As I leave Vietnam, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my time here. It is not suprising that I have been unable to get to the "real Vietnam" when I have hugged the East coast and followed the tourist trail, but with just two weeks and restrictions due to visas and vaccinations it was the best I could do.
Leaving the taxi-bikes aside, I have found the Vietnamese people to be a very friendly bunch. The country I would say is still trying to find its way in the tourism industry and hence some of the frustrations I faced.
Hue and Hoi An were great to see the more traditional side of things and Saigon has an entrepreneurial buzz not dissimilar to that of San Francisco for example.
It's weird seeing American tourists walking around after everything which happened in the late 60's / early 70's; I wonder if in 40 years time there will be US students backpacking around Iraq ?
I've enjoyed Vietnam, but I am now ready to move on.
