Mekong Dreaming… finally made it to Vietnam

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After years of traveling mostly in mainland China, it was about time to set off and explore the rest of Asia, especially the South East side of it. Things got started last year with a quick trip to Malaysia during which I fell in love with the island of Langkawi. This year, Vietnam was the destination of choice.

I made it there in January seeking refuge from Beijing’s cold dry winter and loved every single bit of it.

The trip took me through Saigon, Mui Ne, Dalat and the Mekong Delta, all mainstays of Vietnam’s southern area… all gorgeous. Here are some pics:

round boat in Mui Ne
Football everywhere
Mekong Dreams
Saigon's traffic was nuts
Dalat was amazing.. so picturesque
beautiful colors

The trip only lasted about 10 days but it was more than enough to plant the seeds for another visit, sooner than later. A lot of things stood out about the country:

– Coffee and Bread are essential parts of their diet: This is a huge deal after living in China for so long.
– The country is green all over… there is no lack of rain or vegetation
– It’s dirt cheap to travel and live there
– I’ve developed an addiction for Pho
– Everything was built after 1986
– They don’t seem to bear a hatred towards the west for what happened.
– Their brand of communism looked a lot healthier in its approach to business than the Chinese one.
– The tourism industry is leaps and bounds more organized than the Chinese one. everything just flows comfortably
– The buses suck… an incredible lack of fast highways makes intercity travel a pain to deal with.

more as I think about it… overall, A+ as a destination and a trip.