Short tip on Vietnam

This is a straight copy and paste of quick advice I gave a mate a while ago. I’m horrid at this blog thing!! I’ll update and polish it up when I get a chance but hope it give a good insight!

1. Ho Chi Minh City / 2. Nha Trang / 3. Hoi An / 4. Hue / 5. Hanoi / 6. Ninh Bình / 7. Ha Long Bay / 8. Sapa

“Hi Ashley,

Some pointers on Vietnam The south would be a good place to go, there’s not much to do apart from the Mekong delta and communist war sites or dip into Cambodia for a bit. I highly recommend the north! My family is from the south though so that might be another reason why I’m a bit bored of it.

Begin in photos

A typical overcrowded fishing boat full of hopeful refugees

Swag. Mum and her two younger sisters, freshly arrived to Sydney

Mum and dad on a hot date

Dad rocking a slick white suit with mum on their wedding day

Begin

The chunk of this will be about my move abroad about two years and a half ago where I’ve frolicked a good deal in-between. But I want to start from the absolute beginning. My family were never, and still aren’t supportive of my galavanting. I suspect that it’s because their travel was to escape oppression and to find a better life for their children. I love my mum and dad to bits, they are strong, honest and hardworking people. I respect their opinion but I don’t agree with them enforcing it on me. But parents are parents, and their blinding love to give you the best can be overbearing. In the wake of international opposition to refugees at the moment due to terrorism, it’s a good insight to my own parent’s story as there ishistorically a familiar pattern of countries’ opposition, fear and uncertainty of welcoming refugees into their country. My parent’s story is not unusual and ring close to that a lot of other Vietnamese refugees.

Intro

I always thought about writing about my whereabouts in the last couple of years travelling. I’ve seen some real interesting sights, met vibrant people and changed dramatically inside. It would be a waste not to recount for my own memoir and to share, but I was never a good writer and didn’t want to do a casual job of it. So this is my attempt at recounting my story as I experienced it, as well as some notes/tips about locations and insights on how and why I did things. It’s not perfect or comprehensive, as much as you plan mishaps are inevitable along the way and is all the more part of the journey. I’ve learnt a lot of things reading other people’s blogs and editorials and it’s also been a great resource when I was planning trips or needed guidance to do miscellaneous things. Apologies in advance that this may be a slow project but I hope you enjoy the read!