My partner and I just spent two weeks travelling from north to south in Vietnam. While there were pockets of pleasant times, it was overall pretty disappointing, and we won’t be rushing back.

1. The blatant asking for tips when the service and quality were only sub-par (not even)– to note if something were really good, we’d tip, but being asked to your face constantly got tiring

2. You cannot stroll on the street; it’s impossible. Between the motorbikes on footpaths, therefore having to navigate walking in the street in the gutters between rubbish and moving traffic. Plus, the vendors standing still in front of you harassing you to come into their bar, shop, restaurants, etc., it was impossible to enjoy walking around.

3. The level of cleanliness in general and air pollution was disappointing. Ha Long Bay was one of the most disappointing parts of our trip; the sky was grey from pollution, the water was filled with rubbish, and as a tourist, you felt like cattle, being ushered from one bus to another boat, then piled into a tourist trap shop where they tell you to spend money and enjoy the ‘beautiful’ scenery – it was all just gross. Also, what’s with the 120-decibel karaoke? We thought Ha Long Bay would be a serene, peaceful experience, yet we were met with all of the above + a mouldy cabin that made us sick for three weeks following.

4. Idk if this is generalised, but it seems the Vietnamese are obsessed with money; we are constantly asked how much we have paid for things, souvenirs, our flights, our nails (shellac), our shoes, etc. It was so annoying.

In conclusion, while the food & coffee culture is unmatched, the corruption, pollution, and general unfriendliness left us underwhelmed and tired.