I Love Vietnam!

Vietnam is a wonderful place with wonderful people. We docked in Ho Chi Minh City which is also referred to as Saigon. This is the main city in southern Vietnam, with the capital being Hanoi in the North.

Saigon was not as poor as I imagined it would be. I would say it is a step up from Beijing. There are not many beggars. The people are very industrious, and everybody seems to be working or selling something. It is a super busy place, with lots of energy.

The Vietnamese people are so friendly. Everyone that I came into contact with had a big smile on their face. They don’t have a lot of money, but they seem content. I asked a 52-year-old moto driver about his job, and he said it was nice because if he didn’t feel like working, then he could just stay home. They aren’t concerned with getting ahead and making lots of money. They take things slower and enjoy life. Their philosophy seems to be working, because people are always laughing. There are not a lot of billboards and advertisements. The rabid consumerism in America is not found here. The people seem to be much happier for it. It makes me sad that such kind and gentle people had to go through such a horrible war.

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong. As immature as it is, it never failed to get a laugh for our whole stay. The exchange rate is about 16,000 dong for one dollar. U.S. cash is accepted everywhere, and I actually never exchanged any money during my stay. The prices are very cheap. A nice sit down meal with appetizers and drinks never got over seven dollars.

Vietnam is a communist country. I didn’t see any military while I was there. The various government officials that I did see were sitting on their asses all the time. It appeared that they were getting paid for doing nothing.

English is widely spoken in Saigon. This is good because like Chinese, I could grasp very little of the Vietnamese language.

The food in Vietnam was super delicious. One of my favorites was Pho (pronounced f-uh) which is a soup with noodles and all sorts of other veggies and meat in it. There were also lots of good dishes with seafood, fried noodles, and some good curries.

My stay in Vietnam was such a great time. I don’t think that it is common to go to a foreign country and feel welcomed and completely at ease. I definitely didn’t feel like this at our previous stops. I have nothing but good things to say about this country.