I’ve been in Vietnam for 3 and a half weeks now
and I have been pondering how to write this post about the final destination on
my trip. Half way up, I had written a speil about the 85 million people, the
traffic in Saigon, and how good the food has
been. In truth it’s been the most disappointing country I have visited in the
ten plus months that I have been away. Ouch…tough intro.
Now, it’s not all been bad. Vietnam is a
beautiful country with lots to see. Star Movies, HBO and BBC World from the comfort of my hotel room
to name but a few, heh… No, the sand dunes in Mui Ne
were pretty cool if you are easily impressed by sand. It was just a shame that
the town was boring and smelt like rotting fish. For the latter, the place was
famous for making the ubiquitous Fish Sauce. I can’t vouch for the former. Halong Bay’s
Limestone Karst scenery was impressive but even that was soured by admin errors
which meant that I couldn’t stay one night on the boat. I huffed and puffed
back to Hanoi
early in protest.
The crux lies in the general mentality of
the people here. It’s rather ironic that a country that is still technically
under one party communist rule, that its people are such ruthless capitalists.
Whether legitimately or a bare faced hustle, its been one constant struggle to
fight being conned. Tourist prices apply to everything and the opportunism is
rife to get more than something is worth. Now, a hustle is nothing new in South East Asia-
especially in Thailand- but there seems certain way of doing it, and in ‘Nam,
it more often than not leaves a bad taste in the mouth. You really
underestimate how far a smile goes when you don’t see one which doesn’t come
before handing over some money. I was speaking to a fellow traveler in Hue, and remarked that Vietnam resembles that weird quiet
kid at school that you never really wanted to pick a fight: he’s
got hard bones and never says mercy. With such resilient spirit and hard nosed
opportunism it’s not surprising they got one over the Americans in the war.
Creativity is borne through necessity, and such was witnessed by some of the
nasty traps they set in the jungle, and the miles of underground tunnels that
they dug against the French.
On a plus note, it was nice to meet up with
old traveler friends again, as I saw Breah and Aka, the Aussie couple who I had
traveled Lao and Cambodia
with. They were always 4/5 days ahead of me so I was glad to finally catch up
with them in Hanoi
before they flew back.
I also managed to buy 7 kilos of tailored clothing in Hoi
An, a charming UNESCO World heritage site. Certainly my favourite place in Vietnam
as there was a real charm about its rickety old houses, narrow streets, and slow
riverside setting. It also had some of the best food. The tiny market stalls
with their toddler sized plastic stools were home to some of the
best food I’ve had in Asia. Bun Thit Nuong
(Grilled Meat with Noodles) was a really special combo of rice vermicelli,
fresh all sorted greens, BBQ’d “meat”, and a peanut sauce, all mixed together.
It got to the point that I was waving to the owner every time I passed the
stall.
So….home. The 15th of Feb to be
precise. I’ve been dreaming about it more and more in some manifestation or
another. One involving a pub with the lads, another being kidnapped…Heh, after
11 months away, it’ll be about time. After my exit strategy of Bangkok,
China, and Chinese New Year
in Hong Kong, I look forward to seeing you
all.
Till the next post, keep well and take care
of yourselves.
Michael x
