Việt Nam

Visiting

I’ve been to visit three times, the first time for two weeks in 2002, the second time for two weeks in 2007 and to Hà Nội for three weeks in 2010. During the first two trips, the first week was in Hồ Chí Minh City, the second week in Hà Nội. Anything I write here is strictly from my perspective and is about Hồ Chí Minh City and Hà Nội, I’ve only been out a short distance of those cities for a few hours on a few days between all the trips. Just remember to pack your patience and keep your passport handy (protected). If you have a trip planned, a little culture research will go a long way. Please don’t be the obnoxious American, and you know we can be obnoxious.

For the folks that live in the northeast U.S., it’s half way around the northern hemisphere. But folks, it isn’t another planet. It may just feel that it takes as long to get to the moon as it does to get to Việt Nam.

Be prepared for the shoe check. It’s a U.S. thing only. Neither South Korea’s Incheon Airport in Seoul nor Japan’s Narita Airport in Tokyo required any shoe removal.

I mentioned packing your patience. You run into people from every corner of the world, all having different ideas of personal space, and there can be some, well, moments, and that’s even before you leave the U.S., but once you arrive at your destination, plan on crashing for the first day and taking it easy for the second. If allowed to do so. Jet lag will get ya.

There are a few things you should probably know.

  • You will be asked to surrender your passport. Hopefully you’ve already taken photos, left one at home and taken a few with you to keep with you at all times. The rule of thumb seems to be that if there is a safe in each room, they will give it back to you the next day. If not, they will usually put it in their safe until you leave. There is ALWAYS someone in or close to the lobby, no matter what time of day or night. Larger hotels, always, smaller ones, they might be sleeping but they’re always close to the check-in desk.
  • You won’t find seatbelts in taxis. Just go with it.
  • Sit back and enjoy the circus, um, traffic from the backseat of the air conditioned taxi. You might see markings on some roads and street lights in the cities. They are there as a general guideline. Although on the last trip I did notice drivers heeding to them a bit more.

From there, take it slow, look around, enjoy yourself. And EAT.

Around Việt Nam

Two links, one with a few excursions/daytrips around Hà Nội and the other a reference that lists the provinces and municipalities in Việt Nam.

Most smaller hotels will put you in touch of someone who can arrange days trips or overnight trips. You don’t have to go through the hotel, there are tour agents around the two major cities.

Tiếng Việt

Early after my first trip, I had studied Vietnamese for a few years. Since then, I’ve really slacked off but had two really great teachers that taught me the basics. There’s a small page with the Vietnamese alphabet, vowels and tones.

Amusing

This was a funny true story that I happened to see in our local paper.

Vietnam might ban small-chested from driving

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vietnam is considering banning small-chested drivers from its roads — a proposal that has provoked widespread disbelief in this nation of slight people. Read more…

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