Quote:
Originally Posted by xstream
Beautiful pics. Gary, you and Mai must of had a wonderful journey of discovery!
Our youngest daughter plans to travel there with her girlfriend next year for their 30th birthdays. I'm sure after I show them your insightful pictures, it will inspire them both even more.
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Hi John,
Thank you and and indeed we had a brilliant time.
You can pass on to your daughter and her friend that they are in for a treat.
Vietnam is about its people and with an *average* age of only 26, it is a young,
vibrant, friendly country.
So if your daughter complains about feeling old when she reaches thirty,
believe me, when she is in Vietnam, she
will be old.
The first thing that strikes you when you arrive in HCMC (Saigon) is the heat.
The second thing is the shear number of motor bikes. You see more motor bikes
in Vietnam in a day than you would in an entire lifetime in Australia.

Just millions of young people all on motor bikes. It's an amazing sight.
My advice to anyone would be to engage with people whenever you can.
For example, there is one very easy way to do that. Family is
all important in Vietnam and the way Vietnamese address each other is telling.
For example, someone older than you one might address as big brother or
big sister, or someone younger, little brother or little sister. Someone much
older one might address as aunty or uncle. Addressing people in this way
is disarming and provides for instant common ground. Even the woman selling
bananas in the park will often have an interesting story to hear if one
takes the time to engage her in conversation rather than dismiss her.
Best Regards
Gary