Vietnam was the second leg of our trip (see the first leg featuring Hong Kong, Chengdu, and Shanghai here). The food, the hospitality, the landscape, and the sheer energy of the two cities we visited—Hanoi (the north) and Nha Trang (southeast coast)—blew me away.

Most of the credit goes to our incredible guides, Tu Van Cong and Mark Lowerson, who led us up winding staircases, through back alleys, and to remote, out-of-town destinations for the best eats around. (Anyone traveling to those areas who wants to check out the food scene, I can't recommend them enough.) But as my coworker, Hannah, also mentioned to me before I left, part of Vietnam's charm is that it feels like it hasn't yet been taken over by the rest of the world. I couldn't agree more.

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