1.) Vietnam is longer than the state of California and has more coast line than the state of Florida.
2.) The country was actually under French control until as late as 1954.
3.) The Vietnamese make really good bread, and awesome sandwiches called ‘Banh Mi’ (Likely thanks to the above statistic and the French)
4.) It’s actually cheaper to fly between most cities in Vietnam than bus, and a whole lot more comfortable
5.) The area is still thought to have 800,000 tons of unexploded bombs left over from the war… that are still killing people today!
6.) The effects of the use of Agent Orange in the war is still killing and horribly deforming people in Vietnam, and even more surprisingly in the US too.
7.) Vietnam is the world’s 2nd largest producer of coffee beans, however the majority of the population drinks instant coffee
8.) The first ever McDonald’s just open last month in Ho Chi Minh City (February 2014)
9.) There are more than 4 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City alone.
10.) Helmets are required by law when riding a motorbike, but car ‘seats’ are optional
Who would eat expensive garbage Mcds when you cheap, delicious pho, banh mi, egg rolls, etc?
Hannah Lukaszewicz
Sunday 17th of December 2017
Well, the McDonald's JUST opened when we were there, it was a big deal to have a western chain like that there. The food in Vietnam is amazing, and one of our favorites in the world. But as full-time travelers, we wanted to see what the craze was about, did they have different things on the menu etc. And let's get real every so often you crave a little greasy food that reminds you at home.
Mike Orobona
Friday 3rd of July 2015
I'd love to get there some day and have pho for breakfast every morning...
Linda
Wednesday 23rd of July 2014
Why in the world would you eat at McDonalds? Vietnam has some of the best food in the world, I wouldn't and didn't waste one meal eating boring western food.
Adam
Monday 29th of September 2014
Why, because it had just opened and we had heard about the lines etc. We wanted to see what all the hype was about, and we were greeted by a red carpet, tons of smiling workers all ready to take our order...why different than in the USA. We travel nonstop for a living and spent 24 days in Vietnam alone, we have to have western food in the mix. If I was just on vacation for 1-3 weeks no I wouldn't eat western food, but we are different.
Izy Berry
Thursday 13th of March 2014
number 4 is wrong. I got a bus pass that had like 4-5 stops and covered the length of Vietnam for around $40 total.
Hannah
Saturday 15th of March 2014
TRUE if you buy an open pass, but not everyone is traveling the entire country. It would have cost us more to bus from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang than fly there, and it was only a 1 hour flight. Flight cost change on a daily basis, so I know there is cheaper and could be more expensive. But for us with luggage we flew from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang and then Da Nang to Hanoi for $100 per person. The 18 hour bus ride vs 1 hour flight didn't sound to good especially when you look at the price difference. Loads of people do buy the open bus ticket, but I wonder how many people don't even consider flying because they assume it costs to much. After taking buses all across Central America for 3 months, we opted to fly when it made sense. It just made sense.
Sally @ thewinetraveller
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
I have to confess I’m sad to listen to they started out a McDonalds in HCMC! Did you individuals try out any of the resting buses? They were a fun modify from the frequent vehicles, oh, and we took the evening practice as well.
Hannah
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
Yes McDonald's has arrived in Vietnam. I am guilty of going and getting a burger, let's just called that quality control. Just making sure it tastes the same in Vietnam as everywhere else. It did, french fries tasty too. We haven't done the sleeper buses as we had 4 main cities we wanted to visit, and we were able to fly between them for only $100 a person, not that much more than the bus. Plus night buses aren't for us, and we are getting a little worn out of long travel days. The 1 hour flight sounded much more appealing to us, so we cheated and went that route. So far we are happy with our decision.
John Dinsmore
Tuesday 12th of December 2017
Who would eat expensive garbage Mcds when you cheap, delicious pho, banh mi, egg rolls, etc?
Hannah Lukaszewicz
Sunday 17th of December 2017
Well, the McDonald's JUST opened when we were there, it was a big deal to have a western chain like that there. The food in Vietnam is amazing, and one of our favorites in the world. But as full-time travelers, we wanted to see what the craze was about, did they have different things on the menu etc. And let's get real every so often you crave a little greasy food that reminds you at home.
Mike Orobona
Friday 3rd of July 2015
I'd love to get there some day and have pho for breakfast every morning...
Linda
Wednesday 23rd of July 2014
Why in the world would you eat at McDonalds? Vietnam has some of the best food in the world, I wouldn't and didn't waste one meal eating boring western food.
Adam
Monday 29th of September 2014
Why, because it had just opened and we had heard about the lines etc. We wanted to see what all the hype was about, and we were greeted by a red carpet, tons of smiling workers all ready to take our order...why different than in the USA. We travel nonstop for a living and spent 24 days in Vietnam alone, we have to have western food in the mix. If I was just on vacation for 1-3 weeks no I wouldn't eat western food, but we are different.
Izy Berry
Thursday 13th of March 2014
number 4 is wrong. I got a bus pass that had like 4-5 stops and covered the length of Vietnam for around $40 total.
Hannah
Saturday 15th of March 2014
TRUE if you buy an open pass, but not everyone is traveling the entire country. It would have cost us more to bus from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang than fly there, and it was only a 1 hour flight. Flight cost change on a daily basis, so I know there is cheaper and could be more expensive. But for us with luggage we flew from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang and then Da Nang to Hanoi for $100 per person. The 18 hour bus ride vs 1 hour flight didn't sound to good especially when you look at the price difference. Loads of people do buy the open bus ticket, but I wonder how many people don't even consider flying because they assume it costs to much. After taking buses all across Central America for 3 months, we opted to fly when it made sense. It just made sense.
Sally @ thewinetraveller
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
I have to confess I’m sad to listen to they started out a McDonalds in HCMC! Did you individuals try out any of the resting buses? They were a fun modify from the frequent vehicles, oh, and we took the evening practice as well.
Hannah
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
Yes McDonald's has arrived in Vietnam. I am guilty of going and getting a burger, let's just called that quality control. Just making sure it tastes the same in Vietnam as everywhere else. It did, french fries tasty too. We haven't done the sleeper buses as we had 4 main cities we wanted to visit, and we were able to fly between them for only $100 a person, not that much more than the bus. Plus night buses aren't for us, and we are getting a little worn out of long travel days. The 1 hour flight sounded much more appealing to us, so we cheated and went that route. So far we are happy with our decision.