I was really looking forward to my trip to Vietnam on July 25th as I’ve only heard good things about Vietnam and its people. I didn’t get disappointed. My first stop was Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon. My first impression of Vietnam was that it’s really chaotic and scooters are everywhere, but I love it!! It’s good to see things that you won’t see like this back home. Vietnamese food is also amazing, but it’s difficult to find if you’re vegan or vegetarian.
So whilst being in Ho Chi Minh City I just walked around the city to get an impression and also went to the War Remnants Museum. It’s a shame to see what Americans have done to Vietnamese people few years ago. Why can people be so violent?
The next day I went to Mekong Delta. In the beginning we went to a local family who offered us different fruits and some honey tea which tasted awesome!! After that they were singing traditional songs to us. To get to the next stop – the coconut candy farm – we had to take the boat and were allowed to wear coolie hats, Vietnamese like!! The water at Mekong Delta is so brown, but it still has its charm.
After arriving back in Ho Chi Minh City I went to the night market to get some food before taking the night bus to Dalat. Transportation is really cheap in Vietnam, but it takes ages to arrive at ones destination. So I paid 5 euros for a 7 hour journey. The night buses here in Vietnam look different: You can lay down properly, but if you’re taller than 1,70m you won’t have such a nice time getting from place to place.
I didn’t really do that much in Dalat. I mostly just walked around and bought some souvenirs at the local markets. One evening I went to the crazy bar with some other travelers from my hostel. Why is this bar so crazy? It’s a maze. You get lost. So did I. So many stairs, it’s not too bright inside, so you lose your orientation quite easily. I was a little shocked that I got lost because usually my orientation is quite good. So that’s a must you have to do when you’re in Dalat.
Next stop was Hoi An. Most beautiful town in Vietnam. Stunning. I rented a bike and cycled around the town: to the beaches, the old town and to a shop to get a tailored top. Hoi An is famous for it’s tailors. It’s cheap too!! And I love my top. Nobody else will have the same one, it’s an unique piece.
After Hoi An I went to Halong Bay!! The most do in Vietnam. Everyone had seen thousands of pictures of the bay on the internet. I was a bit disappointed because you weren’t able to go by yourself. You had to do a tour. I usually prefer exploring things on my own as it’s cheaper and you also get to allot your time. The tour included a kayak ride through some bits of the bay which was a nice experience. We also went into a cave. Asian people are crazy when it comes to taking pictures with white people. In general it can be said that the Halong Bay tour was a nice experience, I finally got to see the bay and it was worth the money. Halong itself although isn’t really worth visiting. I went to the local beach and a local bar, where I met friendly local that invited me for food and drinks. So when coming to Halong I would recommend to not stay longer than 2 days.
Last stop in Vietnam was Hanoi. I didn’t like Hanoi that much as a city, but I met lovely Vietnamese students whilst walking around the Sword Lake. They wanted to talk to me to improve their English. I got along with them and then they invited me to join them to their university. So before we went there, some other students and their teacher joined us and they invited me for some ice cream too. Too sweet. This just made my day. They don’t earn a lot themselves but Vietnamese people are always so welcoming. Their teacher took load of pictures of us and you really felt they are happy that you spend time with them. The girls didn’t even let my arm go haha.
Apart from that I was again visiting night markets, I went to a club and to the Turtle Tower on the Sword Lake.

What can be said about Vietnamese people is that they are one of the friendliest nations I’ve been to. Even though their English is very very basic, it’s impressive to see how keen they are on improving their English. What made me really sad is the fact how little they earn. They aren’t even able to go to another city in Vietnam. Some of them have never left their home town, but hopefully this can be changed in a few years time.