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TOP THINGS TO DO IN HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON), VIETNAM The big city of southern Vietnam! There isn’t a ton here by way of historic tourist sites, but there’s still a lot to do. With arguably the best food scene in Vietnam, it’s a foody paradise. We spent about three days here, but could’ve probably spent at least a couple more just taking in the city and getting to all the restaurants on our wish list!  We primarily used Grab and our two feet to get around the city. The traffic here is insane and we wouldn’t recommend using a rented motorbike unless you’re a really experienced driver. Lane discipline isn’t a thing and traffic signals are suggestions. That, plus potentially corrupt police mean you could be pulled over simply to help pay for someone’s lunch.  We skipped a lot of the most common tourist attractions in Saigon because they just weren’t very appealing to us. Many of them have to do with Vietnam’s violent struggle towards independence and unification. We understand t...

  TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO VIETNAM Area Overview - Vietnam is one long, s-shaped country, capped at either end by its two biggest cities - Hanoi (north) and Ho Chi Minh City (south). Ho Chi Minh is also known by its former name, Saigon. In the middle of the country, you’ll only be an hour away from Laos on side and have beautiful beaches on the other. Most people do a trip starting in the north and then make their way south. Others, like us, go the other way, but we’re definitely the minority. You’ll find the most transportation options going in the southern direction and you’ll end up in or near Ho Chi Minh City, which as a ton of options for travel to other neighboring countries (like Malaysia, Cambodia, or Laos).   Brief History - Vietnam was originally heavily influenced by Chinese culture, then the Japanese used central Vietnam as a trading port for its ships. Historic Vietnam was different kingdoms. North / south. American war, then united in 1974.  Getting Arou...

  FUN AND INTERESTING THINGS TO DO IN Seoul, Korea We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we entered Seoul. It was a place on our list only because a number of friends had visited and because we thought it might be some type of tech mecca because of companies like LG and Samsung that call it home. We had also read about some travelers being disappointed with their Korean experience - especially those that had just come from Japan...like us. We spent around 10 days in Seoul. Longer than expected because we came to know about a lantern festival only after we had landed. We extended our trip, shuffled some of our downstream plans, and made sure we didn’t miss the chance to celebrate this festival in the biggest city in Korea. A handy resource is the https://korea4expats.com website. It’s been put together by expats for expats to help them adjust and assimilate into Korean life and culture. I would definitely recommend combing through this! > WHERE TO STAY We stayed in Hongda...

  FUN AND INTERESTING THINGS TO DO IN Gwangju, South Korea Gwangju isn’t a common destination on most Korean itineraries for the reason that there honestly isn’t much to do there (though, right outside the main bus station, you'll find a really helpful tourist office with maps of local sites to visit!). That region or area is known within Korea for having some of the best food in the country, but as vegetarians we really didn’t get much of a chance to experience it. There is supposed to be one really amazing vegetarian place in Gwangju itself (Naver: http://naver.me/5BSaW5MT ), but it’s about an hour (by bus) away from the main bus station so we didn’t end up making the trek there. Instead, we used Gwangju as a base for a few day trips. Given it’s serviced by an airport, a high speed train station, and a bus station you’ve got pretty much any type of transportation method you could need to explore the southwest region of Korea. One thing to note is that the main bus station is ab...

  TOP THINGS TO DO IN Taipei, Taiwan The capital of Taiwan! It’s a big bustling city surrounded by many options for eventful day trips. We spent about four days here. It was more than enough for non-rushed sightseeing and a single, packed day trip outside the city. The buses, trains, and subway make getting around really easy. Ample eating options everywhere make it a foodie mecca. Here are some of the top things to do and our highlights: > Shifen Waterfall - We did a day trip out to Shifen from Taipei via train. It took about 2 hours to get there with one train change at Ruifang Train Station. Once we arrived in Shifen, we walked through the small town which is full of vendors selling souvenirs, food, and lanterns. The waterfalls are approximately 1.5 miles from the town and there are plenty of scooter rentals and taxis you can take to get close to the trail head. I’d say it’s a pretty easy walk since you only have to navigate some stairs, walk across some fun suspension bri...