GO GO GLOBAL GRINGO!: Vietnam: Thoughts and Pictures From My First Tour

"The Good thing about Vietnam, is there was always some place to go." -- Forrest Gump, from the Movie 'Forrest Gump.'

Truer words may have never been spoken. After a surprisingly fast 28 days, Nathalie and I went from former capital to actual capital of Southeast Asia's most infamous country. It was a fantastic experience and while it was probably too short, we certainly learned a lot.

Here are some of my thoughts about our time there and some of my favorite pictures that we took.

The Friendliness

First and foremost, I was completely taken aback from the friendliness and sincerity from almost all of the people I met. Given there were a few hiccups along the way, we were massively overwhelmed with how kind and open everyone was to us. This changed sightly as we slowly went from the south to the north but it was a different change of pace from the country we were coming from

The Vietnamese Free Market

Since 1986, Vietnam has based its economic policy on "Doi Moi" or "new changes" which in short meant that the one-party Socialist state would move away from the largely discredited command-style economics of the Soviet Union and embrace a free-market system closely resembling what currently exists in China.

We were under the distinct impression that there was business to be done and the Vietnamese were willing to do the necessary to make it happen. From the bountiful clothing markets of Saigon to the multitude of hotels willing to cut a deal to maximize their business, we certainly didn't feel like we were experiencing a stereotypical communist country, at least economics-wise. Even in Hanoi, we walked past the country's stock exchange, complete with a statue of a bull out front. It's very telling that Communist Vietnam has a public securities market.

Forgive But Don't Forget (About the War)

We were constantly reminded about the tragedies and triumphs of the Vietnamese people from the previous century. Each town was left with scars and monuments abounded throughout the country paying respect to the veterans and the dead. During guided tours, it was almost constantly brought to our attention that the North fought valiantly against the imperialists (both the French and the Americans) and their puppet regimes of the south.

However, the people we encountered seemed to be at peace with it. They were welcoming and curious of our background. Many look towards the US with a sense of emulation, at least towards popular culture and business practices. Given that Vietnam has a very young population and the vast majority of the people we met weren't around during the war, I didn't feel any hostility directed towards me.

Controlled Cacophony

Everywhere we went, there was noise. From the mountains of Da Lat, to the coastal towns of NHA Trang and Hoi An, to the trip to Ha Long bay and Cat Ba island, to the major cities of Saigon and Hanoi, there was never total quiet. In the country side, we were awoken by roosters cockadoodle-dooing (is that right?) during the middle of the night. The Vietnamese themselves are early risers and would be up and moving by six each morning. Whenever we'd stay in a room either neighboring a Vietnamese guest or near a service area, we knew we'd be up early, ear plugs be damned.

Scooter and motorbike owners made no effort to silence their engines and car horns blared all the time. This was a direct result of the driving style. In Vietnam, it's easy to drive: don't bother looking behind you as each driver only has to watch out for what's in front of them (that means you get cut off all the time). To make sure that everyone knows you're there and that you're driving, honk your horn as liberally as you feel necessary. Assume that pedestrians don't see you (even though they do), and instead of slamming on the brakes to prevent an accident, just honk aggressively to let whoever's in your way know that you don't intend on stopping (after all, that would slow you down, and nobody likes being late).

If you're a pedestrian, don't expect them to give you the right away, even if their light is red and you have the crossing light. They won't stop. We've become experts at traversing busy streets by simply walking out into the traffic and dodging oncoming vehicles (we learned from locals).

In a weird way, it oddly works. There aren't too many accidents and everything kind of falls into place. While there are a high number of road fatalities, it's related more to the lack of adequate health care rather than the accident itself. And even though it does somehow keep things moving, it would work so much better with a little bit more thought and stability to the system, which brings me to my next point:

Replacing the Rubber Cement with Concrete

Towards the end of the trip, we began putting our observations together. Vietnam works, but it seems like it only works because the system is loosely held together through informality and the trust of strangers. I touched on this on my post about Ha Long Bay, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that the opacity created by the culture can only bring them so much. If Vietnam wants to develop further and really transition out of the 3rd world into the developed world, then they'll have to find a way to ensure that doing business there and investing in Vietnam is a stable bet.

Given, I wasn't there to do business myself, but from what I observed by interacting with businesses, it became apparent that this lack of clarity is going to catch up to them in the long run. It's better to clean it up now and be solid for the future rather than to hit a snag and miss out on an opportunity just because they were sloppy out of convenience.

Looking Forward to Going Back

Despite all of these little critiques, I'm looking forward to return one day. I'd like to do a tour based on the history of the tumultuous 20th century. Starting in central Laos, I want to buy a motorbike, follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail down to around the 17th parallel, enter into Vietnam and explore the DMZ region, follow the central highlands into Cambodia and finish off with the Mekong river delta. I want to research the history beforehand and make a detailed itinerary based on it; pretty much doing the polar opposite of what we did now.

In the end, it was an immensely enjoyable 28 days. I feel very fortunate for the way the trip turned out and I'm happy to have had the experience. Here below are some of my favorite pictures from our trip there. As usual, don't hesitate to contact me (elliottlocke(at)gmail.com) if you're interested in having a copy of the original. Enjoy!