Quick observations on Vietnam through an Indian tourist's eyes. 🧵 🇻🇳
1) Vietnam's cities, towns and even rural areas are clean—and for someone like me who went there expecting third-world-like conditions, I was pleasantly surprised.
1) Vietnam's cities, towns and even rural areas are clean—and for someone like me who went there expecting third-world-like conditions, I was pleasantly surprised.
2) These places are clean because people co-operate with municipal authorities who collect trash (twice) daily (at times even more).
3) The people of Vietnam are very friendly and nice. They say hello, wave hands etc. if you make an eye contact.
3) The people of Vietnam are very friendly and nice. They say hello, wave hands etc. if you make an eye contact.
4) Language is a big barrier—even Cambodia was manageable for me with broken English and gestures. English was not at all useful in Vietnam.
5) I had long conversations, bargained and even made small talk using Google Translate (download Vietnamese for offline use), at times I played the translated text's audio. Audio is very helpful to convey emotions.
6) Supermarkets and wherever you go, Google Lens (Vietnamese downloaded) is useful for real time translation of text on packets and sign boards without needing internet. I didn't see the concept of MRP on packets; supermarkets were the cheapest for many items.
7) WiFi is easy to get in cafes and many public places, but it's better to have offline Google Lens and Google Translate for easier life.
8) Their currency is unwieldy till you get used to it. 20,000 VND is about 1 USD.
8) Their currency is unwieldy till you get used to it. 20,000 VND is about 1 USD.
9) We didn't feel even once someone was trying to cheat or con us anywhere at all—be it drivers to shop keepers. Absolutely no malice.
10) They have great roads—excellent highways through mountains, paddy fields etc. Some of them are breathtakingly gorgeous.
10) They have great roads—excellent highways through mountains, paddy fields etc. Some of them are breathtakingly gorgeous.
11) Across the country South and North, India is considered a friend. I heard from many people across the country that "You are like us, Vietnamese..."
12) In spite of my love for sea food, food was a bit of a problem initially and by the time everything started tasting fine, it was time to pack our bags. They are big on beef, pork, sea food, and chicken.
13) People across the country are eating and drinking (green tea, coffee, juice, beer etc.) almost 24/7. When do they work, sleep and so on?
14) Many smoke and public smoking is the norm.
14) Many smoke and public smoking is the norm.
15) Apart from Natraj pencils, I didn't spot a single Indian brand —not even on the road. No Tata, no Mahindra. Even the Chinese truck brands like Hino and Sinotruck trucks were in plenty.
16) Vietnamese people are law-abiding going by how they abide by traffic rules. Maybe I am conditioned to highlight this as for me law-abiding people are exceptions.
17) They use a lot of plastic—a lot of it avoidable. From straws to those lean tall covers to carry cold coffee cups, from packets inside packets snacks to bags in supermarkets.
18) It's surreal to see how a nation ravaged by colonialism and wars has sprung back to where they are today in terms of infrastructure, people, and everything in general.
19) [Based on Typhoon Noru experience] People know the drill and they follow the instructions to the T. I witnessed swift action by the people and the govt in getting things back to normal after the Typhoon.
[Minor correction via @ipo_central — Hino is a Japanese brand, and not Chinese. I should have checked. In fact, I have cited Hino multiple times here without checking its country of origin] And this bit makes almost all of the prominent brands on their road JP, US, South Korean.
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