We saw a lot of Vietnam. We saw the waters of the Mekong Delta rush by as we sat carefully in our rickety tour boat. We saw smiles from kids along the dusty, littered streets of the city. But even with all of this, there’s a slight irony in the fact that we saw most of Vietnam from behind the sheet glass of an air conditioned bus.
This is an example of how Vietnam is a country of contrasts; a country fighting between its cultural past and modern, westernized future. Regardless, for the majority people living there, it’s a place of day-to-day survival. It’s a place where one may only 3 US dollars a day. And it’s one of the most inspiring things you’ll see.
Vietnam, with its vast population of people that live seemingly without much of anything at all, defies Western preconceptions of what life should be. There’s rarely any trace of cynicism in the smiles here. And because of this, what stays in my mind is that it’s never really about what you have. It’s about what you do with what you got.
I think the trip was about leaving our comfort zones to learn what the world can really be about. It’s not about luxury hotels or fast-food chains. It’s about seeing another reality. In the big picture, Vietnam will always be a defiant symbol of human perseverance. And in the end, Vietnam will always remind me that there’s much more life to be experienced out there.

Eddie Kim