Vietnam is a long narrow country filled with rivers where many of the locals and the tourist enjoy travel by boat. You can have a young, beautiful Vietnamese woman row you in a rowboat. You can do it Miami Vice style in a fast boat along the Saigon River. You can ride a motorboat to watch the buying and selling of fruits and vegetables at the floating market on the Mekong River and of course you can sail through the beautiful, emerald green waters of Ha Long Bay.
2. Pho-
A steaming hot bowl of noodles, spices and meat floating in a tasty broth. I love that they give you a fork, a spoon and chopsticks to eat pho with. First, use your spoon to slurp up some broth and finely chopped scallions. Then use your chopsticks to add add some fresh bean sprouts and minty leaves that come with the pho on a separate plate. Then scoop up some rice noodles and lean beef with your chopsticks. Mmmmm mmm.
3. Motorbike Traffic-
There are over 20 million motorbikes in Vietnam and about two stoplights. I mean I was born in raised in New York City but I'm getting heart palpitations trying to cross the street here. Yet I greatly admire the multi-tasking ability of the Vietnamese motorbike drivers and riders. One guy is texting on a cell phone. Another is picking his nose. One is petting the Chihuahua riding on the handlebars. One is loosely holding a baby, all while honking madly and weaving in and out of congested, downtown Ho Chi Minh City traffic.
4. Water Puppet Theater-
The art of traditional Vietnamese Water Puppetry is over 1000 years old. In step with traditional Vietnamese village life, the series of vignettes that make up the puppet show all take place in the water. Skilled puppeteers standing behind a bamboo screen in waist high water skillfully recreate a village boat race, the planting and harvesting of rice fields, a fishing expedition, children playing in the lake and the legend of a Vietnamese King sailing on his way back from fighting the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty. According to the legend a sacred turtle jumped out of the lake, took the King's sword in his mouth and disappeared back into the lake to signify the ushering in of a peaceful era in Vietnamese history. The water puppets are so cute and joyful. The musical accompaniment was absolutely divine. It was a real treat for a fan of puppetry.
5. Nha Trang Beach-
Nha Trang Beach, located on the South Central coast of Vietnam, has clear, just-the-right-temperature water, plenty of local flavor and fresh seafood vendors who will cook you up a plateful of tasty crab, lobster tails, scallops and tiger prawns right on the beach (and then pull your hair and try to sell you cigarettes while you're trying to eat). It's a great mixture of French Riviera style with a Coney Island vibe complete with a Ferris Wheel and plenty of Vietnamese families frolicking in the waters or playing volleyball in the sand.
Honorable Mention-
Eating Lychee, Dragonfruit, Passionfruit, Mangosteen and other crazy-looking, tasty fruits that we don't know the names of.
What do you love about Vietnam?
Mangosteen sounds awesome. Yum! ;)
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