I spent three months backpacking through South East Asia
earlier this year, spending three weeks in Vietnam. We moved from south to
north, jumping on nightbus and tuk tuk and taxi and motorbike, making my way
through all the usual backpacker haunts.
Our first stop was Ho Chi Minh City. That place was crazy! There I was, a cocky Westerner, thinking
I could easily navigate my way through
an Asian city like a seasoned traveller, I was very wrong. Leaving your hostel without a map – never a
good idea. A leisurely stroll through
the streets with my boyfriend Chris(our attempt at ‘alone’ time, which is
impossible when you’re backpacking on the cheap with a group of friends) turned
into two hours of back and forth through
the streets, trying to find someone who speaks English , and wanting to help (also
very hard to come by in Vietnam).Crossing the streets was always a bit of fun
too, especially in the city, trying the avoid the onslaught of cars and
motorbikes without looking like a
complete fool, it’s hard work people! And always remember, you do not have
right of way, they will knock you over if you get in their way, so be careful!
We had one really lovely experience in Vung Tau, (a popular
holiday destination for the Vietnamese but relatively untouched by Westerners)
My boyfriend and I arranged to meet our friends for dinner on the beach (this town
had the best seafood!) and after about half hour we were still wandering up and
down the beach. We managed to find them eventually, sitting down on makeshift
stools surrounded by older Vietnamese men.
We were very enthusiastically invited over to join them and proceeded to
have one of the best nights of our trip. They couldn’t speak English, we
couldn’t speak Vietnamese, but the beers were flowing and somehow we managed to
communicate to each other, much to the amusement of all involved. Vung Tau was
also well known in Vietnam for its huge Jesus statue, second in size to Rio’s
and rather an odd monument to erect in a primarily Buddhist country.
In every city and town we visited families and friends would
gather in huge groups, on beaches, outside houses, even on the streets and they
would eat and chat, for hours and hours on end. They weren’t on their phones,
there was no facebook, no tv, they were just enjoying each others company. The
Vietnamese in particular were such a social group of people, and they seemed to
place so much importance on the family unit. The art of conversation, which
sometimes seems all but lost in the Western world, was thriving in Vietnam.
Drinking on boats made up a large portion of our Vietnam
trip. In Nha Trang(a very popular spot for backpackers) we jumped on a day
booze cruise (with a little bit of snorkelling included). We had some very
lively, cross-dressing hosts but the highlight was definitely their ‘floating
bar.’ Which consisted of one man sitting in a donut shaped floaty pouring Vietnamese
whisky (nasty stuff!) into our plastic cups whilst we drunkenly swam around
him. Needless to say we passed out as soon as we arrived back to hotel room.
My favourite part of Vietnam was our backpacking booze
cruise in Halong Bay (yes, any excuse to drink!). Halong Bay is breathtakingly
beautiful and untouched(something you can’t say about a lot of Asia). Part of
our cruise included kayaking through the bay, which will go down as one of the
most amazing experiences of my life, beer between the legs (yes still drinking
the beer, even to kayak) we set off at sunset, already a little pissed and
explored the vast landscapes of the bay. It was a phenomenal and a memory I will always
cherish.
Vietnam is a great country to travel through, the beers are
cheap, the people friendly and you’re spoilt for things to do; you’ve got bustling
cities, lazy coastal beach towns and one of the most beautiful bays in the
world. Definitely add it to your list if
you haven’t already!
