A New Point of View

What a different way of life can be found after 19 hours of flying! Going into this trip I really wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Vietnam, especially with this being my first trip to Southeast Asia. However, I will say that it has been full of unforgettable experiences. From dodging through a sea of motorbikes, and the vast number of Vietnamese eating on the sidewalks, to continually getting lost on the streets of Hanoi and getting used to the roughly 21,000 VMD to 1  USD exchange rate. Although it has been a great trip all around I would have to say that so far my favorite part of our stay in Hanoi was a four hour food tour with our fun loving, and giddy tour guide this afternoon. I think it is one thing to try a new style of food on your own, but an entirely different thing to learn a culture’s delicacies from a local. Although I will say that we didn’t know what we were eating about 80% of the time a majority of the food was fantastic and very new to me.

Overall I think that being in Hanoi has given me such a different point of view of the world. Growing up in a relatively small town (30,000 people), it is incredible to walk around in a city of nearly seven million people on the other side of the global. Every day there is a sea of traffic following no laws, ignoring red lights and much more. People line the streets trying to sell you almost anything you’re willing to pay for.  I have never seen so many different stores all selling the same thing in my life, which is one of the reason I find it so easy to get turned around in this city.

In any event, Vietnam is unlike any place I’ve ever been before and I cannot wait to see what else this trip will bring forth by the end of the month, but I’m sure that Ha long Bay will be a pretty incredible way to follow Hanoi.

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