After 3 weeks in Vietnam, we are leaving for Southern Thailand. I admit I’m a bit reluctant. I love the country so much. The people are so nice & welcoming, it has so much variety to offer from buzzing vibrant cities to gorgeous isolated beaches to lush mountainous rice paddies, & the food is on another level. We spoke with locals who noted they don’t get many American tourists beyond younger backpacker types & based on their prior conversations, they wondered aloud if it was due to Americans having a single track mind when it comes to Vietnam… All they think about is the war. It’s still recent history so perhaps that’s true. Thailand far surpasses Vietnam in tourism each year & after spending 3 weeks here, it’s baffling to me as IMHO, Vietnam surpasses Thailand in all respects, although my goal is to find some Southern Thailand beaches that are just as isolated as those we found in Vietnam. I think in 5 years, as word continues to spread, they will close that gap bc it’s just a lovely country.
amusemusings 
I think they’re right on Americans only connecting Vietnam to war. I was thinking about that actually. When I visited Germany as a young person, I didn’t associate it to WW2, as that wasn’t my generation’s war. But I admit I was worried about you when you first arrived there in VN because of ghosts in my past. Over 40 years have passed but I wondered if they would still hold animosity towards Americans. Silly me. I didn’t wonder that in Germany & it had only been 25 years.
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