Vietnam: Frequently Asked Questions

As a recovering (and future?) communications consultant, I thought it was well past time for me to develop an FAQ document. And what better place than Vietnam, about which we were getting a fair number of questions from back home.

What's it like being an American in Vietnam?
I can honestly say we did not have one negative interaction in our month in Vietnam. While our conversations with locals were limited to those who spoke English (I recognize the potential for sample bias there), everyone I spoke with shared a similar sentiment: The war was a long time ago and Vietnam has a long history of war - not only with the US but with the French, Chinese, Australians, Cambodians and others. So we need to focus on the future, not the past. Plus, governments wage war, not people. The people do what their government orders them to.

All that said, the Communist party does issue some surreal / comical propaganda about "American Imperialists" at tourist sites we visited. In particular, at the Tunnels of Cu Chi, we watched an over-the-top video "documentary" that was obviously developed during the war.

In it, we learned "the ruthless Americans want to bring violence to the peaceful people of Cu Chi to prop up a puppet government that has already fallen 12 times. Like a crazy flock of devils, they shoot women and children."

While the facts of these statements may be true (not to mention disturbing), we couldn't help smiling a bit at the tone and presentation.

All in all, our time in Vietnam was fantastic and we heartily encourage others to visit the country.

How's the food?
Some countries are known for food: Thailand, Italy, France, for example. I would say Vietnam should not really be known for its food. On the other hand, we had some great meals in Vietnam and overall found the food adequate. I've had enough pho to last me a while, but then again, I like pho. It's beefy and noodley and generally boiled extensively.

And we found the hygiene standards to be generally excellent, suffering none of the gastro-intestinal distress that followed us through Laos. So that's a plus.

What did you like best?
We loved the four H's: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi is an amazing city of narrow streets, open-air markets, parks and wide boulevards. It's a great place to wander around and the climate is cooler than in the South. Plus you can see an embalmed Ho Chi Minh in his enormous tomb, which has to stand as one of the most surreal experiences of my life.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site for good reason. Filled with thousands of limestone islands, the place is truly scenic unlike many other spots in the world. Plus you can travel by historic wooden junk and kayak.

Hoi An is just plain cool. Like Luang Prabang in Laos, it's a place you can hang for a bunch of days. There are great restaurants, more custom tailor shops than you could possibly ever visit and a nice beach. Wandering the narrow streets of Hoi An could easily absorb a few days, taking in the French architecture and organized chaos of streetlife.

Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's modern metropolis. It's shiny and brash and hot. Luckily there's also air conditioning. The beautiful people ride Honda cycles in throngs and the bars spill out onto the streets. If posh is your thing (we were willing to make it our thing for a few days), HCMC has it.

What were the challenges?
Vietnam is in your face. Always. While it's not quite India, it is definitely an acquired taste that doesn't work for everyone. We met plenty of people who couldn't wait to get out of the country and return to the relative tranquility of Thailand (or even New York City). That said, with the appropriate Jedi skills (see earlier post), we were able to thrive in the chaos.

The Scandinavians have pioneered a form of traffic management based on chaos theory. Basically, they have removed all street signs, sidewalks and other divisions or directions for pedestrians, cars, bikes and motorcycles. The results have been somewhat surprising. They have found the system works - people drive more slowly, remain more alert, injuries decline and streets come alive.

It seems the Vietnamese are also pioneers of the chaos approach. There is nothing like crossing the street in Saigon (as District 1 of HCMC is known) to bring the theoretical to life.