Vietnam Insider: Robert Reid

Vietnam Insider
Vietnam Insider: Robert Reid
Vietnam Insider: Robert Reid
"My new favourite is Phu Quoc Island. Some go to snorkel, but I like renting a motorbike and searching out hidden beaches around the island."
Vietnam Insider
Topics:
Vietnam

Vietnam has been something of a second home for the past decade and a half.

Vietnam News. After returning to the US, I started travel writing for publications such as the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle as well as updating guidebooks for Lonely Planet (including South-East Asia on a Shoestring) and creating a free online guidebook to Vietnam.

What's your favourite thing to do on a Sunday?

I like starting a Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City with a swim. High-end hotels offer day passes of their pools, but I prefer swimming with locals at the French-built pool Hoat Dong (55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street), just behind Reunification Palace. Afterwards I go for a huge "English breakfast" at a place like Au Parc (23 Han Thuyen Street), then check out the communist-propaganda posters at Dogma (43 Ton That Thiep Street) and find a street side café to sip a strong cup of iced Trung Nguyen coffee.

How would you spend a long weekend?

From Ho Chi Minh City there are many good options for quick trips — Dalat's cool temperatures, the Mekong's waterways — but my new favourite is Phu Quoc Island, off the country's south coast. Some go to snorkel, but I like renting a motorbike and searching out hidden beaches around the island. It's best visited in October through March.

What's your idea of a good night out?

Some places like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang have a reasonably active nightlife, with discos and karaoke bars — but neither of these are really my thing. I prefer long dinners with lots of courses, and a few beers (served with a huge chunk of ice).

Next: Where NOT to go

User comments
Greetings from Grandeur Journeys, Vietnam. Highly appreciate for your great Article about Vietnam. I work in Travel Industry and I do understand what you mentioned about. Would love to welcome and share our passions for travelers to Vietnam. Certainly, would love to sip coffee with you at Trung Nguyen cafe in Saigon. Cheers, Van Hai, Grandeur Journeys, Vietnam

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