Hoi An Market

Morning in Hoi An, before the shops open

 Flower seller in the Hoi An market

 Chicken vendor at the Hoi An market

 Shoppers at Hoi An market.  Note the helmets over the hats.

Dawn at Hoi An

Dawn along the Thu Bon river, Hoi An, a truly beautiful place

Ang Bang Beach at Hoi An

Ang Ban beach is one of two beautiful beaches located just a short bike ride from the centre of Hoi An.  The South China Sea waters are clean and refreshing, there’s usually a nice little body surfer’s shore break, the beach is clean and the umbrellas offer plenty of shade.  The Cham islands in the background can be visited on a low-cost day excursion from the Hoi An wharf.

Swim at An Bang beach, Hoi An taking comfort in the knowledge that the ever vigilant lifeguards are looking out for you. 

If lolling around on Ang Ban beach is all too hard , you can retreat to the bars and cafes overlooking the beach for a cold beer, a fresh coconut, some snacks or whatever else is on offer and takes your fancy.  

Vietnam Trip 2012

Hoi An’s riverfront outdoor hawker stalls, cafes and restaurants where one can enjoy cool fruit juice, fresh coconuts, Vietnamese beer and delicious foods while gazing at passersby, fanned by the cooling river breezes. 

Dusk in Hoi An, serene and peaceful, viewed from a river boat cruising lazily along the river.

Visiting a Vietnamese herb and vegetable garden along the river in Hoi An, gardener in attendance.  The young herbs and mints are carefully weeded and nurtured

In the heat of the day, shops in Hoi An seem cool and inviting, shaded by lovely flowering plants, quite typical of Vietnamese shop fronts and houses. 

Fresh fruit vendor in the market in Hoi An.  Note the green oranges, dragon fruit, green mangoes and jambu nestling next to the more familiar apples, pears and grapes.

Short Singapore Trip

Hi all,

Singapore has many food courts offering an array of hawker style foods at reasonable prices.  One such place is a food court where the decor is scholarly with bookcases and fake book covers.  It is located in the Suntech Convention Centre, which is easily accessed from a number of MRT stations.  

Quite a good range of food is available ranging from suckling pig (the real thing, not the larger teenage piglets) to one of the best parathas in the island of Singapore and also Thunder Tea soup noodles (using tea for flavouring).

It is not to be confused with another foodcourt in the adjacent Suntech shopping centre which houses the (yet to be world famous) Japanese Royce' chocolate boutique with its signature luscious green tea chocolate.  I first came across the Royce' chocolates in Niseko in a Royce' cafe outside the Niseko Hilton.  Royce' has the very best hot chocolate I have ever tasted after a morning of skiing in powder snow but I have yet to bring myself to try their potato chip chocolates.  

It was a wonderful surprise to find that Royce' chocolates are available in Malaysia in the Tropicana City Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor and also in Singapore’s Suntech food court. However, I did not see any sign of the Royce' chocolates in Vietnam but there are other equally expensive foreign brands available in the more exclusive parts of Ho Chi Minh city. 

Good Food #1

Beef jerky salad, Hanoi

Pomelo Salad, Hanoi 

Beauty of Sapa

We made a recent trip to Vietnam in December 2011. Here's a few pictures from our trip to Sapa, Vietnam. Sapa is situated close to the border with China, in the Lao Cai province. 

Sapa market 

Among the few things that caught our eye were the vegetarian ingredients for hot pot in the Red Dzao restaurant, especially after having a glimpse of the young men preparing the ingredients at the back of the restaurant! 

Here's a souvenir shop in Sapa.  

 Young hill tribe mom carrying her baby at the souvenior shop. 

 Dad carrying his son on his way up to the hill. 

We were amazed by the scenic beauty of Sapa, to say the least! 

More pictures and updates to come! 

From all of us at VOAP :) 

Vietnam

Morning market at Hoi An, Central Vietnam