Full disclosure, we’re feeling a bit exhausted by certain aspects of Vietnam and ready to move on to the next destination. The incessant traffic chaos and horn noise, poor walkability, piles of road side trash, and too frequent public rat sightings have started to run thin. The English is limited, which is our problem and nobody else’s, but our brains are tired. We’ve eaten some things we sincerely hope was actually chicken. Everyone has had some kind of digestive issue at some point in the past 7 weeks.
Top of the list. How can one describe the total chaos of the traffic we have seen? To try and paint a picture, just imagine that overnight, you awoke to streets lacking signage and traffic lights. Simply gone. Now, add to that, the government has mandated that vehicles now have complete right of way over pedestrians. People on foot, beware, and good luck. Vehicles may now drive and park on the sidewalk, without regard to pedestrian need. Finally, nobody is allowed to stop their vehicle at the intersection, but are required to proceed at full speed, with all 4 (or more) lanes simple heading directly towards one another in the middle. Your only protection is to use your horn to warn other vehicles and pedestrians, lay it on loudly and often. Soon, there is a sea of vehicles of every kind, trucks, cars, motorcycles, scooters, all driving like a bat out of hell, all trying to be first, all using their horns simultaneously. Lanes no longer exist and U-turns are common, right in the middle of it all.
We’re sorry, but this just feels like madness and no way to run things. On foot, crossing the street requires equal parts timing and bravery. You basically walk right into it and trust they see you. There’s an art to it, but a miracle we never got run over. It almost felt like the Vietnamese are actually trying to defy basic physics and attempt to occupy the same place at the same time, over and over, with an “everyone go first” approach. This all somehow works for the Vietnamese and we wish them good luck with that…
Second complaint, the air quality in Hanoi really soiled the experience. Of the 13 days there, around half were just unbreathable and left us trapped inside. We feel sad the world has come to this, it’s not healthy and are privileged we can just up and leave, unlike the locals who suffer the consequences every day.
Other aspects that bother us most, are actually quite charming, if seen from another point of view. For example and to our surprise, the Vietnamese seem to love and practice Karaoke, how fun. The catch for us was they Karaoke at a level 12 of volume, straight out of the living room and into the street, or from a nearby bar or stage setup on a random lot. We’re talking teeth rattling level of loud. Sometimes it’s literally just a single old man, sitting in his living room, with the door open to the world for all to hear him belt it out. One time we walked by a stage setup on an empty lot. From across the street, the volume was so overwhelming we both had to plug our ears, just to walk by. The next day, the stage was gone, like it never happened. The songs are Vietnamese, we recognize nothing. They’re clearly having fun, so who are we to judge, but seriously?
Vietnamese are often helpful and we had many charming interactions at restaurants and our lodgings, but we also experienced some far less comfortable. Strolling through the markets, you’re pushed to buy, sometimes almost literally. You really can’t look at anything for more than a second or two before they come running to your side with a broken “you want to buy” or “take look”. We joked we’d eventually train them all to stop this practice by our quickly walking away, but somehow they didn’t seem to catch the hint. A cultural thing we suppose, but sheesh, can we just look for a second? More than once, we were considering a restaurant and perusing the menu on the stand outside, only to get the bums rush. We just walked away.
Now that we’ve vented, there were absolutely positives that we enjoyed along the way. The coconut coffee was a favorite and one Tim will crave forever, especially on a hot day. Morning jogs on the beach of Da Nang were really special, and not soon forgotten. Living on the beautiful beach of Da Nang and strolling along the sand, with the warm sea washing over our feet was really lovely.
Halong Bay is really special and is a treasure for the world. It was just so cool to stay the night on an old cruise ship, in a beautiful wood lined bedroom, waking up to a view of the incredible mountains jutting up from the sea. Absolutely worth the 3 hour trip to get there and was the most expensive thing we did in the country. The shuttle ride to the bay featured the countryside green of our Vietnam dreams, that we had so hoped to see.
The UNESCO recognized village of Hoi An definitely was the charming place it was promised to be. The mix of architectural influences are stunning and would compete with Europe in their photogenic powers. A stroll along the river to see the lanterns boats floating along is highly recommended. The Banh Mi Queen was over the top satisfying and one of our favorite meals in Vietnam.
We like the people, they feel very real to us and come across to us as particularly genuine. The Vietnamese seemed busy and they’re working, from early to late. Construction workers, women on bicycles collecting trash, men selling dumplings from a steel pot attached to their scooter, or setting up a store or restaurant for the day. All of this would start early.
We do our best when traveling anywhere, to avoid using the word “cheap”, as it feels a bit disrespectful to the locals. We prefer “reasonable” or “affordable” and Vietnam most certainly can be that. You can have a beautiful meal for a buck, healthy and tasty. You just have to eat more like a local and know where to go, which we didn’t always do. Even getting western food will score you a pizza, burger or whatever you want for a price probably 20% of what you’d pay wherever you are. Despite some meal missteps, we had some incredible food throughout the trip and were pretty much spoiled on that front. The money is funny here, one of those countries where the currency has a whole lot of zeroes on it, but doesn’t add up to much. We’re very fortunate to be from a nation with a currency that travels well, and very much hope our home country has the wisdom to keep it that way.
Sure, we got a few of the happy smiles we’d come to expect in Thailand, but only in our cute little Da Nang boutique hotel, or from children. The rest look like they have a job to do. Men often give you a longer stare, nothing threatening, but something we both noticed. They’re also very clearly about their families. Walking along the river in central Da Nang, you can feel the family vibe. Fathers, mothers, and children, all holding hands and enjoying the moment. Strolling through the neighborhoods, barefoot children feel safe to roam freely, reminding us of safer days of our own childhoods. Kids of all ages wear their school uniforms each day and ride their bicycles, somehow surviving the aforementioned traffic.
We’re still glad we came here, and someone more knowledgeable of the country would surely educate us on the error of our perceptions. Vietnam has always held a sort of legendary image in our minds that we just had to match to reality. Admittedly we’ve only seen a few narrow slices of the total, with our journey through Hanoi, Halong Bay, Da Nang and Hoi An. There’s much more to this place and perhaps we’ll come here again. At least, as Stacey would say, “we’ll talk about it”….
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