Composed by Triều Lê, Trang Lê, Ngọc Lê, and Nam Lê — with love and opinionated truth. We thank Jason Miller for sharing his tip on the visa application.

<aside> 🥳 Welcome to Vietnam! We are so glad you’re visiting our lovely country.

</aside>

<aside> 💍 And yes, Trang’s wedding! You would be able to see firsthand a traditional Vietnamese wedding and observe our close-knit Viet families.

</aside>

Main events

You’re invited to two official events on Monday, December 26, both in the peninsular city of Vũng Tàu where one can watch both sunrise and sunset over the ocean.

First is the morning engagement ceremony called Đám Hỏi, where the groom’s family & friends present dowric offerings to the bride’s family (at their residence).

Second is the evening wedding reception at the Palace Hotel.

Notes and tips

You don’t have to go looking for great food in Vietnam. Great food finds you. — Anthony Bourdain

OK, that’s very romantic, but be careful with the food you eat on the side of the street! If you can see street vendors make the food and it’s cooked and hot, go for it! DO check out the places we recommend. Otherwise, (Trieu thinks) American stomachs may not be accustomed to the ingredients prepared. Also, don’t try too many foods at once. We suggest you eat moderately 3 meals a day.
Do bargain! In buying souvenirs, unless you see the price of the item, most of the time the shop owners would automatically say a price that is 2-3 times higher than the price that they charge us Vietnamese (sometimes even we get fooled). This is pretty common in the northern region. Don’t let the locals take advantage of you. Be polite but firm!
Viet Nam has amazing vegan and vegetarian restaurants. In Vietnamese, these foods are called “chay”. I suggest searching tiệm chay or quán ăn chay to find vegan restaurants in your area, for example: in my hometown. If you’re seated down at a regular restaurant, you can say “Tôi ăn chay” to let the server know that you don’t eat meat.
Finally, do not overplan! A good thing about traveling to Viet Nam is that sometimes things don’t go the way you like, but don’t let the unexpected ruin your day. You’ll figure it out along the way — go with the flow! You got this!

Readings

Adventures with the Meanderthals.: April 2010 (peterandophelia.blogspot.com)

Hungry for more of Vietnam | Financial Times (archive.ph)

How to bargain in Vietnam like a local? - AMA Vietnam (ama-vietnam.com)

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Main events

South Vietnam

Middle Vietnam

North Vietnam

Notes and tips

Readings