I try to write my first impressions of each country as soon as I enter it since it's interesting to see which ones are accurate and which ones change after being in a place for awhile. You're probably thinking that this blog will be skewed since it's been awhile since I first entered Vietnam, right? Well, since I know I don't have time to blog all the time, I at least keep notes on each city, including first impressions so this entry will be based on those notes. Didn't think I was that smart, did you?! Don't ever doubt me again, k? Good. Here goes:

VIETNAM:

**I'd like to add that I entered Vietnam in the South, specifically Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon which is HUGE. The North and South are VERY different so these first impressions are based solely on the South. In case you're wondering, I prefer the South (you'll see why in later entries).

1. BORDER CROSSING--The bus ride to Vietnam from Cambodia (Phnom Phen) was pretty painless. There was only one other foreign couple on the bus besides Peter and I. The bus was not full, comfortable, and didn't break down. The border crossing was painless. Really. We handed our passports to the bus driver, got off the bus and waited for security to call our names, walked through a metal detector,and met the bus on the other side. Quick, painless, perfect. Bus was $45 and I bought my visa at my hotel in Cambodia (actually, I left my passport at the hotel when I went to Bamboo Island and Jay picked it up for me to get once back in the mainland. Doesn't get much simpler than that).

2. BIKE HELMETS--people in Vietnam ACTUALLY where bike helmets on motorcycles! Granted, it's because there's a law and the police actually patrol it (I saw them) but, hey, they wear 'em! There are even shops all around town selling designer helmets, some made to look like a baseball cap. Cute. My friend, Brian, who lives here was told that noone thought the law would work since noone wore helmets. Miraculously, the day the law passed, helmets appeared everywhere!

3. MOTORCYCLES GALORE--there are motorcycles EVERYWHERE!!! I had been warned about this, but you cannot truly grasp this until you see it with your own eyes!

4. WALKING ACROSS THE STREET--this is....an adventure and not for the faint of heart! I'll explain this more in the Saigon entry so watch out for it...also, check out the video on FB. It's a thrill!

5. FACEBOOK plus BLOCKED-- Vietnam has blocked Facebook as well as many other sites including my banking site. It was a bit of a hassle but easily worked around with a hotspot blocker. Thank goodness Peter works in IT and helped me maneuver this. My mom would have been hopeless online here (even more so than she already is : ) LOVE you, mama! : )

6. BAMBOO hats--I had seen many people who had already traveled to Vietnam wearing the silly-looking hat but assumed it was something sold to tourists as a local joke. Turns out people ACTUALLY wear them! (See the Blog photo for proof)

Okay, so those were the main things that stood out enough for me to write down as first thoughts on Vietnam. Check out the individual city blogs to find out how they reshaped, changes, and/or remained over my 3 week stay in Vietnam.