As the wise Jimmy Buffet once said……..

“Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”

Our scavenger hunt has taken us around the world and back, but the prizes are the people we meet.   Smiles and a greeting go a long way to make someone feel welcome, but in Vietnam the friendliness is taken to a whole other level – the people we meet are just so damn nice.

Grandma grilling

Tu and the new puppy

sleeping under the chair

On our daily adventures around town we are constantly greeted by a “Hello” from passersby.   We have several local restaurants and stalls that we frequent and they always remember us with a smile and a greeting.   My vegetable and fruit stall lady always suggests something new for me to try and will tuck some free peppers or herbs in my bag.   The local corner store owner, Tu, has welcomed me into her home which is located in the back of the shop as I pet her dog and she shows me the stray kitten or puppy she is sheltering.   The housekeepers at our hotel have truly taken us under their wing; they have shared their lunch with us and then we gave them their first taste of Twizzlers, they have lectured me for taking the hotel towels to the beach and we have shared pictures of our children.  I could go on and on about all the people we have met like “Grandma” grilling the meat for our breakfast of shouzhua bing or the neighborhood girl I gave my Chicago baseball hat to.   We communicate with almost everyone using smiles, laughter and charades as they speak only a few words of English and we speak even less Vietnamese but it doesn’t matter as they have become friends.

When Greg and I take a break from work and enjoy a beach day at Back Beach we are constantly surprised by the welcoming nature of .....  everyone.      We walk down the beach and people ask us where we are from and ask to take their pictures with us (the peace sign also seems to be universal for anyone under the age of 25 getting their picture taken).  We walk by a group picnicking and they yell out to us asking us to join them.   Beer, ribs, steamed crabs, octopus, watermelons are all pushed into our hands as we are invited to sit with their friends and family.   This didn’t happen once, or twice but multiple times.   Next thing you know we are sitting around the sand sharing their version of moonshine (rice vodka we think) out of a two gallon plastic jug and then a volleyball game or soccer is started and we are all laughing as the sun sets over the ocean.

The people of Vung Tau have taught me that having a common language isn’t the link for communicating but instead it is humor, kindness, compassion, and the occasional shared cold beverage.

Cheers to all the people of Vung Tau and to Good Travel