If you're trying to pick your next travel destination, you might want to avoid Vietnam. Or not. It depends on you. Think about these factors carefully and honestly, and you can make a good decision about whether Vietnam is a good travel destination for your taste.
Can you adapt to new surroundings?
Imagine a non-stop buzz of motorbikes. Sidewalks clogged with ad-hoc outdoor cafes, construction projects and people hawking some sort of product or service. You'll get jostled, you'll nearly run into people, you'll have close encounters with traffic. It's sensory overload. I'll admit, it took me a few days to adapt.
But I learned that, to cross a street, I couldn't wait for a break in traffic. I had to plow in at a slow, steady pace and count on the motorbikes to weave around me. And I had to get way closer to people than I usually do when I walk. I had to do what the locals did, and just get over what I consider normal.
Got squeamish tastebuds?
In Vietnam, everything is on the menu. Before it's on the menu, chances are it's on display at a local market - from insects to sea cucumbers to a 30-pound mound of cow intestine.
And for all the jokes people make about Koreans eating dog, it's far more prevalent in Vietnam (watch for signs advertising thit cho or thit cay). Keep in mind, no restaurant will try to sneak dog into what you expect to be beef: Dog meat prices are considerably higher than beef.
Aside from offal and dog, you'll contend with fish sauce and hot peppers - which some travelers never warm up to. Myself? I think fish sauce is the new sriracha. It's become indispensable when I eat at home.
Do you want to think?
I'm not an artsy-fartsy traveler who spends most of his time in museums or going to the theater. I lean more toward long hikes and camping. But Vietnam's history - especially as it relates to being a former Cold War flashpoint - made it impossible for me not to reflect further. Many of the people I met shared interesting thoughts about being from families on both sides of the conflict. Those who were sympathetic to the southern government during what they call the American War had their futures and opportunities altered, and they expect the aftershock to continue for a few more generations. And the rapid growth and associated environmental problems bring up questions about what will happen to Vietnam in the coming decades.
Even if you stay at luxury resorts and spend most of your time lounging on the Nha Trang beaches, you'll see signs of the challenges Vietnam has faced. And I expect you'll think a bit about what's in store for its future.
Are you afraid to get shots?
A trip to Vietnam means a visit to the clinic. You'll need a hepatitis-A shot, and medication to prevent typhoid. The doctor prescribed pills for the typhoid rather than a shot. And I need to get my follow-uphepatitis shot to stay safe.
Does communism make you nervous?
"Vietnam is still a communist country, you know." More than a few people said this to me when they found out about my travel plans. It's funny that most of the people who said this don't have passports. In my opinion, this is no reason not to visit Vietnam. But you will see in-your-face reminders of the connection to the former Soviet Union, from the hammer-and-sickle insignia to the MiG-21 fighters parked at Noi Ba International Airport outside Hanoi to the occasional guard carrying an AK-47. You'll also get a very different perspectives when you visit the Vietnam Military History Museum or the Cu Chi Tunnels.
What you won't see, though, is a repressed, depressed bunch of people living under the yoke of oppressive government. Whatever its flaws, communism does not automatically mean that Big Brother watches every move. It's truly not a totalitarian state, and people seem generally upbeat and optimistic.
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