Have you ever been on a 14-hour train? Tomorrow, that’s just what I’ll be doing! I will go from Mui Ne, a beachside town to a traditional Vietnamese city. Vietnam is a very interesting country with tourist attractions, war memorials, and fantastic food.
Captured military plane, Hue, Vietnam
The country of Vietnam has very interesting history, and one of the most major events of the 20th century was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War happened because the country was split into Communist and Democratic. Communism ruled the north and Democracy controlled the south. The north wanted more territory so it attacked the south. The U.S. decided to help because they wanted to end Communism. The war lasted for 18 years and is the longest war the U.S.A. has ever participated in. Even with massive help from the U.S., the south lost. The main problems with Communism are no freedom and everyone gets the same amount of money. So the person that works really hard gets the same amount of money as the person that doesn’t do anything. So everyone is lazy and thus everyone is poor. Luckily, those rules have changed since then. Vietnam is still communist, but the government is not as strict.
In SE Asia, almost everyone is Buddhist. In Vietnam, though, only 50% are Buddhist. Another 40% is in a branch of Christianity. Unlike Japan, no one is Shinto. It is unlike Cambodia too because 95% of everyone in Cambodia is Buddhist. In Vietnam, everyone speaks Vietnamese though many speak English and a few speak French.
The people of Vietnam are nice, but busy. Everyone is continuously striving for money but only a tiny percentage of people will pickpocket or commit other stealthy crimes. Violent crimes are even less common. Most people are poverty stricken, but Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in the world so hopefully that won’t be a big problem for long. Most people only own a small hole-in-the-wall businesses or a stand.
Hoi An’s Japanese bridge
Vietnam has quite a few tourists in it. Visitors are especially attracted to the bustling cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Hanlong Bay and its long coastline are magnificent. Mui Ne is a lovely beachside town. Hoi An is a small busy riverside town. All these awesome cities make it perfect for any traveler.
My brother on a Vietnamese fishing stand
Vietnamese cuisine is wondrous and tasty. Here is a list of the top three must-eats:
Pho Noodles
Pho
No list would be the complete without “Pho”, the noodle that is the taste of Vietnam. It is traditional noodle soup with beef and spices.
Making spring rolls
Rice rolls
Delicious, tasty and everywhere, these delectable flavors are amazing with traditional, edible rice paper outsides.
Hot Pot
Hot Pot
Introduced by the Chinese more than 500 years ago, a hot pot is a pot simmering with broth. In front of you, servers place dishes of many seafood, meat and veggies.
Vietnam is a delightful country with a lot of rich, cool heritage. It is a tourist attraction with a lot of beaches and bustling cities. Best of all, the cuisine is wonderful. I am excited to explore this wonderful land in South-East Asia. Everyone should explore this awesome place some time in their life.
Very well written, Enzo. I enjoyed reading this very much.
Big hugs,
Omi
Thanks, Omi!
Enzo, of all the dishes you’ve eaten in Vietnam, which recipe would you most like to eat after you’re home. Also, do you have a recipe for that dish?
Omi
The spring rolls at our cooking class were very amazingly tasty and we have the recipe so hopefully we shall be able to make them.
Lorenzo, Thank you so much for the history lesson in Vietnam. It was very interesting and you taught me something new. I enjoyed your food suggestions as well! I’m going to have to go get some Vietnamese food tomorrow night. YUM! It won’t be as good as what you are eating though! Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading your blogs. -Rachel
Thanks for reading! We will get some take out and send it to you! 😉
Reading this post has made me want to try to get back to Vietnam ASAP! The food really was amazing, wasn’t it? It’s fantastic that you are going to cooking classes and learning about all these new cuisines. What would you say is the most interesting and different thing about Vietnamese cuisine compared to what you usually make at home? Coming from a Sri Lankan background, the foods that we eat are not very heavy but generally are curries. I found that Vietnamese food was much more broth based, and surprisingly good for the hot weather! Who would have thought eating Pho in the heat would cool you down, but it definitely worked for me! 🙂
Such great posts – I’m only sorry this has been my first quiet night since we returned to Australia. Thanks for making my quiet night in so interesting!
I think I remember you all mentioning visiting Europe later in the year so here’s a food joke for that 🙂
Q: Why do the French like to eat snails?
A: Because they don’t like fast food!
Thanks for responding! I guess I owe you a pasta recipe! Pho and a burger are so different, you can’t really compare them. 😀