Traveling through Southeast Asia, you are frequently asked where you are going. "Everywhere," I tell people. This is my last adventure through the region. Except, I'll be skipping Vietnam. After my experience there in 2007, I'll never go back to that country. Never, ever, ever. A business trip or a girlfriend may force me there in the future but for as long as I can see down the road, I'll never touch down again in that country.
No one ever wants to return to a place where they felt treated poorly. When I was in Vietnam, I was constantly hassled, overcharged, ripped off and mistreated. I never felt welcome.
I met street sellers who constantly tried to overcharge me. There was the bread lady who refused to give me back the proper change, the food seller who charged me triple even though I saw how much the customer in front of me paid, or the cabbie who rigged his meter on the way to the bus station. While buying t-shirts in Hoi An, three women tried to keep me in their store until I bought something, even if that meant pulling my shirt.
On a trip to Halong Bay, the tour operator didn't have water on the boat and the operator overbooked the trip, so people who paid for single rooms suddenly found themselves with roommates...sometimes in the same bed!
One of the worst experiences came while in the Mekong Delta. I was catching a bus back to Ho Chi Minh City. I was thirsty, so I bought a common drink in Vietnam - water, lemon, and some powdery, sugary substance in a plastic bag. You can find it everywhere, especially in transit stations. I went to the one next to the bus and pointed at what I wanted. She looked at me and nodded. The woman then started making this drink, turned to her friends, said something, laughed, then started laughing at me while clearly not putting in all the ingredients into this drink. I knew I was being blatantly ripped off.
"She's telling her friends she's going to overcharge and rip you off because you're white," said a Vietnamese American who was also on my bus. "She doesn't think you will notice." "
How much should this really cost?" I asked him. He told me. It was some tiny number -- a few cents. I gave the vendor the correct change, told her she was a bad person and walked away onto my bus. It wasn't the money that I was upset about but the disrespect and contempt she had for me.
I wondered if it was just me. Perhaps I simply had a bad experience and Vietnam was really great. The countryside is stunning and I can only imagine what it looked like before America napalmed most of it. Maybe I just had bad luck. Maybe I caught people on an off day. However, after talking to a number of other travelers, I realized that we all had the same story. They all had tales of being ripped off, cheated, or lied to. We all had to struggle for everything. We never felt welcome in the country.
Additionally, I witnessed other people having problems in Vietnam. I saw friends of mine getting ripped off. Once my friend bought bananas and the seller walked away before giving change back. At a supermarket, a friend was given chocolate instead of their change. Two of my friends lived in Vietnam for 6 months, and even they said the Vietnamese were rude to them despite becoming "locals." Their neighbors never warmed up to them. Wherever I went, it seemed my experience was the norm and not the exception.
While in Nha Trang, I met an English teacher who had been in Vietnam for many years. He said that the Vietnamese are taught that all their problems are caused by the West, especially the French and Americans, and that the West "owes" Vietnam. They expect Westerners to spend money in Vietnam, so when they see western backpackers trying to penny pitch, they get upset and treat them poorly. Those who are spending money, however, seem to be treated quite well. I don't know if this is true or not but based on what I had seen and the experiences I had heard, it did make some sense.
Two friends were out eating once and a woman came riding up on a very nice looking bike. My friend Sean describes it as one of those Huffy mountain bikes you were always jealous your neighbor had as a kid. The woman locked up her bike and then proceeded to go around the restaurant asking for money. When she came to my friends, they asked the Vietnamese woman if she could afford such a nice bike, why couldn't she afford food? That's my sisters bike, the woman said. Sean looked at her and said "Then she can pay for your food."
I'm not here to make judgments about Vietnam or the Vietnamese. I only have my experience to fall back on. However, the stories and anecdotes I've heard from other people only reinforce that experience and the feelings I have.
Travel doesn't always need to be perfect. I like it when it is difficult. I like the struggle and having to find my way through the world. I think it builds character. And I don't mind paying more money. A dollar for them goes a lot further than a dollar for me. I get that we will haggle in the market, have a laugh, and I'll still overpay. But what I don't like is being treated like I'm not a person. I don't like being disrespected or cheated. I don't want to look at everyone and wonder if they are trying to cheat me. Every interaction doesn't need to be a struggle.
After three weeks in Vietnam, I couldn't get out fast enough and I'll be happy to never go back.
Author's Note: While I had a bad experience in Vietnam, many people have had good experiences. You need to find out for yourself. Learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly to become an informed traveler, and then go experience it for yourself. I'm not advocating anyone skip Vietnam. I'm just saying I have no desire to return.
Follow Matt Kepnes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nomadicmatt
You mentioned in your post "People don’t like you because you are American. The world is violent. It’s poor. It’s dirty. It’s savage. Canada and Europe are O.K., but, if you go there, they will still be rude to you because you are American. No one likes us."
( http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-americans-dont-travel-overseas/ )
And you become A CRYING BABY here! Go tell your mum how bad you were tricked instead of becoming a backpacker Mr. Kepnes.
The treatment that you felt is universal, and not only to foreigners or white people but even to Vietnamese people! I've heard countless of stories from friends and relatives who have gone back to Vietnam to be badgered and hassled for money. My mom lives in America and her own brother in Vietnam sold her land and kept the money. This is one of the reasons why I hesitate to go to Vietnam, the culture is corrupt. If you take a step back, it all stems from the government treating the people poorly which leads to the people treating others poorly. It is very unfortunate but I hope this helps shed more light on things.
While most Vietnamese vendors are fair and friendly, many are not. The corrupted Vietnamese government must clean up their acts and protect tourists, not siding with the rogue vendors. The Vietnamese don't get respect from readers by covering up and denying the well known scams, rudeness and uncivilized culture that go on daily in this country.Your denials just tell readers that you are ill logical and stupid liars.
Before you accuse me as a Vietnamese hater and lying about the wonderful Vietnamese vendors in VN, Watch the news below in Youtube. Is that a behavior of a decent human being ? (Angry Vietnam Woman Rages At Camera Crew ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZJ_RH-tLdM
The news just posted this week from a Vietnamese website in HCM city, a tourist was forced to pay $480 ($10,000,000,000 Dong) for a fish in a restaurant. Note that this is the news from Vietnam. (Use Google translate to get the some ideas from the Vietnamese article).
http://tuoitre.vn/Tet-Online-2012/Du-Xuan/476183/An-ca-chuc-trieu-dong-o-Ha-Long.html
Not all Vietnamese vendors are bad to foreign tourists but the very bad things happen daily to tourists in VN. Matt is right about taking your chance to enjoy your vacation there.
you lasted 3 weeks for a place where you thought you were not respected, so funny!
you got these things 5 years ago, and now, you complain about it. you talk as if Vn is a terrible place. what's your aims? to lower your angry 5years ago till now or noone accepts your opinion then you write it down?
sin's everywhere,it's in Vn, it's in America, too. of course, nowhere just has sin. i think that you had some good experiences which had made you stayed there for 3weeks. so why don't you say anything about that? are you scared that other people will come to Vn for those good things and realize that you're absolutely wrong?
poor you, MK
And if you are the lucky one, you should be appreciated and thankful, and have your mind open about other places where they are hungry and starving....Otherwise, if you are not the lucky one...
Maybe someday you will write another article saying..." I am leaving the US,,,,and I will never, ever, ever com back to this country again....May be you will not.But, may be I will....
Travell in a strange country, with-out knowing the language...we should not ecpect to be treated fair or good....There are the peple suffer everyday in VN , just do not mind of cheating to make their everyday living life to be a little better....Please give it yourself an open mind to understand more about of lives, which including all the lies, cheats...in the world of poors, hungry....We are lucky enough to think that....we are ok, if we honest ourself. Please, be forget and beforgiven, being riff-off with a few cents or a few bucks....from a poor country, it worse like nothing comape with paying taxes in our rotten country....
Hey, its not about a poor country. All people in Vietnam that make money from tourists are poor ?. Why do you assume they are ?.
for the whole 3 weeks? Everywhere has the bad tourism. THe only thing is people do not complain and make noises like you. Viet people use to have good hospitality. How much do you understand about
their culture or people there? Vietnam is used to be a warn torn country and suffered a lot from the wars. This is some kind of disrespect and discrimination. You would better think carefully, This is more than a childish act
lets blame all on the war. When you commit to stay for the 3 weeks than you do exactly that.
He did, and now he has something to say. I think that many people complain...you just dont know about it....try going to the police station after a foreigner has been stolen. Last week it happened and my Viet friend was told by the police " if you are lying you will go to jail". The old French couple who lost her handbag at 2 pm in the afternoon from a snatch, asked why the police were talking to her for so long. She never translated for them.
Why did he stay for such long time?
However, after talking to a number of other travelers, I realized that we all had the same story. They all had tales of being ripped off, cheated, or lied to. We all had to struggle for everything.
http://asiabeneaththesurface.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-challenge-to-matt-kepnes-get-to-know.html
do not agree with you at all. Five years is a pretty long time to live in Vietnam without being ripped off/stolen etc. Are you living in a matchbox ? However, I do think you have valid points but agree with Matt in general.
Now, where the hell are you living boy!
That's hustler attitude, try to speak to while collar folks, or students or the majority of the population that ain't have to worry dead abt their 2 meals/day. Two meals, not even 3!