1.) Some people try and scam you on taxi fares. Not exactly a surprise, this sort of thing happens everywhere from England to Australia. They’re just much more brazen with it over here.
2.) It’s REALLY hot.
3.) …
I guess I can’t think of any more. It looks like I love Vietnam then!
1.) The constant horning from vehicles on the road. At first this unending assault on my ears was something I did not in the least appreciate. After a while though, it sort of grew on me and it felt like something was wrong if more than a few seconds went by without me hearing a car or motorbike horn.
Reasons people in Vietnam horn at each other:
2.) How kind, friendly and helpful the Vietnamese people are. I can’t tell you the number of times I was given unsolicited help by a local with them having no expectation of any sort of reward from me.
3.) The stunning natural wonders that Vietnam has been blessed with. In all my years of travelling, Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
4.) The food. These people must do some crazy black magic to make the beef here taste so good. The Vietnamese pizza I had in Hoi An is among the 10 best things I’ve ever eaten, even though the only thing it had in common with my beloved western pizza is cheese.
5.) How cheap it is. A litre of alcohol for 20 US cents is pretty good in my book!
6.) Sleeper trains. You can ride these in other countries but since I’ve never been on one before I’m putting it in. It condensed the Vietnamese experience into a low ceilinged, narrow walled metal can. Being in what felt like a bustling little town, surrounded by the rich vibrancy and endless vitality of the Vietnamese people, all the while speeding along poorly maintained half century old railway tracks was quite the experience!
7.) How easy it is to meet people despite a massive language barrier. Don’t get me wrong, people were very friendly and welcoming in some of the other Asian countries I visited as well but I don’t know what it is about this place that makes it so easy to drink with the locals.
The Ho Chi Minh City Skyline.
My Intrepid group for Vietnam :)
Firing an M16. I couldn’t resist.
Chilling in the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Vietnamese dug hundreds of kilometers of these tunnels by hand during the Vietnam War.
Helen and Kathleen on their cyclos.
At the Vietnam War Remnants Museum.
Arty shot.
Ah, my old friend Saigon beer. The first of many wonderful brews tasted in Vietnam.
We ate all sorts of weird things in this country.
Hoi An River at night. The lights from those restaurants lit that river up like Christmas!
Another arty shot.
Quite possibly the most delicious thing I ate in Vietnam.
I was more impressed with this massive flag than the building it was at.
Fun times dressing up for our ‘royal banquet’!
The presentation of food was amazing during the banquet, Every plate the staff brought out for us had a different bird carved out of vegetables on it.
The narrow corridors and low ceilings of our sleeper train. It was a really cool experience being on there but I must’ve whacked my head on at least 3 different door frames within the first 20 minutes of being on board.
Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum.
The amazing dining room on our Halong Bay boat.
Halong Bay was absolutely stunning, I couldn’t take enough pictures of this place.
Aww, poor Helen (centre). Bless her, no matter how hard she tried she never took a good photo.
The top half of an octopus head. I ate it about 20 seconds after this picture was taken. All sorts of nasty juices oozed out when I stuck my fork in and it tasted just as disgusting as it looks. Probably the most horrible thing I’ve ever eaten.
STOP BY FOR POT PIE 