October in Vietnam

After landing in Hanoi, I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Until I arrived at the hotel, traffic remained busy with cars and scooters meandering to find space. They seemed to be flying by chaotically with a melody everyone understood. I once asked a native for advice for crossing the street. He said, “Raise your hands, signaling to cross the street. After his advice, I watched people signaling; it didn’t make much difference. It turns out that the only way through the madness is to breathe, walk, and hope to make it to the other side.

Vietnam turned out to be a larger country than I imagined. In the north, I experienced rolling hills, green valleys, and way too many buffaloes. The area remains populated with natives who remain dependent on tourism. I explored the area for two days. There was always a native person asking me to purchase something. Initially, it was difficult to find restaurants serving anything other than chicken or pork. As I experienced the city and searched Google, I found several restaurants serving healthy options. Occasionally, I found a Bánh Mì shop serving a delicious tofu and veggies sandwich, but that’s unusual.


In Da Nang, I enjoyed hanging out around Dragon Bridge and the Han River. They were exciting places to watch people with their families and friends or just out on a casual walk. I would visit Bamboo2 Bar for wine or a mixed drink. The prices were reasonable; the spirit was delicious as well. I met Thao, one of the waitresses. One evening, I told her that she was beautiful. She said, “I know.” Then smiled! I guess it’s good to know those things about oneself. I did appreciate the people in Vietnam quite a bit. Most were very straightforward, but many didn’t care one way or the other. Traffic here was less chaotic than in Hanoi, but not by much. 

It rained the entire time I was in Hoi An. I went out (with sandals and a rain jacket) and explored the area. As small as Hoi An is, it had more vegetarian options than Da Nang. It caters to tourists with places for shopping, bars for hanging and listening to live music. If I returned to the area, it would be to explore the larger district Hoi An resides in.

I would love to explore Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) further. I am not sure which is grander, Bangkok or Saigon. The traffic in other parts of Vietnam does not compare to Saigon. Saigon traffic is on another level. It is madness trying to meander through traffic. In Saigon, people enjoyed the thrill of maneuvering through traffic. It began to feel like a symphony people participated in with various instruments, knowing exactly what parts to play. 

I ventured out in traffic (Grab Scooter) several times. I had to concentrate on things other than traffic. And that made the most difference. I assumed I was not getting into an accident; these people knew what they were doing. I did see a few accidents in Vietnam. Like Da Nang, there were many places to eat healthy foods. A week in Saigon was not ample time to explore the area. There are too many districts. And, like Bangkok, it would take months or years to explore.




Comments

  1. Amazing experience and lovely place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing experience and lovely people.

    ReplyDelete

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