Looking Back on Vietnam

Entry 18:


Before we even arrived in Vietnam, we had heard a variety of opinions about the country. Our friend Mai and her husband Ken could not say enough good things about it while others had negative experiences travelling there. Both of us are too young to have any memories of the war and its political implications. As the Saigon Grill restaurant in New York was on our list of top 10 restaurants in the city, we were looking forward to the food in Vietnam. Here are some highlights from our month there:


On our trip to Ha Long Bay, our tour guide told us about some of the customs of the ethnic minority people. For example, when a man wants to get married, he needs to ask permission of the village matchmaker. His family has to give money and gifts to the bride's family including approximately $30, two chickens, and a pig's head. These gifts are presented in 7 boxes covered in red cloth for luck and prosperity. He then has to carry the bride on his back all the way to her house. She has to step over a pair of scissors to symbolize cutting all connections with her family. She will not be able to ask for a divorce thereafter as her family will have to return all the gifts received to the groom's family, an impossible prospect.


Another interesting tale: Because Vietnamese are Buddhists, they believe in burial rather than cremation. Several years after a person is burried, the remains are exhumed, rinsed and placed in a little box, only to be reburried. They believe this process releases the spirit.


Daily customs: When meeting someone new, it is common to be asked personal questions, such as "how old are you?" (We were asked mostly where we were from). Age is important because the elderly are given much respect. When clicking two glasses together for a toast , the younger person will place his/her glass lower than the elder's glass as a sign of respect. During meals, older people get a one second head start on the food.


Even though Vietnam is a large country, it seems as if most backpackers stick to a tried and true path through the most popular cities. This ensures fairly easy travelling and most Vietnamese people along the way speak good English. In addition to English, you will hear many phrases along the way that are important in one's daily life:

• "Hello motorbike." This phrase, which can be heard about 497 times per day is an invitation to ride on the back of a motorbike as a means of transportation to nearby destinations. Think of it as a taxi. The phrase can be punctuated with a period or question mark.


• "You buy from me," AKA "You buy something." Phrases often hear upon encountering someone trying to sell goods. This phrase can be heard in markets, shops, sidewalks, and even while trekking in remote villages.


• "Same same." Instead of saying that two things are identical, the locals will point to the two objects and say this phrase. For example, if a motorbike ride costs $2 per person, they will say, "$2, same same," and point to each person. To point out that 2 things are similar, but not exactly the same, they may add, "but different" at the end of the phrase. This has become known in all of SE Asia and can be found on T-shirts everywhere.

From our experience, travelling within Vietnam is made easy with good transportation, accommodation, eateries, and available tours. In addition, the cost is fairly low, giving tourists a good "bang for their dong." The one negative we found was that the people are not as warm or accessible to tourists as in other countries. The Vietnamese, on the whole, are aggressive, cunning, and sometimes less than honest. Their country is filled with noise and pollution, especially in the large cities, from thousands of motorbikes and vehicles everywhere honking constantly and not giving any courtesies to pedestrians or anyone else on the road for that matter. As a result, we were constantly on edge, watching our backs, having to ensure that we were not being ripped off or in harm's way.

From North to South, we generally found it very easy to find good fresh food wherever we travelled. It was nice to sample regional specialties to get a better sense of the variety found in Vietnamese cooking. Because this part of the world has a good climate for growing vegetables, we easily encountered vegetarian fare, although for vegans you never know what is cooked in fish sauce...To our delight, it was always possible to drink fresh fruit juices for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For the most part, the beer was nothing special with the exception of a brew called Larue Export. The Central Highland town of Dalat is known for producing wine, but somehow we never managed to sample it.

We got to meet individuals from various minority ethnic groups, purchase their handicrafts, taste their cooking, and learn about their customs. We bathed in the lake as they do, slept on the floor under mosquito nets in their homes, and chatted with them along the way.

It was our first SE Asian adventure.