The punishing mid-day sun dictates the pace of life in the corridor between Phan Rang and Cam Ranh, where locals escape to their living rooms or hammocks, and tourists seek the cooling breeze of the beach, seafood restaurants or resort pools. Perhaps one of the most underrated ways to take refuge from the heat is to duck into one of the nearby grape vineyards where winding vines create a natural oasis.

The canopy of grape vines is the perfect hiding place.

These working orchards dot the roadsides in Mỹ Hòa and double as showrooms with spartan seating. They are, however, a welcoming hideaway for me as each table is topped with a plate of red and white grapes, raisins, refreshing containers of cold juice from grape concentrate and freshly squeezed tắc, and bottles of sweet grape wine of an unspecified ABV — all complimentary.

All of these grapes and their byproducts seem popular, particularly with local tourists who can be seen loading boxes of these goods into their vehicles, no doubt to share their bounty with friends and family in the cities from which they came.

While we picked up a few things to bring back to Saigon, the real enjoyment of this experience was the vineyard itself, sitting under sagging clusters of grapes, some perfectly lit by rays of sunshine peeking through the zigzagging roof of vines.