vietnam in review

Vietnam Halong Bay

After every country we visit, Vikram writes about our overall experiences and highlights. Here’s his take on Vietnam! Vietnam rivals Colombia as our favorite country of the trip thus far. The wide range of activities available in the relatively small country, the friendly people, and the phenomenal food will likely make it our top recommendation for anyone considering a trip […]

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trekking in sapa

Vietnam Sapa Rice Terraces

One of our trip’s highlights had rather inauspicious beginnings: a restless sleep on an overnight train, an unexpected 5 am wake up call, almost being whisked away by a souvenir hawker instead of our guide, and pouring rain—when we were about to go trekking for 10 kilometers. We were in Sapa, a town in the far north of Vietnam, and we […]

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hanoi highlights

Hanoi Vietnam

I was so excited to get to Hanoi because we were meeting up with our friends Margaret and Jessica! It was great to explore the lively Vietnamese capital with them—from simply catching up in local cafes to brainstorming Hanoi-related puns (e.g., bringin’ “ha-noise”) while taking in the sights and sounds the Old Quarter. The city’s Old Quarter is always on the […]

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learning about livelihoods in cambodia’s countryside

Cambodia

Cambodia has awesome temples, but it also has beautiful countrysides—and one of our favorite activities in Cambodia ended up being a bike tour through the green and verdant countryside around Battambang. Battambang is the country’s second biggest city after Phnom Penh, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it upon arrival. It has a very small town feel, and we could traverse the city center in […]

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cambodia’s killing fields

The killing fields of Cambodia are a blunt reminder that humans can commit atrocious, unimaginable deeds. Vikram and I both knew woefully little about the killing fields and this terrible part of Cambodia’s recent history—before this year, the names “Khmer Rouge” and “Pol Pot” would perhaps ring a bell in my mind, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you […]

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