We’re in the process of writing more entries for Vietnam, after all, Sherry's an expert on Vietnam because she lives there now! In the meantime, check out Sherry’s posts about her career break experiences from Otts World:

[singlepic=1326,200,,,right]8 Questions - Northern Vietnam
When I decided to go to Vietnam I realized that besides seeing a few Hollywood movies about the war, I knew very little about the country and the American history there. This was really the first country that I visited so far in my travels that was tightly intertwined with US History - all within my lifetime. I felt that I needed to educate myself if I was going to be traveling in such a hotbed of history.  Read More

One Man's Pet is Another Man's Dinner
I’ve seen my share of markets during my travels - I feel like I”m pretty seasoned when it comes to seeing every imaginable type of veggie or fruit, smelling every fowl odor that comes along with the fish markets, and I’ve been exposed to cuts meat and parts of animals that will shred your stomach. Every market still seems to have a surprise to it - and that’s what draws me in. The Bac Ha market in Northern Vietnam is tucked away high in the hills and it’s full of local flavor. Read More

[singlepic=1328,200,,,left]Hanoi - the City that Sleeps
Hanoi is a large metropolis of 3.1 million people. Yet there are no sky scrapers. However, there are about 100 motor bikes for every one car! In cities of this size we tend to think they they never sleep - that they are always bustling. However I was stunned to find out that Hanoi did sleep - it shut down around 11PM and got it’s beauty rest - and that’s when I arrived. Read More

[singlepic=1329,200,,,right]How to Cross the Street in Vietnam
The first time I went to Rome I was in awe of all of the motor bikes - zipping around - I thought it was great in a chaotic sort of way. When I arrived in Bali this year and thought, Rome is for amateurs! I’ve never seen so many motor bikes in my life - and families of 4 riding on one motorbike. I really thought that I had seen it all. I landed in Vietnam and I think I have now entered the motorbike capital of the world. I read in a magazine that there are around 100 motorbikes for every car in Hanoi…and I completely believe it. Read More

[singlepic=1330,200,,,left]Hue - Where My Luck Finally Ran Out
Out of the train and into the sauna of Hue. We traveled by train through the night into what is considered as South Vietnam. Hue is a small town of about 300,000 people (I’m not being sarcastic) and it holds a very prominent place in Vietnam history. The first and most important thing to know is that Hue is pronounced ‘way’. Read More

A Stitch in Time - Hoi An
I have been a clothes hound my whole life. I still remember my favorite outfits from when I was a little girl (the blue holly hobby top). My mom used to sew me outfits, yet she never passed that sewing skill on to me - I preferred to simply shop for my clothes in the mall! Clothes have always been memorable to me. I like to play this game with my nieces where they model clothes and shoes from my closet and I tell them what city and store I bought it from. So when we pulled into Hoi An - the tailoring capital of Vietnam (and maybe SE Asia) - I felt like I had come to the promised land! Read More

[singlepic=1332,200,,,right]The City with Two Names - SaigonI always wanted to change my name. When I was about 8 years old I told my brother and sister that I was no longer going to answer to being called Sherry anymore; from this point forward I would be going by the name of Farrah. I idolized Farrah Fawcet and used to re-enact every episode of Charlies Angels each week with my neighborhood girlfriends Donna and Jenny. I of course was Farrah every week – apparently this re-enactment was going to my head. Saigon had a similar identity crisis in the 70’s. Read More

[singlepic=1333,200,,,left]Goodbye Vietnam
You can’t come to Vietnam and not recall Robin Williams famous words “Goooodddd Moorrrnnninggggg Vietnammmmm!!!” I had spent one month in Vietnam – the longest in any one country yet (besides my SE Asia home base of Singapore). I had high expectations for Vietnam, and I’m happy to say that they were met. Read More

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