20 THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME IN VIETNAM
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It wasn’t until I arrived in Vietnam that I realized I knew very little about the country and clearly had not done my homework. If anything, I had a vague idea that Vietnam was very similar to Thailand, just with a bit less tourism.
Nothing could have been further from the truth! While I am sure the two countries have lots in common, the prevailing vibe – at least to me – was very different. So below some surprises and unexpected discoveries for me with a background in Europe and the US and right after visiting Thailand.
These are only my personal impressions and aren’t meant to judge or rank. And just as important, they are based on visiting the Da Nang area after spending time in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. If you visit Ho-Chi-Minh City after a trip to Phuket your impressions may be very different.
Suprises and realizations about Vietnam
1. Hammer and Sickle
Okay, I will be honest here. In general I consider myself fairly well educated but Vietnam showed me that I do have indeed huge gaps in my knowledge (a good realization for sure). Somehow I don’t think I had a very clear idea about what happened in the Vietnam War – likely because I am too old to have it covered much in history class but too young to remember it.
Let’s just say I had not quite realized that Vietnam is indeed a Communist country (I know, so embarassing). However, it did not take me long to realize because there are hammer-and-sickle signs and flags everywhere as well as plenty very Communist inspired posters.
My knowledge gap was an embarrassing realization but at least I learned something!
2. Cigarettes everywhere
I saw a lot more smoking on the streets (or anywhere) than I am used to. This was one of several aspects in Da Nang that made me feel I traveled back in time to the 70s and 80s when restaurants and trains still had smoking sections.
3. No Thai-Trifecta
One of the biggest changes after Thailand was that there was no longer the trifecta of massage parlor, weed shop, and 7-Eleven at every corner! There were plenty of spas (and maybe a couple of massage places) but no 7-Eleven and no weed shops.
4. Scooters galore
Maybe THE most obvious thing about Vietnam. There were lots of scooters in Thailand but Da Nang was on another level. The streets as well as sidewalks are just crammed with two-wheeled vehicles.
5. It’s not easy being a Millionaire
The Thai currency was already a bit difficult to convert with 300 baht being just 10 dollars during my stay. But in Vietnam the same amount of dollars gets you almost 250,000 VND – a quarter of a million!
Almost everything will cost hundreds of thousands or even millions and the pile of bills is quite a pain to manage. I did struggle a bit with navigating this unexpected wealth!
6. Traffic is crazy…
This is largely related to the high number of scooters. Basically they just go whenever. Do not expect them to stop for you at a pedestrian crosswalk or you will stand there forever (someone may come to help you after a while if you are lucky)!
I did see many crosswalks painted on the roads. Presumably they are there to encourage tourists to go for it: “Yes, you may cross here!”
My advice for crossing streets:
1. Check for lights and/or a break in traffic (no need to chance it if you can see that the stretch of road will soon be empty).
2. If no break in traffic and no red light or similar, just start to steadily cross the street – the vehicles will swerve around you or brake if they absolutely have to.
3. As long as they see you they will avoid hitting you – so the main thing to watch out for is to not act unpredictably. Don’t stop, start running, step into the street without looking, suddenly turn back.
4. Good luck!
7. …and loud
Vietnamese driver also seem to drive more by sound than sight. They honk their horn constantly. Not just at bad drivers or to show annoyance (though that too) but also when overtaking, at intersections, and pretty much everywhere else.
This is one of the main reasons why Da Nang (and presumably other cities in Vietnam) are so loud. There is a constant cacophony of sounds – do consider that when deciding where to stay.
8. Conical Hats are Actually a Thing
Before my trip I not only hadn’t realized that the famous conical hats are Vietnamese, but I thought they were just part of an outdated traditional costume. Kind of like the Black Forest pom-pom hats: pretty but not something you would see out on the street.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Lots of people wear them in Vietnam today! They must be very practical as I mostly saw them on people working outside, like gardners or older ladies delivering stuff. Maybe they should catch on in other countries too!
9. Coffee rules
While there are no 7-Elevens and weed shops you will find coffee shops at every corner. Coffee is a staple in Vietnam and taken seriously. You will find a huge variety I had never heard of, from Egg Coffee to Coconut Coffee.
10. Where are the women?
One of the first things I noticed as I walked along the street was that most of the people sitting outside in cafés, at street food stalls, or just along residential streets were male. Hardly a woman to be seen. It strongly reminded me of places like Greece with old (and not so old) men just sitting outside to see the world go by.
11. Few Temples
Aside of the Weed Shop-7Eleven-Massage Parlor combo the other staple of Thai cities are the numerous temples. While Bangkok had less than Chiang Mai (just one every couple of blocks instead of right next to each other) they were a constant reminder of the strong Buddhist flavor of daily life.
In contrast, Vietnam feels much more Socialist/Communist and secular.
Update: While Da Nang did have far fewer temples than I saw in Thailand, the ones I visited were fairly new but absolutely stunning and a true highlight of my trip. Don’t miss out on seeing them!
12. The streets are lined by trees and Flowers
This may be specific to Da Nang but I was surprised (and delighted) about how green the streets were. Most of the smaller streets were lined with trees, planters, and flower pots. It made the city a much prettier place and presumably helps with the overall temperature.
13. Life happens on the Street
Another thing I loved about Vietnam was the vibrant life taking place out on the streets. Wherever you went people were showing off their babies, chatting with neighbors, watching construction work, sitting outside to eat, partying…
There were party (or funeral) tents set up completely blocking off traffic for days on end. Everyone was clearly treating the street as part of their personal space. Another thing that reminded me of the more communal life in Germany several decades ago.
14. Grab is cheap and everywhere
There is only limited public transportation in Da Nang but luckily Grab is quite inexpensive and works great. I never waited more than 5 minutes for a car and the cost fit comfortably in my budget.
15. Construction everywhere
I don’t remember ever being anywhere with so many construction projects. Clearly, Da Nang (and maybe Vietnam as a whole) is going places!
The downside is of course even more noise. But given the constant blaring of horns, megaphones, music and what not it doesn’t really matter, does it?
16. Rats are not my favorite
This was the ONE aspect of Da Nang I really didn’t care for! I can deal fine with scooters, crazy traffic, and even the noise but rodents – not so much!
I saw more rats during my time in Vietnam than in my entire life before (to be fair that is still a small number). Whether at markets or just along the street – you are likely to see a couple of furry creatures, especially in the evening. (No photo of rats obviously, but I did see one inside the market).
17. Many Locals speak excellent English
Given that Vietnam is still less developed for tourism than for example Thailand and has a Communist past/present, I expected to struggle a bit communicating with just English. But to my surprise everyone spoke great English. The tour guides on this trip spoke better English than most I have met (and that many places in Europe!)
18. Food Preferences are different
This one really surprised me! While meals in restaurants were delicious, I struggled with snacks and generally food in grocery stores. Apparently, the flavours popular in Vietnam are quite different to what I am used to. And I am not usually picky!
I honestly have never been anywhere where I ended up not eating something I bought so often. One time I even threw out an ice cream bar because the taste was (to me) so yuck! Cream cheese with mango and passion fruit flavor? No, thank you, not for me.
19. People are genuinely friendly
While Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles I wasn’t overly impressed. Don’t get me wrong, people were friendly. But it was nothing out of the ordinary. Just basic friendliness as you would expect from the service industry.
In Vietnam I had several instances in which people that had nothing to gain went out of their way to be helpful. Be it for navigating the restroom or crossing the street. This may just be because Da Nang is not yet as oversaturated with tourist as Chiang Mai (a large influx of tourists generally leads to annoyed locals) but I did appreciate it a lot!
20. Lots of places to sit and chill
This may be specific to Da Nang but I don’t recall many places with so many benches. There is an incredible number of parks and promenades and these are all lined with benches of various kinds.
Finding a place to sit and enjoy the sunshine while reading or people-watching is incredibly easy. Definitely one of my favorite things about visiting Vietnam.!
Enjoy your Time
Vietnam was vastly different from my expectations (vague as they were) and much nicer! To me, the vibe was more Southern European than expected and the pace of life and the people made me a true fan!
While there were a couple of things I struggled with (RATS! Weird snacks!), I found the people incredibly friendly and helpful and the city of Da Nang extremely chill and liveable. Vietnam is definitely a top destination in Southeast Asia.
