>>956573The experience varies a lot depending on where you go. Obviously big cities are more developed while small towns are more quaint. South, Central, and Northern Vietnamese have different cultures and language dialects.
Most foreigners who come here are absolute plebs just looking to be rich men in a poor country (the exchange rate is extremely favorable to English teachers, who get paid in USD). They love it because if you live in the most developed, urban parts you can get by just speaking English and being a #WHITE ESL SEXPAT GUY
That's not the experience I'm looking for here though. Vietnam is a wonderful place if you have the balls to take advantage of what it has to offer. Move to a less developed city or to a rural area and people will be thrilled to teach you their language and get to know you. You can leverage your foreigner status and money to become a legitimate big shot rather than just a mark for the tourist industry.
The culture is very friendly and hospitality-oriented, but can sometimes get annoying when strangers constantly come up and ask you nosy questions.The food is great, and nhậu (getting drunk over dinner) is the number one pastime for men. Vietnamese people are also smarter than other Asians imo, but think in a different way from whites.
I love Vietnam.
