5 Off-The-Beaten-Path Things to See & Do in Hanoi

I’ll admit that my initial expectations for Northern Vietnam’s capital city weren’t exactly sky-high.  The classic travel route through the long, thin slip of a country bordering the South China Sea is generally north to south or vice versa. The cheapest return flight that I could find back to the U.S. was out of Saigon, so I chose to start at the opposite end in … Continue reading 5 Off-The-Beaten-Path Things to See & Do in Hanoi

An Amateur Epicure’s Tour of Hanoi

Hanoi is well known as the capital of the Northern Vietnamese culinary scene, and it certainly lived up to its name.  More so than its neighboring countries, Vietnamese food felt zesty and fresh, leaning heavily on the addition of fresh herbs for flavoring more than spicy chilis or coconut milk, ingredients characteristic to other countries of Southeast Asia. As a wannabe gourmand, I did a … Continue reading An Amateur Epicure’s Tour of Hanoi