Wandr: Vietnam, Part Three

BY: CHRISTOPHER BROWN

Wandr is a series dedicated to my international adventures, and to kick things off, I’m taking you on a multi-part journey through all of my trips to Vietnam, starting in 2016. Back then, I documented my travels through Facebook posts… and let’s just say they weren’t exactly my best work. Recently, I dug through the archives and decided to breathe new life into them, adding richer details, fresh insights, and the perspective I’ve gained since.

If you haven’t read Part One or Part Two yet, I highly recommend starting there!

After proposing to Venus during our last trip to Vietnam, we had a small, intimate wedding in the United States later that same year. Unfortunately, her parents couldn’t be there, so a year later, we returned to Vietnam to celebrate by having a much larger wedding ceremony, surrounded by her family and friends, to share that special moment with them.

June 15th, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

I’m caught in a space between two worlds, somewhere in limbo. As I write this, I’m somewhere above the South China Sea. Our travels have been smooth so far. I have my little big brother, Ian, with me. I call him my “little big brother” because he’s ten years younger than me, but half a foot taller. He’s coming with me to be my best man at the wedding. This is his first time flying and traveling internationally—just like it was mine a few years ago. I’ve always enjoyed watching someone experience something for the first time. There’s something about it that makes me feel like I’m reliving the moment all over again. I can’t wait to see his reaction when he steps into that thick, sticky air as we walk out of the airport and to witness his awe when he’s faced with an endless sea of motorcycles. He’s in for some serious culture shock, and I’m excited to see how he handles it.

I’ve only managed to sleep four hours out of the last 36. It’s nearly impossible to get good rest on a plane, especially with my little BIG brother crowding my space. Thank God for pre-downloaded podcasts, Netflix, Apple Music, and the six cans of Asahi that I finessed from the flight attendants during the flight. The inevitable heartbreak finally came when I found out my favorite sushi place at Narita had moved to a terminal I couldn’t access. We had to settle for ramen, which was fantastic. On the bright side, the bidets are still there.

In about an hour, we’ll be landing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My wife and her family will be waiting to pick us up at the airport, as they always do—but this time, it feels different. Maybe it’s because this trip is going to be jam-packed with finalizing wedding plans and diving head first into the celebrations. Or maybe it’s because Vietnam is starting to feel more like my second home. It’s probably a little of both.

June 21st, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

It’s been nearly a week in Vietnam, but it feels more like just a couple of days. Time has flown by. Already, I can feel the weight of the impending goodbye, knowing I’ll have to leave and head back home. There’s always so much to do here, and I can never shake the feeling that there’s never enough time to experience it all. Jet lag barely affected me this time. I usually get sick at least once because my body is thrown into the perfect storm of a different time zone, climate, and cuisine, but so far, so good.

So much has happened in the past week. We visited our go-to spots in the city—places we return to every time we’re here. Our favorite restaurants that serve dishes like dim sum (Chinese breakfast), phở (the famous Vietnamese noodle soup), bún bò Huế (spicy pork noodle soup from Hue), bò kho (Vietnamese beef stew), cơm gà (chicken rice), and cơm tấm (BBQ pork with broken rice). Shopping centers like Bến Thành Market, Saigon Central, and Takashimaya Mall. And, of course, my favorite breweries— like Pasteur Street Brewing and East-West Brewing Co.

We took Ian around District One to see all the historical spots I had visited during my first trip. For the first time, I had fallen victim to a tourist scam. I thought that after three years of traveling here, I would be “experienced” and immune to these sorts of things, but this guy got me good. We were walking near Independence Palace when we walked upon a man who was balancing a stick carrier for coconuts on his shoulder. We walked past him and he looked at me and flexed his bicep, trying to get me to flex back. So to amuse him, I did. He then acted as if I was much stronger than him and should carry his coconuts for him… so I did for a couple of feet, thinking he was just joking and wanting to have fun. I handed the carrier back to him and he proceeded to hand it to my brother. I took a picture because I thought he looked ridiculous carrying it.

After the photo, my brother gave the carrier back to him and the man knelt down to crack open a coconut and gave it to Ian to drink. He cracked open two more coconuts for my wife and me and then demanded payment for them. He only asked 90,000 dong for all three of them (about $4.50) but what if he had requested much more? The next day, we were walking near the same street and saw the same man using the same technique on two other guys (Vietnamese guys who weren’t as naive). They carried the coconuts but then refused to take the coconuts when offered. Nothing is free here, not even the napkins at restaurants (those pre-wrapped Wet-Ones). It’s that Vietnamese hustle.

However, everything is incredibly cheap. For example, this morning we had bò né for breakfast, which roughly translates to “dodging beef”. It’s a dish that consists of steak, fried eggs, onion, pate, and sausage cooked in oil over a huge open flame in a cow-shaped cast iron pan. It’s called “dodging beef” because the chef needs to dodge the sizzling oil and flames to avoid getting burned while cooking it. It’s hands down one of the best meals I’ve had here in Vietnam and it’s only $2.

I had the first weird food that I’ve ever had in Vietnam and made my brother try it with me. We tried cooked cow intestines. They’re very chewy with a lot of texture but they hardly have any flavor. Vietnamese people love food that has a lot of texture, as opposed to Americans. It’s supposed to make eating more fun, but I can’t agree. Let me go ahead and address the common stereotype. Vietnamese food isn’t weird or taboo. Sure, you can find those weird dishes here, but, I’d say that 90% of dishes here are made with “normal” cuts of pork, chicken, and beef. You have to go out of your way to find the weird ones.

I witnessed a motorcycle accident in Vietnam for the first time. We were sitting on the side of the street on little plastic chairs eating cơm tấm for breakfast when a taxi cab clipped the back of a motorcycle and knocked the driver and his bike over into the middle of the road. He was transporting ice cream and there was ice cream everywhere in the street. Luckily, other than being a bit shaken up, he was fine. As I’ve mentioned before, the traffic here is completely insane. It’s chaotic but the sea of motorcycles and other vehicles flows smoothly just like a school of fish, even around the accident. For example, if you need to cross the street on foot, it’s simple. Walk slowly in a straight line, don’t stop, and don’t make unpredictable movements. The motorcycles will avoid you, not vice-versa.

I don’t think I’ve ever discussed it, but my wife’s family owns an egg distribution company that buys eggs from farmers every day and distributes those eggs to businesses throughout Ho Chi Minh City. They sell a crazy amount of eggs each day. The downstairs level of their house (the business level) is full of egg crates that are stacked up to the ceiling. By night, they’re all gone. They have at least 50 employees, 10 delivery trucks, and many motorcycles to make this possible. I’m telling you this because, in addition to regular eggs, they also sell a special variety known as the thousand-year egg. It’s a Chinese delicacy—a duck egg cured in clay, ash, and salt for several weeks (definitely not a thousand years). Each egg is carefully wrapped in fancy red cellophane. Every evening, as their shift winds down, a couple of employees sit together and wrap these eggs. One day, I asked if I could join them. We don’t speak the same language, so we sit on plastic milk crates in silence, smiling at each other amidst the constant hum of motorcycles. There’s something surprisingly beautiful about it.

June 23rd, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

Wedding prepping hasn’t been too bad. Thankfully my wife and her family had taken care of most of the heavy lifting before I arrived. We had to take care of some smaller things, like having my suit pants tailored and steam pressed, but the biggest thing on the agenda was our wedding photoshoot. This was an all-day event. We woke up at 3 am and took a taxi to the photography company’s office. They did my wife’s makeup before we left for a two-hour trip to the countryside. We traveled with a photography crew of seven awesome young people in a Sprinter van, consisting of one driver, a makeup artist/stylist for my wife, my personal stylist, and four photographers.

We took photos in four different locations throughout the countryside of Vietnam. A lake with aquamarine-colored water, lavender fields, a beach, and a Vietnamese forest. They were also shooting a wedding music video for us at the same time. I had to wear a full suit in 95-degree weather with 90% humidity for 8 hours straight and I was absolutely miserable. After the first photo location, my face was already sunburned to a nice and crisp lobster red and I was drenched with sweat. By the time we got to the last shooting location, I thought I was going to have a heat stroke. I legitimately became worried that I was going to pass out. Spoiler alert: I survived, but at the end of the day, I felt like I was a UFC fighter who just went 8 rounds in the octagon. Before coming home, we shared dinner with our photo crew. Notice that I said “shared dinner” with the crew. In Vietnam, dinner usually consists of ordering multiple dishes and everyone sharing those dishes like a potluck. Spending the entire day being vulnerable in front of the camera—posing for wedding photos with my wife—made it feel like we were having dinner with friends by the end of it. The photos (and video) turned out way better than I expected, considering my sunburn, sweat, and misery. They were phenomenal and were 100% worth it.

June 24th, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

We visited Phố Đi Bộ, the walking street in District One that’s completely closed to vehicles on weekends. It transforms into a lively gathering spot where people stroll, connect, and enjoy street food together. It’s not just about the place—it’s the culture. In Vietnam, it’s common for friends to meet up at cafes just to spend time together, no agenda is needed. I really wish that was more of a thing in the United States. Beyond Vietnam’s natural beauty, it’s these simple, intentional moments that make me understand why it’s ranked among the top ten happiest countries in the world. In the last article, I mentioned a lady selling street food in this walking district. To my surprise, the same lady was in the same location a year later. We bought some food from her and I showed her a photo I had taken of her a year ago. I had Venus translate to her that she was my favorite street food vendor and ask if I could take a photo with her. She was excited and happy to take the photo with me.

Boba tea, aka bubble tea, is a big deal in Vietnam. There are just about as many boba tea shops as cafes in Vietnam. In case you don’t already know what boba is, boba are little chewy tapioca starch pearls that are slightly sweetened with honey. The boba rests at the bottom of a cold cup of tea—whether it’s black, green, milk tea, or anything in between. You’re given an extra-wide straw, perfect for slurping up the chewy pearls, which adds a little fun to every sip. With or without the boba, the tea is incredibly good. My favorite is black tea with whipped cream cheese on top, (like from Heekcaa Tea in Part Two).

My brother, Ian, is now a regular at a boba tea shop here called “The Alley”. Within a week, he has visited it so much that the cashiers already know what he’s going to order. He’s probably the only six-foot-five white guy ordering boba every day in District Five.

Innovation is a constant in Vietnam, so every time I visit, there’s always some new adaptation of boba tea. The latest delicious craze is brown sugar milk tea. In 2022, I wrote, “I wish someone would open up a good boba shop in West Virginia, but I’m not sure it would receive the appreciation that it would deserve”. Since writing that, Charleston, WV has only one boba tea shop today and it’s still not as popular as it should be. If you haven’t had boba tea, you’re missing out. Larger cities are doing better with their boba tea exposure.

Karaoke is another one of those things I really wish were more popular in the U.S. It’s such a huge part of Vietnamese culture. At the very least, you’ll see people gathered on street corners with massive speakers and a mic, belting out traditional Vietnamese tunes and drinking cheap local beers together. Then there are actual karaoke spots—dedicated businesses where you can rent a private room by the hour and sing with your friends. We ended up renting a room at one of these spots and had too much fun.

They offer bottle service, silently swapping in fresh drinks and beers. Eventually, the endless supply does catch up with you. By the end of the night, we’d gone through way more drinks than we realized while singing American pop songs like “Party in the USA”. I lost count of how many beers I had on my own. Ian must have had more than half of them because he paid the price the next morning. We went to have Korean fried chicken wrapped in melted cheese for lunch the next day to cure the hangovers but he couldn’t stomach even one bite.

We took a day trip to Vũng Tàu Beach, about 1.5 hours south of Hồ Chí Minh City. Vũng Tàu is a beautiful beach with soft white sand and clear green water—so transparent you can see your feet beneath you as you stand in the shallows. It’s not as touristy as American beaches are and strangely, I was the only person sunbathing. Most Vietnamese people, especially women, don’t want to have a tan. In Vietnamese culture, the more pale your skin is, the more beautiful. Bikinis on a Vietnamese beach are rare. Most women wear regular clothes to swim. I caught a lot of strange looks while lying on the beach in the sun looking like a washed-up whale, a crazy shirtless “Westerner”. The lengths that women go to to remain pasty white are absurd. They wear face masks, long-sleeved sweaters, and quilted skirts, in the hot Vietnamese weather while driving their motorcycles. I can’t imagine how hot it must be wearing all that just to go outside. I’ve always heard that beauty is pain… and in the Vietnamese case, beauty makes you miserably hot and sweaty.

We rented a Grab (the Southeast Asia equivalent to Uber and Lyft) to go to Bùi Viện Street, that wild and crazy party street in District One. We needed a car big enough for five people but the car that came to pick us up was this super tiny, Kia Morning. We somehow all squeezed into the car like sardines. The driver was on the phone with a coworker while he was driving us to our destination. He was speaking Vietnamese but was saying “There are five Westerners in my car right now, they all fit but they’re big and I’m worried about my car”.

When we got to Bùi Viện Street we ate at a place called the Taco Stand, which I learned about while watching travel videos on YouTube. I was craving some Western food and the tacos looked amazing in the video. The owner is a Vietnamese guy from California who moved to Vietnam. On our first visit, he sat and had a beer and talked with us. The tacos did not disappoint, as we came back for more several times during our trip.

Before the big day, we met up with some of Venus’s girlfriends at a place called The Gin House to give them formal invitations to the wedding. The Gin House is a cozy cocktail bar that has a super authentic and classy, noir-type vibe. They only served cocktails made with gin. The drinks are expensive but are beautifully presented and tasty. The final invitations had been delivered.

On the night before the wedding, we had a small pre-wedding party where we served food and toasted drinks with just a few people, mostly my wife’s parents’ employees. Just like in America, it’s bad luck to stay with the bride the night before the wedding, so Ian and I stayed in a 5-star hotel in District One that had a rooftop pool.

The Wedding Day – June 28th, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

Our wedding day was perfect. My wife and her family are 100% Chinese, even though they live in Vietnam, so our wedding followed the traditional Chinese customs, which is much different than an American wedding ceremony. The wedding day consists of two separate ceremonies. The morning ceremony represents the unity of two families and the evening ceremony is more like an American wedding but on steroids.

The Morning Ceremony

At 6 am on the wedding day, the festivities began. My brother and I woke up early to get dressed to the nines in our suits. A camera crew came to our room to start recording the entire day. They brought a large group of men with them who were there to represent my side of the family and to carry gifts from my hotel room to Venus’s house. A convertible white Lexus picked us up and took me to her house. Her little brother Tommy, opened the car door for me and offered me tea. In exchange, I gave him lucky money. In the Chinese culture, lucky money is given to others for good luck and fortune. The group of men who were carrying the gifts then presented the gifts to a group of women who represented my wife’s family.

Venus was waiting for me in her room on the third floor of her house. I’m supposed to walk up the stairs to go to her room and bring her out of her house to get married. It’s not that easy though. I’m met with obstacles, which are her girlfriends, who refuse to open the door and allow me in until I can convince them that I’m worthy. The camera crew is still following me. My anxiety was peaking. I tried to bribe them with lucky money but that wasn’t enough to let me in. They requested that I sing a song for them, so I started singing one of our songs, “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson. I was told that I wasn’t singing loud enough. My vocal cords wouldn’t allow me to sing that particular song any louder because the key was too low for my voice. They requested another song. My mind blanked. The pressure of her five girlfriends, her parents, her brothers, and a video camera crew with super bright LED lights all watching me completely shut my mind down at that point. I had no idea what to sing. I brought myself together enough to sing a couple of lines from “All of Me” by John Legend. They finally let me through the door to get my bride. She was sitting on her bed in her wedding dress waiting for me… absolutely stunning and beautiful. I took her hand and we walked downstairs to have a ceremony that represented two families becoming one.

My brother shared tea with her family. Afterward, Venus and I walked back upstairs to a small Buddhist altar where photos of her family members who had passed on were celebrated. We prayed to them to let them know that we were getting married and shared tea with them (kind of like pouring one out for them). We walked back downstairs where all of her family members gave us gifts. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and friends sat on two chairs in front of us. We offered them tea to drink and candy to eat while they gave us their best wishes and gifted us with lucky money or gold jewelry. I received five 24-karat gold rings and Venus received two gold bracelets, four rings, and four necklaces. I convinced Venus to let me have one of the necklaces. I still wear it to this day and I never take it off.

Right before it was time to leave her house to complete the morning ceremony, a downpour of rain started and the wind nearly knocked all of the decorations over. In Chinese culture, rain on your wedding day means that you will be wealthy (it’s raining money). As we left the house, everyone shot confetti cannons around us. Venus and I got into the Lexus, with the roof up this time, and went back to my hotel. We were supposed to go to District One to have additional wedding photos taken, but due to the rain, we called it off because we didn’t want to ruin her dress.

The Evening Ceremony

The evening ceremony surpassed anything I could have imagined. Her parents spent so much time and money planning this ceremony to give us the best wedding possible and I’m still so grateful. We began greeting guests at 6:00 pm. We had a total of 500 guests at 48 tables. The venue was massive, stylish, and decorated beautifully. As guests arrived, we took photos with them.

The ceremony began with the wedding video we had filmed on that scorching day out in the country, displayed on a large screen for everyone to watch. As the video came to an end, a talented dance team took the stage, their performance adding energy to the moment. Rather than a pastor or priest, our wedding was officiated by a charismatic female emcee who spoke both Vietnamese and English. She introduced me as I walked onto the stage.

Venus’s dad walked her down the aisle, and I met them halfway to take her hand, escorting her up onto the stage with me. Her parents and my brother then joined us, and we shared a champagne toast, symbolizing the joining of our families. Afterward, our families left the stage, and Venus and I cut our wedding cake together.

The highlight came next—together, we poured a bottle of red champagne down a tall tower of stacked wine glasses, the liquid flowing as smoke curled up from the glasses. Golden fireworks exploded beside the stage, illuminating the moment. As I kissed the bride, the official ceremony came to a close, marking the beginning of our new chapter. It was dinner time.

Suddenly, groups of caterers burst through the kitchen doors all at once like an army of ants to serve our guests the first appetizer of a seven-course meal with unlimited spirits as Venus and I changed into new attire. Along with our families, we visited all 48 tables to speak with all of our guests and make a toast with them. I had brought along a six-pack of Pasteur Street Brewing’s Jasmine IPA to toast with.

The entertainment for the evening was this amazing Vietnamese female vocalist who was featured on the Vietnamese version of The Voice. Her name is, Kyrin Sa. As the guests left after dinner, we stood at the door and shook their hands, thanking them for coming, and took more photos with them. This trip turned me into a professional when it comes to smiling for photos on the fly. We were so busy during the ceremony, that we didn’t have time to eat dinner, so after the ceremony, Venus and I took a taxi back to the Taco Stand for a quick meal. When we got back to our hotel it was 2 am. We only had a couple of hours to get some rest before flying to Thailand for our honeymoon (with our brothers).

June 29th, 2019 – Pattaya, Thailand

Thailand was wild. Things felt incredibly different there. So different that I was a bit out of my comfort zone. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, similar to the United Kingdom, meaning it has a king who serves as the head of state rather than ruling directly. However, being there sometimes felt reminiscent of a more authoritarian or controlled system—like a communist state—because of the sheer number of massive billboards and signs displaying portraits of the king, that are everywhere.

Thailand’s driving system is similar to the UK’s, with drivers keeping to the left side of the road and the driver’s seat on the right. The entire setup is the opposite of what you’d see in both the U.S. and Vietnam, so it took me a moment to adjust when getting into cars and crossing the road. There are far more cars but fewer motorcycles in Thailand than in Vietnam, which makes the traffic even more congested than in Vietnam. The language in Thailand is entirely different. My wife and her brothers could no longer translate for me. The Thai alphabet legit looks like Arabic and doesn’t have any letters, so I couldn’t develop any context clues for anything. The currency in Thailand is called the “baht” and is very different from the Vietnamese dong, but is easy to convert to USD using some simple math.

On the first day, we flew into Bangkok and took a bus to the city of Pattaya, where we stayed for the first two days. Pattaya feels like a tourist city. It’s right on the beach and feels similar to Myrtle Beach in some aspects. For example, there’s a Hard Rock Cafe right on the beach. On the first day in Pattaya, we went to a Buddhist temple, and at night, we went to the walking district, which is similar to Bui Vien in Vietnam, but far more sexually charged. This street is wild with a mix of street food, bars, live music, street performers, brothels, strip clubs, boxing shows, and live sex shows (live porn).

This street was far too much for us, so we managed to find a low-key bar that had a local band playing covers of American music and K-pop songs. We had a couple of Thai beers and took a tuk-tuk back to our hotel. A tuk-tuk is a small, single-cab truck with benches in the truck bed for passengers to sit on, and rails to hold onto if you prefer to stand while riding in the back. It operates much like a taxi service. What’s cool is there’s no seatbelt and you can stand up like you’re on a subway train if you prefer. You’re outside and can feel the cool, night air and hear the sounds of the city.

June 30th, 2019 – Pattaya, Thailand

On the second day in Pattaya, we woke up at 7 am and took a speed boat from the beach. We had to wade about 30 feet through the water just to get on the boat. Thank god we had on shorts and sandals. The boat took us on a very rough ride to a small island about 30 minutes from the shore. Once there, we relaxed on the beach and had baby pineapples (much more sweet than the big ones) for breakfast. The water was crystal clear. Afterward, we went to a floating market, similar to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, to shop and have lunch.

We each had a Thai massage. I was definitely skeptical after my last massage experience, but this one was completely different. It was a public-style massage where around 20 people were all in one room, fully clothed. Each person had their own masseuse who gave a full-body massage, contorted our limbs like human pretzels, and at one point, even stood on our backs. Surprisingly, it was amazing. And thankfully, no happy endings were offered.

We visited a university that studies snakes and develops ways to utilize their venom to make medicine and anti-venoms. While there, we got to see a snake show, where these fearless snake charmers played with snakes. One guy, in particular, lay on the ground with four cobras and literally smacked them around and then kissed them until they went to sleep. I have no idea how he did it, he either had some chemical in his mouth that knocked them out or this dude was the total alpha of the situation. Either way, he’s fearless.

The ladyboys. How could I forget? In case you’re unfamiliar, a ladyboy is typically a man who identifies as a woman but still has male genitalia. Ladyboys look legitimately like women and have all the features, including breasts. Judge me if you want, but regardless of how they identify, they are incredibly beautiful, and if I didn’t know they were men, I would easily think they were women. Thailand could be a sketchy place for a single heterosexual man looking for love or late-night company. Ladyboys are everywhere in Thailand, including the walking street and it’s not easy to distinguish. We went to a ladyboy burlesque show called “Alcazar”. It was totally PG-rated and very classy. They danced and lip-synced along with all types of music. The show production was perfect and the stage sets were beautiful. I usually don’t like musicals, but I enjoyed my time at that show. Afterward, spectators are given the option the take photos with the ladyboys. I wanted to take a photo with one, but in Southeast Asia, nothing is free, and they were charging twenty dollars per photo. I just took a couple of my own photos.

After the burlesque show, we went out exploring for some street food and accidentally stumbled into the red-light district. It’s the go-to spot if you’re looking for anything sex-related—actual sex, sex shows, strip clubs, happy endings, and more. Even though it’s a public street, photography is strictly prohibited to keep things discreet. We walked through it for about three to four hundred yards. The whole experience gave me a bit of anxiety because I’ve never been comfortable being approached by people aggressively selling anything, let alone sex (in front of my wife), so I was honestly relieved when we made it out to the other side. We did end up finding our street food fix. We had Pad Thai and Thai banana rotis. A roti is a crispy, square banana-filled pancake, cooked right on the street cart griddle and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. They were so good we went back for them a few more times before we left.

July 1st, 2019 – Bangkok

On the third day of our trip to Thailand, we left Pattaya and took a bus to Bangkok. I’ll admit, I had really high expectations, expecting Bangkok to be even more crazy than Pattaya. Most of what I knew about the city came from The Hangover 3. But when we arrived, Bangkok turned out to be much more laid-back than I had imagined.

On the first night, we went to a night market. A night market is an area that is about 100 yards long and five rows wide that is full of street food vendors, serving everything from watermelon smoothies, seafood, fried insects (crickets and scorpions), fried chicken, pancakes, noodles, sushi, and so forth. My wife and her brothers love seafood. After my prawn debacle years ago, I’m no longer the biggest fan of seafood, so my brother and I had Korean fried chicken. Afterward, my wife and I took a Grab to this tiny microbrewery called “Goldencoins Taproom”. In 2019, craft beer was nearly illegal in Thailand. Beer could only be made in a factory making more than one million liters per year or in a brewpub producing at least 100,000 liters per year for sale on-site with no bottling allowed. This made it very hard for entrepreneurs to open breweries. There were only a few craft beer companies in Thailand that managed to find a loophole in the system. They brew their beers in other nearby countries, like Vietnam, and have them shipped back to them to serve out of their taprooms, which is how Goldencoins operates. They only had four beers on tap because supply was so low and the demand was high. Since then, Thailand’s beer laws have become more relaxed.

July 2nd, 2019 – Bangkok

On our second day in Bangkok, we visited Safari World, one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos. It is home to thousands of animals, including Thailand’s national animal, the elephant. A big part of the experience is the free-range animal park, where animals roam in settings that mimic their natural habitats. Zebras, rhinos, pelicans, and other non-predatory animals share one open area, while the predators—lions, tigers, and bears (yes, really)—are kept in a separate section. Visitors tour this part of the zoo in personal vehicles or buses, and there are plenty of warning signs not to open windows or step out of the car… because, well, tigers. Our bus driver took us through the park and we followed the rules, so no one was eaten.

After leaving the zoo, we embarked on a river cruise to explore Bangkok, followed by a dinner at a 5-star buffet in the tallest building in the city. The restaurant itself was incredible—it rotates, offering a stunning 360-degree view of Bangkok as you dine. As expected from a 5-star place, they have a strict policy: if you don’t finish your plate, you’ll be charged for leftovers. After a long day, we went back to our hotel to get some rest. I ended up falling asleep while watching chicken fights on a channel dedicated entirely to chicken fighting on local Thai television.

July 3rd, 2019 – Bangkok

The next morning we visited another Buddhist temple where a Buddhist monk prayed for us. It was an awesome experience. People lined up outside so he could pray for them. Afterward, we shopped at the malls downtown before leaving Bangkok and boarding a plane to come back to Vietnam. Visiting Thailand was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I never felt truly comfortable there, with portraits of the King always watching me, not knowing who I could trust (scams), and the disappointing fact that the best Pad Thai that I had in Thailand was in the airport. I was glad to be back in Vietnam, my comfort zone.

July 4th & 5th, 2019 – Ho Chi Minh City

On my last day in Vietnam, I revisited all my favorite spots one more time and said my goodbyes, until next time. That evening, we had chicken rice with Venus’s parents, then grabbed a taxi to celebrate the 4th of July at Heart of Darkness Brewing, where Kevin Falkenberg (the Canadian expat I mentioned in Part Two) was performing a set of American classics. We had originally hoped to have him play at our wedding, but it didn’t work out since he was out of the country at the time. Ironically, we all ended up back in Vietnam at the right moment, and I got to catch his show on my very last night in Ho Chi Minh City.

We woke up early the next morning to head to the airport and catch our flight home. Leaving is always depressing. Three weeks never feels like enough. I can’t get over the way that Vietnam overwhelms all of my senses in the best way: the taste and smell of street food, the constant hum of motorbikes, the thick, humid air, the nonstop energy, and most of all, the people. It always leaves me wanting more. As much as I miss Chick-fil-A sandwiches and love my country, nothing quite satisfies that longing the way Vietnam does. I’ll always have this intense craving to return to Vietnam. Because even when I go, a part of me never leaves.

About the Author:

– Christopher Brown is a freelance writer for Digital Wax. He grew up in West Virginia and works primarily as a dental hygienist in Charleston. His wife tells him that he has too many hobbies; a musician, hip-hop head, football fanatic, beer brewer, frequent traveler, & master home chef.