Return from Việt-Nam, fresh perspectives.
Vịnh Hạ Long Bay, Northern Việt-Nam
Whenever we return from a trip away our familiar surroundings, we are constantly reminded to remain grounded, sane and humble. Vietnam reinforced everything we understood about people, culture, society and cuisine. We both should never assume and teach that how we live and what we eat here in America is definitive of our backgrounds. Every reunion, set of tears, alley stroll, food stall, family meal, scooter ride, interview and conversation is a continuous learning experience.
Our stomachs were pleasantly nourished with different flavors,
Phợ (beef noodle soup) is not always served with basil, but with plenty of fresh mint,
Bún Bò Huế (spicy Hue noodle soup) is not always served with rau răm, but with plenty of fresh basil,
Nor is there a vegetable platter at every bowl.
The big cities change, thrive and flourish with each passing day,
while small rural towns struggle to keep up with the rising cost of rice.
Many youths have the splendor of living with modern conveniences,
while others will never see the privilege of running water.
Cousins are healthier, happier and prosperous,
Aunties have a television to watch American shows,
Uncles have digital cameras that helps them earn a living,
and Grandma still reminisces about the past,
reminding us all the importance of family, respect and kindness.
Ancient city of Hội An, Central Việt-Nam
Thanks for joining us on our trip through our Twitters. As we organize all our photographs, video’s and thoughts together, we’ll be sharing SO MUCH MORE with all of you over time. Until then, we’ll share shorter thoughts through our photographs on a regular basis.
Here are some sights of our trip.
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P.S. Go watch a Paul Newman movie in tribute to this immense legend. He was one of the coolest, and savviest actors of our era. And a good man. Thank you Mr. Newman for the wonderful moments you’ve given us.
Previous Viet-Nam posts you might enjoy reading and viewing:
beautiful pictures… and welcome back… looking forward to your post soon… 🙂
Welcome back T&D! Glad your visit to Vietnam was lovely. I’m looking forward to more photos/videos, not to mention some new, amazing foods and recipes.
ECM- We’re not selling anything at this point, but thank you for the compliment!
toonz- we were a little tired after the flight back home, but got back to local time asap because of work. ugh!
pop2003- we shot with two cameras Nikon D100 and D300, but mostly with the D300.
veron – the pork was soooooo good! wish you could have tried it!
Christine D- thanks for the Twitter friendship!
Lisa- we miss ya too! yes, we’ve got lots of recipes lined up!
Maybelle – we were so sad about Paul, he’s one of our favorites. We’re fans of his older movies.
Shari & Cynthia- thank you!!
Tenina- OK! I’ll get going on that bread!
Andrea- thanks for following our tweets!
Manggy- yes. we brought over 90 G of media storage and used over 78 G! That’s how much beauty we saw!
hong P- you are totally correct! Viet food in America is SO different from the home country. Much of what we see in America is reflective of Southern influences.
Hilary – wow, two months in Vietnam? Great! I’ll have to check to see if you posted anything about your trip!
Lydia- Yes, Hoi An is great, but such a tourist trap now. My first trip to Hoi An was back in 1995. I was shocked to see so many changes!
Christie & Cakelaw- thanks! you two Aussies were not too far from us!
Happy Cook, Grace, Alexandra & Recipe Girl – Thank you all! We’ve got lots more to share.
Mollie- We really miss Paul and were very sad too to hear of his passing.
I loved the twitters and can’t wait to see and hear more! So fantastic.
Paul Newman passing was so sad… I just adored him.
My gosh, all of your pictures could and should be in a magazine. I want to go to Vietnam right now!
welcome back!! Sounds like you guys had the most amazing trip. Luv the gorgeous photos … can’t wait for more! 😉
Wonderful pics! Can’t wait to read more about your trip 🙂
welcome home! i’m sure your trip was a fabulous experience–thanks for letting us live vicariously through you! keep those pictures coming! 🙂
Welcome back, looks like you had a wonderufl time and looking forward to hear more about your trip.
Wow, looks like you had a terrific time! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Gorgeous photos! Can’t wait to see the rest. So glad you had a great time – I loved being part of it via Twitter!
Welcome home! I’m so glad you got to Hoi An, one of my favorite places on earth. Looking forward to more reports from this wonderful trip.
I spent two months in Vietnam in 2005. Halong Bay was one of my favorite places. This post brings back a lot of memories.
Great photos!!! The regional differences with different “classic” dishes surprised me too. Even though my family is originally from the north, I found it much “harder” to eat while in Hanoi and that the dishes in southern regions/Saigon more similar to the ones here in America.
I am so happy you guys had a great time and maximized every minute of it, it seems! All your pics are exquisite– but I suppose it won’t be difficult to take beautiful pictures when you’re surrounded with so much beauty, isn’t it? 🙂
Welcome back! It was fun to keep up with you through your tweets, and your photos are beautiful. Looking forward to more photos and stories!