Vietnam Off The Beaten Path Tips by SirRichard Top 5 Page for this destination

Vegetables' markets

I like to wander around popular markets trying to guess what is sold there. Sometimes (few) I can find a similar product to what you can see in OUR markets, but most of the time the vegetables, spices and so are totally different.

I use to ask the names of the strangest ones and then try to ask for it at the restaurants and so find what they taste like, though is often hard, as they usually come in an assorted veggies dish, so you can't appreciate the flavour of a single element...

Road stalls

When U travel by bus in Vietnam you will surely stop several times for lunch, drinks and so. I found it very interesting looking at the many strange and colourful products you can find in those road stalls.
There are of course some international items (Sunsilk, Nestle...) but some little local products are really interesting, and most totally unknown for me. I tried a can of watermelon drink and I found it delicious, though it was the first time I saw a similar drink...

Communist style affiches

Though the country is no longer into orthodox communism, you can still find in some streets those huge posters with smiling people and bright colors, similar to those in Cuba, in a classical propaganda tradirion...