Flavours of Vietnam
We have visited Vietnam, “by accident”, because I missed our holiday in Thailand 🙂 Another story, another time. I can not tell you a lot about the cities in this country because I only stayed in Phan Thiet Province, more precisely in Mui Ne, a resort on the beach, 5 hours drive away from Ho Chi Minh City.
What struck me for the first time was the crowds, the noizes, smells and inventiveness. In Vietnam, as you probably already know, everyone goes by on the scooter. With such population density, it is the most economical and fastest option. What can you carry on a scooter? Well… a whole family (about 4-5 people), gas tanks (about 10), ducks and chickens, huge bags or water boxes. It is really impressive their transport capacity.
Our stay was not very long, only 8 nights but it gave plenty of time to check all the tourist attractions in the Mui Ne area: The Red Sand Dunes, the local market with its amazing flavors, the rice plantations, and to walk with scooters in long and wide.
By far away, my favorite spot from this trip was the Mui Ne harbor. The first time I saw it, it appeared like a blue stripe in the sky and after the first curve it showed itself in its entire splendor: blue, traditional boats, returned to the village with the catch of the day. The catch is in front of “restaurants” in water basins. Each client goes first to the basin, chooses the “merchandise” and then the way he wants it cooked. While you drink a beer kaboom! your lunch or dinner is served. At desert, I recommend pancakes with mango and chocolate sauce.
Vietnam was a “fattening” destination, despite the preconceived ideas that we had forehand. Soup (pho bo) with chicken, duck, fish or vegetarian, fried rice with seafood, noodles, crabs, lobster, anything I tasted was far beyond with my expectations.
I promised to go back to Vietnam to do those “touristic” excursions, but the joy of discovering the small Mui Ne harbor will not be exceeded, I am sure.