The Only Currency That Mattered: Word of Mouth
Before the arrival of internet connectivity in Vietnam around the turn of the millennium, independent travelers relied entirely on personal recommendations exchanged in backpacker hostels in Bangkok, Saigon, or Hanoi. The ultimate proof of a guide's honesty, skill, and storytelling was their personal logbook.
At the end of a multi-day journey from Đà Lạt to Nha Trang or Buôn Ma Thuột, guests would sit down with a cup of highland coffee and write long, passionate letters detailing their adventures. These books are thick with pressed mountain flowers, dried coffee leaves, sketched motorcycle diagrams, and postage stamps from all over the world.
Excerpts from the Golden Era of Backroad Travel
One entry from March 1994, penned in English by two travelers from Melbourne, Australia, reads: 'No tarmac, just red basalt dust, Elephant Waterfall roaring in the mist, and Mr. Bay sharing his family rice wine under kerosene lamps. This was not a tour; it was being welcomed into a family.'
Another page from October 1997, written in French by a couple from Lyon, recounts: 'Five days across the high plateaus on an old motorcycle. We crossed rivers on wooden planks and slept in the stilt longhouses at Lak Lake. Minh guided us with his heart and his childhood memories. A journey that forever changed our lives.'
We keep dozens of these original hand-bound journals at our Đà Lạt headquarters. Guests visiting our office are always welcome to leaf through the original yellowed pages over a fresh cup of filter coffee.