Three weeks in Vietnam — here is what I actually think

Three weeks is long enough to get past the tourist surface in Vietnam. The first week I was in Hạ Long Bay and the big sites like Hội An Ancient Town. The second and third I went further and slower. The food evolution was interesting — cao lầu everywhere but prepared so differently by region.

incredibly affordable only revealed itself in the second half of the trip, when I'd slowed down enough to notice. The negative: persistent street vendors, which is real and worth factoring in. But three weeks felt right. Long enough to form a genuine opinion. My genuine opinion: exceptional destination.