Some places I am going to love and some I will hate. Unforutately, Hanoi falls into the latter category.
Hanoi is the capital city of Northern Vietnam. It is massively crowded, motorbikes whizzing in and out of traffic without regard to pedesitrians, locals are rude to me - won't look me in the eye and seem as though they are annoyed at my presence, and so few places have air conditioning everyone is constantly sweating from the sticky humid weather.
Ironically, in the US my favorite places are the big cities. Now that I am travelling so much, I am realizing that it is the exact opposite abroad. I really dislike the big cities, all of the pollution, the crowds and the trash.
North and South Vietnam are quiet different. Although the country is no longer divided, the North definitely has a stronger sense of communism and the people are much more rude up here.
As I always do, I try to put myself in their shoes to try and understand why these people seem unfriendly and rude. As I walk the streets of Hanoi I see shop after shop with the exact same goods as their neighbor sells. The family will sit infront of their shop day in and day out just waiting for a customer to come in - they look bored to tears. There is no business sense here. How can they function when there are a row of the exact same shopes right beside them?! They sit, they wait, and when they get desperate (which is often) they come out from their store and find people walking by and try their hardest to get them to come into their shop. This gets old really quick.
They sit with their families eating mostly street food - often noodle soup - outside in the hot sticky weather, sitting on the low tables and chairs, eating food that has been sitting out all day with flies all around it. Then a customer comes into their shop and starts barganaing with them over a mere US dollar.
If this were my life, I would be unfriendly and rude too!!
Although I am just an outsider looking in, this assumption of a families life may be right on for some and far off from others. But, as a general rule I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and understand why these people are the way they are.
It still doesn't change my opinion of the city of Hanoi, rather it makes me sad that these people have to endure this type of enviornment and hope they are finding joys in the simple things in life like family and friends.
Today is my last day in Vietnam and I am ready to leave for Laos. I am grateful for the opportunity to visit Vietnam as it brought a unique flavor to SE Asia with its landscape, people and daily customs. It has had some of my favorite spots like Hoi Ann and Halong Bay along with some of my least favorite spots. Overall, I am grateful for this experience.
10 hour bus ride to Laos tomorrow - here I come!
