I have been in Vietnam for 10 days now. I have very mixed feelings about the country, and so far if it was not for all of the new friends I have made on my tours I do not think I would be a happy traveler at all. Vietnam is not at all what I expected. Okay first off I should not say Vietnam so vaguely...all I can really say is north Vietnam is not what I expected, and I really hope the people in the south are far more friendly, helpful, and interactive. I supposed my first problem is that I idealized north Vietnam, and thought it would be this wonderful nourishing place where I could really absorb the culture. Nope. Not. At. All.
The north Vietnamese are not the kindest people. They keep to themselves, pump tourists for money, lie, and do not try in the least to understand you if you speak their language. Also hardly anyone (outside of a tourist office) speaks english. I feel like I was tossed into a huge city, could not get around, and could not understand anything. It was a bit overwhelming, but I did not let it get to me. Plus it is really cold here, so my mind was really on keeping warm which really helped me focus on something else besides the negative. I am pretty sure the Vietnamese people have no idea what a heater is...I have yet to find one in this country. Which really makes me wonder how all these hotels dry their bed sheets and blankets...
Anyway without going into to much detail, not being able to communicate, get much help from the people here, read signs, constantly being overcharged for everything, and harassed by a taxi driver (who cheated me in the first place) put me in a very sour mood about the northerners. I had heard good things from other travelers who had come from the south, and am hoping it is a bit better down there. I have made so many new friends on my trips out to Sapa and Ha Long Bay, and could not be more thankful that they push all the tourists into pre-booked tours, because I have met some wonderful people this way. Even if we only know each other for a day or two, the conversations and stories we share are priceless. I wish I could always live like this, and meet people left and right every day. I think I am going to have to extend my travels for another year because this is such a wonderful way to live I wish it never had to end!
After visiting the breathtaking rice "mountains" of Sapa, and seeing the thousands of islands (or "blobs" as my new friend Sophie would put it) coming up from the sea like the floating mountains in Avatar, I headed back to Hanoi to catch a bus a little further south to Dong Hoa. Both my adventures seemed surreal, I am so happy I braved the cold and decided to go on both these trips. Even though my experience with Vietnam thus far has not be ideal, I have to give it to the Vietnamese for having some of the most delicious cuisine in the world. I can only figure out what I want to eat by actually looking at the food being served, but so far it has worked out okay. I do eat about 100 times better when I have a Vietnamese friend at my side. But, besides my first two days in Vietnam when I stayed with three young professionals at a homestay, I have yet to make any Vietnamese friends. Cause I don't think that tour guides should count as Vietnamese friends, because they are always amazingly friendly. Hopefully as I venture down south my perception of Vietnam will change for the better, and I will enjoy my stay here.
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