Côn Đảo

We took a very short escape for four nights to Côn Đảo for relaxation which we enjoyed very much. The surroundings are still pretty much wild jungle with beautiful pristine beaches. The locals are very charming and friendly. I love the way the main town is nicely planned with good tidy infrastructure (unlike Hanoi) which makes the town run very easily and smoothly. One main priority when I'm on the coast is finding good seafood. Not difficult on Con Dao.

We hired a motorbike for the whole time to discover the island ourselves instead of taking taxis or joining tour groups from the hotel. We found wild beautiful beaches around, great little coffee shops and also great local seafood restaurants. We kept going back the the same restaurant for the whole four days. Called Ớt (Chilli) Seafood Restaurant, it was serving a great selection of live fresh seafood from crabs, shrimps, Moreton Bay bugs to lobsters and fish. I love the simple cooking methods they suggested, either steamed or barbecued, but always tasty. They also cooked a very nice sweet and sour fish broth to eat with rice and also steamed veggies eaten with a special dipping sauce: Kho Quẹt.

After lunch each day, we headed to Góc Phố Cafe to enjoy their coffee. Sitting on high plastic chairs looking over the road without any traffic and the town's clock tower. Life is so easy, calm and peaceful in this town.

Food is always my first highlight and I'd like to mention my second highlight; the Six Senses Resort. We had such a fantastic time with good breakfast and dinner even though it was more expensive than what we normally pay. We really enjoyed the ocean view from our room, the infinity pool and private beach.

I'd come back here again and hopefully the place stays the same as it is now: charming, peaceful, friendly people and great seafood.

Nha Trang Dec 2014

A short and sweet break is always great especially when it's back to my hometown to visit friends, family and eat amazing food. I never get tired of eating seafood and Nha Trang is right on the coast and therefore offers plenty of options. Seafood is included in most dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I started my morning with a bowl of fish noodle soup or Bún Bò Huế then rode to some random cafes to meet old friends. After that, I stopped at my favorite place for a snack, where they make rice crackers and steamed rice pancakes topped with stir fried spring onions and tiny dried shrimp. It was so yummy. I had two hours break in between meals to play tennis at my old club where I used to play 13 years ago. It was fun to meet old friends at the club. We always laugh so much as tennis in Vietnam is completely different compared to western style tennis. Much louder. More like the atmosphere at a football match.

I followed tennis with lunch at home, prepared by my mother and sister in law. I know there's always lots of excellent food waiting for me. Dishes on this day were sweet and sour fish broth, steamed squid, deep fried tuna with special dipping sauce (fish sauce, chilli, garlic, lime and sugar), salad and deep fried pork belly. I'd never ever be able to finish this food even though I try. I was so stuffed that I couldn't breath. Thanks my family for the generous great spread of food.

The next day, I caught up with my good friends for dinner. We went to the new part of the city for a special seafood treat. We had way too much food to eat again. We ate BBQ prawns, BBQ squid and BBQ fish with salt and chilli and fresh jelly fish salad and steamed crabs. Surprisingly we finished them all then headed back to town for a drink at the Intercontinental hotel. It was a nice bar but unfortunately empty and drinks weren't the best!!!!

I spent more time over the next two days focused on eating and I tried all my favorite dishes in Nha Trang but I still didn't have enough time to eat Nem Nuong.

Good reason to come back in February for this dish.

Ruou Sim Bay Gao

On my last trip to Phu Quoc, I stopped at Bay Gao Sim wine house and work shop. The proprietor is the first man to make Sim wine in Phu Quoc using the traditional central highland style of one of the minority groups. He started making it over 20 years ago but started his own business in just the last 14 years.

This special Sim fruit is grown in Phu Quoc and only bears fruit for a very short season from February to April. To make the wine, Mr Bay Gao needs to buy from the growers in the forest then ferments it for 3 months.

This wine is apparently good for upset stomachs and sleeplessness. It tastes a little bit like red wine and is also said to relieve stress, guard against physical tiredness and prevent bladder infections. Like so many kinds of alcohol in Vietnam, it seems to be a miracle cure.

Address : Sime Wine Bay Gao
124 Duong 30/4, Khu Pho 1. THi Tran Duong Dong, Huyen Phu Quoc - Kien Giang

Saigon, July 2010

I'm in Saigon for a few days before taking some members of my family to Bangkok for a short vacation. The weather in Saigon is a bit different to Hanoi but I like Saigon as it always cool from 4pm which is much better. At the moment it's rainy season which helps keep temperatures down a bit.

Yesterday, when I wandering around the market in the afternnon when I realised my Iphone had gone. I'm very upset with myself for not being more careful with my bag. Normally in Hanoi I know exactly what's going an around me and where my phone is. I just lost concentration for a second and it was gone!

I'm trying not to let this incident ruin my holiday but it's hard. After trying to call the phone a few times I gave up and went back to the hotel. Later in the evening I went out for some snacks, including duck eggs and crabs with tamarind sauce. This made me feel better but I'm still thinking about the phone.

I was trying to take few photos of the food but I couldn't get them in focus, which I hate. There must have been something wrong with me at the time. I decided to walk back to the hotel for an early night. The next day I returned and had more success taking photos of the food. I really love eating from this old lady who has quite a striking face. She is quite a character, smoking, swearing and laughing with all of her customers. She rocks everybody who comes to her stall.

I also went to my favorite Hu Tiu vendor for breakfast. It was great to see she remembered me and what I normally order as extras such as fresh beanshoots, a bit more dried onion... The only thing that she doesn't know is that I don't eat lots of meat and noodles now because I am trying to loose some weight and workout on my belly. Anyway, I went back to her shop for every breakfast and the day I left early for Bangkok, I got up extra early for another serve of noodles.

A smile and a wave from her was a great start to my trip.

Disappointing Aspects of Phu Quoc

I spent two weeks in Phu Quoc and everything seemed perfect with great weather and beautiful food, especially the seafood. But as always, there were some issues that came up

I went out for lunch on one particular day, walking along the beach just up from the bungalows we stayed at to try to have some different food instead of going into town. Unfortunately, it was a mistake to choose the Lien Hiep Thanh Hotel and Restaurant right on the beach. I ordered grilled squid with salt and chilli, spring rolls and sour broth with tuna. It sounded great as these are specialist dishes from Phu Quoc and most places I've been they had been so nice and yummy. Well, they served us boiled squid instead of grilled and I told the waiter that it was not what we ordered in a polite way but he denied it, telling me this is their restaurant's grilling technique. I was a bit upset and I ended up taking it back to the kitchen myself and they promised to make a new dish for me. Ten minutes later, the same plate came back with the half bitten piece of squid. I couldn't say a word as they were so hopeless and they waiter tried to make a joke but it turned out all stupid. The sour broth with tuna which should be great as it's simple to make was tasteless, the tuna wasn't cooked enough and, if that wasn't enough, the spring rolls tasted like they were from the super market. Totally sucked down there at the Lien Thanh!!!! No tip and worst meal of my life.

On another point, I was expecting the food at the night market to be cheap but it didn't work that way. Most restaurants at the night market were more expensive than restaurants in town and in the hotel. A prawn cost $4, 4 pieces of squid cost $5, a pice of tuna cost $5. Hello!!! this is Phu Quoc, an island where you can catch fish anywhere.

Phu Quoc, Here I Am....

I am in Phu Quoc, the place to be!!! This is my second time here but I feel like I know this place very well. The people I met last time, from the hotel staff to the people who live around, are all still here. They are gorgeous with smiling faces and so sweet. We're staying at the Thanh Kieu Resort, the same place I stayed last time. I was lucky enough to get a room here as I booked way in advance as I heard some people couldn't get a room or had to pay lots of money for due to Tet holiday.

This is the first time I am not going home for Tet. I just want to do something different as I've been home every year for the last 8 years. I also want to spend sometime here to relax and enjoy myself. I do love my city but I went home last month to visit my family and my mother seemed happy with my decision.

The weather in Phu Quoc is so beautiful compared to the freezing cold in Hanoi and it makes me feel so great. I am going to go to the beach to relax for the first few days and read a bit then off to the city for dinner at the night market which has the best food in town and REALLY CHEAP!!!! They're cooking fresh seafood in the Phu Quoc style which is a bit different compared to other cities in Vietnam. I will eat all of my favorites, especially stir fried crab with tamarind sauce. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!!!

Happy Tet every one and see you in the next few posts.

Coriander Restaurant

Do you like Thai restaurants? It's a bit hard to decide which Thai restaurant to go to in Ho Chi Minh as there are so many to choose from. My friends told me about the Coriander Restaurant in the back packer area in Bui Vien street. This is a small and simple restaurant like others in this area. When choosing where to sit, there are three options that you can choose: the second floor, the first floor or the back room. I love the back room because it's very simple, traditional seating on floor cushions and nice Thai paintings on the walls.

The menu highlight was Pad Thai, great Thai green papaya salad and you cannot miss the Thai green chicken curry. Take care though, as I was nearly crying when I finished the curry because I forgot to tell the waitress to make it mild.

Beside the Thai menu items, they also have some other Vietnamese and Western dishes and imported Thai drinks. The food is presented carefully and really tasty with big serves and quite cheap compared to other Thai restaurants in town that I've been to. I recommend this one!

Coriander restaurant
185 Bui Vien, District 1
Telephone 84.8.8371311
Mobile: 0909304814
Ho Chi Minh City

Rainbow Bar

The Rainbow Bar in Phu Quoc is the coolest and most relaxed bar on the island. Located right on the beach, furnished with simple tables and chairs and hospitable staff, it is the place to while away a few hours over drinks, a meal or a book.

During my recent trip to Phu Quoc, I visited this bar at various times of the day and enjoyed at least one meal here on each day of my stay. One particular dish which I couldn’t resist was their sour fish broth, a specialty of the south and one that is real comfort food for me. As a son of the south, raised in Nha Trang, I have very fond memories of my mum and sister cooking this soup at home. The Rainbow Bar produces a very fine version of it.

The French owner of the bar understands the need for drinks to be cold in this tropical climate. The beer was frosty at all times and he was mindful of wine drinkers, too, making sure that the bottles are cellared and stored adequately and served at the correct temperature. I enjoyed some lovely Chilean Sauvignon Blanc one evening.

The Rainbow Bar opened on the island five years ago after a successful period trading in Nha Trang, also beachside. When the local government reclaimed the land to develop the foreshore, the owner was forced to re-locate and saw the potential of Phu Quoc as a growing tourist destination. He hasn’t looked back since.

It’s easy to understand why. He has a great location. Who wouldn’t want to sit overlooking the sea, watching seafood grill on the evening barbeque, beer in hand and sunset in view. The seafood needs to be ordered in advance to avoid disappointment so I found myself planning my dinner at breakfast time. A fluent speaker of Vietnamese, the owner is a great resource of information on the island.

All in all, the Rainbow Bar is my kind of place.

Thanh Kieu Resort In Phu Quoc

Thanh Kieu sounds pretty much like thank you in English. Quite a clever, catchy name for a resort when I think about it. Easy to remember, too. Thanh Kieu Resort in Phu Quoc is located right on the beach, hidden away from the dusty red clay road. Surrounded by a tropical garden of bamboos, palms and tropical plants and flowers, this hotel is a little piece of paradise that I really feel like keeping secret.

A family business where most of the staff is related to the owner, the accommodation consists of mostly thatch-roofed bungalows with terraces overlooking the beach. A couple of newer bungalows with tiled roofs have been built recently but are simply equipped in exactly the same way, with two beds and the necessary mosquito nets, fridges, fans and cold water bathrooms. Well, to call it a resort might be a bit of an exaggeration but considering the beach is right outside, a hammock swings in the sea breeze and the weather is hot, there isn’t much call for a room with much more than the basics. Let’s just say, for me, it’s a resort.

On the hotel’s beachfront, two coconut palms grow almost parallel to the sand. I could’ve sat all day observing the simple things around me, sipping on cold mango juice and taking the occasional dip in the sea. The thing is, though, that the hotel’s chief receptionist, Mr Tuan is rich with knowledge and ideas about how to while away the time on this island. But there is no pressure. I just appreciate it when I’m kept well-informed of the activities and places of interest on offer. When I was feeling energetic, I took his advice to visit the pepper farms and the beautiful deserted star beach. He also directed and accompanied me to the night market for a taste of the local seafood. Good service is hard to find sometimes. Not here.

Established for around three years, no restaurant exists yet. This does not present any problems as the same plot of beachfront is occupied by the very casual Rainbow Bar. In the mornings, I just fell out of bed, wandered a few steps and ordered scrambled eggs on fresh round knots of bread. In the evenings, magnificent fresh seafood and tall cold bottles of beer were the perfect way to finish the day, whether it was an active one or a lazy one.

At night in bed, the fan whirs, the sea ebbs and flows and I think I must be dreaming. When I wake up, I realize it’s just another day in paradise.

Thanh Kieu Resort Coco Beach
100C/14 Tran Hung Dao Street
Duong Dong Town - Phu Quoc District
(84).(773).848394
Mobile: 0919 707 576 - 0917 200 725
Email : thanhkieucocobeach@yahoo.com

Phu Quoc Town

Phu Quoc is a really hot place for people who need a relaxing time on a beach which is still wild, quiet and peaceful. Phu Quoc people are generally friendly, sweet and helpful. The small town on the island is very interesting, surrounded by the ocean and people here rely on fishing and tourism for their daily income. Even though they all know that their small beach town is a great destination, everything seems very cheap here compared to other beach cities in Viet Nam which is good.

However, it's hard to get a good room here without making a reservation at least three weeks in advance as I did. I was so lucky to get the only room left on my arrival. You may get a cheap and doggy room for about $12 to $15. In Phu Quoc, a variety of tours also can fill your schedule up: daily boat trip, squid fishing in the evening or visiting the north and south of Phu Quoc in a full day trip. If you don't choose the beaches near your hotel in the town, there are some more remote beaches that are incredibly beautiful. It might be just you alone on the whole beach. Paradise!

Along the main road leading to the south of Phu Quoc, there are many joint-ventures and local companies investing in big and high class resorts, also an international airport. It seems to be one of those situations where development is necessary but I hope it doesn't ruin the simple atmosphere of the island. It's annoying getting covred in dust on the roads here but I suppose you can just dive into the water at the beach to wash it off!

Anyway, Phu Quoc is still a beautiful place and worth staying for a few weeks just to relax. For the next couple of years, even though the development is fast, it will be possible to have a great holiday here.

Boat Trip In Phu Quoc

My friends Anne, Arno and I joined a boat trip visiting 12 islands around Phu Quoc to swim, snorkel and sunbathe. The second stop was the most impressive place during the trip as we stopped at a really beautiful white sand beach, which looked like a private beach, not too big and very clean. There were so many beautiful fish and so much coral around and the water is crystal clear and I felt so fresh. We had lunch on the boat and the food was fine and included deep fried tofu, stir fried mixed vegetables with beef and squid and vegetable broth. They also gave us some fresh fruit such as pineapple and watermelon for dessert.

The last stop of the trip was Sao(star) beach and we travelled there by bus, not by boat and I don't really know why, perhaps to save money. The trip only cost $15 for the whole day. Anyway, this is one of the most popular and best beaches in Phu Quoc but it was also full of tourists.

On the way back to town we were laughing heaps as the driver kept using his horn and tourists in the group keep asking him why this happens in Vietnam and not in their countries. He said he needs to use the horn because there are many cows, chickens and dogs wandering in the middle of the road and of course there are hundreds of people driving the same time as us but by motorbike as well.

We had such a good fun day and thanks to my friends and the tour for such great company.

Phu Quoc Part V

During my trip to Pho Quoc, I decided to take it easy for one full day just relaxing and walking along the beach. In the evening, I met up with my friends, Anne and Arno, for dinner at the Rainbow Bar which is right on the hotel's beach. We started with some cocktails and beer then we had two bottles of red wine and white wine over the whole evening. We felt a bit drunk afterwards and then we booked a table for Christmas Eve which was the next day. Following the recommendation of the restaurant boss, we pre-ordered 2 big fish (about 2kgs) for grilling which for some reason is much cheaper than ordering on the day. That suited me as I had more money for wine!

We had a great time on that evening and the grilled fish was so good plus in addition to the barbequed crocodile, squid and prawns. I suffered from a really heavy hangover the next morning before having my last look at Phu Quoc before leaving for Saigon at midday. I hired a motorbike to drive to town for a big bowl of noodles for breakfast and to take some final photos plus 2 pills of panadol and a can of red bull. I felt a bit better but I didn't realize that I left my wallet in the taxi to the airport with all my money and my bank cards. Thank god, I called the hotel and Tuan Anh, the receptionist, solved my problem and the driver brought it back to me at the airport.

The last few words I want to say about Phu Quoc are: Peaceful, Beautiful, Sweet people, Great food and Thuan Kieu is such great resort. I want to thank Tuan Anh and Phu Quoc has given me such a memorable trip and I'll be back for more. See you again soon, Phu Quoc!

Phu Quoc Part IV

I joined the squid fishing tour for a few hours that evening and this is such a fun thing to do for experience. It cost only $15 including transport. Catching squid is not as easy as I thought and not a single person could catch anything for three and a half hours. There were two young girls working for the tour company who joined the trip with us and they vomited non-stop which made me feel sick as well. Anyway, the tour company prepared some squid porridge and some fresh fruit for everyone and it was really good.

One morning, I hired a motorbike with a driver to discover the north of Phu Quoc, including a fish sauce factory, national park, pepper farm, Nguyen Trung Truc hero temple and the Viet Nam - Cambodia border. Discovering Phu Quoc by motorbike is such a great way as I could stop at any place for photos, coffee or even the toilet. The downside was that my whole body got covered in red mud after travelling over those roads for a few hours.

I was really impressed by the wild beaches along the coastal roads. They all look so clean with white sand and virtually nobody around. I bought quite a few kgs of black and white pepper from the farm for me and my good friends from Hanoi. Phu Quoc's pepper is really famous throughout Viet Nam. The fish sauce factory was interesting as I saw hundreds of huge timber barrells which can hold over 15000 litres each. Fish sauce in Phu Quoc is acclaimed over the world and I eat it almost everyday at home with rice. Some of my friends asked me to bring back some but it's illegal to carry fish sauce on a plane in Vietnam.

To be continued

Phu Quoc Part III

I decided to take it easy, just laying on the hotel beach for the whole day then take a squid fishing trip in the evening for a few hours. The beach is really quiet not because I am the first one on the beach at 8am but that's just the atmostphere on Phu Quoc. There were only a few hotel staff hanging around cleaning and collecting rubbish and organizing chairs for hotel clients.

I saw a few people driving their small fishing boats setting their nets along the beach then they stopped in front of my hotel before starting to pull the net from two different places which were about 2 kms long between each other. They were working so hard but they smiled all the time which is really nice. I saw quite a few kids around both on the boat and on the beach with their families trying to help pick up the fish and put water into the big fishing boxes. I'm sure they should be at school but I suppose their parents need them to help earn the family income.

So, I spent around three hours watching the activity of these people fishing at the beach then I decided to hire a motorbike and drive into town, check out everything and take some photos around the central market. The market was very interesting with a variety of food, mostly seafood with lots of huge fish, prawns and squid. People were posing for me and kept asking me to take more photos of them. They were laughing out loud when I showed them their own faces. This doesn't happen much in Vietnam. Normally people object to me when I want to take their picture.

I also stopped at a fishing village near the market and it reminded me of the fishing villages near Nha Trang but much smaller. The standard of living around these areas seemed not very high as people rely mostly on fishing and working in the market or being a motorbike taxi but they seem very happy with their lives. There are lots of smile in Phu Quoc.

To be continued

Phu Quoc Part II

My trip to the south of Phu Quoc was pretty good as I visited some interesting places such as very famous dog supply, pearl workshop and some souvenir shops. The most disappointing place was Phu Quoc prison which is not what I would call a tourist attraction. The people who take care of this place were eating in the entrance way on the floor when tourists were there, their kids were crying and shouting all over this place. How disappointing! It has quite a lot of potential if it is managed better.

I also went to the old port for some shots before heading to the most beautiful beach in Phu Quoc named Sao - Star beach. This is truly a beautiful long white sandy and wild beach with lots of coconut tress along it. I had a really nice seafood lunch there for only $15 including a cold 333 beer, grilled prawns with salt and black pepper, steamed squid with ginger, stir fried shell fish with lemongrass and black pepper and salad. I felt regret that I didn't swim there as I forgot to bring my swimming shorts. Perhaps I should have gone in my underwear!

On the way back, the driver intended to show us a waterfall but I wasn't in the mood for that as I was a bit too tired to climb up to the waterfall and I decided to go back to the hotel for a cold shower then head to the beach to relax and swim. Finally, we got back hotel and I was so pleased with my room right on the beach with two bathrooms, one inside and one outdoor. I love having a shower outdoors which is nicer and cooler.

After a long morning, I finally made it to the beach and had a swim for 30 minutes. It was so great swimming in the cool blue water that was so refreshing. In the evening, I hired a motorbike to drive down to town for dinner and stopped at the night market that is opened mainly for tourists. There are lots of local restaurants and bars there as well. I chose a shop in the middle of the market, which serves BBQ, hotpot and the specialties of Phu Quoc, meaning lots of seafood. They cooked it really well and people working in the shop were so nice and sweet.

I had two cold beers, a small seafood hotpot, grilled squid, steamed crab and crab with tamarind sauce. The food was so yummy and I could have eaten more even though I had already had too much. Compared to Hanoi, Saigon and even Nha Trang, the seafood here is amazingly cheap.

I went back to the hotel bar named Rainbow for one more drink before I went to sleep. I was surprised about how cheap the drink and wine prices were there - only 180,000Vnd per bottle which is much cheaper than in any bars in Hanoi. I decided to order a bottle of Sailing Colombard Chardonnay from Australia. It was good and after half an hour I had finished the bottle and felt a bit drunk. I asked for the bill then went straight back to the hotel room for a good night's sleep. I slept so well and deeply.

To be continued