Papaya, guava, pomolo, dragon fruit, pho, bun, sugarcane. All foods I had never eaten until I lived in Vietnam. After the best part of three months, my taste buds are happy. Vietnamese food is a direct reflection of the Vietnamese people. It is what it is. It makes no apologies. If you don't like it, you don't like it. But it's vibrant and brilliant, and it's difficult to have an aversion to any of the food, and in turn, to the people. Many travellers report that the people of Vietnam are brash and rude. I don't agree. Yes, they are direct, and they definitely will shout until you've understood exactly what's on offer, but they are not being ill mannered. For most of the natives that foreigners encounter, tourism is the sole source of income. So
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