Sojourner Brothers: A Brothers’ Journey to Vietnam

as an elder I have two sons, and growing up I was probably closer to the Vietnamese roots of my family than my brother was. For one, when I was an only child, my parents—Vietnamese refugees who had settled in Houston, Texas—spoke to me almost exclusively in their native language. It wasn’t until school, where being different meant being a target, that I switched to English. So when Don (yes, it was Dan and Don) came along, I started to boycott anything Vietnamese, and the family he grew up in was decidedly more American.

To their credit, our parents familiarized us not only with the language and food, but with Vietnam itself, where we traveled almost every year. As I got older, I shed the shame of being Vietnamese and developed a real longing for Vietnam because I had always felt like something of a misfit in the United States—even after I moved to New York City and lived there for 11 years years later. Meanwhile, my brother was thriving in Texas, naturally donning cowboy boots and hats and growing into the quintessential American figure with ease.

So while we were both proud to be Vietnamese-Americans, I always knew that I had a deeper connection to the Vietnamese—culturally, linguistically, and emotionally. Don stopped going to Vietnam regularly once he entered college, but I continued to go there regularly as an adult, making friends and building an entire community of my own.

I finally moved from New York to Ho Chi Minh City – Saigon at the end of 2022. The perspective of a young, modern Saigonese. After all, despite our very different interests, my brother and I have always been able to bond together over our love of good food, beautiful hotels, and good old-fashioned adventure.

After living in different cities for 14 years, we saw this two-week brothers’ trip to Vietnam not only as an opportunity to have fun, but also as a way to reconnect with each other and share our ancestral roots with a partner for the first time. Our group of four will start in the north and wind through the central region before ending up in Saigon, our parents’ birthplace.

Departure in Juneour first stop was Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Hanoi, whose name literally means descending (ha) dragon(long). I haven’t been since 2012. During these three days, I noticed that my brother became more confident in his faith.

As we swam, kayaked and rafted among lofty, towering, forested terrain, I imagined our ancient ancestors traversing these waters long before the concept of a country existed. Then, while stopping at the scenic Cat Ba Island, we encountered more recent history that tied into our own story: the island was once a key strategic location during the Vietnam War. As we happily rode our bikes through the quiet, lush hills, I imagined this place before all this happened—a parallel universe in which my parents were like nearly two million others, There was no forced flight from one’s home country, as was the case in the Vietnam War.

After a three-hour transfer back to Hanoi, Vietnam’s political capital, we became aware of our awkward accents: an American version of a thick 1970s Saigon accent that clashed with the city’s hipster dialect. In Vietnam, expats are called “Viet Kieu,” which means “Vietnamese sojourners,” but has also been used as a derogatory term. The label has been revived in recent years as many Vietnamese from the diaspora have “returned”.

As we marched along the city’s lively main thoroughfare to St. Joseph’s Cathedral, we reflected on the distant and sacred faith of my father’s devout Catholic family. We walked the vibrant youth trails around Hoan Kiem Lake, and I had a tattoo of its legendary resident, a giant, very ancient turtle, on my leg. In the evening we enjoyed Chanel No. 5 cocktails in the lobby bar of the iconic Capella Hanoi Hotel, one of my favorite hotels in the city.

What was one of the highlights of our trip to Hanoi? Grab a bowl of noodle soup at my favorite pho place in all of Vietnam: Pho Hang Trong – it’s “hidden” in a dark alley, up the stairs from Ms. Minh’s living room, where she keeps serving light meals -Twenty years of history as a northern style pho soup.

The next stops on our brothers’ tour of Vietnam are Da Nang, the modern beachy “Miami of Vietnam”, and nearby Hoi An, whose walkable ancient town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the best-preserved flourishings in the world. One of the examples of Southeast Asian port cities dating back centuries. We rode around both cities on a rental motorcycle – Don’s idea – and today I believe the trip helped me overcome my fear and decide to buy a motorcycle of my own when I return to Saigon.

Although Da Nang is indeed Known for its beaches, our highlight here was the time we spent at the nearby Son Tra Peninsula, a pristine forest national park home to several species of monkeys (including the endangered red-legged sandpiper) and a 17 floor-high Buddha statues, and the stunning, dreamy Bill Bensley-designed InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort.

We also enjoyed hiking up Da Nang’s Marble Mountains, a group of limestone formations containing dozens of small pagodas and grottoes. To enter the temple complex, we climbed the 156 stone steps built in 1630. . This is not strictly religious, but an act of respect that connects us to our childhood and culture.

Meanwhile, in Hoi An, we rode our motorbikes through rice paddies, stopping at a restaurant that had basket boats—small, round bamboo boats ideal for navigating the narrow waterways. As our driver took us through the maze of canals and taught us to catch tiny crabs hidden in the mangroves, I laughed, frustrated that Don caught fewer crabs than me because I knew how talented he was Competitiveness.

Back in town we purchased pearl necklaces and leather goods from local tailors such as Yaly Couture and enjoyed bowls from the street high mop—Hoi An’s specialty, rice noodles, pork slices, herbs and crispy croutons served in a delicious broth. We ended our time in central Vietnam with a massage at Almanity Resort & Spa, a place known for its wellness experiences.

The next day, back home in Saigon, it was time to relax and reward myself for the great trip: shopping at local streetwear center 42 the Hood, drinking coconut coffee at Cong Caphe, having a vegetarian dinner at Hum, and Enjoy pastries from Park Hyatt Bakery. To commemorate our adventures together, Don and I got matching motorcycle tattoos (sorry, Mom and Dad, I don’t think you’ve seen these yet).

On our last night, we headed to Anan Saigon – the city’s first Michelin-starred restaurant since 2023 – for a delicious crab fried rice and Dalat-style pizza prepared by chef Peter Cuong Franklin. Afterwards we went to the rooftop bar, which seemed like a fitting way to end the trip: gazing at the skyscrapers of the bustling 1st arrondissement. It’s true that Vietnam has changed a lot since we were kids, and so have we, but I hope we always come back here together.

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Unless otherwise noted, images by Dan Q. Dao.