While most Blue Devils in Independence relaxed at home over winter break, junior Anthony Cocita and senior Lindsey Lieu traveled to Vietnam!
Lieu began her trip December 16th, 2025 at 7 AM, the Wednesday before winter break, with her mom (Mythi Tran), dad (Hieu Lieu), sister (Lexi), and cousin (Ahn Vuong). They landed in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon (sai·gaan), and stayed in her mother’s hometown of Bình Dương (Bin Yoong) for two weeks.
While in Binh Duong, the Lieus explored the Aeon Mall (I-on Mall), which was packed, and Lieu felt that “everyone and their mom was there.” She was impressed by the grandeur of the mall, especially the expansive grocery store. She commented that “there was a lot of hot pot and Korean bbq. Jollibee was popular and there was a Dairy Queen there surprisingly too.” Overall, however, most of the stores in the mall either sold athletic clothing, or were pop-up stores with mini-figures.
When traveling around the city, they took motorcycles. Lieu remarked that there were barely any cars in the streets, and if there were any, they were taxis. The only time they took a car was when leaving the city they stayed in.
Their next stop was Tra Vinh (Trah Wing), Mr. Lieu’s hometown. According to Lindsey Lieu, it was extremely rural, to the extent that she felt there were more chickens than paved roads. They only stayed there for a day to see their family. She said she saw so many family members that she couldn’t remember most of their names. She added that since they address each other by their relationship to each other, some weren’t even introduced by their name at all.
Then, the Lieus traveled to Vũng Tàu (Voong Tow), where they stayed at the Lan Rung (Lan Roong) Resort and Spa for two nights which is a glamorous tourist magnet. Each day they relaxed by the ocean or in the pool.
Lan Rung was a convenient five minutes from the city, which added to the ease of their morning coffee runs, shopping sprees, and even kite-flying in the square. They dined on street food such as boba, bowls of noodles, ice cream, savory pastries, and they ate at tables close to the floor.
After day two of unwinding in Vũng Tàu, the Lieus explored Saigon, Lindsey Lieu’s favorite place they visited. They stayed in Fusion Original Saigon Centre in a mall, of which had an exciting, expansive gym on the top floor. Over the two days they stayed in Sai Gon, they explored many shops, some of which had things trending on Tik Tok, and she also bought her favorite pair of jeans and shoes there. Most everything was walking distance, but when they weren’t walking they were riding tour buses or ferries! The next day (New Years Eve), they went on a dinner cruise.
Their last destination was called Dalat, a tourist heavy city with many natural attractions. The Lieus only stayed there for a day and a half, after riding seven hours, overnight, on a bus. Lindsey Lieu remembered that they arrived at their hotel in Dalat at 4AM, and that it was 40-50 degrees, which was freezing after enjoying the 80 degree weather the past few weeks. During the day, they drank street soy milk, and adventured in more aesthetic shops (where she bought her beloved navy blue windbreaker) and street vendors, swan-peddled in a pond, and co carting down a mountain!
Exhausted from jet lag, but recharged from a relaxing and stimulating trip in Vietnam, Lieu arrived back in Ohio January 9th at 10 PM, ready to make herself at home with many fun memories to share with her loved ones.
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Anthony Cocita left the U.S on New Years Day with his brother Shawn, his brother’s fiance Nhu, his brother’s coworker Mike, and Mike’s wife Lisa. While in Vietnam, they were guided by Nhi, Nhu’s cousin, who lived there for her whole life, and brushed up on her English for them.
They landed in Ho Chi Minh City, a couple days after New Years Day, where they got settled in an Airbnb for approximately a week. Similar to the Lieus, they enjoyed plenty of strolling especially in the Ben Thanh (Ben Tang) Market. At the market, Anthony Cocita purchased his Ao Dai (Ow- yuh-eye), which is a formal outfit with a high collar and long sides, worn as a school uniform, or outfit for weddings or classy events. After that, they rode a tour bus around the city, and visited the Independence Palace, Unification Hall, which is where Ho Chi Minh stayed and worked during the Vietnam War.
The next stop for Cocita and his crew was Nha Trang (nah- Tr[ah] -ng). They resided at the Ana Mandara Resorts and Spa, where Cocita decided to learn to ride a bike! He commented that there were complimentary bikes everywhere, so in his free time, he tried riding. Lucky for him, it was a successful attempt. Afterwards, they went to a temple on a mountain near the resort, then ate Korean BBQ, and he purchased a jade bracelet. Later, they relaxed in a spa and enjoyed a foot massage.
A couple days later, they visited Da Nang (Dah Nahng), which had recently flooded, but Cocita remembered that the damage was nearly imperceptible. He noticed that people tended to have a high motivation to work there, and said people will pitch in and help because the drive to work is high.
They left Da Nang and drove to explore Hoi An (H-oy- Ah-n), a city near his brother’s hometown. There, they had the opportunity to try spinning in coconut boats on a lake, although Cocita was hesitant to spin for the fear of losing the belongings in his pockets.
Although he had fun in Hoi An, Cocita admitted that he wished the food wasn’t as touristy. He felt that “the food didn’t have its authentic taste” and that it was “suited more to the international pallet,” likely due to television chef Anthony Bourdain’s visit there in 2009. Cocita explained that Bourdain’s fans flocked to the area in search of the food he made, and the local chefs began changing their menus to please the public. After their day in Hoi An, they went on a boat ride and set off lanterns into the Hoai River.
Following their stay in Nha Trang, they flew North to Hanoi and stayed in Ninh Binh, a rural city “with mountains and rivers everywhere you look” as Cocita recalled. There, they stayed in the Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh. Cocita admiringly remembered that the resort sent a driver with a luxurious van to pick them up, and when they got there, the staff helped them settle in and they were greeted with hot tea.
Cocita recalled that fish was a common meal, which was unfortunate for him because he is allergic. Instead, he ate mostly rice, chicken, beef, and pork. The most memorable food he tried was Durian, a Vietnamese fruit that has a spikey shell and stringy insides. It was far from a favorite of his and Lisa’s, although Lindsey Lieu enjoyed it. Aside from the Durian, Cocita appreciated how fresh and tropical the food was, and he was happy to take home some fresh coconut chips.
Other that the chips, in terms of souvenirs, he took home a crystal Buddha, some clothes, and a Jade bracelet. Cocita explains that in Southeast Asia, Jade is a symbol of prosperity and protection. In order to secure the prosperity and protection, one gets the bracelet strategically placed on their hand so it doesn’t fall off and bring bad luck upon the wearer. In other words, the tighter the bracelet, the more protective it is. However, if the bracelet were to break accidentally, it wouldn’t negatively affect the owner of the bracelet, but it would no longer protect the wear.
Lindsey and Anthony returned with many souvenirs and stories, replenished from the warm sun and tropical food. Their adventures in Vietnam had come to a close, left in the recollections of their travel companions.
