven countries, a few scars and more than a few memorable experiences after leaving England they found themselves on a 44 hour journey from Don Dhet back to Vietnam's capital. As well as writing for Travelfish, Sarah runs a design and branding company called Crunchy Frog with her partner and does a bit of English teaching for pocket (massage) money. She also sits on the Community Aid Committee of Hanoi's International Women's Club, helping to distribute funds to local charitable organisations, and spends her free time either indulging her love of food and drink or frenetically exercising to compensate.
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Posts by Sarah Turner:

• Hanoi street food: Lau (hotpot)

  First published: 29 Feb 2012
  

  Lau — pronounced something like ‘low’ — is perhaps one of the most popular dishes in Hanoi, particularly in the cooler months. It’s a similar set up to that seen in other countries in the region (I recall a particularly good experience in the Perhentians): a pan of simmering stock is put on a gas … read the full post

• March events in Hanoi

  First published: 26 Feb 2012
  

  A couple of upcoming events in Hanoi are worth bringing to your attention: opera, history and art exhibitions. On March 9 and 10, Hanoi Opera House will be home to a German opera night. Conducted by Jonas Alber, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will perform excerpts from works including Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Beethoven’s Fidelio and … read the full post

• Hanoi people: The chef

  First published: 22 Feb 2012
  

  Tracey Lister, co-owner of Hanoi Cooking Centre, first came to Hanoi in 2000. Hoping to find voluntary work she was rebuffed by NGOs who didn’t “need chefs” but she came anyway, accompanying her husband, Andreas Pohl, who was working on an AusAid project. When she arrived in Hanoi she met Jimmy Pham, founder of Koto … read the full post

• Weddings in Hanoi: Before the day

  First published: 18 Feb 2012
  

  If you’ve seen a tent being erected on the pavement in the middle of Hanoi and wondered what on earth is going on, it’s likely that there’s a wedding in the offing. Let me backtrack a little and give you a whistle-stop guide to marriage in Vietnam. To give you a full understanding of the … read the full post

• Hanoi people: The travel agent

  First published: 15 Feb 2012
  

  As a way to bring you an insight plus some useful information about Hanoi, I’ve been interviewing people who can offer different perspectives on the city. Given that travel agents get a lot of negative press, I met with Lai, a travel agent well known and trusted within the expat community. Lai is from a … read the full post

• Flying domestically in Vietnam

  First published: 08 Feb 2012
  

  An often-asked question on the Travelfish.org Vietnam forum is, “Should I book my flights in advance or when I get to Vietnam?” The answer depends on a number of factors, most notably when and where you want to fly, how flexible your flight times are and what your budget is. So it’s not an easy … read the full post

• Hanoi people: The editor

  First published: 02 Feb 2012
  

  In my quest to bring you alternative perspectives on Hanoi, I met with Ian Paynton, deputy editor-in-chief of Word magazine. Word is two bilingual publications aimed at foreign residents and locals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and is available free at various locations around town as well as online. We met one drizzly … read the full post

• Where to get a late drink in Hanoi… in February 2012

  First published: 31 Jan 2012
  

  Hanoi‘s social scene has been undergoing notable change for some years now, with new bars and restaurants springing up all over the place despite the reasonably strictly enforced curfew. The problem with this proliferation of venues is that there aren’t actually enough customers to go round. New bars open and, if they’re any good, they … read the full post

• Hanoi’s 36 streets: Hang Buom and Ma May

  First published: 26 Jan 2012
  

  Continuing on from where I left off on my last “36 streets” post, Lan Ong (traditional medicine street) turns in Hang Buom. While the streets around the edges of Old Quarter tend to be oriented towards local life, Hang Buom smoothly makes the transition into tourist-land. Hang Buom originally sold sails. There’s little demand for … read the full post

• Minh’s Jazz Club in Hanoi

  First published: 25 Jan 2012
  

  Quyen Van Minh is Vietnam‘s best-known jazz saxophonist, having fallen in love with the music some 30 years ago and developing his own style of Vietnamese jazz. Now he teaches young musicians at the Hanoi Conservatory and runs a popular jazz club in Hanoi. For years, Minh’s Jazz Club was on Luong Van Can Street … read the full post