My husband is going back to his country, Vietnam next year for six weeks. He haven't been back since he left the country at 14 years old. He wants me to go too. I can only go for two weeks. In those two weeks, I want to see the sights, do some shopping and go to musmens (sp?). But he has no idea what to do over there, besides visiting relatives. Their lifestyle there is different from here. At home there, the men hang out one room and the women stay in the kitchen. Both genders don't really mingle much. It's the same thing at my MIL home, but I can take it for one night only. Not sure if I can do for two weeks!
So my questions are, if any of you girls been there, 1)What is there to do over there? We be staying mostly in Sagion. 2)What hotels over there are nice and clean? My husband thinks we might insult his relatives if we do this. But I refuse to sleep in a bed with strangers even if they are women! (We do this when we go to his friend's place. Men sleep in room and the women another. Even if everyone is a married couple)
I'm Chinese so I understand a little bit about tradition and stuff. But I have my limits. TIA
I've never been but earlier this year daily candy did 2 travel emails on visiting Vietnam. You might want to do a quick search over there for what hotels they recommended and sites to see.
After reading about your DH's family traditions/culture I feel so lucky that my bf's family does not believe in all of those things. He calls his family rebels.
I was traveling in Vietnam for 4 weeks this past summer. What I would recommend is to pick up a guidebook (lonely planet, frommers, etc.). It'll tell you a list of good hotels, sights to see, restaurants to try, etc. It was convenient because I had all of the information I needed consolidated in one book, and since the books were separated by city, I could tear up the book by city, and toss them after i was done with that particular area (thus, keeping my load lighter). I would also recommend not signing up for any guides or tours beforehand, as there are many tour agencies/offices in vietnam which more often than not, offer better prices than what you would pay by signing up with an american (assuming u're coming from the u.s.) agency.
Specifically, I don't have any recommendations for Saigon (I was in Hanoi most of the time), but in general, I enjoyed walking around, trying different foods, etc. I'm not sure what you're into but I pampered myself by getting as many massages (sooo affordable!!) as I could (note that this was my post-bar exam trip so I really wanted to make the most of my vacation). I didn't do a lot of shopping (I wasn't that interested in it), but silk is big in Vietnam, and I did end up getting a couple of nice dresses.
Thanks, girls. I love to travel but I mostly been to Europe. This will be the first time for me going to a Asian country. Been to Hong Kong but I consired that a bigger version of Chinatown in New York and I could speak the languge there. The advice is great. Look at Dailycandy already and will look into the travel books.
Aurora, what culture is your BF from? That's funny he called his family the rebels. I been called "untraditional" by my ILs. I guess me eating dinner at the table with my husband and the guys instead with the girls standing in the kitchen (or sitting in front a small coffee table, depends how large the crowd is) in their home is "untraditional" .
Missbean, how are the people there? Do they speak a little English? I love to walk and sightseeing around all day, but my husband does not (when it's too hot). I hope to do that alone while my husband spends time with his relatives. Getting a massage there sounds like a good idea. I would need to do that. I been known to stress out at his family's gatherings