With the exception of India, the country we were most nervous about visiting was Vietnam.  The opinions of travel in Vietnam were polar opposites and had us confused and not knowing what to expect.  People seemingly either loved it or hated it.

Those who hated it couldn’t get over the in your face attitude of some of the touts and Vietnamese people, and it ruined their experience.  Travelers cited unfriendly people, the large number of touts trying to take advantage of you, and just too much intensity.  Despite the magnificent sites and beautiful terrain, I have read many accounts of people vowing never to return.

Those who loved it cited the natural beauty and variety of the country’s landscape, along with the culture, history, and cuisine.  These same people seemed to look past the negatives and focus on the positive aspects of traveling in Vietnam.

The problem was that opinions were all over the board.  There were some who weren’t very well traveled at all and loved Vietnam, while there were those who had traveled all over the world and hated it.  And vice versa.  There wasn’t one defining group who loved or hated it.

So by the time we took off from Bangkok after nearly two months of travel in the Land of Smiles and the laid back country of Laos, we were quite nervous and really didn’t know what to expect upon touching down in Hanoi.

The Importance of Doing your Homework

Because of our nervousness and my affinity for research and list making, we were pretty well educated in the workings of travel in Vietnam by the time we arrived in the Hanoi airport.  We read a lot and talked to many people about their travels in Vietnam.  We paid particular attention to the scams that other travelers fell prey to.

We knew about the difficulty of simply crossing the street.  We knew that popular tour operators, hotels, and guest houses were cloned by impostors, making it difficult to discern which of the 5 Ocean Tours was the real and best one.  We knew we would be harassed incessantly by touts and lied to by cab and minibus drivers.

Day 1: The Importance of Being Firm and Confident

So it was no shock to us when we arrived in the Old Quarter of Hanoi after a 45 minute minibus ride from the airport and the driver picked up someone up off the street to help us find our accommodations.  We were also unsurprised when he told us that the hotel we booked was far away (even though we had our map out and were pretty sure we were only a few blocks from it) and he knew of a better and cheaper one to stay in.  While they were certainly pushy, we were adamant about getting out of the van and going to our hotel.

Both the tout and driver were very firm about us being wrong.  We went with our gut instinct and were very serious about him letting us out of the van NOW.  We said it firmly and with an air of confidence, as though we had been here before.  Both were a bit rude but by now had turned their eyes to other unsuspecting tourists on the bus.  So we hopped out, grabbed our bags, got our bearings, and walked to our hotel that was indeed only two blocks away.

An Initial Victory

That was our introduction to Vietnam.  Immediately upon arriving in the city, someone tried to scam us and take advantage of our situation.  But because we had read about this exact situation and were ready for it, we got out of it unscathed and without a negative first impression of the city and country.  I would imagine those who were taken for a literal and figurative ride after being in the country for only an hour would have a bad taste in their mouths.

A Second Victory:  Our First Meal

Because of our first little victory, we were feeling good.  So we dropped our bags at our hotel, showered, and hit the streets.  The first little alleyway we came to had a small, makeshift restaurant with customers sitting on tiny plastic chairs slurping what looked like pho out of steaming bowls.

We were starving so we wandered over to scope out the situation.  The woman couldn’t have been any nicer as she invited us to sit down.  Within seconds we had a steaming bowl of soup sitting in front of and every imaginable condiment at our disposal.  Fresh, fragrant, bright green herbs sat in jars in front of us.  Hot sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and a myriad of peppers and spices were adjacent to the herbs.  We devoured our first of many street meals in Vietnam, a delicious and flavorful Pho Bo, just as the locals eat it, with smiling and curious eyes on our every bite.

Wandering the Streets

We were both feeling pretty good at this point, and our first few hours in Vietnam were looking good.  I’m not going to lie here though.  After wandering a bit, the nerves crept back up.  The streets of the Old Quarter were utter bedlam.  Cars, taxis, and what seemed like a billion motorbikes whizzed by us everywhere.   The sidewalks were tiny and packed with goods from the storefronts nearby.  The streets were so small that motorbikes just parked on the sidewalks, creating a frenzy of traffic on the sidewalks and streets.  People walking had to avoid the racks of clothing and parked motorbikes on the sidewalks and step momentarily into the street while trying not to get run over by someone flying down the road.

Simply walking and trying to get the lay of the land, which is what we love to do when arriving in a new city, was complete madness.  Stress level was high as we just tried to wander the streets for a few hours and get our bearings.  We wanted to look into Ha Long Bay tours, but knowing the frustration that is involved in finding a good one, we decided to wait another day.

The Discovery of Bia Hoi

I rather enjoy wandering around in chaotic cities like Hanoi.  Because I grew up in a smaller city that doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of a massive city like this, I have always enjoyed the energy and business of large cities.  While Hanoi was a new kind of crazy, I did still enjoy it, but Megan wasn’t as big of a fan and I could sense her stress rising as we were nearly run over for the thousandth time.  As we meandered down a small road, I spotted a sign in the distance, handwritten with the words Bia Hoi-5000 dong (for those who don’t know, dong is the currency of Vietnam, not something profane like you’re thinking).

I had read about Bia Hoi and was eager to try this homemade beer that locals made and sold at makeshift bars on the side of the road.  The fact that it was available for the equivalent of 25 cents just sweetened the deal that much more.  Since I could tell that Megan was about to lose her patience and possibly change her view of Vietnam, it was perfect timing that I saw that sign.  We pulled up the mini plastic chairs that are synonymous with Vietnam roadside restaurants and bars.  Our bartender then reached into the fridge to pull out what looked like a 10 year old 2 liter bottle filled with sudsy goodness, filled our glasses, and we were on the right track again.

Going with the Flow

After our brief respite in the bar, we were refreshed and ready to take on the crazy streets of Hanoi.  We were nice and relaxed and may have had a slight buzz on, but our frame of mind was good yet again.  We began to go with the flow of Hanoi.  Ignoring or giving a firm head shake and “No!” to the touts who got in our face.  We graciously sidestepped oncoming traffic and danced around the obstacles surrounding us on the sidewalk.  We exchanged smiles with roadside chefs and other travelers, and we became at peace with this chaotic city in northern Vietnam.

I know it wasn’t any one thing, but we had a great feeling about Vietnam after that first day.  It was probably the perfect storm of thorough research, smart decision making, bia hoi, a bit of good luck, and big smiles that got us off on the right foot during our first day in Vietnam.  As we went to bed that very first night, we both felt good about what was to come.  We were confident, we were happy, and we were excited to see what the next month had to bring.