Breakfast & Lunch

We all know how important food is, perhaps especially when traveling. Where is our next meal coming from and what will it be? Not to worry. Breakfast at the hotel is a remarkable international buffet. Some of us relished the croissants, which spoke of Vietnam's French influence.  Some of us went with our traditional granola, yoghurt and fruit; others headed for seafood or the delicious Vietnamese pho. The buffet included an actual honeycomb, positioned to drip honey into a serving dish!

Lunchtime brought delicious noodle dishes and the bottled beverage of our choice!

Ho Chi Minh & History

Our day began with an amazingly comprehensive overview of Vietnam's geography and history from our guide Huy. We learned that a more accurate way to write "Vietnam" is "Viet Nam," meaning the Viet people; we heard about the flow of coastal settlement from north to south matching the hospitality of the terrain and resulting in a long, skinny S-curved country; we observed the French architecture of the bright yellow-orange government buildings, a strong statement about the prominence of official buildings. We viewed Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the modest houses where he lived in Hanoi in the context of his larger life story...the fascinating journey of a man dedicated to the nationalism of the Viet people against the odds of colonialism and occupying forces over many, many years. We learned that many of the participants on our tour have a strong emotional connection to the "American war" years and as a result seek a more nuanced understanding of Vietnam's history and culture.