Disappointing So Far…

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164_6445-4.JPGI had high expectations for Vietnam. It was the final country in my trifecta of most anticipated countries, following Nepal and Indonesia. Moreover, Joylani actually wanted to visit this one beforehand too.

Yet two weeks into our time here, we’re both feeling disappointed. It’s a crazy place with lots going on and we’re surrounded by activity, but its all business. It was our second day in-country, when I first mentioned to Joylani that Saigon seemed to be consumed with “stuff.” Commercialism is rampant here. Everyone is busy trying to make money; half the time, they’re trying to make it off of us. Shamelessly overcharging, giving us the hard sale pitches, trying their scams on us. People talk to us randomly occasionally, but that stops the moment its communicated we’re not going to spend money. If you’re not going to spend you don’t exist. Not that Vietnamese seem very friendly or welcoming anyways; in fact, they often come across rude and/or pushy to me. Joylani said maybe it’s because Vietnam has been screwed by everyone for the past how many centuries, so perhaps everyone is out for themselves. I don’t think that’s it because most of Asia has had tough luck historically. The focus on money and the vibe of the people has been a downer.

Secondly, Vietnam doesn’t seem to have too much adventure. Saigon was crazy, but it wasn’t an adventurous place. And besides the far northwest, I’m not aware of any adventurous places we can go in Vietnam. Maybe my expectations for Vietnam were too high though. But on the other hand, I didn’t have too many expectations beyond good food. Even that has fallen short though. Perhaps I’m being too tough on Vietnam. We just came from two of the friendliest and warm places we’ve been: Malaysia and Indonesia. Both countries were full of adventure too. I don’t think this fact has colored my opinions too much, but it has emphasized the things I dislike about Vietnam. There are some factors that probably have influenced our experience and my opinions. The anxiousness of me taking the GMAT in Saigon, the uncertainty of our China visas, and the resulting stresses of planning around that. Additionally, perhaps I don’t feel there’s much adventure here because we’ve insulated ourselves somewhat from “real” Vietnamese experiences. Since things are so cheap here, our hotels are among the best all trip and we’re taking high-end buses. The downside is that we spend more time in the rooms than usual and our buses are filled with tourists. Which brings me to Vietnam’s pluses: its cheap and the food is good. Yet, we’re both still feeling disappointed with the country so far. I guess even though I’m super-frugal and Joylani loves food, Vietnam’s good deals and delicious food cannot overcome its cold people and lack of adventure.

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