Vietnam in Retrospect

by Rachel

Saigon and Hanoi feel like two separate worlds - separated by 1,000 miles and seemingly bound only by language and history.

I miss it already.

We'd grown used to travel in Vietnam: the quick mental math converting 20,000 Dong to $1 Dollar, the stubborn bargaining we never saved much by, and an unending hospitality even if always coupled with a sales pitch at the end. We could easily thank our hosts and understood the social customs that dictated every interaction. It's shocking to throw yourself into another culture, and it's exhausting all over again.

I think we made the right choice by starting our journey in Hanoi. The austere, serious capital city is quick to welcome tourists without ever making you feel at home. Traveling south, we grew comfortable ordering food - learning the words for rice (com), chicken (ga), beef (bo), soup (pho), sandwich (bahn mi), fried (ran) - and how much we should expect to pay for each. We developed beer preferences: Tiger, Larue, 333, Hanoi, Saigon - though not in that order. 

The Vietnamese people played incredible hosts to our first month on the road. Yes, as a Westerner, you're seen somewhat as a walking ATM, but it's far more complex than that. You represent investment. The Vietnamese were genuinely excited that AMERICANS were visiting their country! Think of that - AMERICANS! Encounter after encounter, they explained to us, with broad smiles, how wonderful it was that we, Americans, would see Vietnam for its beauty, its culture, all it has to offer the modern world. In instances where we expected to be at least somewhat embarrassed by our country's history, we found only forgiveness and genuine pleasure that, of all people, we would tour their country.

They begged us to report home, to encourage our friends to visit, to come back and share in the joy of their country. It was humbling and amazing.

The other side of this attitude is a very deliberate lack of retro- and introspection. For many Vietnamese, the past is of no consequence, and only the opportunity ahead matters. It is good and bad. We have never seen such infrastructure development anywhere in the world. Everywhere we went, roads were being built and updated, services being extended, and a mad dash into the 21st century abounded.

We had no traumatic experiences. A few ripoffs, totaling in maybe $50 extra dollars spent, between the two of us. In the long run, that $50 matters far less to us than to the people who schemed it away. That's a day or two on the road for us but goes much farther in the hands of an impoverished Vietnamese family. 

Even so, I think we'll miss Vietnam the rest of our trip. I'm sure we were this culture shocked the day we landed in Hanoi, but we learned to navigate the country and appreciate for what it is: a changing land, a varied landscape, an industrious, strong people; a beautiful and terrifying motorbike ride.

Non-Sequitur Cultural Observations

Let me state the obvious: the culture in Vietnam is completely different than the U.S. This permeates every aspect of life, retail, communication, and interaction. Some are easily found by a quick Google search and others we picked up on the road... 

• Driving: Everyone is passing always and at all costs. Lanes are optional. Red lights are optional. Terror is mandatory. 
• Men carry everything - purchases, purses, and babies. Whenever Rachel would buy and pay for something, it was always handed to Alex. 
• School lets out for lunch and there are kids everywhere.
• Generally, there are kids everywhere. I wonder what the demographics are because there were toddlers, schoolkids, and pregnant women at every turn.
• Dogs walking themselves with purpose. There are many, many dogs in Vietnam and they cross the street on their own, walk themselves out into the world and back again. Where are they going? Do they have dog jobs? Dog clubs? 
• Tiny plastic chairs. When you eat street food, you always sit about one foot off the ground on these tiny chairs, which feel likely to tip over without notice.
• Sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Every dish has an unwelcome amount of sugar in it. Beef? Rice? Pizza crust? Sweet as you can imagine.
• You may pay for services, but they are not there to serve you. Need to get off your bus to use the bathroom? The bus may very well leave you where you stand and drive off with your belongings in the cargo hold underneath.
• A smile is universal. It feels great to have a thousand little kids wave like maniacs, screaming "HELLO!" just because you're white. Older folks will give you a skeptical eye at first, but a smile and nod invites a warm smile back.