The power of expectations, or how divided opinions can be a good thing.

Best yet....
I think this is your best blog post yet. And I've read them now since 2003, so i would think I'm an authority on these things. Wonderfully written and totally true. Someone somewhere should put this in a magazine. It's a great point about travel. I hear constantly "don't bother with bangkok." "it's too hot." "it's too dangerous and you will get ripped off" "there's good food but just spend one night and get out" Every single time I've gone to thailand (now six times in all), I try to spend at least 3 to 5 days of my trip there (few days on the front, and a few on the end). I love Bangkok more than any other city in the world and I went there with horrible expectations. Vietnam I also loved and hated. I missed buses, I got sick off the food, I had amazing meals that blew my mind, I got scammed and I got hugged. By locals. Children followed me around like puppies and I had wonderful days. Great post. Will hit up Ca Mau the next time I'm over there (which is this january) Miss and love buddy!

Funny...
I actually had the exact same experience with Vietnam - pretty much every traveler I've ever met over the years had nothing but poor, or at best, mediocre feedback about Vietnam. I too arrived into Hanoi on the highest guard, but found a very pleasant, pretty, and friendly country with great food. Sure there were some bad experiences - a market seller refusing to sell me any bananas other than from a rotting pile was a particularly memorable one - but compared to the 'average', if you will for SEA, I found it very pleasant.

So true...
Found ourselves nodding along with this blog...everything you say is so true. Expectations and reality are all subjective to the individual experiencing it. When we left the UK we never intended to visit either Vietnam or Malaysia as people as said they were 'as good' as other parts of Asia and how Laos was amazing. We changed our mind about Malaysia and Vietnam and went - we loved our time in both and it ended up that we really didn't like Laos at all...and we aren't afraid to say it! ;) Vietnam, everyone said we would get ripped off etc (very similar to what you had been told actually) but we experienced none of the bad things people said we would. We hope you continue to enjoy Vietnam and we have now made the decision to ignore the opinions of other people - the only way you find out if you like somewhere is to visit yourself and have no expectations whatsoever!

I tend to not care too much about people's opinions of different countries, much less act upon them. If they can give me good arguments on why they love or hate a certain place, I'd listen to what they have to say and once I travel to the country in question, I may or may not look out for certain things they told me and see how it affects me. There is probably no country in the world that I wouldn't go to just because someone tries their hardest to dissuade me based on their own experience. Of course, there are places I'm much more interested in than other places. From all the countries I've visited, there's none I wouldn't want to go back to, except maybe one or two. I'm happy that I'm able to make my own decisions.