LANDSCAPE—

                One thing I can say for Vietnam is that it is a gorgeous country.  Saigon being an exception.  As we were driving along the coast from Cam Ranh Airport to Nha Trang, I noted that the landscape very much reminded me of driving through New Mexico along Interstate 25 (other than having a shoreline).  Lots of mountains and scrub brush.

The beach in Nha Trang is also exceptional.  The shore is free of rubbish and the water is clean and refreshing.  Not transparent as glass like in Thailand, but not murky and littered.

 

 

However, my favorite would have to be the mountains and countryside around Hue. The Huong (Perfume) River is significantly cleaner than the Mekong in HCMC and it carries on up through the mountains.  My friends took me on a drive to Thuan An Beach (the water was not as refreshing as Nha Trang, but still clean), up to the French/American bunkers (depending on who you ask), and into the mountains to Elephant Springs.  The view of the river and mountains from the bunkers was so breathtaking and peaceful.   The quiet could very well have been amplified by suddenly being away from the din of honking horns in the city, but peaceful nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOOD—

Back in The States, I had many times heard friends talk about how they “really need a Pho right now”, expounding on its comfort and almost supernatural healing abilities (basically, the Vietnamese “chicken soup” cure).  They made it seem like this flavorful, lush soup with all kinds of deliciousness in it.  I never took the time to eat it back home.  When I’m hungry, I want something familiar and when I’m not hungry… well, I don’t eat when I’m not hungry.  So, being in the actual country of origin was my first exposure to Pho and all things related to Vietnamese cuisine.

I was not impressed.

While the broth itself has some good flavor, if you eat the noodles with the broth, they actually take the flavor away.  It’s mostly a bunch of bean sprouts, holy basil, and cilantro (the bane of my existence) with bland rice noodles and thin sliced beef (usually) in a broth.  It was explained to me that Vietnamese cuisine is more about texture than flavor.  That definitely showed.  And was probably even more apparent to me after living in a country of such bold flavors for so long.  My take on Pho is that it is entirely PHO-gettable. *rim shot*

SIDE NOTE: It is not just a vicious rumor that they eat dog in Vietnam.  But it typically isn’t going to be foisted upon you unsuspectingly.  It’s more likely that you would have to go out of your way to eat it.  A man I met said that his father sometimes “prescribes” dog meat to his patients—they believe that dog meat gives you strength.  No, I did not sample any.

HOWEVER, bread and cheese abound!  Typically around 3,000-5,000 VND (14-23 cents) will get you a lovely fresh-baked loaf of bánh mì.  In a restaurant, add another 7,000 VND to that (32 cents) and you can have a little wedge of la vache qui rit to go along with it.  You know, that soft cheese with the laughing cow on it.  Love that stuff.

Cheese of any kind is a luxury in Thailand and we pay a premium for it when we decide to “splash out” and purchase some.  It was so nice to just be able to eat it without having to budget for it.  As cheap as it is, though, in the grocery store it is kept in individual plastic security boxes in the cooler case.  The kind that they use for disposable razor blades in The States…

 

 

 

“When I was in ‘Nam…”:  The first night in Vietnam, my friends took me to a little restaurant that serves a sort of beef stew.  I would actually call it more of a beef soup since to me stew requires a more gravy-like consistency.  The flavor was really great.  The “beef” was questionable, at best.  I don’t know which part of the cow they were using, but I was pretty sure I spotted arteries or veins or something in the knuckle-bone-shaped chunk that was floating around in my bowl.  Needless to say, I did not consume the non-consumable meat in my otherwise lovely bowl of soup.  The bread was nice.

                I do admit that I didn’t really give the food much of a chance.  I only tried a handful of items and most of my observations are snap judgments.  I am open to being proven wrong if someone wants to cook me a flavorful and satisfying Vietnamese meal…

FASHION—

                The Vietnamese do seem to have a bit more toned-down fashion sense than in Thailand.  They aren’t as concerned with white skin.  I didn’t notice any heavy cosmetics.  Clothing was simple.  Basic tops and trousers and skirts.  No giant bows or short, skin tight dresses covered in lace and bedazzling.  That being said, it was quite common to see a woman out and about in what I refer to as “daytime pajamas”.  Sometimes coupled with a nón lá (the conical “rice hats”).  Possibly also with a face mask.   Most likely house shoes.  Usually worn by women over 40.