08 October 2007

a princess in vietnam.


i fell in love with vietnam!!

what i planned out to be a solo flight, anything goes, out-on-my-own trip to vietnam turned out to be one of my best trips ever. thanks to my cousin raquel who took such good care of me in ho chi minh, to my gorgeous friend reg who took me out one night, to my good, good friend henry who taught me all about his country, and to his brother louis who adopted me in hanoi!! its almost unbelievable the princess treatment i got. (thank yooou! cam on!!) in my short, short stay, i got to experience the best of two cities that i absolutely recommend you should go visit in your lifetime.


going touristy! ho chi minh by day.
the town hall (with ho chi minh's statue in the park right in front), post office, reunification palace (as in the gate in the play 'miss saigon', astig!), saigon locals, notre dame church, and the super charming motorbike culture.



organized chaos! ho chi minh by night.
henry calls it organized chaos. vietnam is incredibly charming. i can't get over it. i happened to be there the week of the moon festival, and so at night, the city was alive.



motorbike ride with henry in saigon!
woohoo!



the war remnants museum..
something everyone should see if only for the sake of getting to know more about history. after all the photos and posters and concrete and metal.. was a whole wall of children's artwork about hope and peace.



ben thanh market.
the most famous market in ho chi minh where i bought myself an ao dai, a vietnamese silk bag, and vietnamese coffee!



a rainy hanoi by night.
taking photos around the block before going to see their famous water puppet show.



the gooorgeous french quarters. gorgeous i tell you.
also called the 'old quarters' and '36 streets', most all the travel guides you will read about hanoi will tell you to go around this area. shopping, food, culture. what more can you ask for?



cyclo ride with louis in hanoi.
suuuper steady with a really nice cyclo driver.



culturing ourselves out in hanoi by day.
the mausoleum of ho chi minh, the old church, the sofitel metropole (where angelina jolie stayed when she was in hanoi! hehehe.), the beautiful, calming, and steady hoan kiem lake (and the newlyweds who happened to be there to have their photos taken.. aaw..), the temple of literature, and the museum of ethnology. phew! all in a day's work!



and.. the foooooooood!
i loooooooove vietnamese food! and tasting authentic is indeed an experience! i probably ate five meals a day, and drank too many ca phe sua da's (iced coffee with condensed milk! my new favorite!!) for my own good. =p

72 comments:

Angela said...

SAMA AKO NEXT TIME BIIIII!!!!!

i love the pics!

dinner later, see u in a few hours!

kaRen_myxmatch said...

woaw! iba ka talaga... everytime i visit your blog ibang country ang featured... nice..

pero bagay sayo yung title "princess" hahaha...

cooLeTbait said...

wow ms.versatile another travel again??love the pics..nice captured,,really great photographer huh...out of ur busy days in showbiz now u still travel and travel and travel,,as i saw ur post here i feel like im in vietnam..haha (daydreaming??)go travel around the worLd and inspires soul..u'v got all the luck bianc_g!! (--)

freyti said...

travelog toh guyz!ayeeee

saya,,,mukhang walang traffic ah!

Anonymous said...

Huwaw! Aside from loving the pics (and envying you for your great, great cam :-), I envy you for being able to travel so often. :-) I also love traveling but I dont have time and.. the biggest problem, pondo. :)) Sana magka-slr din ako someday. :p

32 flavors said...

HCMC is really charming. i'm glad someone else shares my love for this city's beauty, history and culture.

lucky you, hanoi pa. that's next on my list. what's on yours?

Anonymous said...

hey question! :p what lens do you use for your 400D? :)

Anonymous said...

aww.. it was also a blast when i went to vietnam. Now, you've got a story to tell your kids one day..

You were once a millionaire/billionaire during the peak of your twenties! ;) hehehe!


Nice one! Sarap, Travel galore!

Unknown said...

hi ulit!
(i just send you a message sa yap eh)

anyway, may place sa Palawan called
VIET VILLE (Vietnam Village, you'll pass it if your going to Underground River) where i ate the most delicious noodle soup in my life yet. rice noodles ang tawag nila at panalo talaga.

which leads me to a new problem, saan kaya may ganun dito sa manila?

purple addict said...

wow Vietnam nman ngayon.....buti nakapag enjoy ka muna before nagstart ang PBB ulit, for sure magiging hectic na nman sched mo, excited na akong mapanood ka ulit sa UPLATE jejeje......hhmmmm...mukhang effective kang tour guide ha jejeje dpat next show mo TRAVEL-OG what do u think????

Anonymous said...

it's nice to be gorgeous, smart, and rich.
i know naman that you worked hard just to visit these wonderful places. so u deserve it.
i wanna finish college so i can work and trip around the world also! but i'm too far from that. thanks for sharing.
you inspire me everytime i read you blog.
i hope you can visit the netherlands soon.
tak care!
God Bless!

Liam's Mama said...

Oooh! Vietnam. I adore HCM, from the sights, to the food and most especially the locals. Aliw ako at how they can tell who's Filipino at Ben Thanh ("Ate, bili bakya!")! Beautiful city. But of all my HCM memories, one stands out in particular:
Me to my friend while having ice cream across the Saigon Center : Uy, ang hot ng girl na naka-angkas sa motor o! Kamukha ni Angelina Jolie.
The next day my sister texts me: Brand and Angelina are in Ho Chi Minh!
Waaah!

Anonymous said...

i envy you.. i hope someday i get to experience your travel life.

Anonymous said...

I was there 2 weeks ago... You missed to visit Ha Long Bay, a couple of hours drive from Hanoi.. That was the best part in visiting north Vietnam =D

Anonymous said...

Hi Bianca! Hanga ako sayo!

You always travel despite your busy busy schedule. Well, I guess it pays off naman. The money you get from showbiz. =) Nakakapag travel ka tuloy. parang anytime you want! you'll just buy a ticket and off you gO!

Galing! Galing! Iba talaga pag ssuuper. Hehe.

God Bless you bianca! We'll be seeing you more often! Lapit na PBB-Celebrity Edition 2.

Anonymous said...

waaaah!!! pagnaging Nurse aKO magagawa ko din yan ate bianca! thank you! nainspired 2loy ako! haha!

Anonymous said...

Hi BiaNca,

sana nga me show ka, parang sa Living Asia Channel, kaw host,masaya un! san ba magrerequest nun sa abs at studio 23? susulat kami for u, hehe!

Go SuperGirl!

God Bless-ja^__^

Anonymous said...

Ang ganda ng mga shots. Para na din akong nakarating sa Vietnam. Thanks for sharing your pics.

LORD MANILA STONE said...

grabe, nakakabusog sa mata mga pics mo sa dami, kahit di kami kasama, parang nasight na rin namin no?

by the way did you feel somehow that vietnam is way too far from the Philippines in terms of economic development? poorer daw kasi ang vietnam sa atin a decade ago but it seems to be a fast blooming country^^

Anonymous said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing your photos.

You're really blessed for the opportunity to travel and see the world. :)

lilith said...

Wow! Nice photos Bianca!... ang sarap ng food!

Anonymous said...

hi!

its actually my first time to leave a comment on your blog but i have been consistently reading your posts though.

you have nice compositions on your photos! theyre really lovely! nice colors! i was just wondering if you would want to go lomo! i think it definitely fits your lifestyle! dont think, just shoot! and i heard that you actually have a lomo camera, a supersampler! post some pictures! you might want to use other interesting lomo cameras, i just feel that youll love them. (i do have a holga and a fisheye. pictures here: www.atsiranimes12.multiply.com)

anyway, continue inspiring people through this blog.

more power and God bless you and your family and your friends too and all your readers and all people too.

:)

Kris Ablan said...

Kakainggit talaga ang mga travelogs mo. Ganda rin ng mga pics. You should mark the destinations you've been to in tripadvisor.com's travel map.

Anonymous said...

wow! ang ganda ng vietnam! sana, maging ganyan rin yung philippines!

bianca, alam mo ba na 2010 is on the air na! tignan mo to, http://marroxas2010.blogspot.com

pinasa lang yan sa akin ng friend ko...

Anonymous said...

is this a travel blog? wow, ms bianca, you really are wonderful. thank you for sharing your experiences to us.
btw, ate bianca i'm so excited to see you again as one of the hosts of the reality tv show, pbb. grabe ang hirap mo po mahuli sa tv. last saturday nagulat ako, wala pong lumabas na yspeak. ano na po ba sched po nun? ang alam ko po kasi saturdays. hehe. gudnyt.

Anonymous said...

Hi Bianca. At last i've found your blog. I saw this at Chuck's blog. Wow it's one of my dream countries. Nice to see you had fun in Vietnam!

Cheers,
Ambo

Anonymous said...

biancaa!!! please answer this: where do you get the time?!:) Buti ka pa you get to travel!!! :)

Anonymous said...

bianx, when are you coming back to the states? when you do, please get to visit new jersey (w/c is just beside new york). my sister lives there..she's a great fan of yours (mas lalo ako!) after watching you at PBBCE last year. she said she'll be happy and proud to show you around the place. proud kasi makaka-bonding niya ang nag-iisang 'Miss Bianca Gonzalez!' woohoo! inggit tuloy ako! so see you soon daw, ha? hehehehehehe!!

pebl said...

hi bianca, good day. i hope you've read about the blog action day and if you don't mind, i want to send you the link. the theme for this year is the environment. all you have to do is to post something about the environment or pick an environmental issue and discuss about it. i registered my blog already. hope you can, too. here is the link: http://www.blogactionday.org thanks.

pebl.

Anonymous said...

good job idol!!!!!!!!!

kalansaycollector said...

wow sana makapagtravel din ako. ngar. pero pag yumaman ako i will travel the country first! weeeeh!

excited na ako sa PPB celeb edition 2! ;p

Anonymous said...

ei bianca...wow your so great...
i really love your blog..
waa :]
i love the pixies...
wahahah :)
anyway your so fantastic youve been to different places..i wish i could go w/u someday!![in my dreams right??]
i adore you so much!!
your the one who enlighten my mind to be a host someday (wow ang lalim ng sinabi ko..)
hahaha..wala lng its just you inspred me a lot ayon lng..
god bless!
-anonymous ü

Anonymous said...

thanks talaga for sharing your travel pics.. :p it makes me wanna travel!
hehehe

anong lens ng camera mo, bianca?hehehe

Ben-Ariel said...

Oh yeah, Hanoi is beeeeyoooooteeful.... I wasn't able to go to Saigon though. Dapat you went to Halong Bay din!

Anonymous said...

hi, ate bianca!
you're really a super doper amazing bianca =) hope you don't mind if I ask you what is the blogsite of ms.toni gonzaga. thnx!

Anonymous said...

i would love to visit vietnam someday! :) i love their Pho. yummy!
one of my closest guy friend here is a vietnamese. really nice guy. :)

Anonymous said...

huwow!!!ang galing2 talaga pag single and in love of life!!!whew!

Khenlee said...

your camera seems to be doing its job greatly=)

Bianca, How do you deal with your travelling when I think you've been so busy??

Anonymous said...

sana you'll take time to leave a comment or answer briefly yung mga questions if meron.

Anonymous said...

saw boy and kris at tfc.. and you were there.. go morena beauties! like you and me! you and angel are prettier than the guests representing those with white skin..not that i don't find the other girls pretty, they are.. i'm just stating my opinion..i guess when it comes to beauty on the outside, it's really how your face looks that matter more and not the skin color.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ate Bianca!
Great trip! Awesome photos!
Thanks for sharing all these to us! It's like you took us everywhere you go
GoD bless!

Anonymous said...

grabe po pansin ko lang po lagi kato nag tratravel siguro po msaya un....hehehehe...japan,vietnam sana po sunod korea naman...heheheehe....sabi po kasi nila mukha ako koreana....aneonggyi-hasseyo imnida jullie ann mier thankzzz po i love na po talaga ur blog!!!!go my idol!!!

Anonymous said...

hay po thankzz 4 sharing ur adventures sana po paki share din po kapag ipakikilala na po ung mga housemates admirer po kasi ako nun eh!!!!jullie ann mier po ulit ur # 1 fan!!hehehe

EneLya said...

...hehehe...

my father's in vietnam now...

he's working as a pianist in Windsor hotel...

onlineako said...

hi bianca alam mo since june 2003 nung naging cover ka ng candy magazine idol na kita...

Anonymous said...

Hi Bianca! :) I love your Blog. Anyways, I would like to know how did you travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi? And do you think it's a good idea to travel by bus from HCMC to Siem Reap, Cambodia?

I hope to hear from soon! :) Naging tourist center ka pa ngayon ng Vietnam. hahaa!!

you can email me nalang here:
chaecer@yahoo.com :)

Thanks so much! Wala kase akong mapagtanungan..ung friends ko kase Hanoi lang ang vinist or HCMC pero wala ung dalawang cities. :)

~Chaecer

Anonymous said...

i lablab u xOo much!!!

-anonymous!!ü

bianca said...

roxanne trixia! thank you sa sweet mong comment.

chaecer, i flew vietnam airlines from saigon to hanoi and back! they have sooo many flights to and from everyday so schedule won't be a problem. hay super dream ko din ang siem reap! madami ding flights ang viet air.

to all the other questions! wah! the next time i have more time to answer i will!! thank you ha!!

jinxx :) said...

ooh! hi there! first time to comment btw. :D i went to vietnam before too! well, just in ho chi minh [did i spell that right? haha] because my dad was assigned there or something like that. i so love vietnam. they so love their surroundings and nature stuffs. like when we got there, i saw sooo much parks. and they were jam-packed with vietnamese. hehe. and it was the first time i've seen sooo much motorcycles! haha. its fun walking around ho chi minh as long as you watch out for the motorcycles. haha. oh, did u visit the cu chi [im not sure with the spelling. shucks, i suck at spelling vietnamese stuffs. sorii!]tunnel too? anyway. i just had to comment cause i dunno. because of your post i missed vietnam. haha. anyway. take care! :)

jinxx :) said...

..oh. just to add. i know my comment was long na. haha. pho bo is so so yummy! and their side-walk waffle-lookalikes. haha. they're like waffles but are thinner and kinda crispier. haha. :D did you get to drink their highlands coffee? and did you go to diamond plaza? haha. i know im saying too much stuffs. its just i really love and miss vietnam. haha. love reading your blog btw. :D take care! :D

Frankie Calcana said...

It's been a while nung last kong na-visit itong blog na ito. And it hasn't change a bit. It still has the warmth and comfort that only a friend can give. Though I don't know you personally, feeling friend mo ako kasi I feel okay whenever I read entries about being good and making a difference. Hope I can make a difference too.

Keep blogging! God Bless, Princess!

karenina said...

jetsetter?ü

Anonymous said...

Aloha super girl! Vietnam adds to the list of places you've been to. Never been there but ive heard a lot about the country. I wish to visit vietnam someday!

Nice pictures.

God bless you! Keep inspiring people! Take care! - Andrea-

Anonymous said...

oh!! i love their food too! yummy! :)

Anonymous said...

so kailan ka pupunta ng fave country mo..... JAPAN.....????

Anonymous said...

napadaan lang ako dito.
at least dito, para na kong nakapag-abroad. Happy trip yung mga motorcycles ah, parang wacky races. LOL

janzy. said...

hi ate bianca. :)

you're my idol. :P i mean, i love philosophy, photography and traveling too. and i really wanna know all bout those stuff. for a kid my age, i have tons of question about life. i wanna find all the answers but i can't find a very satisfying one. anyway, i'm REALLY inspired with your blog, i just saw your URL in a candymag and ever since, i've been checking your blog out! you have awesome pictures! i loove your cam and thanks for sharing your life with us. :) please visit my blog as well. ♥♥♥♥
thanks. please leave a tag as well. :P you're really doing great with your blog, not only does it share your life with the readers; it shows life values and the wonderful things in life we may not notice. you're opening the eyes of a lot of people and touching their hearts. and that's why i really idolize you. thanks. :)

-janzy.♥

jeff said...

heloooooooo!

wow travel again!

ingat always!

(LOL super late comment)

Ala lang!

Roxie Liboon said...

hi ate bianca.. gusto ko lang sabihin sayo na kinumpleto mo ang b-day ko!! hehe..

salamat dn po sa comment nyo jan sa akin ha!! whaabyou talaga..

ikaw talaga ang ini-idolo ng mga kabataan ngayon.. lahat ng taga UP saludo sayo!!

maraming salamat talaga ha!! hindi mo lang alam kung gaano mo ako pinasaya..hehe.. (drama??)

pero little chika lang ha.. Bakit naging hawzmeit si ma??

nagulat ako na excited.. grabe..

sana sa susunod.. magkasama na tayo sa mga trip na yan.. you deserve it very much!!

at kung down na down ka.. ipu-pull kita para maging UP ka!!
hehe.. nag advice ba??

basta yan ate.. salamat talaga..
you will always be a part of me kahit hindi pa kita na meet sa personal.. someday.. mangyayari yan!!

isa yan sa mga goal ko!! hehe.. ingat ka ate.. and.. "DONT FORGET TO PRAY!!"

onlineako said...

nice place..

purple addict said...

ei.....sayang wala nang UPLATE...im expecting pa nman to see you again...pro may UBER na kya ok pa din....nakakaloka c kuya dahil kakaiba ang ginawa nya kay MARIEL....CELEBRITY HOUSE GUEST.....sana maging HOUSEMATE na jejeje.....pra maexperience nya ang PBB house....sana c TONI din...hay nakakatuwa ung reaction nya kse akala nya magiging housemate din cya.....sana gawin dn cyang CELEBRITY HOUSE GUEST.....

see yah @ UBER mmwahhhh...

Anonymous said...

musta naman yun at biglang naging instant housemate si mariel! waaaahhhh!!! up to when kaya siya i-stay dun sa loob? i miss her already!! *sigh* naku, pano na ang bf niya sa labas..di kaya ma-insecure yun sa crush ni mariel na si john...(sorry, forgot his family name) ah basta, mariel! mag-behave ka diyan sa loob and don't be naughty, ha? and to you bianca, medjo magso-solo ka muna diyan sa "uber" so goodluck! at least, makaka-relate na sa'yo si mariel ngayon..kasi pareho na kayong naging celebrity housemates! woohoo!!

Anonymous said...

hey bianca!!! im glo from dumaguete city... im so super happy to finally spot your blogspot hehehe.=) i've been a fan since reviewnight days with ryan.. from then on i've been following you... i have a lot of mags with you on the cover =).. i hope your "state of heart" is ok right now =)and bear in mind even if you don't know me, im here watching all your shows and wishing you all the best in life. take care =)

Anonymous said...

waaaaaaahhh nawawala mga peecures!

cooLeTbait said...

ms.versatile, nice bay break nationwide jam '07..uber sa saya at exciting ang pbb celeb2..i always watch it..photobucket pix nawala po..waaahh,,i love ur pics bianc_g!!babalik un for sure..super busy kc ang supergirL kya hindi muna maayos blogs..hehe^-^yspeak!!

Anonymous said...

hey bianca, here is the video and screencaps from thank you day last night. this is where we launched the toblerone triangles into the air:

http://abuggedlife.com/2007/10/21/toblerone-thank-you-day-imax-footage/

tsk tsk third time na we met and you still forgot me :P

L.E.A.H said...

I also love Vietnamese food. May hanoi restaurant sa davao and it was the best food I've tasted in my life. Super sarap talaga lahat ng food nila.

Adrian Ayalin said...

Nice pics there of vietnam. I love the beef noodles of pho hoa, yung madaming madaming basil at togue. Im thinking, is the taste of pho hoa noodles authentic? Or syempre mas masarap pa rin ang luto dun sa vietnam i guess.

unnamed said...

nice.. !! ,.. ngaun naman sa vietnam na !! .. woow .. hehehhe ..


nice pics bianca ..

Anonymous said...

hey bianca! guess what?? my friends and i went to vietnam recently too, and we went on a side trip to cambodia! it was for school... isnt vietnam soooo pretty?? i love it there. sayang, we went on the 27th na! hahaha! oh well... anyway, im meeting you on thursday! im so excited!!! i swear, in my school, im like your #1 fan! hahahaha! anyway, see ya! :D uber and out! hahaha
-bianca's #1 fan

Anonymous said...

i love vietnamese food

Anonymous said...

wow! nice pics! parang professional photographer..