So if any of you out there want to travel to Vietnam someday (and I highly recommend that you do!), here are a few tips.

1. If you have some time to kill in a big city, check out some of the public parks. They are great places to people watch, and usually have some snacks or coffee and tea. If you are lucky, they also sometimes have little workout machines that are pretty fun. This morning I saw one guy doing some martial arts with two sticks (escrima?), two guys doing some other kind of martial arts, three guys practicing bar tricks with a shaker and bottle of vodka, and a man and woman practicing ball room dancing. The parks are also usually well maintained and lovely and peaceful breaks from the chaos of traffic and vendors trying to sell you anything and everything.

2. If you rent a moped, figure out the amount of gas your tank holds (in liters) and how much it should cost. And give the gas attendant ONLY that much money. This greatly diminishes your chance of being ripped off. Apparently it’s pretty common, even among locals.

3. ALWAYS look at the prices on a menu before you sit down. You can pay 20-35k ($1-2) for a great bowl of pho, or you can pay 60-80k ($3-4) for a great bowl of pho. Up to you.

4. When going to a restaurant, don’t expect the server to greet you, hand you menus, ask if you want to start with a drink or appetizer, and then return and check on you every 5-15 minutes. If you get the first two things, you’re in luck. Alternatively, sometimes they hand you menus and then stand there awkwardly until you order. That works too. Also, don’t expect all the food to come at the same time, or even the apps before the main course. The basic gist is, when it’s ready, they’ll bring it out. When you’re done, ask for the check. Tipping is not expected, but you can if it was great service and food.

5. Also, if you ask for water at a restaurant, they will usually bring a bottle of water for a dollar or two, so I just started bringing my own water bottle. The water here is okay to drink- I try to boil it first just for good measure, or use Ted’s sterilizer pen (very handy). They usually serve complimentary green tea with meals, which is nice. It’s also a good idea to bring a handkerchief or tissue with you, as some places will not provide napkins except packaged towelettes, which they (of course) charge you for.

6. It seems that toilet paper is seen as a luxury, not a necessity, which is another good reason to carry tissue.

7. If you go to a market, try not to buy from the first vendor you see. Chances are it’s also the most expensive one, and there are tons of other vendors selling the exact same thing for the same price or cheaper.

8. If you like massage, look for places that do blind massage. They are usually cheaper and often better.

9. Vegetarian restaurants are also usually cheaper and often better.

10. Oh- and if you see a food court, make your way there, post haste. Run, in fact. Asian food courts might be one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

Well, that about sums it up for now- just a few observations from a wandering nomad.