Vietnam: cocktails & pork

31 January 2018                                                1 of 2

Xin Chao (hello)

I’m in Vietnam on a 3 week adventure from south to north which means you get my ritual travel blog/brag. Woot Woot!

I’m traveling with my lovely friend Heather on a “basic Intrepid tour” which means Intrepid organise transport and accommodation and give us a general introduction to the places we’re visiting, and then we command our time in those places. It’s working out pretty well because we are same same but different from our tour buddies. Same same in terms of skin colour and first language, different in everything else – i.e. we’re way cooler, interesting, funny, adventurous and punctual ;). And despite being in the older age bracket for the group, we are always the last ones standing on nights out!

This is my second visit to Vietnam and it’s changed a lot in 14 years (sheesh I’m old!!). Of course we’re on the gringo trail, but Vietnam has absolutely focused on providing for and appealing to tourists. Which is good I guess – economic growth and all that. Although they haven’t yet got around to creating tall people spaces – my head has been in danger from such things as door frames, train ceilings, overhead electric wires, indoor lights, tree branches and stair cases.

We’re halfway through the trip and have just crossed the line from summer to winter which has been a shock. We’re in Hue today – the ancient capital – where it’s a top of 17 degrees with showers. In Ho Chi Minh at the start of the trip, the temperature was about 30 degrees and the air pollution rating was “stay indoors”. So different.

Some random tid bits for you:
– Vietnamese are very good at adding sugar where I didn’t know sugar could go
– Vietnamese are very good at all things beer, pork, noodles and soup
– Heather and I are very good at enjoying half price cocktails at roof top bars
– we are also fabulous at spending money in getting awesome clothes and shoes made
– the female militia in Saigon wear their hair in braided pig tails with pink ribbon bows. I’m hoping the bows are not just for decoration but are secret listening devices or bombs or something cool
– you can get 30GB data, unlimited calls for $15/month…!!! Australia’s internet service has a LONG way to go
– you can call a motorbike taxi using Uber
– the Vietnamese soccer team came runner up in the U23 Asian Cup. To celebrate the locals got on their scooters and drove around the city centres tooting horns, singing and waving flags for hours (see photo). Just imagine if they’d won something of note!
– we got asked to leave the beach and our sunbeds and sun umbrella because the guy running the business wanted to watch the soccer. Humpf!
– a new food discovery for me has been squid stuffed with minced pork, baked in tomatoes. Tasty!
– we’ve been mistaken for Russians quite a few times. Apparently Vietnam is a popular Dec/Jan holiday destination for Putin’s people. Although the Vietnamese tell us they’re very obnoxious tourists unlike us delightful Aussies.

Hot tip for summer waterside drinking: get yourself a life vest and wear it as a nappy (legs thru arm holes) for a thoroughly relaxing bobbing about experience (see photos). And it’s safe cause you’re wearing a life vest. Brilliant.

I don’t know what day it is so I guess that’s an excellent indication that I’m enjoying myself!