Vietnam — My Two Cents
After Two Months
While I never imagined Vietnam to be “too different” my assumptions were largely accurate. After all: a smile, understanding, politeness, or even an unguided attempt at one never goes unnoticed. Not everything in Vietnam is authentic when it comes to products which is ironic considering a lot of manufacturing happens in eastern Asia. For wary travelers this guide might help:
- Food — Red Bull in Vietnam (and Malaysia from what I’ve experienced) is absolutely nothing like Red Bull in America. Don’t expect a “yager bomb” to be the same thing. I know, this puts me in tears too, but the fruit brings tears of joy rather than tears of agony. I suggest you try “chôm chôm” or in English: “rambutan”. A gigantic lychee or longan and if you don’t know what any of those are you are missing out.
I went to Vietnam with a personal challenge, if a guy on Travel Channel can eat everything from the testes of other animals to the things I did not even know humans could digest I could do it too. However, Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” could not eat one thing: Durian. While it has the texture of a marshmallow I could not possibly enjoy it.
2. Traveling within Vietnam — The airport in Japan is unlike any other airport I’ve ever been to. While in America you are practically coerced to take your clothes off, blasted with x-rays, and cry for your dignity while recovering your belongings, the Japanese provide sandals (I wish they were wooden and a souvenir). Within Vietnam the airports provide a lot of products at those “throw away prices”. A taxi is a great means of transport in and out of the city, but be careful as you may get overcharged (last year it was 10,000 — 20,000 VND or $0.50 — $1.00 just to get in it). Stick with a cab company you can trust.
3. Sightseeing — A lot of people do speak English, but overall people are generally very friendly, considerate, and polite.
If you are worried about a street merchant following you, take a look at his shoes: money is very hard to come by in a country that was devastated by a war that lasted over 15 years and had more bombs dropped on it than all of Europe and Asia in World War 2.
4. Shopping — Some of the best places to shop are in the strangest places. A “dressing room” is primarily a curtain in most places.
Dont be afraid to try anything new: the fact of life is, you only live once.
