6 Reasons for being in Vietnam

I visited Vietnam for the first time in 1992 but returned in 1995 to stay here for……well……maybe forever. Many people ask me why I came to Vietnam in the first place and what is so magic about this country that I stay here. Let me give you 6 good reasons why

  1. Vietnamese people are incredibly friendly so simple is that!
    Wherever you go you will be welcomed and there are always cheerful friendly smiles around regardless of age. If you visit a supermarket or go swimming people try to speak to you, if you go to a sports club you will be invited to join them to play badminton, etc. If you speak about the country of smile: this title definitely should belong to Vietnam.
     
  2. Vietnamese are loyal, hard working and eager to learn new things
    When you arrive in Vietnam you will be surprised by the number of study books that you can find in the city. Vietnamese people are enormously eager to learn new technologies and don’t mind approaching you on the street so they can practice their English. Working in Vietnam is a great experience.

  3. Vietnam is an emergency market
    This could not be said when I first arrived in Vietnam but now it definitely is. The country is changing fast and it is one of the major emerging markets of the ASEAN region. It has a stable political and social situation and welcomes foreign investors.

  4. There are many choices for good food
    You can find Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Brazilian, German and many other restaurant and prices are comparatively cheap.

  5. Visiting Vietnam is an adventure!
    Saigon is crowded with bikes and motorbikes. It is simply a mess and a lot needs to be done to get this city organized. In the Ben Thanh market (Saigon) you have to be careful that a pickpocket doesn’t start shopping before you do. Take a taxi and you have a fair chance that you don’t arrive where you wanted to arrive, order food in a local restaurant and you don’t get what you ordered. Take a train or bus and you will be assured that someone will try to speak to you (even when it is just to say hello). Mui Ne is silent and has a beautiful beach for a weekend relaxing and a city like Hue (central Vietnam) is a must to visit because of it’s ancient beauty. Last but not least……don’t forget the beautiful ladies wearing their traditional dress the Ao Dai. Ai Dai field  Silence
    (Thanks to Diem Thuyen for publishing these beautiful ao dai photos under creative commons license)
  6. There is a lot of value you can add to the country
    Vietnam is a poor country and nearly 24 million people in Vietnam live in poverty. You can help by teaching English or by support charities such as

    1.  Children of Vietnam
    2.  Christina Noble Foundation
    3.  Vietnam Relief Effort
    4.  Sun Flower Mission
    5.  Vietnam Dream for Success 
    6.  Vietnam Now.

There are many more reasons but if I would list them all I could publish a book. Have you been in Vietnam before or do you stay in Vietnam? Let me know why you came to Vietnam in the first place. If you are one of those people that I meet each year again, let me know what magic makes you come back.

Cheers, Marcel

5 Responses to “6 Reasons for being in Vietnam”

  1. I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100% regarding ns for being in Vietnam, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong :)

  2. Hi Marcel-”noi bay so 1″ ;) ,thanks for your love to my country. It’s interesting to know how Vietnam is in foreigners’ look. Let publish a book, i would be the 1st one to buy it!

  3. So amazing when i know the true feeling from foreig friend who lived in Vietnam for a long time. I am really really like this. And the most interesting sentence with me is ” If you speak about the country of smile: this title definitely should belong to Vietnam.”. Can I publish this entry into our group’s blog ? Marcel ?

  4. [...] competitions were the traditional costume presentation and the Vietnamese traditional dress, the Ao Dai, Fashion [...]

  5. [...] girls were worried about this proposal because the average chest size in of a Vietnamese lady isn’t that big. The average Vietnamese lady is about 1.55meter tall and about 47kg. I would be [...]

Leave a Reply