I’m a karaoke fan. I have been since I was younger and partook of the Western variety: pub, lots of people, get drunk, write your name down and hope no-one boos. Fortunately my boyfriend is also a fan and will rave about the time in Tallin on a stag do when he got the whole … read the full post

Shopping and bargaining in markets is one of my favourite pastimes in Saigon. Here are my pointers for hunting down good deals and to make sure you don’t offend anyone. First, if you are looking for good deals at markets, early morning may not be the best time to shop. Many proprietors believe that if … read the full post

Chica Restaurant, centrally located on Hang Be Street, is a too-well kept secret; meaning that despite the good food, the great setting and the friendly staff it’s usually almost empty. I first visited on my birthday last year, having had a craving for steak and hearing that their steak and wine night was a great … read the full post

Ho Chi Minh City is quite safe for cities of comparable size. Very few violent acts have been reported against foreigners, but it can still be dangerous to walk around flaunting your wealth. Here are a few commonsense steps you can take to ensure your safety while in Saigon. First, be cautious of wearing jewellery. … read the full post

When it was suggested that I write about a special place to eat in Hoi An, the virtuous side of me thought, “I really can’t afford to research that one” while the naughty, gourmet side of me said, “Yippee!”. That side normally wins, and hence I found myself scouring reviews to find a suitable venue to … read the full post

When a visiting friend whipped out her guidebook, together we stumbled upon what sounded like a magical way to spend an afternoon in Saigon: getting a blind massage. This was something a bit different from other things to do in the city; billed as a budget friendly ‘no nonsense’ spa, it sounded great and I … read the full post

Vietnam’s favourite dish, pho, takes its name from the type of noodle that is used in its preparation, and this noodle is used in numerous other dishes. I’ve recently moved to a new apartment and find myself living in the epicentre of pho-land: within a few minutes’ walk I pass half a dozen restaurants selling … read the full post

When the humidity goes up and the mercury rises, doing anything outdoors in Ho Chi Minh City can be unbearable. When I can no longer stand the punishment I often find myself ducking into one of the city’s numerous cafés. Bobby Brewers, one of my favourites, has a few locations scattered about the city but … read the full post

Hotels with pools are certainly out of the budgetary reach of most visitors to Hanoi, and I definitely wouldn’t be jumping into the Red River or Hoan Kiem Lake, but fortunately a few public pools provide a reasonably priced alternative if you’re in need of a swim — quite possible now the weather has heated up. … read the full post

In my last post I looked at how to access Facebook in Vietnam from a Windows operating system. Mac users: it’s your turn today. Your first option is to change your Domain Name System number, or DNS, which is just like a phone book; it organises computers by replacing their host names with numerical IP … read the full post