Let’s Visit Asia

The following entry is a contribution from Alex Kallimanis, who writes political and social humor for the website Sirened. His degree in history has always made him interested in travel and from a young age he vowed to see as much of the world as possible. At 29 he’s visited 29 countries.

Being an American with a degree in history, I was always intrigued to one day visit Vietnam. This came to fruition about 3 years ago when my wife and I were moving from Australia back to the USA. The cheapest flight involved a leg on Vietnam Airways via a connection in Saigon (officially Ho Chi Minh City). Being such a wonderful opportunity to see the country, we decided to do a 12 day stopover that took us from Saigon to the coastal town of Na Trang (via train which was an adventure that I personally don’t recommend), Hanoi and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in this world-Halong Bay, near the Chinese border.

Saigon’s international airport is no mega-hub airport like many other big Asian cities. But walking out was fantastic, everything was so chaotic and frenzied that I immediately felt like Martin Sheen at the beginning of the movie Apocalypse Now. And on a side note, there is actually a club in Saigon called Apocalypse Now, filled mostly with Western men and Vietnamese women the club is a big tourist icon and the last song played every night is Jim Morrison’s “This is the End.” And appropriately we visited the club on our last night in Vietnam, so it truly was the end.

Anyways, here are my top 5 reasons for visiting Vietnam (in no particular order):

1) The Leap of Faith – This is the common reference to what you need to have to cross busy Vietnamese streets. Nobody abides by the minimal traffic rules there so you literally have to cross the street and just trust that cars and motorbikes will avoid you. This sounds like a ridiculous and terrifying thing to list but I just love an adventure! At first I was like no way and I would tag along with locals crossing at the same time, but after a couple days you actually get used to it. And part of what makes Vietnamese cities so cool is all the crazy energy.

2) Cheap Accommodation – When you go to Europe or any other wealthy areas of this world, $20-$30 usually gets you a hostel bed in a room you often share with 6-8 other people. In Vietnam, that money gets you a good hotel room with a/c, cable TV and very often a balcony with a stunning view of the hustle and bustle of the Vietnamese lifestyle. In Saigon, our balcony was huge and we had a great view of a busy intersection that was literally hours of entertainment. I kid you not! I had a few cocktails and watched in total awe for hours as to how on Earth I saw no accidents.

3) You’ll Be Taken Care Of – Ok, so you need to stay on your toes and be smart because some people will try and take advantage of you (by getting you for a few extra dollars) but Vietnam is generally very safe for westerners. In fact, since the dollar is worth so much there, everyone is willing to take you where you want to go for cheap (just be sure to ask the price up front and negotiate). When we arrived at the airport in Saigon, we were met by a lovely Vietnamese woman dressed in a beautiful traditional gown, she had been expecting us as we’d pre-booked our $30 hotel room via email; we just had to pay the cab fare which was about $5.

4) The War Museums- As an American, you need to keep an open mind and realize that the Vietnamese fought hard for their independence and they’re very proud of it. In fact, the Saigon museum once dubbed The Museum of American and Chinese War Crimes is one of the most graphic war museums in the world. In a war museum in Hanoi, there was a huge collage-like display of shot down American airplanes, tanks, etc. After spending perhaps half an hour there I’d seen enough and it was time to go. While it was disturbing to me, I was also able to put it into context of its historical significance to Vietnamese people.

5) Halong Bay – This place is just stunning and one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in this world. The area consists of tall and slender limestone islands that dart a vast area of the bay. We went via boat that slept about 20 people and stayed on the ship overnight. Watching the sunset in Halong Bay is magnificent, one of the best I’ve ever seen. We also kayaked from the boat into a gorgeous lagoon, I’ve done a lot of cool things but that has to rank close to the top.

There’s so much more but this is getting long. I’ve experienced a lot of cool places in this world, but for its natural beauty, frenzied culture and historical significance to an American with a history degree, I’d be hard pressed to trade my trip to Vietnam for any of my other ones.

Photos from Alex Kallimanis’ personal collection

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