Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
The only place on that list I visited was Vietnam. What did you think of it?
I like the Vietnamese people, prolly because they didn't kill me.  |
The Vietnamese people were very friendly. The food was excellent and cost of living is very low. (Air BnB short term apartment rentals at $250 - $500 per month and whole meals for $1)
That said, it is incredibly crowded, the air quality is the worst I've experienced in all my travels, and the language would be a huge challenge with the different tones changing meaning completely and non-Latin letters. The heat and humidity is oppressive even in the cool season.
The blend of Communism and small time capitalism is strange but interesting. That would be another interesting thing to see in the countryside because the touristy areas we visited had special rules and police that looked the other way.
The war also destroyed a lot of history. Most of the "historic" sites we visited were recreations in concrete built about 10 years ago when Vietnam did a big push to increase international tourism.
We spent the vast majority of time in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Maybe the countryside is better. It was interesting to visit but we wouldn't want to live there.