My vietnam experience .. Excellent

[KED]

Only place in SEA I haven't visited. And won't until they close down their dog meat shops/restaurants.

Most Buddhists don't eat cows. That's why beef is so bad here and pig is so popular.

Are Indians shocked at farangs eating cows? To each his own. Judge not lest ye be judged.

The issue of dog meat is the inhumane treatment of the animals before slaughter.

[Aussieroaming]

I spent a year up in the north and it was fantastic. Great people, food, beautiful culture still seen. I would live and work there again no dramas.

[BKKdreaming]

When you consider how the Vietnamese have suffered from foreign abuse over the last 2000 years maybe we can cut them a little slack with the "scams." They have never wavered in their fight for independence and they didn't collaborate with the Japanese - unlike a couple of other countries I could mention.

what has the past 2000 years got to do with todays scams ?

And do the scam each other or just save them for Tourists ?

A country's history has a great deal to do with it's culture. After 2000 years of abuse by China, The Mongols, The French and being devastated by the US I am not surprised that getting as much as you can today because you don't know what tomorrow will bring is important to some Vietnamese. However, as I stated before, I lived there for several years and was never being subject to a scam myself.

And, yes, they do scam each other. In fact I have heard locals say they scam each other to a greater extent than they do to foreigners.

and

With that logic the Blacks in America have the "right" to rob me , the Native American "Indians" to shoot arrows at me and the Mexicians to take back Southwest USA......

Saying that scamming is a "right" for past wrongs is just BS ,

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Nice thread. I lived in Vietnam for a few months in the Delta and have visited many times. Yes, you have to mind your money and prices for things. My greatest experience overall though was the feeling that I was among people moving forward. There were no slackers. People worked hard for what they got and would not hesitate to do it again. Everyone and I mean everyone was trying to advance themselves and their families. Unlike the people in my nearby host country currently.

I just wish VN would cut or eliminate the tourist visa fee and allow a 30-day free entry like Thailand. I think VN would be thronged. News reports a couple of months ago said VN is thinking about this very issue, expanding visa free status to Europeans and North Americans, among others.

[Lissos]

If you think India is bad,try Pakistan

Sorry, got to break the flow of the joke here as I found Pakistan to be a fabulous travel destination

Are you gay by any chance?

Well that must be one of the strangest replies I've had on Thai Visa Forum thus far.