In December 2017/January 2018, we decided to head back to Southeast Asia to visit our friend Kate, who had been living in Manilla, Philippines. We started in Vietnam with stops in Hanoi, the beaches of Phu Quoc, and Ho Chi Minh City, before meeting Kate in Cambodia to see Angkor Watt. For our final stop, we spent 2 days in Hong Kong to load up on dumplings and break up the flights to get home.
Itinerary
Day 1: Flight from JFK to Hanoi
Day 2: Explore Old Town Hanoi
Day 3: Street food tour with Kevin
Day 4: Exploring Hanoi Hilton, French Quarter, and Museums
Day 5: Fly to Phu Quoc and celebrate New Years Eve at hotel
Day 6: Bike tour to fish sauce factory and coconut prison
Day 7: Beach day and Vietnamese cooking class
Day 8: Beach day and night flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 9: Walking tour through Saigon
Day 10: Fly to Siem Reap and sunset at Angkor Watt
Day 11: Angkor Watt tour
Day 12: Angkor Watt tour
Day 13: Fly to Hong Kong, tour Kowloon, and view skyline light show
Day 14: Walking tour of Hong Kong and hike to Victoria Peak
Day 15: Fly home
Highlights
- All of the delicious bites during our 5 hour private food tour with Kevin in Hanoi - including recreating Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain's bun cha meal (pictured above)
- Walking through the Hoa Lo prison ("Hanoi Hilton") and having a random American turn to Dan and go, "John McCain, am I right?"
- Pretending to be wealthy Russian oligarchs during stay at the overwhelmingly luxurious JW Marriott Phu Quoc and playing "paid with points or oligarch" with other guests
- Celebrating New Years Eve with free wine and room service, followed by sneaking in to the hotel's $300/person party for free open bar, shrimp barbecue, and dancing in the waves (and then "liberating" leftover wine from the party back to our room for future dates)
- Ice cold fresh coconuts with straws each morning at the hotel's amazing breakfast
- Sweating through a very hot but very educational self-led walking tour of Saigon, capped with sunset views from the observation deck bar at Bitexco Tower
- Being surprised with nice champagne and pate at the Le Meridien Saigon's concierge lounge (thanks, platinum status!)
- Finding banh mi so good we had to go back again for breakfast on our way to the airport
- Finding chances to escape the crowds at Angkor Watt complex (NOTE: waking up early for sun rise was not one of those times, but still beautiful)
- Getting dumplings at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong -- worth the repeat visit and long lines
- Direct views of Hong Kong skyline from our room and hotel's rooftop hot tubs
Hotels
- Hanoi Trendy Hotel and Spa (Hanoi)
- JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort (Phu Quoc)
- Le Meridien Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Le Meridien Angkor (Siem Reap)
- Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers (Hong Kong)