Vanishing Viet Nam

Three weeks disappeared like sand through our fingers as we traveled the length of Viet Nam...and by the end of the time, I was starting to enjoy many of her idiosyncrasies that drove me crazy when we arrived. It seems as if every place we have visited has just taken a little time to settle into the unique rhythm of that place. Viet Nam moves at an astonishing rate, but proved to be quite laid back once you adjust to the pace. Everyone is quite business minded, but we found our interactions to actually be quite pleasant and no one pushed their services or merchandise too hard. Copy cats spring up everywhere. If there is one successful store or travel agency, everyone sets up shop under the same name hoping the same success will follow. We just tended to avoid those agencies and restaurants all together (even the originals) and sought out the little guy doing his own thing, and were seldom let down. We were a bit taken aback by the one route everyone follows up or down the long narrow country, so we hopped on board and made the requisite stops at all the charming cities Viet Nam boasts. A short stroll from the 'traveler centers' made for incredible experiences. On one particular bikeride, I wove in and out of small lanes on the outskirts of town and was met by the most excited greetings. It was such a shock to find a foreignor on their quiet residential lanes that people were craning their necks out of their windows to get a glance of me before giving me a hearty wave! Those are the most rewarding moments when on the road. In Viet Nam (much like China), we encountered a much different place than the one we had conjured in our heads....and although it is certainly not a hidden gem, it is a gem none-the-less!