Things I Learned About Vietnam

Since my trip to Vietnam was so amazing and unique, I could probably list hundreds of interesting tidbits that I learned from my trip. However, I'll just list a few things that stood out in my mind.

1. Their crowded and chaotic traffic system somehow works. There are about 80 million people in Vietnam, and 40 million motorbikes. For a country that is the area of New Mexico, that's a lot of motorbikes clustered in the main cities. Factoring in the absence of traffic regulation and lack of training that people need to drive, it is utter chaos. There are no lanes, there are practically no traffic lights, there is no regulation enforcement, and crossing the street as a pedestrian is a nerve wracking process every single time. They say driving in Italy is crazy, but having been there, it really pales in comparison. Just imagine that you're the frog in frogger everytime you cross the street. Being the spazz that I am, I am surprised that I made it back unscathed.

2. Ho Chi Minh is everywhere. From North to South, I saw Ho Chi Minh everywhere. A large percentage of shops had the Vietnamese flag and a picture of "Uncle Ho" hanging up. There's a huge statute of Ho in the aptly renamed city, Ho Chi Minh City. In the Capitol city of Hanoi, you can go see his embalmed body Lennin-style (they actually send the body to body to Russia every year for touch-ups...freaky, no?). Some may see this as a sign of Communist brain washing, and that may be true for some people. But I think our tour guide was very fair in saying that a lot of people may not agree with Ho's tactics, but Vietnamese people on the whole have a lot of respect for a guy who devoted 30 years of his life fighting for Vietnamese independence.

3. Vietnam is hardly Communist. Long gone are the days when the government used to give out stamps as the way people got their foods. Besides the fact that the government owns all the farmland and hammer and sickles sprinkle the country, the actual practice of communism seems fairly obsolete. Everywhere you go you see people engaging in private business practices; in fact it almost seems like more people own their own businesses there than in the States. There are churches, temples, and even mosques in full swing around the country ever since they lifted the religion ban in the '80s. And I think one of the most funny signs that communism is gone (or at least on its way out) is that there was actually a store selling propaganda posters. Profitting off of communist messages, what would Ho say?

4. Everything is inexpensive, especially the food. I had always heard that things are inexpensive for Americans travelling to Vietnam but I really did not grasp this concept until I actually went there. Among my extravagent spending: 1 hour massage = $18. Silk robe = $8. Lunch from a local place (pictured left) = $1. Average meal at nice dinner restaurants = $4-5. Needless to say I wanted to cry when I got back to the United States and saw the exorbitant price of food at the grocery store.

5. Vietnam is like 20 travel destinations in 1. If you want to get bang for your travel buck, go to Vietnam. Not only is everything there inexpensive, it has a lot of the best features of other countries all rolled into one place. Vietnam has European style architecture and French inspired food and desserts everywhere. It has tropical beach side resorts and white sandy beaches like Hawaii. It has Chinese style ancient temples in the middle of jungle. It has the hustle and bustle of New York City. It has the canals and artsy open front stores like in Venice. It has the glowing lights of Vegas. It even has a Chinatown, because really, what country doesn't have one. And of course there are things that are very special to Vietnam like Ha Long Bay (pictured right). I could definitely see myself going back there, maybe when I have my own income. You should go too.