Coming to Vietnam for the first time, American female tourist Gentry Hale had a three-week journey across Vietnam with many unforgettable experiences. Writing on Business Insider, she shared her experience with four "precious but early knowing" lessons.
Here is an article by Gentry Hale, through the sincere and emotional narration of a Western tourist exploring Vietnam for the first time.
I had the opportunity to take a nearly three-week trip across Vietnam. From peaceful kayaking sessions in Ha Long Bay, wandering around Hoi An ancient town with brilliant lanterns, to vibrant walks in Saigon, I had the opportunity to admire the diverse natural landscape, enjoy unique cuisine and experience the warm hospitality of the people here.
However, besides those wonderful experiences, I also encountered some negligence that I would have wished I had known in advance to be able to prepare better.
Here are four valuable lessons I learned from this trip - things that may be useful for anyone planning to explore the beautiful S-shaped strip of land.
Don't take too many destinations in one journey
Before the trip, I was still convinced that nearly three weeks was a free time to explore the places I wanted to go such as Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City as well as a few other destinations. But I was wrong! I did not expect Vietnam to be so large.
Although this country on the map only looks like a small strip of land, in reality, traveling between places in Vietnam sometimes takes hours - or even many days - to get there. The 16-hour night trips to the full-day ferry trips really took up most of my precious trip.
If I get back, instead of trying to go everywhere I want to go, I will definitely focus on only certain places and spend more time exploring each place.
That long time spent just traveling really cost me the opportunity to experience other things I have always wanted to try, such as a motorbike trip to the poetic routes of Ha Giang in Northern Vietnam.
Not preparing enough clothes to adapt to the Vietnamese climate
When I came here, I really learned a life-long lesson that Vietnam's climate can change depending on each region. It was a pity that before leaving, I did not carefully look at the weather forecast of each city, so I did not prepare my luggage appropriately.
For example, the first destination of my trip - Ho Chi Minh City - welcomed me with the bustling and damp early October like a steam room.
Just two weeks later, I was welcomed by Hanoi with cool capital weather and lots of rain throughout the trip. Especially after a long journey through the forest, exploring caves as well as wandering on the streets, I wish I had brought a lot of breathable clothes.
I did not expect that I would sweat a lot and change clothes easily. Although the hotels here have laundry services, I still cannot satisfy my passion for fashion and mix different outfits.
Paying a broken price
One of the things I like when coming to Vietnam is walking around busy street markets. The proof is that I bought a few tailored silk dresses in Hoi An, chose a few handmade leather items in Hanoi and enjoyed the best street food among the dishes I have ever tried in my life.
Although it is not uncommon in Vietnamese markets, I was not very familiar with this before. At first, I was not sure about the specific prices of the items, so I thought it best to avoid making compromises with the seller and just pay the amount they asked for.
But when I went to many places and felt more confident, I started to try offering them discounts or selling with incentives. I realized that wearing it was not really that difficult. Shop owners are used to that, and I also know how to dress up to shop more intelligently.
Don't take it lightly to learn about local customs and practices
Although one of the highlights throughout my trip was the beautiful and hospitable Vietnamese culture, I have to admit that I did not understand enough about the customs and practices here.
For example, Vietnamese people consider pointing fingers at others as an impolite act. Instead, when they need to point at someone, they often use their hands.
Pre- equipped with Google Translate on hand is really important, but learning some basic Vietnamese words or phrases in advance will also help tourists a lot.
I feel that also helps me " pose" as a more civilized tourist. Although the locals I met could still speak a little English, the Vietnamese people would probably be much more impressed if tourists could greet them with simple Vietnamese sentences.
If I had known these things earlier, I might have saved quite a bit of my money!
