What’s It Like to Travel to Vietnam as Someone From the United States?

What’s It Like to Travel to Vietnam as Someone From the United States?

The Vietnam War ended about 50 years ago, and there are still billions of people on the planet today who were alive to see it happen. As an American, I grew up learning about the war from an American perspective (the war was over before I was born), but I’m well aware of the protests and conflicts that occurred in the United States during it.

Is it possible to travel to Vietnam as an American? Do the locals welcome tourists from the United States? The good news is that Americans can certainly travel to Vietnam and experience everything wonderful about this southeast Asian nation.

From the friendly people to the incredible food, Vietnam offers travelers so many mind-expanding adventures, views, and experiences. It’s definitely a country I want to return to in the future, because my week there wasn’t nearly long enough to experience everything.

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What are the People of Vietnam Like?

Most Vietnamese people I interacted with during my stay in the country were very direct in how they spoke, joked, and carried themselves.

There is an inherent modesty in the way they dress, but when speaking with others, Vietnamese people are very candid, friendly, and polite.

When you visit various tourist installations, it’s not surprising that you’ll interact with people who are polite and friendly. After all, you’re there to help support their tourist economy.

One of the humorous parts of my travel throughout the country occurred when we went on a guided bike ride outside of Hoi An, a city that’s just south of Da Nang.

Whenever kids would see us from their yards, they’d wave furiously and laugh. Some of the areas we rode by were quite rural, but the kids there seemed just as goofy and excited as they would anywhere else.

Is Visiting a Communist Country a Concern for an American?

If you look hard enough, you can certainly see signs of the state-run facets of Vietnamese culture, but the country’s style of government really isn’t something you need to be afraid of as an American. You probably won’t really even notice it or be aware of it as you travel.

We never felt like we were in danger or that we had to keep an eye out for some mysterious government entity. Vietnam is a modern country with citizens who make their own decisions about life, and they’re often happy to interact with visitors.

From my experiences so far, traveling in a communist country (or, rather, a socialist republic run by the Communist Party) isn’t scary or strange. In fact, we felt quite safe during the entirety of our vacation, even when we were walking around some sketchy parts of various towns we visited.

There are sketchy neighborhoods in every country on the planet, and as someone who’s lived in Los Angeles for the past two decades, I’ve seen my share of sketch.

You shouldn’t feel nervous walking around, day or night, in Vietnam. Even when you’re in a crush of humanity, like the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

On that note – I highly recommend staying in the Old Quarter when you visit Hanoi. It’s an incredible place to experience urban Vietnam. We stayed at the Hanoi Flora Hotel, and I can’t recommend it enough. Their breakfast is SO GOOD. Downright amazing. And the rooms are beautifully cozy.

But back on topic, you don’t need to feel concerned about your wellbeing in Vietnam. Simply remain aware of your surroundings as you would in any other country, and you’ll be fine.

How Many Americans Visit Vietnam?

In our week of traveling to different cities in Vietnam, I have to admit that we didn’t see any other Americans. The closest we got was a family from Canada.

Statistically, Americans are the second-most popular tourist in Vietnam with about 300,000 visitors each year, but you wouldn’t know it from walking around various tourist venues.

We saw many Chinese travelers and loads of Koreans. In one of the group tours we took of Ninh Bình Province, the other travelers in our group of 10 included two Germans, two Japanese, two Australians, one Korean, a Brazilian, and me and my partner, the Americans.

Whenever we visited a popular tourist place, we were always surrounded by dozens of different languages. Vietnam is popular with tourists from all over the world, and a healthy tourist industry exists with all sorts of amazing experiences waiting for you.

Experiencing the Remnants of the Vietnam War

I don’t proclaim to be the most worldly of travelers, and I would never put myself out there as someone who’s completely attuned to everything culturally significant.

However, I think it’s an important experience as an American to see some of the physical reminders of the war. We read about things in textbooks that never feel as real as they do in person.

One of our Da Nang tours we went on of the Marble Mountains area featured a walk through some temples where several cultural artifacts were displayed within caves around a mountain. We were surprised to learn that some of the holes near the ceilings of these caves were made by bombs dropped by Americans during the war.

You’d think that the Vietnamese people we interacted with in these areas would carry some resentment for the war, but we were welcomed everywhere we went, without any outrage or indignance.

From start to finish, my time in Vietnam was unforgettable. I will certainly return in the future, and I can’t wait to experience more of the culture, history, and ridiculously delicious food. If you’re an American that’s at all curious about traveling to Vietnam, I highly recommend considering a trip.

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