Femi

Great report. It brought back many memories

seemaskt

Thanks all!

dgunbug - I love mango and chilli powder! I make it at home sometimes (but the mangoes are not as good here), and have it whenever I go back to India. I'm not sure if you visited South India, but you'll see vendors selling this on the road side there as well. A good substitute is star fruit with salt and chilli powder - you get the same sour, salty and spicy combination with the crunch.
Wasn't the staff just amazing! Definitely one of my most favorite hotel stays as well.

linawood - Lucky you! Where are you going this time? Have a great trip!

shelleyk - if we revisit Vietnam, I think it will be the North again (we loved it) and maybe the Mekong (we have already been to some of the smaller floating village communities in Cambodia which were lovely), but with so many places to travel to and so little time, I'm not sure if we'll be back in Vietnam anytime soon. Next trip to Asia I'm hoping will be Myanmar or Laos (apart from our usual trips to India).

seemaskt

Here's a link to the pictures.

http://culturesconnected.smugmug.com...l/Vietnam-2011

There are 6 albums in all. Hope you enjoy!

aprillilacs

I really enjoyed your report and all the detail. Your trekking experience near Mai Chau sounds awesome. Those villages and the rice harvest were really wonderful experiences for us, though we stayed in on of the closer villages--either Poom Cong or Lat, not sure which one. Though they were indeed a bit more tourist-oriented than what you described in your village, the ambience was laid back and friendly, the food was excellent, and our night under the mosquito nets in the stilt house was great. Probably the best part, though, was wandering along the paths that border the fields and watching all the activity late in the afternoon and early in the morning.

Anyway, thanks for all the detail you provided--it brings it all back to me! Happy travels--where do you go next? (BTW, we loved Battambang too.)

dgunbug

Thanks again. The pictures were great. Have you done China? That is our next destination. We spent 3 1/2 weeks in India in Sept/Oct, but did not get South on that trip. The mangoes here in Florida are just not up to par with those in Asia. Perhaps in the future we will return to Southern India.

linawood

We like the north too. We are looking at a 5 day trip to the Ha Giang area for starters then maybe Ninh Binh area and/or Phong Nha Farmstay and/or Hue (again - we got rained out last time). Still in planning stages which is a very fun part for me! Everything possible.

seemaskt

Thanks aprillilacs. Not sure where to next, since we will be going to India first to visit family. I've got a few ideas but it all depends on when we will be able to take time off from work.

Dgunbug - Have never been to China though I did briefly consider the Yunnan area for this trip. Have you decided on an itinerary yet?

Linawood, that sounds like the makings of a great trip. I love the planning as well.

aussiedreamer

WOH what a great report, I've only just started reading but have to go out agghhhhh.

We leave for Cambodia & Vietnam March 19, so I'm saving this for a good read. We will be staying at Elegance Diamond hotel; hopefully the standard will be as good as the Ruby. Reviews are great and they have been so helpful. We usually book everything ourselves but they were so lovely with everything we too have got them to book our train to Sapa, (we’ve organised a driver for Bac Ha) Halong Bay cruise and all our transfers.

Can't wait to read the rest, especially as you love food ha ha, I sometimes get 'confused' looks or odd comments when I post photos and comments about what we ate in foreign countries. For us it’s a highlight, wether its high end or street food. In Hong Kong last year, we ate in Michelin starred restaurants and it was great, but my fondest memories are of the awesome street food.

Thanks for taking the time.
(Ps. there’s always more people reading than there are commenting, but it’s nice to know that someone is reading, isn't it?

ready2go4

What a yummy report. We will be in Vietnam from March 17 -31, and after reading your tips, we'll eat well. DO you know if the cooking schools accept school-aged children (ages 11 & 13). Also, you don't report any worries about all the raw veggies; does that mean that all is safe to eat? I hope so. Many thanks

seemaskt

Thanks ready2go! I am pretty sure kids will be accepted at the cooking school, but it may be best to email them to confirm. Or call them a couple of days in advance.
Regarding raw fruits and veggies - we usually eat them no matter where we travel, but we grew up in India, so I guess that makes a difference. It all depends on your comfort level and what your stomachs are used to.

Have a wonderful trip!

seemaskt

Hi aussiedreamer, sorry I missed your post..had been away from Fodors for a few days. Glad you're enjoying the report. I'm sure you'll love the Hanoi Elegance Diamond...I read very good reviews about them as well when I was researching our options.

Ah, the food...I still drool thinking about it. You'll love it!
We tried some of the food we had in Hanoi at a restaurant in NY this past weekend, but it was nowhere as good. Quite disappointing actually. Will try a few others, maybe we'll get lucky.

Check out this blog - we got a lot of our ideas from here.
http://stickyrice.typepad.com/

Have a fantastic trip!

sf7307

See asks, ever since we got back (last March), we've been looking for the best bun cha in the Bay Area - so far, we've only found 2 we thought were "reminiscent", but neither was anywhere near as good as what we had in Hanoi. Guess we'll have to return!

seemaskt

I guess so, sf7307. I haven't found Bun Cha here yet, but the Bun Bo and Banh Cuon were both mediocre. Sigh!

I made clay pot caramelized pork last weekend that turned out great, so I'm going to try all the recipes from our cooking class. Hopefully, that'll be some consolation.

aussiedreamer

Thanks so much I'll have a good look.

dgunbug

seemaskt - looks like we will do Beijing (6days), datong (2), pingyao (2), Xian (3) with day trip to luoyang, Nanjing (2), Hangzhou (3), shanghai (5) with day trip to suzhou or another water town. We don't have our tickets yet, but hope to get there on the second week of October. Finally, we will travel at the optimal time of year!

Still searching for good Vietnamese food in Florida. My husband is not looking forward to the food in china.