I only spent a day in Vietnam and didn't get to see much more than a factory, a hotel, a restaurant and a "karaoke establishment", but I do have some overall thoughts and impressions of the place:
- Again, the traffic is horrible. Crazy. Disorganized. More than any other place I've ever visited, Vietnam appears to be a place where there are no rules when you're on the road. Anything goes, and motorcyles and scooters pretty much rule the road. The car I was in was hit twice in one afternoon by motorcycles. They scratched the side of the car, but never stopped, and neither did we.
- For being the largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is not very organized or developed. If China is the third world, then you may consider Vietnam the fourth or fifth.
- I was surprised to find that, unlike China, none of my favorite internet sites had been blocked. When you're in China, you can't get on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Livejournal or a host of other sites. No such problems in Vietnam, despite the fact that it's still very socialist.
- Vietnamese people are short. REALLY short. Even shorter than the Chinese. My 6'3" height makes me a towering colossus in Vietnam, and this was a great source of entertainment for the factory workers, a couple of whom asked the factory manager for permission to stand next to me for a quick comparison as I was touring the place. Many of the workers were under 5' tall. Hard to believe, but it's true. They're so small that they can pack a lot more of 'em on a factory line. Here's an example:
- I got the distinct impression that many Vietnamese have never seen a white guy. I got a lot more stares than I do in China, and the people seemed to get really excited when I'd "call" them on their staring by waving back. My ever-rosy red cheeks also seemed to be a curiosity. Many people pointed at their cheeks as they whispered to their friends and colleagues. Yeah, I think they're weird, too.
- You shouldn't expect to go to Vietnam and get by on English alone. Most people seemed to know little or no English, and those who did know some couldn't speak it well and had poor pronunciation. So, if someone asks you for your "ready ka", be prepared to hand over your Mastercard.
- Traditional Vietnamese dress, from the cone-shaped hats to the Chinese qipao-like dress with pants, seemed to be fairly common. I thought that was pretty cool. Note, by the way, how all the Japanese dudes standing behind me are on a riser, and yet half of them are still shorter than me. Funny.
And, of course, sometimes visitors get into the fun as well.
- The food that I ate was pretty good. I'm sure there's plenty of nasty food to be had, but I was fortunately able to avoid this in my 25 hours in the country. If you ever go, be sure to get some pho, which is Vietnamese rice noodles. I got some in the airport, and it rocked. It also rocked my intestines during the flight back to Taiwan, but I'll save that story for another day. Anyway, here are a couple photos of the fried dragonfish we ate for dinner. It was actually some of the best fish I've tasted--good white meat, not too bony.
- The people are incredibly friendly and seemed very welcoming. Although I was warned of pickpockets and other crimes, I never felt like I was in any danger there, and the people always seemed very nice wherever I went.
I'd definitely like to go back. I didn't even scratch the surface of the country, and there's definitely a lot of culture there to see and experience. Next time, I'll add an extra day or two to my trip so that I can look around.
That dragonfish is freaking me out!
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