I'm LV. I live in Da Nang with my husband Brian, and this is where I write about our trips — the food we ate, the prices we actually paid, the places we'd go back to. I also make the travel journals and planners I couldn't find anywhere else.
Only two cities so far — Da Nang, where we live, and Saigon, where we go when we want the big city. Nothing here is made up: every story on this page is something that really happened to us.
home base
We live here — right between the river and the beach, and we love it. Most of my stories are from eating around town: photos of the food, the real prices, and my honest opinion. If I didn't like something, I'll say so.
Read the stories →
been there
Saigon never sits still. One minute you're looking up at the old French buildings — City Hall, the Notre-Dame Cathedral — the next you're crossing the street while a hundred motorbikes flow around you. Coffee everywhere, markets everywhere. Here are my notes from our trips down south.
Where we stayed → Where we ate →
So happy we found this lovely place in Saigon! 🥰❤️ We stayed at Golden Tree Hotel & Apartment for 4 nights because of my VABB surgery at FV Hospital, and honestly, we had such a wonderful stay!
The place was really nice, clean, and comfortable. The staff were super friendly and welcoming, especially Loc, who helped us during check-in. ❤️
What really touched my heart was when the housekeeping staff left fresh towels, water, and other essentials outside our door because I had put up the “Do Not Disturb” sign after my surgery. Such a thoughtful gesture! 🥹❤️
The location was great too, with restaurants, coffee shops, a pharmacy, and 7-Eleven just nearby.
I'm really glad we chose this hotel. We already know where we'll be staying next time we're in Saigon!
— Elvie
Check prices on Agoda
We only planned to have coffee here, but guess what? We ended up having a full meal! Hahaha!
This restaurant, Tân Vinh Nguyên, is just a short walk from our hotel, Golden Tree Hotel & Apartment, here in Ho Chi Minh City. At first, we just wanted to grab some coffee, but when we looked at their menu, the food looked so good! Plus, we could smell all the delicious food coming from their kitchen. How could we resist? Hahaha!
So we decided to order! I got their Seafood Hu Tieu with shrimp and scallops, while my husband ordered their special Hu Tieu, which has a little bit of everything — seafood, meat, and even some meat organs!
For drinks, I ordered strawberry tea. And just look at that beautiful color! Not only was it pretty, but it tasted soooo good too! My husband had his usual cà phê đen đá (Vietnamese iced black coffee).
Our total bill was 369,000 VND, and honestly, it was a delicious and satisfying meal here in Saigon! We also noticed that this restaurant had a lot of customers. Maybe it's a famous spot around here? Hahaha! Either way, we're glad we stopped by!
We came for coffee but stayed for the food! 😂
— Elvie
Nothing fancy. Just the little habits that save us money and headaches every single trip.
My small luggage is my carry-on, and everything else rides in one sling bag. Seven dresses I can mix and match — light, easy to pack, and ready for photos — plus cycling shorts and sandals. Nothing heavy, nothing 'just in case.' My ZV-1 and DJI Action 4, phone holder, chargers, power bank and SD cards stay in my sling bag, always within reach. If it doesn't fit, it stays home. Honestly? I've never missed the extra stuff.
Every night I write five lines. Not five pages — five lines. Where we went, one thing that surprised me, one small thing I don't want to forget. A smell. A song playing in a café. Something kind a stranger did. It takes two minutes, and reading it back months later is my favorite part.
We book flights in the middle of the week — they're usually cheaper. We eat where the locals line up, not where the tour buses park. And when we can, we travel in the weeks just before or after the busy season: prices drop, but the weather's still nice. Whatever we save goes straight into the fund for the next trip.
I made this journal because I couldn't find one I actually liked. You plan the trip in it before you go, then write a little each day while you're there — thirty days' worth. And yes, the cover matches this website. I couldn't help myself.
These come with me on every trip. If something stops being useful, it gets replaced — everything here earned its spot.
It fits in the overhead bin, so no baggage fees, no waiting at the carousel, no lost luggage. We just walk straight out of the airport.
View →One cube for tops, one for bottoms, one for everything else. My bag used to be a total mess — now I can find things without unpacking everything onto the hotel bed.
View →Works in every country we've been to so far. It has USB ports, so the phone, camera, and power bank all charge at once while we sleep.
View →For my five lines every night. It's the cheapest souvenir I bring home, and the only one I never throw away.
View →A quick honest note: these links are placeholders for now. Later they'll be affiliate links, which means if you buy through them, I might earn a small commission — it won't cost you anything extra. Thank you for helping keep this little site going.
I travel with my husband Brian, and I write everything down — the good meals, the wrong turns, the hotels we'd happily book again and the ones we wouldn't. This site is where those notebooks end up, plus the tips I pick up along the way.
We live in Da Nang, Vietnam. Most of what I post comes from here — restaurants we tried, little everyday adventures — plus our trips down to Ho Chi Minh City.
When we're not travelling, I turn my notebooks into journals and planners — like the Wander & Wonder: 30-Day Travel Journal & Trip Planner — so you can keep your own stories too, not just photos sitting in your phone.
— LV