Tormented by a harrowing past and the internal disparity with an ensuing civil war, to finding peace and unity, This is a country which strives to grip on its path to recovery and discovering her identity.

The struggles here are very real as the ghosts from the past continue to haunt the present, and as the country comes to terms with her newfound independence, free from terror and cries of distress.

It is all not forgotten, as they grapple with the challenges to face the new while putting the past behind them.

This, is Vietnam, a country which we have often read about in history and perhaps one that has fought a long and grueling fight as they trudged on their path to freedom, but most of all, for Peace.

Remnants of the battles fought are evident in the country, though it lies disguised beneath that well-polished facade of modernization as tall buildings rise in the cities and sounds of civilization trumpet through the nation.

This is a country which disguises her sorrows through her charms, yet the stories are not buried nor left forgotten as they serve to remind her people of the battles fought and the determination which stood the test of time to the sweet chords of victories tasted.





Vietnam is not for the weak-hearted.
This is a country which you will learn to love, or hate.

Like a young girl, she has seen the harsh realities of life and she has put up her walls to safeguard herself from further harm.
There is no room for her to take any further blows, or put herself at the risk of attacks or betrayal.
She is fragile yet bold, endearing yet resistant.

Battered by her past, Vietnam will take some time for one to warm up to.

On her path to recovery, the country is slowly opening her doors to the public and tourism has been thronging in to get a glimpse of the charms and innocence of this fragile beauty.

However, beware, the bitter tastes from the long term abuse has made her resilient and Vietnam is not to be easily messed with.

At the same time, Vietnam is often misunderstood as one with much hostility and aversive.

From the attacks of the motorcycles and taxis driving haphazardly in that massive chaos to the tiny wooden stools by the streets where one sits on to slurp their noodles and the devotion to their religious ceremonies, these are just few to paint the overall picture of the country.
It is easy to feel threatened or even terror, as one gets caught in the frenzy of the chaotic mess in the major cities in the country.






It is that first impression that most would often get when they first step on the soil of this country.
Some leave with disappointment and that sour taste of the country, vowing to never return for the way they were treated.

While Vietnam has opened her doors to welcome the world, the country is still gripping with her past and that will take a little bit of time for anyone to adapt to; especially when there is so much wrath, grief and spite from the past.

All it needs is for one to understand and have that little patience to learn more about the country's history to truly fathom the perplexity of the hot and cold behavior experienced here on these grounds.
It is then that we will see past that hostility to discover that ravishing beauty hidden underneath it all.



That was my first impression of Vietnam, and I will be sharing more on my journey and adventures in Vietnam as I attempt to brace the culture and diversity in this populous country; the 8th most populous Asian country and the world's 13th most populous with an estimated population of 90.5 million.

I will be covering a few places as I learn and discover more beneath that hostile facade; amidst hilarity and frustrations all in my travel stories, in Vietnam.

It will be a continuous story, as I will be going from one place to another, as I unravel the mysteries and gems kept hidden, all unfiltered and as seen through my very own eyes.