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Published: July 21st 2014
I'm 33 days away from FINALLY getting a break from teaching and want to put my thoughts down correctly as I reflect on my time here in Vietnam.
Food:
Anthony Bourdain has always been a person I enjoy watching in regards to street food and humor that he puts forth, but I must say we differ in the sense that his opinion of food here in Vietnam is one of the best in the world, I would say different. For me it was a massive disappointment food wise here, The tastes are very bland as they use no seasonings outside wild green items in which they pick from the wild to add to the monotonous soup people eat here morning, noon and night which hey, I understand this is Asia and soups are essential. My problem with the VERY VERY limited street food scene is that there is no innovation, no spices no nothing. Things like
Pho, Banh Mi, Banh Bao got old after a few weeks of being here. Other things such as the grilled pork are pretty good, BUT it seems EVERY person who cooks this uses the same terrible marinade and again..no outside the box thinking of hey lets try to make a different marinade lol. The things that are good here are of course the seafood and the bread. Unfortunately if I was to eat seafood everyday I would have no money saved for traveling so that was not a viable option so I stuck it out week by week eating the same bland food. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE outdoor food markets and going early in the mornings to get the freshest fish, chicken, pork etc. Another thing that is just Blasphemous to me is the lack of any cheese! Of course you can find imported cheeses in the big cities for HUGE HUGE prices getting my pocket raped is not really my idea of a good time. My conclusion of Vietnamese food on the Proverbial 1-10 scale is a disappointing 3. I am hopeful this isn't a true representation of the Asian street food scene though....
Things I liked:
A few of the things I did like about Vietnam starts with the cost of living here is EXTREMELY cheap. From fresh veggies to meats (outside of beef) are relatively cheap. This being Asia and Vietnam in particular being one of the top 2 producers in the world of rice you can get many types of varieties varying from about 10,000 D to 20,000 D ( $.50 to about $1) per kilo! All veggies at the outdoor markets are very cheap and if you like veggies as I do you can find most anything you want at rock bottom prices. Fresh fish (many different kinds) and fresh pork or whole pit roasted(which is great) are also available at every market. Having a motorbike is a major advantage to living here and I am lucky enough to be using my employers bike everyday. It's not for the weary as there are no road rules here and personally my opinion is these are the worst drivers I have come across in all the countries I have been to so far! Littered bodies on the roadway are evidence of that so beware and be aware when driving a motorbike here. Other things I liked about Vietnam are the people are nice, the security as a traveler is a great advantage and crime is pretty much non existent so I always feel safe wherever I am or whatever I'm doing. The coffee is great here I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the local iced coffee they do here after being skeptical on arrival. Bus travel both local and long distance buses are pretty organized and very cheap....Even though this is a Communist country I never felt one day that I was in one!
Things I didn't like:
The constant staring...The obsession with white skin....as I mentioned the lack of true street food diversity....The Language in the sense that I work for a fairly big English Language school in southern Vietnam and I have branches where the locals who work there speak no English and communication is frustrating. Driving........Working here on a 6 day per week schedule is pretty grueling and will get to you after a while.....The lack of any holidays throughout the year is pretty crazy TET being the big holiday for 2 weeks in February after that there's like 3 holidays the rest of the year......The women here are not particularly attractive in my opinion and the constant asking "are you married" is a bit annoying to me....Lack of respect for foreign teachers by both students and employers is abundant and really needs to be fixed.....Women wearing brightly colored or polka dot patterned pajama suits on a daily basis lol.......The work permit process takes forever ( took 6 months in my case).......not being able to send Western Union or Money Gram because the banks here control the racket and won't allow you to send outside the country except for educational purposes and want to dig into financial records before allowing you to send anything is just ridiculous.....People here (and in Asia in general) are just deathly afraid of the sun, I mean the obsession is unreal and downright annoying at times where it impedes on my right to enjoy the sun......
Conclusion:
I've honestly only counted down my time in two counties.....
Many thousands of travelers come here and leave with a great feeling, I guess for me it's just a combination of being worn out from working 2 years straight with no break and various other little things that constantly nag here and realizing that Asia really isn't for me probably. As I mentioned it's been a major disappointment all around and looking forward to these next 33 days (I've been counting down since 108) going very very fast!! While Vietnam is not the worst experience I've had, in my opinion it is very low on the totem pole and I can say with certainty it's not a place I will be coming back to in Asia. August 26th I will be going to Ho Chi Minh City for about a week to wait for my Russian Visa to be done and also seeing more of the city and some friends that live and work there before I leave. There is also a GREAT pizza place there that is owned by a guy from the US and it's true NYC style pizza and I am dying for something with cheese and ...well flavor lol. After my Visa is done for Russia I will be on my way out by bus to Cambodia and Phnom Penh for 2 days exploring the city and then onto Siam Reap and Angkor Wat for 3 days which I am extremely excited for! After that I am heading to Bangkok for a couple days and see a friend I have there and explore the street food scene, which I hope as I said will better represent Asia then it's down to Pattaya and the beach for about a week. After Pattaya I will probably explore some of the islands in the south, being a lazy beach tourist for the rest of September before flying to Moscow to start an 8 month gig there. In Thailand I also hope to start on my tattoo sleeve for my left arm which I have been wanting for a few years. And well...That's about it for now just counting the days down from here and excited to get back on the road for the first time in a very long time so I hope everyone is well and that you enjoy my blog.
What I've written is only my opinion, never let someone's opinion change what you want or think! You may come here and absolutely love it as many tourists have before you....
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Too much work
I'll bet your feelings may change some, maybe a bit after you've rested. Sounds like a great experience even though you are ready to move on. Happy travels.