THE BOYS' TRIP / OCTOBER 11 TO 19
Thailand to Vietnam, with the guys. A few places to be, plenty of room to wander. This is the plan so far.
Everyone makes their own way here on October 11. Once we're together, Chai takes the lead for two proper, unhurried days.
Land. Meet up. Ease in.Different flights, different arrival times. No packed arrival-day agenda.
Leave it to the local.Two full days for Chai to show us around. If he needs us to plan anything, just say the word.
Next stop: Saigon.Fly to Vietnam. Exact flight still to be chosen.
Bangkok lodging booked: The Park Nine Hotel Srinakarin, October 11 to 14.
Pick a day to explore that city. Travel days open the destination.
Getting around: Luzzo has arranged a driver for the entire trip, airport to airport and everywhere in between.
Working plan: fly midday October 16, about an hour to Da Nang, then our driver to Hoi An. Arrive in the afternoon and visit the tailors that day. Exact flight still TBD.
BANGKOK / OCTOBER 11 TO 14
Meet on the 11th, two full days with our man on the inside, then fly to Saigon on the 14th. Room for Chai to show us his city.
Leaving this one in Chai’s hands. His ideas will go here as the plan takes shape.
The Park Nine Hotel Srinakarin. Three nights, October 11 to 14, in a two-bedroom suite for three adults.
BOOKED · OCTOBER 11 TO 14
Two bedrooms. Room to settle in.
Photos from the hotel’s Deluxe Two Bedroom Suite gallery; tap to enlarge.
SAIGON / OCTOBER 14 TO 16
Saigon, officially Ho Chi Minh City, is Vietnam’s southern economic hub. Think busy streets, coffee stops, food, markets and grand old buildings alongside a modern skyline.
Our starting pocket is central District 1: Bến Thành, Đồng Khởi and the Little Japan alleys. Explore in short walks, with plenty of stops along the way.
Arrive October 14 · Full city day October 15 · Leave midday October 16
Two nights: October 14 and 15. Check out October 16. New World Saigon Hotel is our choice. Booking still to be confirmed.
SELECTED
Slept-on luxury. Pun intended.
Hotel photos; tap to enlarge.
BROWSE / EAT / BARGAIN
The big covered market with the clock tower. Browse souvenirs, pause for something to eat, and see what catches your eye.
STROLL / COFFEE / OLD SAIGON
Boutiques, galleries and colonial-era facades, with the Opera House and Lam Sơn Square near one end of the central stretch and the river farther along.
DUSK / LANTERNS / DINNER
A compact pocket of Japanese restaurants and narrow lanes around Lê Thánh Tôn and Thái Văn Lung. Ramen, izakaya and a change of scene.
FLOWERS / FOOD / NIGHT OWLS
Flowers by the armful, food in the surrounding lanes. Come hungry in the evening, or come much later to watch the flower trade get to work. Two very different versions of a night out.
SUNSET / SKYLINE / NO GREAT EXERTION
Put a river between us and the city, then admire it from a comfortable distance. The Thủ Thiêm waterfront looks back toward District 1, with Bitexco and the downtown towers lighting up across the water.
HẺM / COFFEE / TAKE A SEAT
A turn off the main street, a table, and no particular hurry. Ghé Coffee on Mạc Thị Bưởi gives us a concrete starting point for a quieter pause between city stops.
BREAKFAST / BEEF PHỞ / EARLY BIRDS
A small Pasteur alley, a bowl of beef phở, and a good reason to be awake. Phở Minh has been feeding the city since 1945. Some breakfast habits deserve to survive.
EVERYDAY SAIGON / BROWSE / A SMALL DETOUR
A little of the city getting on with its day. The Chợ Cũ area around Tôn Thất Đạm offers a modest market-street wander, with food stops and older streets tucked among the downtown towers.
SMALLER BOAT / RIVER BREEZE / A LITTLE OCCASION
An evening on the river with a little more movement. Saigon River Tour pairs a speedboat outing with a cocktail stop ashore. A possibility when we feel like making something of the evening.
SKYDECK / A DRINK / THE CITY FROM THE WATER
A larger boat, an open skydeck, and a drink while the skyline does its thing. The straightforward option for a polished sunset outing without turning the evening into a full dinner cruise.
Vietnam Tourism: Ho Chi Minh City · City tourism: Bến Thành · City tourism: Little Japan. Vietnam Airlines: Hồ Thị Kỷ food and flower hours. Ho Chi Minh City Tourism: Thủ Thiêm waterfront and skyline. Ghé Coffee: branches and hours · Michelin: Phở Minh · Anan: Chợ Cũ neighborhood. Visit lengths are planning suggestions. Hours can change.
HOI AN / OCTOBER 16 TO 19
The old streets, the river, the beach and the countryside. Plenty of ways to spend the day, with a more relaxed base for this part of the trip.
Fly midday from Saigon to Da Nang on the 16th, then meet our driver for Hoi An. Settle in during the afternoon and make the first tailor visit. We’ll arrange the other fittings around what we want to do.
Arrive October 16 · Three nights · Checkout noon October 19
Three nights: October 16, 17 and 18. Checkout noon October 19. Leaning toward a beachfront villa or a large house. Nothing booked yet.
A 10 to 15-minute bike ride into town would suit us. The villa below is a near-beach option, about three minutes on foot from the sand, rather than directly beachfront.
OPTION A · HOTEL EASE
Our man has put people here before.
OPTION B · OUR OWN PLACE
A pool of our own. The sea just down the lane.
Photos supplied from the hotel and Airbnb listing; tap to enlarge.
BEACH / SEAFOOD / NO GREAT AMBITION
Seafood, a beachfront table, and something cold. A little sea air, with no obligation to turn it into a productive day.
GARDENS / HERBS / COUNTRYSIDE
A nearby change of scene among the vegetable gardens. Wander, stop for lunch, or get more involved with a cooking class. Fresh air, fresh herbs, reasonably fresh gentlemen.
CAVES / TEMPLES / A FEW STAIRS
Shrines tucked inside limestone caves, pagodas, and views toward the coast. A proper little expedition when we feel like seeing something beyond the next fitting room.
CHAM TEMPLES / GREEN VALLEY / OLD STONES
Ruined Cham temples in a green valley. A proper history outing, preferably with a guide who can explain what we are admiring beyond its impressive age.
MARKET / RIVER / COOK YOUR LUNCH
Start at the market, take a riverboat to the cooking school, explore the herb garden, and make lunch. Finally, an activity where eating is part of the curriculum.
RIVER / EVENING LIGHT / EASY PACE
A short sunset boat ride, then dinner wherever the evening takes us. A little time on the water without turning it into the whole day.
BAMBOO / ACROBATICS / AN EVENING OUT
Bamboo circus, acrobatics, and live music. An evening with some actual spectacle, enjoyed from a seat. No audience tailoring required.
SCULPTURE / SEAFOOD / SEASIDE
Visit the Cham Sculpture Museum, then head toward My Khe for a meal by the sea. Something to look at, something to eat, and a different stretch of coast.
STILL UP FOR DISCUSSION
Working plan: fly midday October 16. About an hour to Da Nang, then our driver to Hoi An for an afternoon arrival and a first tailor visit. Exact flight still TBD; nothing booked.
Bangkok is booked: The Park Nine Hotel Srinakarin, October 11 to 14. New World Saigon Hotel is our choice for October 14 and 15, with booking still to be confirmed. In Hoi An we’re leaning toward a beachfront house.
John and Steve want enough Hoi An time for lots of clothing and fittings, from the afternoon of October 16 through the morning of October 19. We’ll arrange fitting appointments around what we want to do.
October 19 via Da Nang (DAD), after checking out of Hoi An at noon. Working shape: Korean Air around 11pm, homeward to Seattle (SEA). Exact flight still TBD and unbooked.
THIS IS EVERYONE'S TRIP
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