Vietnam, with its ancient charm and dynamic optimism
Vietnam is perfect for Christmas if you want to visit a warmer climate without suffering from the heat. It is also a budget country. If you want to escape western Christmas, it is possible and an ideal place to stay.
Vietnam
I went to Vietnam for Christmas 2022 and stayed there for two weeks. I had a wonderful time, and I will divide my trip into six posts, including this one. They will be as follows:
- Vũng Tàu, look for its hidden secrets.
- Huế with its Forbidden Purple City
- Hoi An, a survival of several cultures
- Mekong Delta, like traveling in time
- Saigon has the potential to become a “world city.”
This post will all be my subjective impression of this country from westerners’ eyes. A typical sight all over Vietnam is the small street-food stalls everywhere. They park their scooter and stall on the pavement, so the pedestrian has to walk out in the street to pass. In general, the parking of scooters takes up much of the sidewalks. And, there are so many scooters.
Recent History
The Vietnam war is well-known to most of us, but I must admit, I needed to visit the War Remnants Museum to understand how terrible that war was for the country. I know all countries need to have friends, and after what the USA left behind, I can understand the USA was not the first country to pick as a friend. Also, being a communist country, it is natural to come under the wings of a major communist government. It became Russia, which has supplied most of its weapons, and Russia is also heavy in its Oil industry. Consequently, the Russians are putting pressure on Vietnam not to renew visas for Ukrainian citizens after the war started in 2022.
However, being a country of communism and little freedom of speech, you can not feel that the people live under an oppressive regime, as you can do in some of the ex-communist countries in eastern Europe. The people are so friendly and eager to help, and you do not feel any dislike awards the west.
Vũng Tàu in the South
Vũng Tàu is not far from Siagon and is one of Vietnam’s wealthiest cities. It has a long sandy beach and some other exciting places to visit. I will also write about a small hotel in the city, with Datt, the perfect host.
Huế
Later, I went to Huế mainly because I wanted to see the UNESCO Imperial Forbidden Purple City, which is on a smaller scale and another constitution than the Forbidden City in Beijing, but still very interesting.
Hoi An
Another UNESCO city I visited was Hoi An; it has many remarkably well-preserved ancient buildings and influence from several cultures.
Saigon and Mekong Delta
The last days I spent in Sagon or Ho Chi Minh City as its original name is these days. From her, I went on an organized day trip to see a small part of the Mekong Delta.
All the places I have written about here will come in separate posts soon. I will recommend Vietnam in many ways; I can not compare it with Thailand since I have not been there. It is different, but I think the people here are just as welcoming as they are in the land of smiles, at least in south Vietnam. Hanoi and the North had to wait for another journey.
