As I mentioned in my last post, I’m going to Vietnam! For the first time!
That’s right. I’m Vietnamese but I’ve never actually been to Vietnam before.
That’s about to change, though.
You know how I’m going to Sydney next semester? Well, my parents decided that if I went to Australia, we would all visit Vietnam once my semester was over. I mean, if one kid’s already at that side of the world, they might as well follow suit, yeah?
So we decided it would be cheapest if I got round-trip tickets in and out of Saigon, and another set of tickets from Saigon to Sydney. Therefore, I’ll be visiting Vietnam both before and after my study abroad!
Ok, so “scared” is a little dramatic.
And not without cause. There are exactly four things that are making me fret:
1. My grandmother.
When your mom wants to buy you diarrhea relief medicine, it’s probably not a good sign. Speaking of my mom…
2. My mom.
My mom and dad had very different reactions to me traveling to Vietnam.
My mom, the ever-protective mother bear, has given me wonderful tips about traveling in Vietnam.
3. The U.S. Government travel website.
I read through the US travel advisory for Vietnam, where I found lovely quotes like these:
Well, at least the advisory wasn’t as bad as the travel notice for Nigeria.
4. I’m Vietnamese and my Vietnamese sucks.
My Vietnamese is rudimentary at best and heavily accented. I can understand Vietnamese better than I can speak it, a fact that some of my more-distant relatives didn’t realize when I was a kid.
If I was of Caucasian heritage, being able to speak any Vietnamese would be impressive. However, since I’m Vietnamese, my lack of skill opens me up to criticism and judgement. Better yet, I’m staying with family. Family that I’ve never met before and who speak a different dialect of Vietnamese. Whelp. I’m sure it’ll be interesting.
Well, I’m sure we’ll communicate somehow.
And nervous or not, my tickets are booked. Tomorrow, I’m heading off to Vietnam!
By the way: Rumor has it that WordPress is blocked in Vietnam. If that’s the case, I might not be able to post anything until I arrive in Sydney, which will be on July 20th. So an extended absence from my blog either means I can’t get onto WordPress, or I’ve been kidnapped by some Vietnamese ruffians. Cheers!
I think in comics. 
Hi Vy !
Don’t be afraid, everything will turn out just fine, you’ll see.
It’s typical to overdramatize what may/can happend.
And, in my opinion, you are not vietnamese, you are an asian looking US-citizen with vietnamese roots ….and a cosplay nerdy :))))
So, head up, it will be good !!!
Greetings
RoBo
Go sissy! Vacation it up in Vietnam and buy me a kangaroo!
Well, good luck. I hope you have a good time over there, or at least a good enough time.
Aw, I’m 10000000000000000000000000000000% sure you’ll be fine! And if not, simply say “no hablo vietnamita” which is Spanish for “I do not speak Vietnamese” and that essentially puts you on a level playing field because they wouldn’t understand Spanish either! Haha have fun and {if you are right} then I’ll read another post when you’re right across the ditch from me! :]
HAHA I LOVE THIS! I should just break out in Spanish whenever people try to talk to me!
And luckily, it seems like WordPress is only occasionally blocked. My family’s been keeping me busy, but I’ll post when I get the chance! 🙂
Haha YES, Spanish is the answer to everything! :L I’m trying to put more and more on my blog but I have to keep going over everything to make sure it’s right! Haha.
Yay! I love your latest post :]
You coped admirably with Japan – I bet you’ll cope with Vietnam too! It’ll be fun, and the parts that aren’t fun are bound to be interesting. In any event, I bet it will make for very entertaining reading when you have the chance to blog about it! Safe travels.
Thank you! I’ve only been here for a day, but it’s been awesome so far. Vietnam is definitely a very different place from Japan!
I hope you will have a really good trip!
And good luck with everything! 😀
Have confidence and I’m sure you will do just fine!
Thank you!! I’ll be sure to do my best! 😀
Well, here’s hoping you are just blocked!
Woohoo! I’m not blocked!
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