October 30, 2004 Bangkok, Thailand
Now that I'm back to my normal life, it's a good time to summarize my feelings about Vietnam. The problem with daily journals is that, while they do give you a feel for traveling, they tend to focus on the negative, since you always have to deal with so many difficulties, no matter where you are. Vietnam has its fair share of difficulties, but the pros outweigh the cons, and it's definitely worth visiting.
Vietnam has some beautiful sights. Sapa is a charming French hill station, with beautiful mountains, and a cool, pleasant climate. And Hailong Bay is amazing with its towering islands of rock (but make sure you will kayak if you go).
The cities are nice too, with their interesting pastel French-colonial style houses. Hanoi is a charming, romantic capital city, with a small town feel. Hue has some interesting ancient monuments. And Hoi An is a beautiful, historic town, with great shopping.
But what made it special to me were the people. Once you get past the aggressive vendors, taxi drivers, and Hill Tribe women, and meet real Vietnamese people who aren't interested in your money, you learn that they are some of the nicest, most down-to-earth, hardworking people anywhere. I wish my lazy Thai students were half as astute as the Vietnamese students I met.