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Published: March 16th 2007
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Vietnamese fried wonton
One of the many yummy dishes on our food tour. Ok, so it’s been a while. So I finally hit a place whose market has not been totally overtaken by the tourists—Vietnam. Scams by rip-off taxi drivers and hotel proprietors aside, Vietnam is, for now, a travel deal! The food is cheap and damn good (you can see that most of the pictures are of food, thanks to my fellow traveling foodie), and so are the accommodations and tailors! (I had three coats made for no good reason but that I liked them and they were cheap. Never mind the fact that I live in Bangkok where the weather is always above 30 degrees Celsius.)
I have come up with my own little development curve based solely on my experiences in Southeast Asia. It’s probably nowhere near accurate, and yes, my research is hardly rigorous (consisting of trips to each for less than a week, besides my year in Thailand.) No validated survey tools; no confidence intervals here. (Sorry, reading too much scientific literature for work!) Ok, some of these countries I have yet to visit. But just humor me. Or yourself.
First, you have Myanmar/Burma. It’s, from what I hear anyway, not only beautiful but so preciously untouched
From our 9 course meal
An amazing deal at only $7. Clearly, food was an important aspect of this trip. by Western influence. The military regime does its best to keep any foreign influences out, and most countries have been willing to oblige. The US has imposed an embargo.
Next, there’s a country like Laos that’s dirt cheap. We are talking meals for less than a dollar. It’s still fairly new to the tourism scene, and while there is a dual price structure for foreigners and locals, the difference is marginal on the whole. The United States just lifted a trade embargo with Laos in 1995. Life is slow; the scene is pleasant.
On the other end of the scale, we have a Singapore or Hong Kong. These city-states are truly open, and have been so throughout their history. In fact, since the advent of their existence, even before independent statehood, these countries were cosmopolitan satellites of England. Hence, their price structures (for locals or foreigners) and levels have in fact mirrored those of the West, and are now surpassing them.
In between you have your Vietnams and Thailands. Both countries have strong and booming economies. Tourism
is Thailand’s economy. In this sense, Vietnam may be on the cusp of being another Thailand (quite unfortunately for Bale Well
This is a dining experience. You'll just have to go to Hoi An yourself to try it out. Also, the food was sooooo goood and dirt cheap! the adventure traveler looking for the price steals.) As of now, the overall price levels for tourists traveling to Vietnam are certainly high compared to local prices, but they’re still a steal for your average middle-class Westerner or better. But then there are those pesky few—such as one of our cab drivers in Hanoi--who decide to really take the tourists for a ride and try to charge $30 for cab fare for a 1 mile haul.
In Thailand, Bangkok especially, this excessive overcharging has gotten out of control. It’s almost the exception, not the rule to find a cab driver who doesn’t try to rip you off if you look white (Lucky for me this happens only when my friends are with me!) Not to mention the fact that Bangkok is being taken over by expats. While the official population is 8 million, it is said that there are as many as 12 million people here including the documented and undocumented foreigners. Problem is, Thailand let’s everyone and their mother live here (sometimes literally). As proud as they are of never having been colonized by a foreign power, this certainly has to be some type of neo-colonialism.
Vietnam,
Vietnamese Coffee
"White coffee". Condensed milk with strong black coffee dripped. I miss it. given its rough history with foreign powers (ehem, my government included) may be a bit more sensitive to the foreign influence they allow in. Visas are a tougher to come by at $65 bucks a pop at least. But it’s there. And as an ever-growing economy with greater trade, it deepens.
For now, however, Vietnam has been spared the throngs of honeymooners, beach bums and sexpats. So take that motorcycle tour in the countryside while you can before the smog makes it too gross, and the traffic impossible. Or not. The rest of us will appreciate it.
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mataho
non-member comment
perspective
thank you for your interesting and insightful perspective on Vietnam, and travel and tourism in SE Asia. After reading numerous blogs to sleuth out interesting travel SE Asian destinations I have decided that at leat 98% of them are useless. Your blog is both useful, educational and entertaining...thanks.