Faces of Vietnam

Being the 13th most populous country in the world, it wasn't hard to find a friendly, smiling face around Vietnam. It was a tad surprising to me to be honest. Before the trip, I already had myself prepared to face ranting old men and loudmouthed old ladies.

But, boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

Not only were the people that we met friendly and helpful, they were also, in a way, inspiring as well. You should hear how passionate the locals are when they talk about their country. We had this female tour guide at Halong Bay named Tam, and you could just feel how much she wants to see Vietnam prosper. She told us a little bit of the history of this dynamic yet humble country, it's beautiful farming landscape and about the bustling cities.

It is through meeting people like Tam that has inspired me to write a post on Vietnam's beautiful people.

The fastest and most effective mode of transportation around Vietnam (if you're not a tourist) is by motorcycles or (if you are eco-friendly) bicycles. To say that there are countless number of motorcycles and bicycles on the road of Vietnam is seriously an understatement. There are probably more of these 2-wheeled vehicles on the road than there are people on the streets!



There are even people offering taxi services on motorcycles.

a man waiting for passengers

In Vietnam, there have these conical-shaped hats which farmers used to wear in the past. However, it is a trademark now in this country, it is not uncommon to spot one on a Vietnamese or even a tourist's head. Women's hats are sharper at the top while the top is a little rounder for the men.


a lady hard at work even at night, doing delivery

selling tidbits on a boat


One night in Ho Chi Minh City, we went to a crab restaurant that Jit Hong recommended. And it was goooooood! Food was good, staffs were good, company the best.

a cute little girl that looks like Hui Ming's counsin.

the friendly waitresses

We then went to the night market ben tham market for shopping! We got a lot of good deals there! We got shades, the best coffee in Vietnam, shirts, shorts and what not. It was truly a worthwhile experience bargaining with the locals!


the very nice lady who sold us our 10 PACKETS of Vietnam's best coffee at a very reasonable price. TEN!


the very nice man who grinded our 10 PACKETS of Vietnam's best coffee. TEN!

a friendly lady who sold us clothes

a man who custom make shoes

an old lady selling some street food at the end of the market.

After touring Ho Chi Minh City, we took a bus to our 2nd city, Mui Ne. Before reaching our destination, we had a stopover where there were shops selling tidbits and fruits. The sheepish ladies selling fruits were especially nice to us, probably because we bought guavas from them. And one was bold enough to pose for a nice picture.


arranging her goods

nice smile!

At Mui Ne, we met this family from Indonesia at our guesthouse and we had a little chat with them. They had these 3 really adorable children that gladly smiled for us.



the backstreet boys that brought us to Fairy Sping

our boatman that single-handedly rowed us out to sea on a bowl-shaped boat.

this lady will beat you in arm wrestling

this japanese looking dude jumped onto our vehicle out of nowhere when we were on a jeep toward the White Sand Dunes

Our 3rd city was the 'air-con' city of Dalat. No need for fans or air cons in your room, the city is cooled naturally. Regrettably, we only had a short time there as we had to catch an early bus the next morning. However, we enjoyed visiting their night market and the girls even left a little art piece for the children there.





concentration

The next day, we took the bus to the beach paradise of Nha Trang. But once again, before that, we had another stopover. And it was my favourite stopover of all. There were these village kids that were hanging around the shops and I was really humbled when I saw them play. They were easily amused by each other's company and you could tell that they are really happy with their simple way of life. What made me reflect on how blessed I am was when I saw them throwing coconuts on the floor and tearing them open with their teeth! It was heartening to photograph and sharing the photos with them. There was one point of time when I was surrounded by a few of them to show them a shot I took. That was a humble moment which I'll remember for sometime.

















We met the happiest girl in Vietnam.

isn't she adorable


In Hoi An, our 5th stop, we learnt that Vietnamese are very good at handicrafts. These men made furniture from scratch. From raw wood and the draw and design without any rulers or measuring equipments. All they used were a pencil and their hand. Amazing.



Hoi An is also famous for its tailors. Show them a picture of your favourite shirt, shoes, dresses and what have you, and they'll make it your own in no time.



All in all, our trip to Vietnam has been made unforgettable, largely thanks to its hardworking, passionate, warm people. This certainly will not be our last trip there as we heard from another traveler that there is a little piece of heaven tucked away in Nha Trang.


thank you for the memories, Vietnam.