Destination Saigon

I saw this book from a distance and thought it was about buddhism but then i read the title and its about Vietnam through the eye of an australian man. The author explores Vietnam together with his friends through the crook and crannies away from touristy areas. Many of the places he visited were temples. I get to learn a lot about vietnamese culture from him and its a valuable book to understand vietnam better.

Overall, it’s a educational lighthearted read with jokes inserted here and there. Thanks to this book, there are multiple places in vietnam I’ve added to my bucket list such as the Black Virgin Mountain in Tay Ninh and the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi. I learnt about the existence of a religion known as Cao Dai and how unique it is because how it combined both western and eastern religion. It make me curious and eager to learn more about this faith.

In the end, it is one of those books where if you cant afford to travel yet, you can experience and learn about them just through reading while also connect to the culture and people.