DANCING PANDAS

Journaling The Journey

Discovering Ancient Ho Chi Minh City – 4 Fascinating Days

Night Street Ho Chi Minh City Saigon Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, still often called Saigon, is a whirl of pulsating energy amidst it’s modern concrete skyscrapers, cosmopolitan restaurants and chic boutiques intermingled with French Colonial charm and dire poverty. Wandering through timeless alleys with high end shops next door to squalid eateries, massage parlors and nail salons, adjacent to incense-infused temples was […]

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Hoi An the Splendid Jewel of Vietnam

Hoi An Vietnam

Just a 40 minute drive south of Da Nang is a magical ancient town called Hoi An meaning “peaceful meeting place”. Walking through it’s narrow streets set on a graceful river I felt like I was in Kyoto and Venice at the same time. This town was officially established in 1595, but has been influenced […]

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Flashy Da Nang -Vietnam #1 Beach Town?

For most travelers Da Nang is a stop on the way to Hoi An or the Marble Mountains. But this coastal city which is half way between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is also known for its sandy beaches, cosmopolitan vibe and history as a French colonial port. Da Nang from Above Da Nang […]

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Exciting Halong Bay Cruise – 3 days 2 nights

Sunset on Halong Bay Vietnam

Halong Bay, which means “descending dragon” is the number 1 destination for tourists visiting Vietnam. If you recall the ending of the movie Bourne Legacy: Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz are sailing through Halong Bay as Moby’s Extreme Ways plays in the background – quite a memorable scene. But after doing some research we discovered […]

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5 Days in Festive Hanoi during Tet Celebrations

Landing in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam we knew that we were arriving during their New Year’s celebrations called Tet, but we didn’t realize how huge these festivities would be or that they would last a minimum of 3 days to 3 weeks! We stayed near the Old Quarter at the Hilton Garden Inn (and […]

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1 Week of Fun and Sun in Hua Hin, Thailand

Hua Hin is Thailand’s original beach resort as it’s aristocratic roots date back to 1911 when the railroad arrived from Bangkok and some in the royal family built vacation homes here. By the mid-1920s it was a full-fledged resort town for the Bangkok-based nobility with a golf course and a seaside hotel. Today, Hua Hin […]

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