National Holiday - Vietnam Style

The first National Holiday of the 2011-2012 academic year, took place from October 1st-7th. The University shut down and students flooded the transportation networks, in order to catch a lift home. I decided to take advantage of the break and travel to Vietnam, with two of my fellow coworkers. After some last minute planning, we had our Visa's and bus tickets in place. Our destination was the capital city of Vietnam - Ha Noi.

The trip was an interesting one, especially since the Nanning to Ha Noi route was used extensively during the Vietnam war by the Chinese Government, to ship munitions to the North. The terrain was quite mountainous and lush foliage blanketed the landscape. After a few Chinese karate movies and a prolonged border crossing, we arrived at our destination. Outlined below are ten things that I learned while vacationing in Vietnam.

1) Vietnamese food is simply amazing. This is largely due to the fact that Vietnam was colonized by the French and did not gain its independence until 1954. Cafes can be found everywhere, the bread is great and Western style food is readily accessible (in the cities).

2) I was surprised by level and amount of English spoken by the under 30 Vietnamese crowd. Unlike Southern China, it is easy to mingle with locals, order food and book trips/arrange lodging.

3) Many Vietnamese perceive you as a rich American. Haggling for goods is part of the game. Automatically cut all costs in half and hold your ground. Turning ones back and walking a few paces away from the vendor, usually reaps great reward! If you walk, they usually throw some 'bargain tackle' on the line, to reel you back in.

4) The currency makes you feel like a 'Boss'. For example, 500,000VDN = $25CDN.

5) Just like in Southern China, the food, consumer goods and lodging is cheap. I lived very comfortably off of $50CDN a day (including shopping).

6) The streets of Ha Noi make Nanning look like abundant swaths of freeway. There are motorcycles everywhere! Motorists generally honk once every 5 seconds, due to the competition for space.

7) The history of Vietnam and its people is arguably the richest in Southern Asia (especially if you are a history buff). Museums, temples and war relics are rife and well worth a visit.

8) Don't stay at the cheapest hostels. Pay the extra $1-$2CDN and stay at a reasonable establishment. I am a heavy sleeper and awoke my second night to a dance party of rats in our room. I can handle a cockroach or two, but when it comes to an infestation of plague loving vermin, any chance of a 'good morning Vietnam' wake-up is out the window. 

Ha Long Bay

9) Trips to major tourist attractions are reasonably priced and well worth seeing. Ha Long Bay (UNESCO World Heritage Site) was stunning and the traditional Vietnamese Junks take you back to 67'.


10) The 'No Fun Police' shut down the bars at 12:00AM. Don't sweat it though, as there are always underground establishments that fill up with foreigners and stay open till sunrise.

I am quite fortunate to be residing in Nanning, which is only 160km from the Vietnamese border. During the spring break (January & February) I will have 4 weeks off, after exams, to travel. I plan on entering the 'War Room' and drafting up a second tour to Vietnam. This time I will be accompanied by my Father and we will make our way down to the DMZ and Saigon!