Elly Thuy Nguyen – författare

The Anti-Guidebook to Saigon: Updated for 2025 with Map Links, QR Codes, and Zero Filter.Most travel guides are boring. This one isn't. Standard guidebooks send you to Ben Thanh Market to get ripped off and tell you to eat at "e;Ngon"e; restaurants that locals hate. They are written by foreigners who visited for a week.I'm Elly. I'm Saigonese. And I'm going to show you the city my friends and I actually live in.This isn't a list of propaganda museums. It's a deep dive into the chaotic, delicious, and thrilling mess that is Ho Chi Minh City. Whether you are here for two days or two months, this 2025 edition gives you the cheat codes to the city.New for the 2025 Edition: The Tech Upgrade: Every single listing now has a direct Map Link and a QR code. Scan it with your phone and go. No more typing Vietnamese addresses.The Visa Headache, Solved: Step-by-step instructions for the new 90-day e-visas (and how to avoid the fake websites).The Mythical Subway: Yes, we finally have a subway (sort of). I'll tell you where it actually goes and if it's worth your time. Inside, I'll teach you how to:Eat Like a Boss: Why we don't eat pho for every meal, where to find the best $2 vegetarian buffet, and how to order snail dishes without losing your mind.Dodge the Scams: From the "e;coconut guy"e; to the taxi mafia and the "e;pretty girl"e; massage shops that definitely aren't what you think.Survive the Streets: How to cross the street without dying, why you should use Grab instead of taxis, and why you should never, ever visit the "e;dry"e; side of Dam Sen Park.Coffee Culture: Where to find the hidden "e;apartment cafes"e; and the oldest coffee shop in the city. Warning: This book contains sarcasm, honesty, and advice on where to find the best hair wash of your life.

Vietnamese girls are a minefield. A very hot minefield.We have the allure, but we're also a load of trouble, an enigma wrapped in a mystery... and a bowl of pho.We come on strong, then suddenly back away. We wear extremely revealing clothes but faint at the mention of sex. Our college girls look like ladies of the night, while our ladies of the night look like college girls.Hey, it's Vietnam! It's Vietnamese dating culture. And this book is your complete guide to surviving it. Is it English practice or is it a date? (Stop wasting your coffee money).Don't get catfished: Spot the fakes before you swipe right.The "e;Good Girl"e; Myth: Is there really no premarital sex?Closing the Deal: How to move things to the bedroom without losing face.Regional Warfare: North vs. South—totally different cultures.The Catholic Niche: Why they are a great dating choice (and not just because of the uniforms).The Businesswoman: Why she might be the most expensive girlfriend you'll ever have. Dating Vietnamese Women details all the weirdnesses, expectations, turn-ons, and turn-offs of Vietnamese girls.We're weird, but we're worth it.

All-new 2025 edition of Da Nang and Hoi An: the complete travel guide, from a local expertDa Nang is Vietnam's up-and-coming city. It offers urban excitement, Vietnamese culture largely unaffected by tourism, and stunning natural beauty. But Da Nang is in many ways still a small town, and it remains poorly documented, even in Vietnamese-language publications. This is the local's guide to Da Nang and Hoi An that includes a knowledgeable Vietnamese person's take on the best to see, do, and yes, eat and drink in Da Nang and Hoi An. Hang out where the locals hang out, make friends and see the real side of Vietnam, stay at nice hotels for under $20 a night, know what's overpriced, and most importantly, have an amazing time in Da Nang and Hoi An.

Quy Nhon is a secret beach paradise. Smack in the middle of Vietnam's central coast, Quy Nhon boasts wide-open soft sand, crystal-blue waters, and super-cute fishing villages nestled into limestone cliffs. All with very few tourists. The swimming, snorkeling, and just-chilling are amazing. So is the eating: fresh fish, squid, shrimp, and oysters, for the price of fast food in the US. We Vietnamese people love escaping to Quy Nhon. It's so relaxing and it's so cheap, even by Vietnamese standards. Foreigners have no idea about this magical place. Now I'm letting you in on the secret. I'll guide you around the town and show you the public city beaches, the quirky cafes, and of course the tons of seafood restaurants. We'll go a bit outside the town (take a private car for just a few dollars) to the quieter, more secluded, even more spectacular beaches. There's one nestled into a cliff, one with a giant Buddha looking down on it, and another one with bird-egg-like stones. I'll show you a hidden cafe that looks like a treehouse, perched on a mountain top, with spectacular views over the city and the coast.  This is the first Quy Nhon guidebook ever published. There isn't even one in Vietnamese: In my previous guidebooks, we explored Saigon and Hanoi. I showed you Da Nang years before it became popular. Now let's discover Quy Nhon. Bring your swim trunks.

Dalat is the most Instagrammable city on Earth. While the social media crowds treat it like a pastel film set for the perfect pose, visitors get trapped in a shallow loop of TikTok low-hanging fruit, sewage-smelling waterfalls, and night market restaurants with bland food and spicy attitudes.Be better.This guide is your escape route from the kitsch. This is the savvy local friend you need to find Dalat's authentic soul.Avoid the Traps: Steer clear of the scams, the sewage waterfalls, and the notorious night market spots known for physical thugs and inflated bills.Experience the Unforgettable: Ride a thrilling 2.4-kilometer alpine coaster through the pine forest, take a sunset train ride with live violinists, or wake up at 4 AM for a surreal cloud hunt.Eat Like a Local: Find the champion of Vietnamese pizza, savor authentic chicken-and-lemon-basil hotpot, and discover hidden gems that rarely see tourists, not even Vietnamese tourists.Meet the Experts: Get an insider's tour from the Coffee Professor at his high-end Arabica farm, and hire the same English-speaking driver/guide/fixer my relatives and I always hire to create a custom tour.Find the Hidden Nooks: Even at the busiest landmarks, find the quiet corners for peaceful appreciation of the nature the French fell in love with a century ago.Packed with direct Google Maps links and QR codes for every location, this is the practical, opinionated manual for genuine discovery, not just proving you were there.Let's discover the real Dalat.