Most people know about Vietnam is only its sights of war with American. But the war ended nearly forty years ago and Vietnam now is a peaceful and safety country. It still remains communist rule, however, Vietnam have opened to the world and adopted capitalist principles. Through my travels, the country has pleasantly surprised me. The way of life here is very interesting and is totally different to America.
Here I will name some of the reasons why you should travel to Vietnam:
1. It is a new and exotic place. It is not as touristy and commercialize as in Thailand.
2. It is safe place. The communist government has controlled securities all over the country well. Foreigners, especially, are highly protected. No record of terrorism, serious crime or sexual harassment has happened to tourists for years. However, be aware that health care and hygiene standard here cannot meet international standards. Anyway, it is still a developing country.
3. The people are friendly! Locals typically can speak little English, but everyone love to say hello to you, especially children. The locals who can speak English are interested in talking and practicing English with you. And, despite of my worries, they do not hate Americans. All the people I met along my way did not give me any harassment for being an American.
4. Everything is amazingly cheap. For street food and drink, mostly you do not have to pay more than 2 dollar for it. I could easily find a good bow of famous “Pho” or famous Vietnamese “banh my” for 2 dollar. And if you want to, then 20 dollar could buy you a basic pair of shoes or a basic dress.
5. The food is awesome! Vietnamese food back home is never as authentic as the food served in Vietnam (though they all are delicious)! All the food is freshly made. Vegetables and herbs are cut fresh in the morning. Seafood is caught and consumed within the day. Also, when I ordered coconut juice, the waiter went to grab a coconut, cut off its top, sticks a straw in it. No sugar, no ice, no preservative, naturally sweet and fresh, it is the best coconut juice I have ever had in my life!!!
6. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Vietnam is stretching for thousands of Km from North to South so its climate and its landscape are very diverse. It has majestic mountains with lush green terraces and charming little villages. It has highlands with gorgeous waterfalls and pine tree forests. It has white sand beaches with crystal blue water. And so much more.
7. It has lots to see and do: from camping and bird-watching in the tropical forest; squid fishing and diving in the ocean, swimming in turquoise water under the sunshine, visiting an exotic market of ethnic tribes in Sapa, renting a jeep and driving on the sand dunes, relaxing in French style villa surrounded by pine tree forest in Da Lat … And so much more! (And I have only been in here for a week!)
So is that cool enough to give Vietnam a try? Only you can make that decision. But believe me when I say that Vietnam is a fantastic country and if you skipped it, you would be missing out on a lot.
