Below are links to interesting things I found while researching for this trip. In the past, I've sent out this information in a email to whoever was traveling with us in preparation for the trip. But this time, it's just us, so I will just share it here.

Vietnam Tidbit #1-www.savourasia.com

I love this website! It's all about food with an emphasis on Hanoi. There are other cities, but not with as much detail yet. You can tell these people really love food and there lots of description of various types of street food and drink. In addition there are 24, 48 and 72 hour itineraries with most of the tourist stops interspersed with great places to stop and eat. I also like that the restaurants they list aren't the same as all the ones in the guidebooks.
The only downside is that the site is a little difficult to navigate so make sure you look at a lot of the links to get inside to where the good stuff is!

Vietnam Tidbit #2- Blogs and Message Boards:

I love to follow food blogs before I travel anywhere. It helps me learn more about the local cuisine and where to go for the best street food and restaurants. Message Boards are probably the best resource out there for current, first hand travel experiences.

Some of my favorites for South East Asia are:
Eating Asia -food bloggers based in Malaysia, but they travel (and eat) all over Asia. Excellent photography
Sticky Rice-All about food in Hanoi
Gastronomyblog-LA food blogger who has lived in Vietnam. Lots of good stuff on Vietnam. Look for the "Top 10" lists for Hanoi and Saigon. Make sure you read about the Lunch Lady.
Fodor's Asia Message Board-My favorite traveler's message board.
Chowhound Greater Asia Message Board-For food lovers.
Trip Advisor Forums for Vietnam

Vietnam Tidbit #3-Cooking classes in Vietnam

I've pretty much given up on taking cooking classes after being disappointed time after time. However, I'm not as familiar with Vietnamese cuisine as I am with Thai or Italian, so I may be willing to take the plunge again this time.

Here are some which get good reviews:
Hanoi:
Hidden Hanoi
Highway 4
KOTO (see #6 below)
Old Hanoi Restaurant and Cooking Class

Hoi An:
Red Bridge Cooking School

Vietnam Tidbit #4- Free Hanoi walking tours

Hanoi Kids Club

This is an organization which pairs students who want to practice English with tourists. The students give free tours all around Hanoi.

Vietnam Tidbit #5- More Expat Blogs

A Girl in Asia
Rambling Spoon
Backwater Views
Living in Saigon

Vietnam Tidbit #6- KOTO

KOTO stands for Know One, Teach One. KOTO is a restaurant in Hanoi which doubles as a hospitality school for street kids, teaching them a trade to help them break the cycle of poverty. They have both a restaurant and cafe in the same location:
KOTO on Van Mieu
59 Van Mieu Street, (opposite the Temple of Literature)
Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel (84 4) 3747 0337 or (84 4) 3747 0338
Open seven days for breakfast and lunch, and dinner from Tuesday through to Sunday.

Vietnam Tidbit #7-Itineraries

There are a number of magazine articles out the offering a quick view of a city in 36, 48 or 72 hours. Take them for what they are worth, just an overview and not gospel.

NY Times 36 Hours in Ho Chi Minh City

National Geographic Traveller-48 Hours Hanoi—The Best of a City in Two Days

Website: Savour Asia has lots of wonderful and unique itineraries

Vietnam Tidbit #8-Train travel

We are not taking the train, but the website Seat 61 has some excellent information on Vietnamese trains.

Vietnam Tidbit #9-Vietnam Embassy

The Vietnamese Embassy website is http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/

Vietnam Tidbit #10-Reid on Travel

This guy wrote the book on Vietnam, literally. Robert Reid writes for Lonely Planet guidebooks and lived in Vietnam. He's put all of his personal recommendations online, for free. It's excellent.
http://www.reidontravel.com/

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