Our time in Vietnam started off on a wonderfully surreal note with meeting our great friends Mike and Kathleen in Ho Chi Minh. HUGE THANK YOU for making the trip to the other side of the world to come play with us. We would travel anywhere anytime with you two. It was a joy to experience Vietnam with you and looking forward to our next trip to explore the places we didn’t get to this this time around.

I quickly and easily fell in love with Vietnam. For the incredibly friendly people and the stunning geography. The cuisine was my absolute favorite this trip as well. Which plays a large role in the love of a country when you are eating out for every meal. They also make the best coffee. Even better when you add condensed milk or coconut ice cream.

 

Below are only a few of the wonderful people we met while in Vietnam. All truly wanted to make our experience memorable. The Vietnamese are full of kindness with gracious hearts.

There also remains a strong element of community and keeping it local. Fields of produce were everywhere. Families knee deep in mud planting rice or harvesting other crops. Even some of  the larger resorts have their own fields the size of a city block.

 

Communism certainly has its attributes. Now that Vietnam’s doors are open to foreign investment and travel, the marriage of communism and capitalism has created a pleasurable country to be in. I realize that this is only my perspective as an outsider and corruption remains a concern. One of our guides reported to me that she has a degree in education but would have to pay the school to teach. Hence, she is guiding. It is a means to an end for her as it is a great way to become fluent in English. Her dream is to teach high school English. She is determined to succeed.

Never the less, Vietnam appears to be doing a fairly good job from an outsiders look. Time will tell though, as the amount of effort and funds that is going into the infrastructure of roads, rail and buildings is truly mind blogging. Everywhere one looked there was a crane or cement factory smoke stack on the horizon. New highways and bridges and more to come. It is a booming country in many ways. Can they withstand the corruption that accompanies a capitalist society? If only they could maintain the best of both as they forge ahead?

Tourism is playing a large role in the boom, both with foreigners (especially Chinese), as well as the Vietnamese themselves. The large resorts that are being built in DeNang and Cat Ba are for those with money and not a lot of time. It is not the flash packers such as ourselves that will be sipping drinks beside the infinity pools. I just hope that they are considering sustainable tourism model? Doesn’t look as such as the beaches at Cat Ba have been blown to bits to make room for these massive resorts. Capitalism at its best.

The Vietnamese people are definitely résiliant and strong of will. They were colonized by the Chinese for over a thousand years. Then came the Portugese and the French. Lets not forget the Americans and their agent orange and napalm. Despite all the adversity they have had to over come, they maintain a sense of graciousness and unwavering strength.

Vietnam is full of colorful chaos that leaves you mesmerized intermingled with scenes of serenity to keep you calm. Most use “hondas”, the catch term for anything motorized on 2 wheels. The masses cannot afford a car and a pedal bike is too slow. In the cities walking was always an exercise in reflexes and wits, as they would drive those scooters even on sidewalks. I started saying a silent prayer every time we went out, on the advice of a guide. First say a prayer then walk slowly, never stopping and no sudden movements. It really does work. Kind of makes you feel like Moses parting the sea.

 

 

Then moments of beauty would bring stillness and calm.

 

We were travelling “tourists” in Vietnam.

Debate to yet occur over a few glasses of wine.  Traveller or tourist? Is there a difference? If so, what makes one a traveller and the other a tourist?

So we triapsed around Vietnam as “travelling tourists” as time and weather was not on our side. There was so much to see, and the country is sooooo long. It was sooooo cold. So our trip consisted of boats, caves, trains, planes, beaches, jungles, mountains, hikes, hand line fishing and bicycles. With a lot of great food, wonderful company and a cucumber face mask thrown in.

 

Country of joy and curiosity

Smiles of genuine friendliness

Welcome hugs that speak of gratitude

Friendships that blossom, with adventure and laughter

Cuisines that are celebrations of taste

Fields to markets, keeping it local

Bicycles and scooters, balanced with silent prayers

Families knee deep in fields of mud, working together

A nation built on community and faith

Investing and building

Exploding with dreams of the future

It was a sad day saying goodbye to Mike and Kathleen. Not one of us were ready to say goodbye to one another or Vietnam. I do want to venture back to Vietnam in the near future. Before the charm and essense is lost to the incredible growth that is occurring there. I want to travel slower and embrace more of the beauty that encompasses Vietnam and her people.

For now I must say farewell to the life of travel as we are at the end of our trip. A last trip to Bangkok before travelling home. It all feels like a dream. A wonderful, exotic and beautiful dream.

Don’t pinch me, cause I don’t want to wake up.