The Vietnam that I learned about in history class and have seen on the news is not the Vietnam that I saw on my recent trip there. Stories of tension have been replaced by smiling faces, friendly conversation, and delicious food! Since we added a Vietnam family vacation to our list of available family vacation destinations, I wanted to experience it for myself— and I’m glad I did.

Things I Learned

Vietnam has over 2,000 miles of coastline! It’s amazing!

I was shocked by the amount of development happening in Danang, the country’s third largest city. Driving along the coast there was construction site after construction site. So many major hotels, upscale communities, golf courses, and all-inclusive resorts are being built.  The Danang of today will be vastly different in 10 or even 5 years. This was one of the most beautiful stretches of beach that I have seen. My advice:  get there before too much changes!

The people of Vietnam are truly wonderful.  With my pale Irish skin it was clear I was English speaking and I often heard “Hello! Hello!” as I passed, even if it was the only word they knew. One day as I walked through a neighborhood two beautiful little girls ran up to me to say hello. They giggled and then ran into a house.  Moments later a woman came out with about ten other children.  She was teaching an English class and asked if they could practice speaking with me.  I was very impressed with their language and honored when they asked if we could all take a picture together.

One thing I have to mention is the food! Some of the best meals that I’ve ever had were in Vietnam!

Things I Saw

Traveling always opens my eyes to sustainability. This was especially true in the Mekong Delta, nothing is wasted and every single component gets used. The soil from the rice field is used to make clay which is used to build bricks. They fire the kiln to cook the bricks with the leftover rice plants.  Watching people work on a coconut plantation I saw, again, that not one part was wasted during farming.  Everything has a purpose and everyone works together.

Finally, there are the motor bikes.  It seemed there were a million bikes all navigating the roads together in a smooth and intricate dance.  I may have seen a million given the number of motorbikes in Vietnam is close to 5 million! They even have “uber scooter” that people can call for a ride to get around! Buying a car in Vietnam is very expensive and most are owned by businesses. On top of the cost of the car, Vietnam levies a 200% luxury tax. This makes the cost of cars in Vietnam three times what they are in the U.S.!

This was my first trip to Vietnam but it won’t be my last! After telling my nephews about my trip they won’t stop talking about it. I think we may all try and go together next time!