I’ve officially lived in Ho Chi Minh City for a full year. Man, how time flies. I actually moved to HCMC (aka Saigon) on Christmas Day last year. I remember the moment so clearly it’s hard to believe it was over a year ago. Aaron and I had just hopped off a red-eye from Beijing,…
Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) is a daunting destination for first-time visitors. Not only is this place massive – it has an estimated population of 12-13 million – but it’s chaotic and frenetic. On top of that, it’s not always easy to get information about what to actually do in this city. When I…
I’m just going to come right out and say it – being a vegetarian in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) rocks. Sometimes traveling as a vegetarian in Southeast Asia can be brutal, but that’s not in the case in Saigon. Thanks to Vietnam’s sizeable Buddhist population, there are tons of vegetarian restaurants in Ho…
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts March, April, and May. This is going to sound weird, but I was really nervous about…
I first heard about Phu Quoc years ago, during my very first backpacking trip around Southeast Asia. Despite the fact that I spent an entire month traversing Vietnam, I never made it to Phu Quoc during that trip – and I always regretted it. Over the years, I’ve heard a lot about how quickly Phu…
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: January, February, and March. It feels like only yesterday that I was sitting here…
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: December, January, and February. *Just a note: This post is absurdly late mainly because…
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. You can check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: November, December and January. Around this time of year, I’m usually wrapping up…
Most travelers avoid visiting Vietnam during Tet (aka Vietnamese Lunar New Year). But not me. Somehow I’ve managed to spend the past two Tet holidays in Vietnam. Honestly, I didn’t actually intend for this to happen. But these were happy accidents, because they’ve been two of my favorite Vietnam experiences thus far! And celebrating Tet in Ho Chi…
It’s no big secret that I have a thing for tropical islands and beautiful beaches. I guess it’s a good thing I’ve spent the majority of the past four years based in the tropics! And in that time, I’ve had the chance to visit quite a few of what I think are some of the best islands in…