Questions & Answers

I’ve received numerous questions about my Vietnam ventures, which I will try to answer in this segment.

Q: How do the Vietnamese feel about Americans?
This is the most asked question, and for good reason. We were at war here over 30 years ago, and many of them could still be holding a grudge. The simple answer is the Vietnamese love Americans and wants to be friends with us.

Most of the Viets today were born after the war, and know little of what happened then. The American War, as they call it, is not studied in detail as our schools studied the Vietnam War. Even the older generation has put the war in the past and moved on a long time ago. In fact, I was hard pressed to find anyone who would talk about the war.

My visit here last year has shown me that the Vietnamese are among the nicest and happiest people that I’ve ever met. All of them seem to want to meet me and be my friend.

Q: How did I meet Ha?
I met Ha the real old fashion way. My Mom set us up.

Ha was supposed to be an interpreter and tour guide to me for a couple days during my trip here last year. I didn’t like her when we first met. I thought she was mean and didn’t care to be around me. All that changed after just one kiss.


Q: Do I feel safe when I travel through Vietnam?
I feel extremely safe and confident during my travels here. Then again, this is my second time here and I’m usually with my wife if I go anywhere. I’ve ventured off on my own a few times, and have no problems trekking out on my own if necessary. The one issue I have is the language barrier, which has caused some small problems.

Q: Is it easy to find women in Vietnam?
I’m not sure if I can answer this without getting in trouble with my wife. I guess you can say that it is easy to find women here, because I met my wife within three days after I arrived here last year. I will tell you that there are incredibly beautiful women here. I’m taking just one home and leaving the rest of them here.

Q: Can I be a travel guide?
Those who choose to use me as a travel guide here could meet the same fortune as the Donner Party traveling to California.

Q: How is the food?
The food here is absolutely incredible and cheap. You can get a decent meal for less than $2 US. Most of the Vietnamese food I’ve eaten here is the same as what I’ve eaten in America.

Q: Do I want to live in Vietnam?
I’ll admit that the thought has crossed my mind, but I have no immediate plans to do so. I do plan to visit more often as well as travel more too. I’m seeing that most Americans are not well traveled, and there is so much to see in this world.

Q: Do I speak Vietnamese?
I have been learning Vietnamese as quickly as I can since the last time I came here. I believe that I’ve improved remarkably, but I’m still far from being fluent.

Do you have a question? Leave a comment with your question, and I'll do my best to answer it.

Dan Harley, Jr.