Why I Love Vietnam

Recently, I came across an interesting article entitled, Why I Won’t Return to Vietnam, written by a guy who calls himself Nomadic Matt. It got me thinking about my own experiences and why I love Vietnam so much.

In the article, Matt describes his travels in Vietnam, mostly sharing stories of being “ripped off, cheated, or lied to.” Oddly, that’s how I would describe my adventures in Thailand. But that doesn’t keep me away from Thailand, either. I just go to countries like Vietnam and Thailand with a different attitude than I take to countries like Japan, for example.

In the past year, I’ve spent several months living and traveling in Vietnam, mostly in cities like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Da Nang, and in rural areas like Quang Bình Province. I’ve had good times and bad but have no regrets about coming here. To tell you what I love about Vietnam, I could describe the beautiful beaches of Da Nang and Nha Trang, the frenetic energy of the young people on motorbikes in Saigon and Hanoi, the inspiring Buddhist temples and historic ruins of Hue or the incredible food and friendly people everywhere. But that’s not the whole story. There’s something else, something magical about this country that I just can’t describe. You really have to experience it for yourself.

Vietnam Is Challenging

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Japan has spoiled me for traveling. I’m not concerned for my safety there. And, with the exception of a few red light districts that are easy to avoid, I know I’m not going to be ripped off or hassled in Japan.

But Vietnam is challenging. I’ve had my share of hassles here, for sure. For one thing, Vietnam still largely follows a more traditional market economy. Go into an open air market or small shop and you won’t see prices posted anywhere. The price is what the owner charges you. This puts you at a disadvantage for several reasons. First, you don’t speak the language so haggling is hard. Second, you’re a foreigner and will often be charged as such. Again, this is true to varying degrees depending where you go but in general, you will pay more than the Vietnamese for most things. That bothers some people more than others. I would argue it bothers some people than it should, given that even the elevated price is still incredibly low. I can get a meal in the market for a dollar. A healthy, delicious, homemade meal.

What You Can Do To Make It Better

Make friends with a local. I try to do this everywhere I go, since it’s the best way to learn about a place and because I enjoy meeting new people. I see a lot of backpackers just hanging out with each other. Then they’re surprised when they’re treated like outsiders.

It also helps to educate yourself about the place you’re visiting. I’ve read a lot of books about Vietnam. For Ho Chi Minh City specifically, I found Saigon Survival Guide by Simon Miller very useful. I’ve gained an appreciation of Vietnamese history and culture from reading A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, by Robert Olen Butler; Catfish and Mandala and The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars, both by by Andrew X. Pham; and Vietnam: Rising Dragon by Bill Hayton.

I will say to Nomadic Matt that Vietnam has improved a lot since 2007, when he visited (the first year I visited as well). It’s much easier to get by without haggling. There are reputable taxi companies that actually use their meters now. There are many shops and restaurants that charge a fixed price, regardless of what you look like or where you come from. Until recently, there was tiered pricing for train tickets (foreigners were charged more). That’s changed now too.

My Introduction To Vietnam

Vietnam. It’s such an integral part of American history and culture. It’s always been fascinating to me. Americans were not even allowed to visit until 1995, an aftereffect of the war. The first time I considered visiting Vietnam, I was living in Seattle, having returned from a five year stint in Tokyo and was eager to travel again. I’ve always been an avid cyclist and when I found out that the Seattle-based Cascade Bicycle Club offered a tour of Vietnam by bicycle, in association with Pedaltours, based in New Zealand, I signed up immediately.

So I’ll be the first to admit I was a bit pampered. As Matt points out, most of the people he’s spoken to who had a positive experience in Vietnam traveled in luxury, as opposed to the backpackers whom he describes as mostly hating the experience and vowing, like him, never to return. But while we stayed in some nice hotels and had the advantage of vehicular support to take us through the worst of traffic or weather, we spent most of our time on the road on our bikes, more or less alone. And my experiences in the countryside, away from the tourist areas with all the touts and scammers, were overwhelmingly positive. If I was thirsty after hours on the road, I’d pull into a roadside shop and buy a Coke and I was charged the same price everywhere I went. People were very friendly, especially kids. Packs of school children would approach you on their bikes, holding up their hands for a quick high five. Small children would run out of their houses when they saw us pass, perhaps the only foreigners they’d ever seen, yelling what little English they knew, “Hello! Hello!”

It also made me think about why I travel. Travel is tough, as Matt readily admits elsewhere in his blog. I guess we all have our limits on what we’ll put up with. I dreaded returning to Thailand but on a recent trip, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s improved a lot in the decade since I was last there. For example, you can get from the airport to the hotel without a hassle and without being ripped off. This seems to be the first step any nation takes when they become serious about tourism.

What I’ve Learned

Traveling is not always fun. When I’m having a bad day — when I’m going to miss a flight or when I know I’ve just been ripped off or disrespected and there’s nothing I can do about it — I try to remember why I do this. If you have a regular job with just a few weeks off a year (and in America, you’re lucky to get that) no one can blame you for wanting to relax in comfort, being shuttled from air conditioned resort to local tourist attraction by private coach.

But that’s not what I’m after here. I’m trying to push myself, as much as possible, to experience different people and cultures. Sometimes that experience is unpleasant but it’s no less valuable. Knowledge and wisdom come at a price.