There would be a lot to complain about if one were so inclined. It was hard to communicate with the local people most of the time. The traffic was tough. It was often hard to walk on the street let alone cross it. We spent weeks walking in single file most of the time like we were holding a rope up the mountain. There was the constant beeping from motorcycles, mopeds and cars passing by at close quarters. There was the lack of safe work practises in the street. Just yesterday Catheleen was crossing the street when a wire from above fell on her feet; I don't know if it was live but the workers above who dropped it should not have allowed people to travel below. There was no concept of queuing anywhere; people crowded around trying to be served first. There were the crazy taxi drivers who sped and passed while texting. There was smog in Hanoi, litter and garbage in the streets, and flooded roads everywhere after it rained. Prices were often arbitrary. We were regularly charged much more than locals for the same thing, and we fell victim to the occasional minor scam or cheat.
While not an issue for tourists in most cases, the country owes it to itself to have more respect for human rights and be open to political criticism and change. Albeit, this is easy for me to say from outside the country. But like any one party regime without a free press or tolerance for government criticism, it would be hard for the people here to initiate political change.
But we didn't come here to focus on the negative and all the negatives have been minor annoyances in retrospect - for us at least. Rather, this country offers so much from natural beauty to culture and food, and offered us a tiny view of an intriguing and energetic people forging their own path in this world.
I never tired of seeing the rice fields covering the landscape, especially the terraced fields spread over the mountain sides around Sa Pa to the north. The limestone cliffs around Ha Long Bay were a marvel and deserved their title as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The forested hills and mountains all throughout the country were beautiful, and the beaches along the coast near Hoi An were truly wonderful and a welcome retreat from city life.
The culture here has been jarring at times but also intriguing and endearing. From ladies wearing face masks to keep the sun at bay, to poor but persistent hill tribe people in their native dress in Sa Pa, and funeral processions consisting of flamboyantly dressed people in Hoi An. The floating fishing villages in Ha Long Bay were a strange sight yet made sense, given the imposing cliffs in all directions. We witnessed the energy and drive of the people of Hanoi with their over-bursting and narrow shops. I admired the way the locals stayed on the narrow streets throughout the day, eating, working and chatting together. We experienced the constant and endless flow of motorcycles carrying everything imaginable. We witnessed perplexing paper burning rituals in the streets, intended to help care and feed late ancestors. I was often transfixed, watching the spectacle unfold in a bustling, crowded mass of humanity that was both chaotic and a well organised machine.
The cuisine was fantastic. The food was both simple and sophisticated. They say the Vietnamese will eat just about anything that moves. It don't know if that is true but they certainly have found many and varied ways to make use of the ingredients available to them. The seafood was abundant here and well priced, and I had my fill of clams, oysters, shrimp and fish. I think Catheleen got her fill too of salad rolls and spring rolls, John and Elizabeth filled up on Pho noodle soup, and I ate my share of Cau Lau noodles in Hoi An. I thought Thai food was my favourite Asian cuisine but I've had enough good Vietnamese dishes to make me question that.
The Vietnamese people were friendly and welcoming. Many locals who spoke English well would open up and tell us about themselves, their hopes and dreams. Many seemed genuinely interested in our life in Canada. Once they opened up, they weren't shy to tell me what they thought. While most people didn't speak English very well, they were ready with a smile when we smiled at them.
So the question I was asked by the hotel staff as we checked out of a Vietnamese hotel for the last time was when will we come back. I told them we would visit again soon but I'm torn. The country is new to the tourist industry and has much to learn. But it's a youthful and vigorous country which aspires to do well. There is much to come back for, but I honestly don't know if I would come back. But I'm certainly glad we came.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you're ever in Hanoi, have the egg coffee. Num.
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