It felt as if I'd been transferred back in time when I arrived in Vietnam. Finally, I had arrived in a place that fit my picture of Southeast Asia. Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are all very similar and it's easy to generalize among the three, but Vietnam stands out. I said it over and over again, "I finally feel like I'm in Asia!" I'm sure it's because of the popularity of the Vietnam War (referred to as the American War here) in television and movies that gave me the impression of what I thought Southeast Asia should look like. It makes sense then, that that's what I felt when I arrived. It's strange too, because many people told me to either miss Vietnam altogether or if I must visit, do so quickly and get out. "It's a beautiful country," they'd say, "but the Vietnamese..."
People complained about their aggressive selling tactics and the requirement to haggle over the price of everything. I found it all to be either exaggerated or mostly untrue. Yes, you do have to bargain for nearly everything, which was difficult for me since I'm such a pushover when it comes to things like that. I made a point to learn though, and after a couple weeks I'm a much more confident negotiator. My first experience was a warm morning in Hanoi when I passed a lady selling baguettes on the street. Knowing that bread couldn't be much I held up one finger and gave her 10,000 dong (the local currency, 16,000 dong=US$1.) She gave me the bread, took the money and watched me slyly from the corner of her eye as she clutched her money purse. I stood there a little confused, certainly this bread didn't cost that much. When I didn't walk away she smiled a mischievous smile and gave me 5,000 dong back in change. "That's more like it," I thought. I was really glad I didn't walk away without getting that change back, I'd hate to be charged double for something, fifty cents can go a long way here. When I got back to my hotel I asked the receptionist how much he'd pay for the bread on the street. Two thousand dong was the answer! Ah ha! She got me good! Armed with this new knowledge I bought another baguette later that day from a different woman. I paid with 5000 dong, she waited for me to leave. I motioned that I needed change so she gave me 2000 back, then I held up one finger and she gave me the remaining 1000 dong. Success! It was a little work to get to the base price but the feeling was great, then I looked at the bread... MOLDY! I marched right back across the street and before I could even say anything the woman had a fresh piece ready for me. What cheeky women these bread sellers are! I had to laugh at myself later when I realized I'd saved just pennies in the whole debate. Those were my first, albeit not my last, experiences in cross-cultural negotiations here in Vietnam. I got better at waiting out a lower price, feigning non-interest and expressing astonishment at all their starting prices. Once I got to Saigon I'd say, "I be in Vietnam long time, no give me tourist price, give me local price." Sometimes they would and sometimes I just thought they did.
I thought Hanoi was beautiful. I stayed in the Old Quarter most of the time where narrow alleys hid unknown culinary concoctions just around the corner. The French-style colonial buildings rose high above the street and were built right up against each other. The streets are narrow and crossing the street required a new strategy than waiting for a gap and running to the other side. No, here you can cross at almost any point, but you do so slowly, very slowly in order to allow the motorbike drivers to anticipate your presence and go around you. That being said I still got hit by two motorbikes. It's not uncommon to see someone in the middle of the street, surrounded by traffic whizzing by in both directions. It's more impressive in Saigon where the streets are much wider, but crossing the street anywhere in Vietnam is not to be taken lightly.
I stayed in Hanoi for a few days, mostly walking around the Old Quarter, trying any new street food I came across. In the evenings, well-established yet impromptu restaurants form on street corners selling bowls of noodles. People huddle together in groups of two or three around plastic tables and chairs big enough for a three year old child. I never had to eat at restaurants, the street provided enough food to keep me intrigued and satisfied. Baguettes in the morning, glazed sweetbreads in the afternoons and noodle soup and dried squid in the late evenings were my staple. There were also good fruits to eat like guava, lychee and banana.
I visited the Prison Museum, most commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain was one of several American pilots who were imprisoned during the Vietnam/American War. It was a bit strange to see pictures of the pilots playing soccer, decorating for Christmas and smiling during a movie night. To someone ignorant of the events at that time, they'd think this was a country club over a POW camp. I fail to imagine McCain's inability to lift his arms over his shoulders occurred from a volleyball injury!
I took a tour to Halong Bay lasting three days and two nights. Vietnam is big on organized tours and it's almost the only way to see Halong. What makes the bay so special are the thousands of jagged limestone islands within it. It's pretty and reminded me of El Nido in the Philippines although, after seeing them both I would vote for El Nido over Halong Bay. Here the islands are a long way away from the mainland and the only things that outnumber the huge jellyfish are the tourists. It was a great time though and I even saw a small water snake while trekking on Cat Ba Island.
Afterward I went south to Hue on September 2 which is Vietnamese National Day so all of the temples and tombs in town were free to enter. I took advantage of that and hired a motorbike and driver to take me to them. It was a nice half day excursion and afterward I decided I'd seen enough of Hue so went to Hoi An that evening. People say good things about Hoi An, people are weird. I don't mean to be negative but the streets are crap, filled with potholes and dust, every other shop in town is a tailor (Hoi An's claim to tourist fame) begging for your business and the main attraction-besides the tailors-is a covered bridge that spans nary a river, I'd call it a canal, an irrigation ditch even. I didn't even take a picture of it I was so uninspired! Haha. On top of it all it's downright scorching hot during the day. I wish I would have made it down to the beach, that may have changed my perception a bit but I was too busy getting fitted at the tailor. I ended up getting a wool overcoat, jeans and a shirt. It all fits very well... that is, until I wash it I'm sure.Nha Trang was the beach stop I'd been waiting for. I wanted to hang out at this beach town and catch up on my reading and my tan. Fortunately I got to do one of those things. The first day was beautiful but it rained every day after that. I spent a lot of time in my room reading and watching the news. The accommodation in Vietnam is a little bit more expensive but it's filled with luxuries like air-con, phone, hot water, mini-bar and cable television. All amenities I'd gone without in previous countries. The Republican Convention was just finishing, hurricanes were pelting the Gulf Coast, Russia was in Georgia, Mugabe was stalling in Zimbabwe and Mythbusters was on the Discovery Channel. The rain was a bummer, but I didn't care that much! I had an interesting culinary experience while I was there. I met some local guys who were keen to practice their English so we started talking. Somehow we got on the topic of food and the fact some Vietnamese eat dogs. Once they found out I was willing to try it we were off! They brought me to a street where every restaurant sells the same thing and only the same thing... man's best friend. I thought I was going to get to try dog. Like, take a bite of it. But noooo, I had dog soup, grilled dog, boiled dog, dog pureé and dog intestine! They just kept bringing it out! To answer your questions, no it doesn't taste like chicken. A little gamy, the grilled dog was a bit chewy and the boiled dog just dissolved in my mouth. I'm glad for the experience, but I'm really glad I don't have to do it again!
Saigon was my last stop on the whirlwind Vietnam tour. I thought it would be my favorite place but it didn't rub off on me like Hanoi did. Perhaps I didn't see enough of it. I went to the War Remnants Museum which has on display some weapons, photos and information about the war. In some of the displays there are a few not-so-slight jabs against the seemingly evil Americans which I would experience at the Cu Chi Tunnels the following day. The museum was good, but I expected more. They have an extensive exhibit of what Agent Orange did to the environment and it's Vietnamese inhabitants, as well as a good tribute to the photo-journalists on both sides of combat.
The Cu Chi Tunnels are some of the remaining tunnels the Viet Cong used to escape, organize and execute attacks against the anti-communist forces. The tunnel system was extensive and very impressive with underground wells, kitchens, air vents camouflaged by termite mounds and even a system of air chambers which released cooking smoke far away from where the kitchen actually was. There is a shooting range on sight for anyone willing to shell out the dong to fire a few bullets from an M16, AK47 or 50 caliber. It adds a surreal element to the experience to hear gunshots in the distance during the tour!
My last day was spent at a small water park lapping the water slides, floating in the lazy river and relaxing in the sauna. I would highly recommend Vietnam as a place to visit and I'm very glad I decided to come. It's probably the most photogenic country I've ever been to. Children sleep on water buffaloes while their older siblings work nearby in the rice fields, bent over and wearing conical straw hats, old men sit on the sidewalk in Hanoi watching the world go by while smoking a giant wooden pipe, women walk all over town carrying all kinds of edibles on baskets suspended from a piece of bamboo across their shoulders, a family of five passes you on a motorbike-the youngest child comfortably asleep and perfectly balanced amidst the heavy traffic, and a group of schoolgirls ride their tall, vintage bicycles to school, their white dresses flowing behind them, wearing the iconic, conical straw hat, their faces covered with decorative cloth masks . This is Southeast Asia, this is Vietnam.
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