Chuc mung nam moi!

I’ve been here 11 days now and I’m still almost at a loss for words on how to describe it.. Paradise comes pretty close, but it still misses something. This is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The weather is amazing and the scenery is phenomenal; the food is absolutely delicious; the people are friendly and kind. When I landed in Ho Chi Minh City I was blown away by the city at night. Driving from the airport to the guest house at 2am was incredible! There’s a quirky mix of pagoda-style buildings, new age “high-rises” and a SPECTACULAR amount of plants, and mixed with the 78 degree humidity it made the city almost magical. Then I woke up and got to go eat my first real meal here and it all became real! Pho with beef.. A little disconcerting for a vegetarian, but it was delicious! It’s much easier to accept thath eating meat will make my trip easier, so I’m giving up the meatless life while I’m here. It became really apparent while I was visiting Vinh Long City with my roommate, Linh, that being a vegetarian was nearly impossible. In a single week I went from meat-free to having eaten blood and fish lungs. Yes. Lungs. And other body parts I don’t want to name. Let’s just say I justified it by appreciating that no part of the animal went to waste! Vinh Long City was amazing. It was cool to meet Linh’s family and just relax for a week.. It’s not something I get to do very often! Everything there was SO cheap and the city is right on the Mekong, so I got to see the Lunar New Year fireworks over the river. Unfortunately my camera is out of commission at the moment, so I don’t have a photo for this post. When I get back from Cambodia on Sunday I promise multiple! All in all, I’m really glad I ended up here (however I did it) and I can’t wait to share more of it with you all!