The Grateful Globetrotters: Re-Visiting Vietnam: Phú Quốc & Hội An

The Grateful Globetrotters were pleased to make a return visit to Vietnam, a country we first traveled through in 1998. It had been 20 years since our last explorations and this time around we decided to focus on just two locales, rather than journey throughout the entire region as we'd done on our initial visit.

Phú Quốc is a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. It's known for white-sand beaches and resorts, most of which are along the palm-lined southwest coast. We really enjoyed the seaside local of our resort. Beach explorations supplemented with intermittent lounging, and some snorkeling sprinkled in, as well as delicious Vietnamese foods were the highlights of our stay.

From the island, we made our way to Hội An, a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved "Ancient Town" and waterway canals. The city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles. There are also nearby beaches that are easy to get to, which of course we explored. And, we found an interesting ancient ruin that's just a short bus ride from town.