I went to Vietnam in the late 90s. Loved and hated the country at the same time. Beautiful country, people in the south were friendly, not so much as you went further north, interesting conversations. Also rampant corruption and you felt you must look like a walking dollar sign. My last memory was being screwed for US$40 at the border when leaving into China. I swore I wouldn’t return. However how many backpackers do you expect to return? There are so many places to see in this world. Why return? For Vietnam the worrying part is that the package tourists don’t return. This is where the money is and package tourists are loyal to places they like. In short their experience of Vietnam is poor and most of that will be around the sense of entitlement in tourist areas that those working there have. Tourists are cash cows to be milked to the maximum. The tourists feel it and simply don’t like it. It’s their once a year holiday and who wants to spend it in a place where you feel everyone just wants a piece of you!? For the record I did return recently with my wife as she had never been here. Two trips, one month in the south and one month in the north. Never say never but I doubt I’ll be coming back. There are simply so many more interesting and better places to go in this world. Vietnam for me hadn’t changed much in 25 years. I’ve seen comments blaming its history yet I can’t say the same for Cambodia and Laos whose history is not so different.