Oh Vietnam!

There are many interesting observations all over the country...many of them force you to ask the question, "is this fascinating or ridiculous?"

- The "peace" symbol in ALL photos!
- Women wearing FULL coverage in 100 degree weather to prevent getting any sun exposure
- Stacking huge amounts of belongings or family members, or both, on one motorbike
- medical myths that plague Vietnam...eating shrimp causes you to have more scars if injured; pregnant women should not drive motorbikes in 3rd trimester; wearing glasses makes your eyes worse...
- All treble loud speaker "squawk box" playing 1950s communist tunes during "sport day" at school to get the kids pumped up!
- All Caucasian mannequins and models on packaging for food, diapers, cleaning products...
- There is not a good looking dog in this country. Period.
- you can wear your pajamas all day long. Real pajamas. With slippers.
- Vendors by the lake in the old quarter of Hanoi selling you a chance to get on a scale to see how many more laps around the lake it is going to take you to hit that goal weight! Back off lady...I am walking off my pho and Tiger beers!
- Welding, doing construction, plowing a field, driving, hiking...all in shower sandals
- Napkins at restaurants are really just slips of paper.
- Ear-piercing loud music in coffee shops at 6 am, on repeat of the same re-done Celine Dion hit
- Plastic chairs...everywhere
- The entire country is held together with chewing gum and paper clips. Craftsmanship is a loosely used term!
- Men getting their hair cut on the side of the freeway under an overpass, with a mirror hung up and in barber chair
- H'Mong girls following you for miles on your trek, even after you said "no thank you" to buying their trinkets
- The 3 month baby Buddha hair cut for good luck. Like a reverse bald spot on a baby
- Market vendors sell hot sauce in recycled water bottles. Restaurants also serve it this way.
- "Organic" traffic pattern. Driving the wrong way, turning in front of oncoming traffic, making a u-turn on a bridge, backing up on the on ramp of the freeway...
- Taxi drivers offering a ride to the domestic terminal at the airport, that is 300 feet away
- Ancient ethnic hill tribes, in traditional dress, walking over 10km carrying huge baskets of rice or corn...making a call on the side of the road on their cell phone.
- A family of three grown adults in two narrow bunks of the overnight train
- You can buy beer anywhere, from anyone, and drink it anywhere
- When someone in Vietnam says "five minutes," you can count on at least 20 minutes.
- The two-headed rain poncho
- The designer wares in Vietnam...obviously real! Haha. Louis Vitton motorbike helmet, Nike rain poncho, Coach plastic purse, Armani car freshener
- English is taught in all schools. Everyone is fluent in "hello" "how you?" "what's your name?" "where you from?" "I'm fine"