Goodbye Vietnam, Forever

As I sit in a coffee shop waiting for my flight out of here, I can’t help but feel relieved. Vietnam has been a trying month as the country is a two way street of tourism. It is hard to escape the tourist trails as people march north from Saigon or south from Ha Noi like ants. You hardly ever get what you paid for and most locals who work in tourism are rude and angry, ripping you off any chance they get and shouting at you if you change your mind and don’t buy their product. Some would quote you ridiculous prices (I mean really, you wouldn’t even pay that in Saudi Arabia) and refuse to bargain, the next stupid tourist will dish out the money. A friend and I were furiously kicked out of a store when we offered a cheaper, more reasonable price. Some are just plain mean and would rather not sell you something or take you where you need to go unless you pay twice as much the local fare. I’ve been yelled at by tour guides and people on the street who’ve bumped into me and have heard horror stories from other travelers who make my complaints seemed childish. On a nightly stroll in Pham Ngu Lao, where cheap accommodations beckon, I noticed a large number of Africans hanging around. I stop and asked two men what brought them to Saigon and got an ear full from one of them. He had never experienced such racism and discrimination, he fumed, and since landlords refused him housing, he had to rent rooms by the night, often time being kicked out without a moments notice. He had been robbed, scammed, mistreated at work, not allowed into restaurants, and stoned by small children who laughed and pointed. The other man was happier for he was seeing the country through the eyes of love with his Vietnamese girlfriend but nodded in agreement as his friend ranted. I have yet to experience racism here as most people find my dreadlocks curious and pick at my hair like monkeys looking for lice. But all in all, I must say, with the exception of the few very nice Vietnamese friends I’ve made, the people here are the unhappiest I’ve ever come across. And to find those few gems, I had to look in the rough, the most helpful being those who don’t speak English and don’t work in anything related to tourism or public transportation. So I don’t think I’ll be running back here anytime soon, unless I get amnesia. No wonder Vietnam has the lowest return rate of any country in Southeast Asia.