The Chicago adventure traveler experiences the real Vietnam

November 6, 6:17 PMChicago Adventure Travel ExaminerTed Nelson

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    The forbidden picture I was trying to take
    photo taken by Leekien

It is easy for spirits to get down when traveling due to a myriad of reasons. Bad experiences, heat, getting lost, homesickness, culture shock and many more can all leave the traveler in a bad state. It is important to not let these trifles ruin the mood because it could lead to missed opportunities going forward.

I traveled in Vietnam in 2004 for three weeks from Saigon to Hanoi on an open ended bus ticket.  The ticket allowed me to get off at certain cities and stay as long as I wanted and then jump back on as long as I made a reservation to rejoin at least a day in advance. I stopped at Nha Trang, and Hue along the way to Hanoi from Saigon.

Although I loved many of the Vietnamese people I met there were times that the country was difficult to handle. On a Nha Trang beach I tried to relax on the sand to only have an army of peddlers interrupt my peace with aggressive sales techniques. Even at outdoor restaurants I was not safe from these merchants. The haggling techniques were also very irritating.

I bought some silk prints from one vendor only to have another one come by moments later and try and sell me the exact same thing. When I told him I had already purchased the same goods from someone else he asked for how much. When I told him he laughed and said he would have sold them for half the price. I guess he thought that a lowered price would make me want to buy more of what I already had enough of when all it did was make me angry that I was taken by the first seller.

In Hue I booked a hotel in Hanoi from the proprietor at my hotel, and he told me the amount would be the same price per night. When I got to Hanoi the check in person confirmed the price. I also booked a tour from this hotel and when I tried to pay for everything at that time they informed me the hotel was twice as much as confirmed per night.

What followed was a tense argument. I finally threatened to cancel my tour and cancel the rest of my nights at the hotel and leave the country the next day. They finally relented and changed the amount back to the original quoted price. I then had to stay at this hotel two nights before my tour in Halong Bay, and it was awkward as I was not happy with them and they were not happy with me.

    Posing with my tour guides in front of a statue of Uncle Ho
    original photo by Ted Nelson

The next day I went to the Ho Chi Minh complex and visited his tomb and museum. I bought a ticket to explore the grounds near his residence and the Grand Palace. I approached the palace and tried to take a picture of the Grand Palace and a guard blew a whistle loudly near my ear and motioned me back.

This really angered me as there were others taking pictures in the same place, but the rude guard seemed to target me. I stormed back to where I bought the ticket and was about to erupt at the ticket person and say “I bought this ticket, and where in the hell does it entitle me to go?”

The ticket person greeted me with a smile and asked how he could help. Instead of going off on him I kept my cool and asked where I could go with the ticket. He said “follow me” and started talking about the museum grounds and then starting asking me personal questions about where I was from and also questions about my family. His name was Leekien and he was very helpful.

He took me back to the Grand Palace and motioned for me to take a picture in front of it. I hesitantly did as I was told.  The guard looked at me, and I put my hands over my ears, but Leekien gently waived him away and the guard nodded and left.  I was then allowed to take my once forbidden picture. He then took me to Ho Chi Minh’s house and all the while told me a lot about the man and his history. He also assured me he wanted no money and would guide me around the museum. He said he just wanted to talk and speak and practice his English.

He took me to the museum and introduced me to four friends of his and I got a personal tour from all of these young men. One was more knowledgeable about the museum than the others and he took the lead, but anytime the other four felt he was leaving something out they would excitedly add a little tidbit about the place they felt was important. The Lonely Planet Guide says there is a lot of symbolism in this museum and a guide is helpful. Well, I had better than that as I had five guides.

We afterwards all had coffee together and Leekien asked me what I thought of Vietnam. I told him the people were friendly and the country beautiful, but I told him I felt that it was difficult to reach out and find the real Vietnam as the tour companies kind of herd the tourists from one spot to the other. He gathered this information in and spoke to his friend Anh Vu.

They made a phone call and then informed me we were going to lunch. We got a moto bike driver and me, Leekien, and his friend Anh Vu took off. We drove for awhile and then started driving through crazy twisting turning alleyways of a Hanoi neighborhood. We finally stopped in front of an apartment and we were greeted by a cute Vietnamese girl. It was Leekien’s girlfriend and she was preparing lunch.

    My new Vietnamese friends Leekien's girlfriend, Leekien, and Anh Vu
    original photo by Ted Nelson

The lunch was absolutely delicious and I thanked them vociferously for the hospitality. Leekien told me that he wanted to show me the real Vietnam and how they live. He then took out a bottle of rice whiskey and we took a couple of shots of it in honor of our new friendship. They then took me back to my hotel.

I greeted the hotel workers who had previously caused me such annoyance with a big smile and said hello. They smiled back. All of a sudden the world seemed much less troubling. I sat on my balcony and watched the sun set and listened to the hum and the tooting of the horns from rush hour moto-bikers swarming around the streets outside the hotel and reflected about the amazing day I had experienced.

I was glad that even in my annoyance of what was happening that I stayed calm and when I approached Leekien I did not show any of the irritation I was feeling. If I was less patient and yelled at him the whole course of events that day could have been completely different.

Leekien and I are still friends to this day and keep in touch via chat and email. He is getting married soon. I unfortunately will not be there to attend the wedding, but I will definitely see him again.

Ted Nelson was recently named one of the top 101 Adventure Travel twitterers on twitter.  http://abroadening.com/161  Click on the icon below to follow me there.