VIETNAM – GENERAL NOTES

MARCH 19, 2026

Our entire time in Vietnam was a tale of contradictions. I grew up with the propaganda that the North Vietnamese were terrible people. I came here and saw their side of the story. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I met a man who served in Vietnam and quite proudly told me the he “killed a few of those bastards”. Then he went on to say that he wished he was younger so he “could kill those god-damn Muslims too”. I would like to add the man has never left Canada except for his tour in Vietnam. He has NO experience or knowledge beyond what he hears on social media.

I met several Vietnamese who told me they are very proud of their ancestors for fighting off the French colonialists. When the United States stuck their noses in, it was like trading one colonialist for another. NOT happening! For this reason many of the South Vietnamese helped the North against the US. They just wanted to be one country again. Regardless of your political ideas, the fact remains that peasant Vietnamese defeated the mighty USA. How does that happen if not for the combined effort of a people with nothing to lose and a bright future to hope for?

These are my observations in general: As with the temples at Angkor Wat, we found the pagodas in Vietnam basically all the same, with some differences between them. They usually all have a gate to enter through, with a tower of varying heights, a temple with a Buddha statue, a few or many bodhisattvas, offerings of food and water, incense, incense, incense and a bell.

Most temples also have lots of orchids.

It is the YEAR of the HORSE on the TET Lunar New Year and there were horse decorations everywhere! We stayed in Vietnam for over a month, and the decorations were still on display.

The streets were lined with big, colourful decorations. I think it was just for the TET celebrations.

HIGHLAND COFFEE is like our Starbucks. They are everywhere! I ordered an ice-coffee and got this with gelatin coffee bits in it. As with most restaurants and the language barrier, it was always a surprise as to what we would actually get. One time Pierre ordered a coffee and got a matcha, which is green.

Evenings were always interesting walking around restaurants set up in the middle of the sidewalk.

The stools are plastic and short, but I guess it makes for easy stacking and storing.

It was common to see chicken and duck feet on the menu.

Or the entire duck, head and all.

Dishes were also done on the sidewalk. At least you knew the quality of the kitchen, as everything was done right in front of you.

It is common to see women carrying their wares on in baskets, balanced on their shoulders.

Nightlife can be crazy hectic.

Daytime streets can be crowded as well.

Everything in Vietnam is colourful! The TET holiday was just over, so I suspect a lot of the decorations were left over from that. However, the brightly flowered trees were still trees.

Vietnam does like its bright colours, though. There are neon signs everywhere, flashing and blinking while changing colours.

They also like their pretty round-abouts.

Even the buildings change colours and change images.

Even their vehicles have colours.

The cars come in an entire rainbow of colours; a lot more colours than in Canada.

We saw massage chairs in every waiting area throughout Vietnam. They were in malls, train stations, and museums. They were anywhere someone might be waiting for something, or simply need a break.

A fellow on one tour commented that every street looks the same “Foot massage and noodle soup”

Another interesting thing about Vietnam is they congregate similar shops. There will be lots of tire shops side by side, followed by mechanic shops, followed by power tools, followed by duvets, then plumbing, then dishes. There was a row of shops with meat grinders. Meat grinders! How popular can meat grinders be?

and mannequins???

The congregating makes sense, but going from a tire shop to a duvet shop makes no sense! All the shops are stuffed to the rafters with goods. Some were just stuffed!

We decided to fly to Da Nang rather than take a bus or train. The difference in price was not that much but the time factor was significant. The airport was small, and had its usual last minute souvenir items. But it also sold frozen meat!!?? and little bags of garlic cloves. So weird!

The buses and trains were comfortable though; especially the sleeper bus. We each had our own little cot, complete with pillow, blanket, charger station and TV.

The ladies in Vietnam dress like Barbie Dolls. It may only be for Instagram posts; but DAMN, they look nice!

The hotels are quite nice and were actually cheaper than Airbnb. One weird feature is that many have a huge window in the bathroom. It had a blind that came down, but it was still weird.

Nothing seems to be built straight. Look at the ceiling tiles to get an idea of what I mean.

It is not unusual to see kids manning the business. They are either on their phone or doing homework.

It was common to see a bicycle full of balloons for sale.

The big cities had beautiful, modern buildings.

But it was still an electricians nightmare.

Everywhere we went we met wonderful, happy people who were always willing to help. Even if it is just to cross the street.

Overall, Vietnam was a pleasant surprise. It was more developed than we anticipated, the scenery was breathtaking, the transportation system fantastic and the food was good. Definitely a place I would like to return to.