Look into Vietnam

The most important things require time for understanding

[1]

I never thought I will stay in Vietnam more than one month and so thought even Vietnam about me :)
When the first time I was in Vietnam my thoughts was mixed with feeling of anger, disgust and hopeless. I wonder if my conclusion was made to fast and cursory only by that short time I spent there or it was my truly experience and impressions of what i could observe and feel in those moments.
Now for unprecedented reason I will stay much longer time than I expected from the beginning and with this abundance of time I will explore the local social life and nature from a different angle which is closer than before to find out if my opinion will change from that I had initially.

Speed traveling and the first time in new place

I met and heard from many people how they had explored all the Vietnam from North to South in just 2, 3 or 4 weeks and visited so many places that they struggle to remember them all. But luckily  many photos that you spend 30% or more of your time shooting or editing [1]  will remind you about those places with a nostalgic and confusing feeling if you really have been there or not.

[2]

And very expected that nobody will even take photos that don't have the same vibe as theirs holiday as dirty, disgusting, stinky, humiliation, corruption, fake, ugly and instead will have only: awesome, happy faces, amazing, beautiful, clean, real, tasty, delicious etc. This show how we look on the issues but not confront it.
Every travelers who came for the first time in a new place have tendency to forget about suffering, unfairness, morals, justice and other problems which that place posses and focus more on spicy and adventurous journeys with adrenaline explosions they never experienced before. However the travel agencies and advertising companies will make you believe in the beauty and innocent experience you will have, exotic food and places that wait just for you. Everyone who travel now for the first time to a new place, think that place they arrive was always the same and is not coincidence that we get sometimes wrong perception av south east Asia with messy, cheap and warm places or if it is Europe with more expensive, cooler and open minded place. But it never was like that.

The time and money that changed everything

Since my wandering thru many places I met many older people who began to travel more than 30 years ago and they told me completely different story. They remember those old good time when true experience was counted not in how many photos you upload on instagram or facebook but in unforgettable memories for your and those who you meet on your trip. 

Now is so different, one of man told me, when I came the first time in this places everything was pure and genuine no plastic bags, untouched nature with unique forest and animals and local people were polite and curious wiling to help you, though the language barrier wasn't easy to handle. Today most of the forest is cut down some species of animals were extinct like Javan rhinoceros and wild water buffalo [2] and many places serve just for tourists and would never be possible otherwise. Local villages turned from helping people to hunt more money or tourists to sell something or to steal precious items. Many are very upset of the changes that brought not only good things as income from tourist, development of important system and new open minded ideas but also opened a door for terrible consequences like plastic debris, air pollution, work exploitation, unjust, corruption and crimes.

Keep in mind that the new places you visited is new just for you and for the rest of the world is just another place.

Notes

[1]. https://www.cosmopolitan.com - Apparently we spend 79 minutes a day on holiday editing photos for Instagram, JESS EDWARDS, FEB 27, 2017
[2]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Extinct_animals_of_Vietnam - Extinct animals of Vietnam

Pictures

[1]. Brick storage and a flag in front of a building site, Ion Storland, March 16, 2019, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
[2]. Trash on the beach, Ion Storland, November 2, 2018, Cát Bà island, Vietnam