Vietnam is a must visit country for any traveler. It’s beautiful, diverse, and full of great people. Even with our bad experience in HCMC, we all loved this trip. There is a little bit of everything in Vietnam. You can have outdoor adventures, urban shopping, or lose hours in a museum. If you are a budget traveler than Vietnam will be a very good fit for you. It’s cheap to travel there (so be generous with your tips).
Obviously, Vietnam makes any American quite reflective. We forced a war on this country and by almost any vantage point played the role of villains. What we did was wrong, hell even McNamara admitted to that obvious fact! The war with the United States came up in conversation a few times. People acknowledge it but did not focus on it. They delight knowing that an American is enjoying Vietnam today. The war is in the past and introducing Vietnam to the world is for today.
I am surprised by the number of Americans who still refer to North and South Vietnam. Vietnam unified in 1976. That is 42 years ago! How poorly my fellow Americans are with history should not shock me, but this fact is astounding. I do get the feeling that we Americans are living in the past and stewing on a lost a war. While, the Vietnamese will never forget it, but focus on living in the present. I don’t have evidence for that, but it feels real.
I was very glad that we watched The Vietnam War by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick before we left for the trip. Go and buy your ticket now. Use this blog as a guide. Email me with questions and start watching this documentary to get ready.
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