by Pete Barba

When we first went to Vietnam in 2015, many people asked “why?”  I’m sure many of you have those same questions.  Understandably, for the American baby boomer generation, just the name Vietnam raises deep lying emotions from a horrific war.  But Vietnamese people are so much more than our often limited view of them.  Like all countries, their tragic history is part of what makes their culture unique.

I first became enamored with Vietnamese culture when I was a young teenager.  My mom taught English to Vietnamese immigrants in Pennsylvania where I grew up. As a teacher, my mom was highly regarded by the Vietnamese families and we were invited to birthday parties and other celebrations.  I vividly remember eating “delicious but weird” food and smelling new smells, for their food wasn’t part of mainstream American cuisine 40 years ago.  Foods like banh mi, spring rolls, and pho were new and unique to my American palate, and the smell of fish sauce was offensive to my delicate nose.  But what really stood out was the hospitality and love coming from the immigrant families towards my family, something not commonly experienced in 1980s American suburbia.  I dare say that those memories shaped my lifelong desire to experience new cultures (and food) through travel.  

Nearly 9 years ago, to celebrate my 40th birthday, we left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and traveled to Vietnam with our besties for a two week adventure exploring Vietnam.  We traveled quickly from south to north on a foodie Intrepid tour, taking in the sights in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Hoi An, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and Mai Chau, a small hill town in the northwest of the country.  This brisk overview of the country left us with wonderful memories of caring people, amazing food, ancient cities, and natural wonders, and we swore we would be back some day.  Upon returning home, we introduced our kids to Vietnamese food and shared many photos and stories, imprinting on them the desire to visit this wonderful country.  

We were especially enamored with the UNESCO heritage town of Hoi An, so we decided to dedicate 3 weeks of our trip to this city.  This gave us time to finish up homeschooling and rest our travel-weary minds and bodies.  It also allowed enough time to deeply explore this small town, beach, and rural surroundings.

When we left Hoi An a decade ago, we were told by our driver that there were grand plans to expand the tourism market, with resorts planned for the coastline surrounding the ancient city.  Those plans partially came to fruition, because the once small undiscovered town is now surrounded by upscale resorts catering to the growing East Asian tourism market. These resorts are contrasted with abandoned beachfront mega resorts whose construction was halted due to overexpansion and the economic downturn from COVID.  These massive concrete skeletons loom large over what once were unspoiled beaches and rice paddies, their bones casting a depressing mood on the once beautiful area.  The other curse on the area is the very history and beauty we fell in love with, for once an area is “discovered” by the tourist market, it becomes loved to death.  Last time we visited, while it was a tourist destination, we could still feel its cultural roots and find spaces where we could be alone.  Now the old town feels more like a Disney destination, with hoards of people vying for the perfect picture, sellers pushing their wares, and every other gift shop selling the same gimmicky trinkets.  Just as we have seen in Venice, Athens, and Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco, tourism can smother a culture if left unchecked.  (Don’t worry, we found a few gems to share.)

Our first few days in Hoi An were filled with loss of the memory of what once was, but as we’ve experienced time and time again on this trip, what really counts are the people of this blue ball we all inhabit.  Two of those people are Linh and Thinh, owners of Breeze Restaurant and Basket Boat, a small family run establishment with a cooking school and sunset views over the river that take the breath away.  We stumbled upon this place as it was close to our first small hotel, and it turned out to be our defining memory of Vietnam.  Just as I remembered from growing up, Linh and Thinh welcomed us with warm hospitality, making us feel like part of their family.  Our first meal was delicious and was the food of Vietnam we remembered – fresh, healthy and full of balanced flavors.  We ate under the thatched roof of their restaurant, which is located on a quiet stretch of the river, where the sun sets behind the distant mountains.  Perfection.

As a general rule, we avoid eating at the same place twice on the same trip, inevitably the memory of the first meal overshadows the subsequent meals.  To emphasize how great Breeze was, we ate there three times and loved it every time!  After the first dinner, we signed up for a cooking class a few days later, and we were not disappointed.  

We started our morning with a basket boat trip on the river. The small fishing boats in Vietnam are unlike anything we have seen in our travels.  They are six foot (2m) diameter woven baskets covered in a waterproof shell.   How the Vietnamese use these in the open ocean is beyond my comprehension.  Everything we look for in a boat, the ability to maintain a straight line, avoid spinning and stability, do not exist in this design.  Yet they have been used (along with more familiar boats) for millennia with success.  Our guides navigated us upstream and into the channels of a local island where they made us origami style figurines out of the reeds.  While they paddled, they sang to us and let us join in the fun.  We spun, rocked and frolicked in the tiny boats, under the scorching sun, the whole time laughing and having a blast.

Safely back onshore, we started our cooking class with Linh.  Linh is a professional chef, who used to work at one of the major cooking schools in Hoi An before she and her husband decided to do their own thing.  Her tiny stature is offset by her huge heart that makes everyone feel welcomed and loved.  She patiently taught us how to make four dishes, bánh xèo (Vietnamese stuffed pancake), BBQ shrimp wrapped in banana leaves, seafood salad with shrimp and calamari, and clay pot curried eggplant.  Not only is she a great teacher, but she also doted on our teens, making them feel loved and supported.  At one point the heat became too much for Drew and they nursed him back to health with mango smoothies, cold towels and lots of TLC.  At the end of our cooking class, we enjoyed the food, washed down with a cold local beer, while enjoying the lively atmosphere.

During our three week stay in Hoi An, we enjoyed three different lodgings, a small personalized hotel with a private pool, a local AirBnB run by an Italian expat and his Vietnamese wife, and a resort on the coast for pampering.  All three places were wonderful in their own way, and each had air conditioning to help us escape the sweltering heat.  Unfortunately, when we planned the trip, we failed to realize that May is the hottest month of the year for Vietnam and our Northern European genetics don’t handle 40C/100+F degrees and 100% humidity days.  

We woke early in the cooler mornings and enjoyed iced coffee and the views.  During the unbearable afternoons we worked on the end of our school year so we could get a “summer vacation” during the rest of June and July.  We finished our science, history, literature, and spanish courses (we finished math in Japan).  Yay!  For fun, we had lots of pool time and watched lots of movies to escape the relentless heat.  However, sometimes we just had to brave the heat and explore the area.  Besides the cooking class we did several other excursions that Kate and the kids will tell you about in the next story.  Check back for a countryside motorcycle tour, custom tailoring, snorkeling, and lantern making!

We ate out extensively, enjoying the wonderful (and inexpensive) Vietnamese food.  For those who haven’t experienced Vietnamese cuisine you are missing out.  Unfortunately for the Vietnamese, throughout history they have been repeatedly occupied by many other cultures, including the Chinese and French.  Fortunately for Vietnamese cuisine, this means that their food has taken the best of these other cultures and made it their own, creating food that is well balanced and fresh.  The classic banh mi sandwich is made with crusty bread and pate from the French influences, roasted pork from Chinese influences, and fresh herbs and picked veggies from Southeast Asian influences.  You see, this blending of cultures across all their cuisine is what makes it so special.  Nowhere else in our travels have we found food that is so perfect in its blending of sweet, salty, sour, spicy, umami and freshness.  

On several evenings, despite the crowds, we ventured into old town Hoi An to see their famous hanging lanterns, make wishes with floating ones, and admire the handcrafts that can still be found along the old streets.  Come here if you can, and do your best to see past the constant tours clogging the streets and the sellers trying to grab a share of the spoils.  Seek out a family restaurant, an artist, or a leather worker.  Bring your camera and find your favorite lantern, or learn to cook your favorite dish.  Laugh with a child, converse with a shop owner, and smile at a grandmother resting in a doorway.  You won’t regret it.

As our three weeks came to a close, we had one final meal with Linh and Thinh, our new local friends.  Their food never disappoints and they showered us with hospitality including parting gifts to take with us on our travels.  We hugged as we parted ways, promising to return someday.  Despite the crowds of Hoi An and the relentless heat, we will always feel at home in Vietnam due to wonderful people like Linh and Thinh.  It gives me hope in humanity, that despite a horrible war half a century ago, we all can have love in our hearts for our worldly brethren. 

Thanks for reading to the end.  Next up: Vietnam part 2!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  Please note that any links or business names provided are for information only, we did not receive any compensation for our opinions or recommendations. As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us!