Seven Days in Vietnam

Sometimes we do not know what to expect before visiting another country for vacation. I think this is mostly because of lack of knowledge about the culture, language, history, or geography of the country to be visited and Vietnam just fell into that category for me because as a Turkish person my knowledge was limited to what I had read or watched about the Vietnam war mostly from the American point of view. Unfortunately, Vietnam is not a popular travel destination for Turkish people yet, so none of my close friends had visited the country before. Eventually, I had a little idea about the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and its people before landing in Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon.

The trip was already exciting enough due to the seasonal difference. It was around 2-3 degrees in Istanbul when we took off and by flying for more than 14 hours (direct flights are of course shorter but much more expensive) winter was all behind. It was the first time that I experienced 30-32 degrees C in January, and to tell the truth it felt really good. However, we had our first shocking moment while we were getting out of the terminal. Hundreds of people were waiting outside the building as if they were waiting to see the Rolling Stones, making it even hotter than the weather itself. Our local guide Luan told it was because of the new Chinese year. Bingo! Many Vietnamese people who live and work abroad visit their home country at that time of the year and what we saw was their families, friends or relatives welcoming them. To be honest with you, it was pure luck to be there during the new year time to see how Asian people celebrate it because that was not our intention.

Vietnam is a motorist hell and it will not take too long before you notice it as it did not take long for me either while I was looking around inside the tourist bus on the way to the hotel. I do not know the exact numbers but according to what I was told later, there are more than 3 million motorcycles most of which are scooters across Ho Chi Minh City of 10 million residents. They can be really dangerous for any tourist who is not accustomed to see that many of them because some of the folks not only ride recklessly but also do not follow the traffic rules. I would take this advice seriously if I were standing in your shoes, considering the fact that the author of this article is from Istanbul, a city that also has a bad reputation with its terrible traffic and awful drivers as well as its great history. Nevertheless, this is one of the very few negative aspects I can speak about Vietnam.

Vietnam has a socialist government and a single party rule which might make us think the country has a negative stance against concepts such as capitalism, global brands, foreign investment, but that is not true. In contrast, it is possible to see most of the hotel and restaurant chains (mostly American), almost every top class brand or luxury car around Ho Chi Minh City although the majority of Vietnamese people cannot afford. In any case, I have to admit that it was a big surprise for me to have seen a Ferrari on the street. Vietnam is more a like a free market economy trying to blend it with socialist principles in certain areas such as free healthcare, free  education, and many other social benefits for lower income citizens particularly who live in villages, small towns and cities. Big cities like Ho Chi Minh City are places for younger people with better education who relatively have better jobs and salaries as they have to pay for every service just like in a typical western economy.

Unlike some people might think otherwise, most Vietnamese people do not seem to have negative thoughts against the USA or Americans. I can easily say that because almost every Vietnamese I met during the trip thought I was American, most probably because of my accent, and the way they approached me was always kind and warm by all means. It was also interesting to come across some US veterans who were visiting Vietnam so many years after their service and they also seemed to be pleased about the warm welcome they received from the locals which supports my impressions. In general Vietnamese people like all tourists and always try to do their best to make them feel comfortable on almost every occasion, however the language barrier sometimes can be discouraging for some people.

Obviously, I had not met such a friendly and hospitable group of people for a very long time. I do not remember anywhere in the world where I was stopped by local people and asked to have a picture together. You always get a warm reaction if you ask someone to have a selfie with a local which can be considered as weird in many cultures. As a tourist you feel really flattered and see how much these nice people want to connect to the rest of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Vietnamese, the war that is called as the "Vietnam War" by the rest of the world is the "War with the USA" which makes sense according to their point of view. There are many indoor and outdoor museums about the war which should be considered as the national epic of Vietnam history and that is understandable. If you are interested in war museums or military history, there are plenty of them in old Saigon.  Of course Cu Chi Tunnels (Approximately 1 hour from the city center) are the most interesting and significant ones not only for Vietnam but also for anyone who is enthusiastic about history as these incredible tunnels played a remarkable role throughout the war. Designed to be used by small sized Vietcong soldiers, these tunnels were a nightmare for US soldiers who were strangers in a strange land. Another point of interest is the Independence Palace which also has a symbolic importance in Vietnam history. The shelter and the underground headquarters are very well preserved to reflect the war era.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the things I loved about Vietnam is the tropical and exotic nature of the whole country. Needless to say that most food produced in Vietnam are organic because farming is still the most common profession in the countryside. Eventually, any fruit you eat absolutely tastes delicious. The boat tours on Mekong River are interesting but the real experience is the canoe ride between reeds and sedges. If you asked me to name one unforgettable moment in Vietnam, I would tell you about the canoe ride without any doubt because of the beautiful, tranquil and peaceful nature and atmosphere I had experienced.

 

 

 

 

 

One issue I was really not comfortable with before arriving in Vietnam was those infamous stories about "eating dogs". Fortunately, I have never witnessed such a thing during my stay but I was curious enough to ask locals about the truth. According to what I was told there, it is not true that all Vietnamese eat dogs as many foreigners think, however it is an old tradition which does not exist in the south but still prevails in the northern regions of Vietnam. Personally, I accepted their responses as truth since I had never seen it with my own eyes. We inevitably read many stories on social media all the time, truth of which are mostly not questioned by the majority of users . Some people tend to believe in everything they read on the internet particularly if the source has a certain level of reputation and they just click the "share" button. I guess most of us have done this at least once in our lives and we as normal people might accidentally become a part of spreading fake news or urban legends without any bad intention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I returned from Vietnam with hundreds of memories and almost none of them were unpleasant. There are good guys and bad guys everywhere, but I only met nice people in Vietnam. People were always kind and helpful with a smile on their faces. I am thankful to those who reminded me that we all could be happy with very small things in our lives.

But I also had the opportunity see what cheap labor is and it really broke my heart. This is definitely the most saddening thing I saw in Ho Chi Minh City and I do not like the fact that people who manufacture most of the items we use everyday, are underpaid and do not get what they really deserve. China, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Philippines or anywhere.

Finally, whenever we are abroad, it is always fun to speak to my wife in Turkish because no one has a clue when they hear it unless the other person is from a European country such as Germany where they have a big minority of Turkish speaking immigrants. We had some real fun moments when we asked them to guess what our native language was, and of course none of them could. For someone from the west Turkey is east but for easterners Turkey is west, and for Turks, Vietnam is east. It is all about perception.