Author Stacey Zolt Hara has written a series of books, about travel in Asia with a cute young girl named Bella. In Bella's Vietnam Adventure, Bella and her family travel to Vietnam.

Did you know that there are so many motorbikes in Hanoi that it is difficult to cross the street? There are also a TON of stores - a whole section of stores just for selling shoes! Bella and her family exlore Vietnam, take a cyclo (a bike pedicab), get clothes made, play on the beach, and see the sights of Hanoi, Danang, and Hoi An.

I liked this book because there are so many true things in it - so much to learn and see. I didn't know much about Vietnam before I read this book, now I want to go visit! It looks like such an awesome and vibrant place. (And the shoes!)

We talked with Stacey about visiting Vietnam:

WE: Is it really so crazy with the motor bikes?

SZH: Yes! Most major cities in South East Asia are like this – Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Manila in the Philippines, Bangkok in Thailand and both Hanoi and Ho Chih Min in Vietnam all have very lax traffic rules, if any at all, so driving or crossing the street there is quite an adventure.

WE: Is the food good?

SZH: Personally, I love French Vietnamese food. The flavors of lemongrass and the great use of vegetables and spices make the food super tasty.

WE: Are there really that many shoes, in the shoe shops?

SZH: Shoe street in Hoi An is a fashionista’s dream. It is just as depicted in the book, shelf after shelf of shoes, lining both sides of the street. What you don’t see in the book are the surrounding streets: one selling TVs, one selling tires, one selling clothes, and on and on. It’s overwhelming!

WE: How do you pronounce pho? That recipe looks delicious!

SZH: It’s pronounced “F-oh,” like the letter O with a F sound before it. Pho is delicious. It’s easy to make and is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes.
 

Want to know more about Travel with Bella? We interviewed author Stacey Zolt Hara about the backstory to her books - read it here.

And, we asked her some questions about Bella's Chinese New Year. You might be surprised at the food-throwing!

On Travel with Bella, there are curriculum guides for both books to help parents and teachers deepen the learning experience when reading the Travel with Bella books.

Thank you, Stacey, for sharing the world of Bella with us!