Vietnam: The Basics

SOME BACKGROUND

Vietnam is a beautiful country with a lot of rural and unspoilt areas. However, it is also a very cultural place to visit, with a rich history which will enlighten you to just how much the Vietnamese have suffered; and yet they still pride themselves on finding peace.

Until 1954 Vietnam was part of French Indochina and the Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, which translates to "fiery furnace", had the purpose of holding Vietnamese prisoners (especially those who were political and pushing for independence). They were subject to excruciating torture and death in truly inhumane conditions, and yet the influences of France are still prominent in Hanoi.

FRENCH INFLUENCE

In fact, there is noticeable French influence throughout Vietnam. Despite the atrocities committed, the impact of the French is too deeply ingrained in Vietnam. You’ll see lots of French style restaurants and cafes, with many Vietnamese dishes being French dishes which have been modified to included local ingredients (be warned, snails are often on the menu)! You may expect a lot of Pho, but a real staple for the Vietnamese is banh mi, a baguette with various fillings of your choice. Baguettes in the morning... what does that make you think of!?

Coffee is also huge throughout Vietnam (and it's damn good too)! Prior to the French invasion Vietnam shared a love for tea, but they are now the second largest exporter of coffee in the world. I'd recommend trying the egg coffee which is especially popular and tastes a bit like creme brulee (a classic French dessert, surprise surprise)!

Another noticeable effect of the French is their architecture. In Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi high arches and balconies are not uncommon, and Ba Na Hills, near to Da Nang and Hoi An, was founded by French colonialists in 1919 so going there is quite literally like being transported to Paris!

TRANSPORT & NOISE

The streets and mass of vehicles constantly honking will take some getting used to. Being in Hanoi felt like a mix between India, China and New York. No road rules seem to apply; for vehicles green = go, amber = go, red = go. I soon learnt that a beep meant “hello, I’m here, and I’m going to drive on no matter what”. Oh, and to make things even harder there are no pavements so you literally have to walk into a sea of cars, motorbikes and ambulances, of which there were a worrying amount. As you make your way down south you'll be exposed to more rural (and therefore quieter) areas but the beeping rule seems to remain all over!

STREET SYSTEM

In Hanoi you’ll notice that every street seems to be dedicated to selling one thing. The one we were going down sold different sized cellotapes. Literally shop after shop of cellotape!? We also saw a street for metal, ropes and lanterns (you’d think they’d want to switch it up a bit)!

CURRENCY

In Vietnam they use Dong and you'll end up with a lot of the stuff. £1 is around 30,000 dong so £10 is just under 300,000 dong. On a whole it's a very cheap country and I spent the least here by far. Even with the Hi Giang Loop, Halong Bay and Ba Na Hills, which came to £260 alone, I only spent £500 and that was for 3 weeks.

HOSTELS

In Vietnam the main chain is Vietnam Backpackers Hostel (or VBH as travellers call it). The Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh ones are great (although you want to stay in the Old Town VBH in Hanoi). The other one we stayed in was Hue and that was a lot smaller but still sociable enough. One to avoid is Hoi An as the VBH is miles out of the Old Town so I'd really recommend Tribee Ede Hostel if you plan to visit here. Other popular hostels are The Banana Tree Hostel in Tam Coc and Easy Tiger Hostel in Phong Nha (both of which were unfortunately shut due to Corona Virus when we were travelling)!