Staff On Tour: Deborah in Vietnam

Our staff frequently travel to our destinations and love to road test our tours to ensure they're up to scratch for our customers. Here, Deborah, part of our Customer Success team, offers her thoughts on Vietnam. 

Were there any emotions or feelings that surprised you during your trip?

The most emotional moment of my recent trip to Vietnam came when I visited the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. While I expected to learn about the Vietnam War, I wasn’t fully prepared for the depth of what I encountered—the confronting and graphic depiction of the country’s tragic history. As an Australian, my understanding of Vietnam’s struggles had largely been shaped by what we learned about the Vietnam War. But stepping into the museum, I quickly realised that the Vietnamese people have endured far more than this one conflict. The photographs and artifacts displayed horrors that were hard to look at—scenes of violence, suffering, and the devastating impact of chemical warfare like Agent Orange. I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of these images, which brought a sobering realisation of the sheer brutality that people endured.

Did the tour push you out of your comfort zone at any point—maybe trying something you’d never do back home?

During our day tour to the Mekong Delta, we were given the opportunity to hold a snake! Her name was Shelley, and she was approximately 10kgs and I held her! Sometimes the most memorable moments of travel are the ones that push you outside your comfort zone. Holding Shelley was an experience I’ll never forget—and the photos, with my terrified expression, are a hilarious reminder of that moment of bravery.

If you could trade places with any local person you met on your trip and live their life for a day, who would it be, and what would you want to experience through their eyes?

If I could have the day in the life of a local person, it would be one of the market vendors in the Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh. The conditions inside the markets are hot and cramped and filled with tourists looking for a bargain. Do the market vendors ever wonder about our lives? As they sell their goods and engage with tourists from around the world, do they dream of what it might be like to travel to places like Australia? Do they imagine the lives we live, just as we imagine theirs? The thought of this mutual curiosity stayed with me as I left the market that day.

Tour guides often have deep connections with the places they show. Did your guide share a personal story about Vietnam that changed how you saw the country?

Our guide in Hanoi, Hai, was the most lovely and gentle soul. He would proudly tell us stories about his wife and three young children and show us photos of them. They lived out of town in a house, not an apartment. He and his wife had 2 motorbikes but if he was traveling with his children, he would hire a car or call a driver similar to an Uber as he felt it was too dangerous for the kids on the bike. He also talked a lot about the benefits of Communism relative to Vietnam’s dense population which was interesting as we usually hear negative views of the Communist regime.

Every organised tour has its set itinerary, but sometimes the best moments happen off-script. Was there a spontaneous or unplanned experience that ended up being unforgettable?

My husband and I were out walking, spending some of our leisure time soaking in the sights and sounds of the city. That’s when we spotted a man carrying a yoke, loaded with coconuts—your quintessential street vendor. As we approached, he flashed a friendly smile and offered for my husband to have a go at carrying the yoke. It seemed harmless enough. So, of course, my husband agreed. The vendor gestured for me to snap a photo of my husband, proudly hoisting the yoke. It was a funny and spontaneous moment, and we laughed as he posed, playing along with the scene. Afterward, as if to thank us for the impromptu photo op, the vendor handed my husband a coconut. How nice, right? Little did we know this coconut came with a price! Just as we were about to walk away with our coconut, the vendor made it clear that this wasn’t a free gift! We had unknowingly participated in a classic tourist scam. While we realised, we’d fallen for his game, we couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. The best part of the whole experience? We had been warned about this exact scam by our tour guide earlier that day! Yet, despite the heads-up, we fell for it—hook, line, and sinker. In hindsight, it was all in good fun, and the vendor’s cheeky smile suggested he’d played this game with plenty of tourists before us.

Get there: Deborah enjoyed some popular sights found on our 8 Day Essential Vietnam tour that includes many top spots across Vietnam.