I just got back from Vietnam a few days ago. I was so exhausted from the jet lag and have been sleeping 2 day straight after I got back. I really enjoyed my trip. Sometimes when we go abroad, finding new foods and exploring foreign cuisine can be an adventure unto itself. But on this trip, the food was another rewarding part of my ‘homecoming’ and because I had no language barrier, I was really able explore when it came to food.  One of the best things about the trip was the new foods we were able to discover for ourselves. We ate like 7 times a day!!! What a life: eat, nap, have a coffee, eat, nap again and eat when you wake up. I gained about 7 or 8 lbs from this trip just from eating. It was worth it. We had been working so hard for this time off and it was an amazing experience. I am so happy that Loc and I could share it.

We celebrated our New Year there. The New Year in Saigon is really quiet.  Most of the businesses are closed and many restaurants are not open either. Our culture is known for the “Hoa Mai” on New Years day. The color of Hoa Mai is yellow and it only blooms once a year, on New Years day. People sometimes pay a lot of money for Hoa Mai trees because they are  good luck charms. People believe that if your Hoa Mai fully blooms on the first day of the new year, you will have a successful year and if it only blooms partially, your year might be not as good. Some wealthy people there are willing to pay around $20,000 and up for their Hoa Mai trees and they only last a week or so. Here are some photos of me with Hoa Mai.

Hoa Mai

Drinking coconut

buying guava fruits

Meat market

Vegetable market

This is my favorite fruits called Chom Chom

At Nguyen Hue Orchids Garden during Lunar New Year.

Water storage called ” Lu”

Loc and his friends sliding down white sand dune in Phan Thiet, Mui Ne

Another silly picture of Loc and his friend 😉

This is what I worn to my friend’s wedding ceremony

back lace detail of the blouse

My friend, Kieu

Wearing: Fendi shoes, Alaia skirt, Robert Rodriguez blouse, biker short from F21, vintage clutch and Fallon necklace.

Saigon is always so crowed, noisy, and the city never sleeps. The people there seem to party all day and night. But if you drive to the South there is a beautiful beach called Nha Trang. It’s 7  hours away from Saigon. We are staying in NhaTrang for a few days before we go to visit Loc’s family and my family again. Then we will be headed back home. The Nha Trang beach is beautiful, and unlike Saigon, the people here keep the streets really clean.

One of the best things about the trip is getting to try all of  the exotic foods that I have never eaten before. Yesterday I tried snail. It’s the best! Believe it or not, Vietnam is known for dishes that are made of dog! I’m so against it, but there is nothing I can do. Dogs in Vietnam are not valued like they are in other countries. Most of them seem to be living as strays, sleeping outside and they barely have food to eat. What you have to understand is that some, if not many, people who live here barely have food to eat themselves so how could they afford dog food? I know it’s sad for me because of my Americanized values so I try to remember the difference in our cultures when I see the dogs as a meal: for others it is a matter of survival.

Vietnam is not just a return to my roots; it is also an adventure for me.  There is so much to see here, so much to take in! I will be honest with you: it is SO hard to see the poverty in this country. Seeing this different view of life, seeing how other people live and how little others have to live on has made me so much more appreciative of what I have.

I hope you all are well. I know that the fashion world has been shaky since the passing of Alexander McQueen and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
xoxo Nini

City view from our hotel room

We rented a boat and travel out to some of the islands in Nha Trang.

One of the places we went to is the Fishing Village, where they sell live seafood.  We selected some of the live fishes and restaurant cooked different type of dishes for us.

We picked out this huge squid for our lunch

fried squid

A local lady selling coconut juice using basket weave boat as her transportation

After a long day traveling around different islands, we ended at a beautiful island to swim and relax

Wearing Pucci scarf as head wrap and cover up, F21 sunnies, cuff by Virgin, Saint and Angles

The purpose of my trip was to go to the wedding and to visit my family. We traveled about 2 hours from Central Saigon to see them. So much has changed! The one thing that has not changed is my family. My grandmother, uncles and aunts all look the same to me now as they did when I was a little girl. But even though I was able to recognize  them, they barely recognized me! When I saw my grandmother I knew that she was thrilled to see me because I could see tears in her eyes. I miss them all so much and it was wonderful that I got to see them.

The way people live in the suburbs and countryside is the opposite of the urban lifestyle of Saigon. People who live outside of the city go to sleep really early (like 6 or 7 pm) and wake up really early too. Many people farm and lots of families are growing vegetables, raising pigs, chickens, and ducks as a day to day routine and they are really satisfied. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our day to day lives or our materialistic desires that we forget about how differently other people live. It is amazing to experience the change of pace and to remind myself of my roots and heritage.

Here are some photos of me and my family

My grandmother ( ba noi ) Loc and my cousins

Wearing DVF dress

Walking out to the main street from my grandmother’s house

My uncle – dad’s big brother

Beautiful view by my grandmother’s house

Tagetes

Another beautiful flower called” Hoa Ga” I don’t know the English name for it

Here are some photos of regular people working on the street in Saigon

coffee shop

A worker

Wearing: Common Thread dress

I just got the news today from Natalya that Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home. He was a week away from presenting his new collection at Paris fashion week and the fashion world is beyond shocked right now.   He will be missed and we will continue to adore his work and respect his talent. There will be a significant empty space not just in Paris fashion week but also in the fashion industry as a whole.

Have a nice day everyone!!! Nini Nguyen

Hello all- we have been having a blast in Vietnam! Loc and I are staying in  Ho Chi Minh City for most of the time we are here. We just got back from Phan Thiet, Mui Ne. We were there for 2 days to have our wedding photos taken. They  were supposed to be a surprise but I’m just too excited to share all the news with you. We are doing a mix of editorials and some classic shots for our wedding portraits. When we did our shoot in the desert, there was a tornado that was coming in our direction. Luckily we saw it, wrapped up everything then ran as fast as we could! These are just candid raw shots that have not been retouched or anything.

These two girls are so nice. They offered to help us carry our belongings up to the desert. They works for tips. That’s how they make their living.

My photographer is Thanh Nguyen, one of the most popular photographers inVietnam. He does most of the singer’s and model’s fashion shoots in Saigon.

Thanh Nguyen and I kidded around. Wearing my new Ao Dai from ABC

My makeup artist Chi Binh, She’s so sweet

The sunrise view from our hotel in Phan Thiet

The Lunar New Year is only a few day away. This year is the year of the Thiger. The streets are so busy and crowded. Most of the businesses will close down and will not open for another 2 weeks or so.

Saigon street at night time

Have a beautiful day to everyone !!! xoxo Nini Nguyen

Hello everyone! After a 19 hour flight Loc and I arrived safely in Vietnam. Thanks for all the wonderful thoughts and good wishes! The shopping here is not great. They have a few designer stores like Versace, Chloe, Roberto Cavalli and Marc Jacobs. I would guess that
they don’t have more than a 30% sell-though because there are a lot of poor people in this country. There is a small portion of the population that is rich and able to afford such things.

However, there are Vietnamese markets that sell everything replicated and at more affordable prices to suit the people who live here and the fun thing is that you can bargain with them. In fact, bargaining is expected! You have to be a good bargainer to go to this market and if you are not, you have to take a local with you to help. The shop keepers at the markets are really good at identifying people who live in America and of course when I ask the price for something they triple it up. :-). Unfortunately for them, I’m quite a good negotiator and they hate me already. :-).

Vietnamese market where you can bargain

A D&G loafer with Gucci label! Since they can’t make up their mind about what brand to put they put in both. Hey, this is a great deal! Buy D&G and get Gucci for free 🙂

Loc and I attended Loc’s best friend’s wedding at Majestic hotel. The place is so beautiful. It’s the most expensive hotel in Saigon. When I was there for the wedding all I saw were Americans or people from other countries.

Benny & Kieu

Friends

Loc’s bestfriend

Caught this bouquet at the wedding

Outside of the Majestic Hotel

Majestic Hotel lobby

Wearing: Erdem skirt, F21 lace top, vintage clutch, Janet Savitt necklace and YSL pumps
I hope you all are doing well! I will keep updating you on the trip as much as I can! xoxo Nini Nguyen