Destinations we love

Vietnam — the trip we talk about most.

Linda's side of the family. Saigon, the hills above Da Nang, Hoi An at night — walked in Tet week, when the snake was on every corner and the lanterns stayed up late.

Family first

This one is not a postcard. It is a last name on Linda's side.

Italy is Collin's name on a coastline. Vietnam is Linda's family, written in a different direction.

We did not try to see the whole country. We did the Saigon day — Cu Chi, then the Cao Dai temple — flew up to Da Nang, walked Ba Na, and let Hoi An have the evenings. Thailand is the next country on that same winter. It has its own page.

Da Nang across the bay from a hillside terrace, a red lantern in the frame

From the camera roll

The country as we actually saw it.

Tet decorations, a temple hall, the lantern streets. Not a highlight reel — the days as they looked from where we stood.

Silk lanterns strung over a Hoi An street at night — Hoi An after dark. The lanterns do the talking.

Happy New Year 2025 display at the Cu Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh City — Cu Chi, Tet week. The snake was everywhere.

Green dragon coiled around a pink pillar inside a Cao Dai temple — Inside the Cao Dai temple. The dragon, then the eye in the window.

Linda standing beside a Tet snake display on a Da Nang street — Da Nang, in the decorations. The city we used as a base.

A bowl of che duong nhan, the Vietnamese beauty-nourishing dessert — Chè dưỡng nhan. We ordered it because the sign was honest about what it was.

A large red Tet lantern hanging above yellow hoa mai and chrysanthemums at night — Tet at night. Red lantern, yellow mai, and nobody in a hurry.

Places we went

Not a bucket list. The actual stops.

These are the pieces of the trip we still talk about. Da Lat is a later morning — the highlands card stays under If you go.

The city

Saigon

The trip starts here. Street food, the pace, and the day out to Cu Chi while the Tet displays were still up.

The day trip

Cu Chi & Cao Dai

Out of Saigon for the day. Tunnels, then the temple with the dragon pillars. Heavy history next to a long car ride.

The hills

Ba Na Hills

The cable car, the gardens, a Buddha the size of a building. Touristy on purpose. We went anyway.

The coast

Da Nang

The base. A bay you look at from the hillside, Tet still in the streets, and the evening drive to Hoi An.

The town

Hoi An

Lanterns, cao lầu, a pace that finally matches how we travel now. The stop we would redo without changing much else.

From the trip

The stills, and the clips that live on Instagram.

The photographs sit here. The moving footage is on Instagram, where we posted it first.

Watch Vietnam

Ba Na Hills

The cable car, then a statue you have to look up at. Opens the Vietnam clips on our Instagram.

Lanterns covering the front of Vi Que restaurant in Hoi An

Watch Hoi An

Hoi An at night

Cao lầu on the sign, lanterns on every beam. Same Instagram set.

If you go

The Vietnam cards from the old site.

The Saigon itinerary is ours. The Da Lat cloud hunt is the Viator listing we kept. Some links are affiliate (#ad). Thailand has its own page — it stays off this one.

Our itinerary

Saigon, 1-day itinerary

The free one-day we published on Explore Travel Finds. Not an affiliate. A day we actually wrote down.

Open the itinerary Viator · #ad

Cloud hunting in Da Lat

The highlands morning. If you only book one thing after Saigon, make it this.

See the Da Lat tour

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Hotels & tourism boards in Vietnam — hello.

If your property genuinely welcomes families, we would love to show what that looks like.

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