This is a common sight if you wander around in the south of Vietnam, a few small tables with very simple table setting with big plates of herbs and vegetables. Noodle soup is being sold here, Do not worry, come and sit down, order a bowl of noodles.
For many foreigners, eating noodles or sticky rice for breakfast instead of eggs, toast or cereal is normal because they are in Viet Nam now.
Noodles with beef also very popular in Saigon. In some places they served the biggest quay(bread) that I've ever seen before in my life.
Some other places serve Chinese noodles which look like other noodles but they have wontons and different vegetables and the pork is sliced longways.
Bun bo Hue is a really special noodle style from Hue which is served with lots of different veggies, pigs feet and cooked beef. It's a delicious dish but needs lots of chili added to it.
This is yet another different noodle dish with a slice of spare rip on the top, cooked pork, some chopped carrots and some cooked bean shoots and coriander.
The last dish is sticky rice. There are so many different kinds of sticky rice, some with minced pork, some with sweet potatoes, and some are a mixture of black bean, green bean and just plain white stickyrice. To be served on top, people usually choose some more meat or some grilled or steamed sausages or sliced cooked chicken...The special thing about sticky rice is the seller will add some peanuts, dried onion and some sauce to add extra flavour.
This is a very popular dish which most Vietnamese people love.. It's also very easy to make, only taking about 15 minutes following this recipe:
A very cheap dessert that you can try right on the pavement throughout the center and the south of Viet Nam. It is called Chuoi Nuong (grilled banana).
It is an amazing dish which only costs about 5000Vnd. 
I suppose the reason why is that Tet is a family occasion most of all. I spent my time at home and playing tennis with my sister. We had such a great time there. So, finally, on the last day before I left there, Thao, Lien and Tuyet invited me out for lunch at a restaurant along the river, which is such a great place to eat, peaceful, quiet and delicious food. We ordered too much food as usual - a hot pot, frog, cuttle fish, prawn, fish and different kinds of salad.
We chatted about so many things, about who will get married first or who can afford to get married...I always feel so good being with them, so much laughing and jokes. After the meal, my friends wanted to go to the fortune teller. We found a place but so many people were waiting because having your fortune told at the beginning of the lunar new year is very popular. I had to catch the train to Saigon so we decided to do it next time.
There is also still a Soviet style here which is most obvious in local apartment buildings and companies which look quite ugly and old.
Besides that, there are hundreds of cute houses and beautiful villas around the city, some of which follow the French style and some just a very simple style.
As you can see from my pictures, some houses are almost falling over because the government built new roads. I think it's quite impressive that people still live in these houses, ignoring the dangers waiting for them at any moment. Do you think it's worth it to risk your life like that?
I do agree that the expression "Land is gold" is right for Ho Chi Minh City, where the tiniest space is used for doing business. It's also the reason why there are so many narrow tall buildings in this city. I hope this satisfies my readers who wanted a comparison of the 
In my opinion, both are beautiful even though there are distinct differences. 
My sister prepared a really nice special southern fish hot pot called Ca Keo for our dinner while I was staying with her in Saigon. Ca Keo is a small, thin, long white fish with not too many bones and a delicious flavour.
She made the stock by following a special recipe which included lots of herbs, bean shoots, lotus, water spinach, banana, Bach Tang, Giang and Dang vegetable, lots of green veggies and a really special vegetable called Nhut vegetable which is only available in the south. She bought the live fishes, mixed them in vinegar and salt to get rid of all the scales from the fish, and then boiled them for a few minutes before eating them straight by deeping some fish sauce with chiili.
This is a very healthy dish especially from Ho Chi Minh City that can be served with different noodles or rice.
Tet is a chance for family reunions, a good chance for me to meet up with all my good friends, my family and relatives. After lots of preparations for Tet, the last day of the year went by and my sisters and I went out to have a look at the fireworks which the government normally organises. This year it was weird because nothing happened at midnight! There were thousands of people crowding the square near the beach who waited around for nothing. A bit disappointing.
Li xi (lucky money) is something that most people have to give at this time of the year, which can be expensive. It depends on who you happen to meet. If we meet relatives, family or good friends, we usually give anything from 50,000Vnd. If we meet acquaitances , we give from 10,000Vnd to 50,000Vnd. Before giving them the money in a red envelope, we wish them luck for the coming year.
Nha Trang is a holiday destination for southern people who live in neighbouring provinces, where they can enjoy the sunshine, beaches, bars and good food. There are also lots of people from the north or even from the centre of Viet nam who come here as well. They usually visit islands for a day, go to pagodas, temples for another day and they spend most evenings in seafood restaurants and bars late at night. It's really a safe place to hang around late at night, you can walk on the the beach for the fresh air or drive along the main streets without any problems.
After meeting my sister in Sai Gon for a hit of tennis and a feed at her house, we all took the day train from Sai Gon to Nha Trang. It was great to go by train during the day because we could see the countryside view which is beautiful. However, the train is a bit too much for me because it’s too crowded. Because evrybody's trying to get home for Tet, they allow far too many people on the train. There were people sitting on the floor, sitting on plastic stools in the hallways or lying on the floor where the carriages join which is dangerous, noisy and not clean.
Anyway, we arrived in Nha Trang safely at 6.45pm, the weather was cool and nice. But this is unusual for this city which should be warm at all time. I’m so glad to be here, my hometown where I can meet all my good friends, to be at home with family and enjoy my favorite seafood. 
In addition to my early visit to the fish market which was amazing, we went to Cho Lon - the Chinese part in Sai Gon, to the market which has unbelievably good food. We tried a couple of different noodle dishes, bought some gifts and had a bit of a chat with the local people there. Although it was really busy the day before Tet, the friendly atmosphere was easy to feel.
This is the place where many Chinese people live and they speak both Vietnamese and Chinese, their accent might be a little bit different but I can still easily understand.
After the Chinese district, we went around the city by motorbike. Ho Chi Minh City was well prepared for Tet with so many things happening, from the flower markets to the normal decoration on the streets. People are in such a hurry going around on their motorbikes carrying lots of stuff on the back.
I always enjoy my time in this city - so many things to see and do.
I arrived in Sai Gon early in the morning. I don't know why but I couldn't sleep at all. On the recommendation of 
