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Vietnam is the one country where we really took our time. Our visas were good for one month and that was just about the perfect amount of time to see the small country from top to bottom at a leisurely pace. Contrary to other travelers’ experience, we enjoyed the north more than the south and found Halong Bay and Hanoi to be the highlights. Here’s a list of our favorite things to do in this rapidly changing country.

1. Asher — Play with Vietnamese children
2. Kieran — Play on the beach on a remote island in Halong Bay
3. McKane — Jump off boats in Halong Bay
4. Dax — Take a cooking class in Hanoi
5. Anne — Wander the hectic streets of the Old Quarter in Hanoi
6. Tom — Wade through seas of motorbikes in the cities

Technorati Tags: Family travel, Round the world, Round-the-world, RTW, Vietnam

The biggest surprise about the food in Vietnam was how fresh it was. The country is small and everything, produce and meat alike, is rushed daily from the countryside to the ciites. Everything is cooked outside in neighborhood street kitchens so the sights and smells are tantalizing. Tom and the boys loved learning about the cuisine from their cooking teacher, An, in Hanoi and will be available for demonstrations once we get home. Here are our favorite foods from this tasty country:

1. Tom — Bun Cha (grilled pork)
2. Anne — Pho (beef noodle soup)
3. Dax — Afghani Chicken at Omar Khayyam’s Indian Restaurants
4. McKane — Pho 24 chicken noodle soup
5. Kieran — Choco Pies
6. Asher — Spaghetti Bolognese

(At least the little kids are consistent with their preference for sweets and Italian food. That doesn’t seem to change no matter where we go!)

Technorati Tags: Family travel, food, Hanoi, Round the world, Round-the-world, RTW, Vietnam