Normal things in Vietnam that visitors feel strange

Being a Vietnamese citizen who has been living in Vietnam since I was born, I feel quite normal with a lot of things around me; however there are certain things in Vietnam which will surprise foreigners who never went to Vietnam before. Here is what Devbrat Kumar shared about the strange things that he saw or experienced when coming to Vietnam for the first time.

Motorcycle

Motorcycle is not a strange thing, but having been in the Middle East - where riding a motorcycle is just a “luxury” hobby - for nearly 6 years, Devbrat Kumar was surprised that motorcycle is a popular vehicle in Vietnam. Although in the Middles East, motorcyles are sometimes also used to carry goods, it is still rare to see a motorcycle running on road.

Most of his life, Devbrat Kumar lives in India, where many people also choose motorcycles as their daily vehicle. However, when coming to Vietnam, he was still slightly shocked before the scene of bustling motorcyles running everywhere, on every road.

There were up to 40 million registered motorcycles in Vietnam while the total population of Vietnam was 92 million. This means there was one motor cycles for every two people.

This proportion is too high because apart from children (under 18 years old) and the elders (over 60 years old), almost every one possesses a motorcycle. Many foreigners also learn to be familiar with riding a motorcycle while staying in Vietnam.

According to Devbrat Kumar, due to the lack of public transport - as a foreinger in Vietnam - he could only have two options: riding a motorcycle or calling a taxi. Fortunately, taxi is always available with quite reasonable prices (compared to other countries).

Coffee

Coffee contributes largely in Vietnam economy, the second largest coffee export market in the world. Therefore, coffee is a kind of culture that you should not miss once you drop by Sai Gon (HCMC) or Hanoi. 

In Vietnam, espeically in urban areas, numerous coffee houses mushroom along the streets. In addition to famous international coffee brands such as Starbucks or Highlands, Trung Nguyen coffee is the dominant Vietnamese coffee brand in this country.

Before travelling to Vietnam, Devbrat Kumar thought coffee had better be served hot, and iced coffee is just when you want to drink for fun. But in Vietnam, it is completely different! Vietnamese people prefer iced coffee. They like to add a lot of ice into their cup of filter coffee, or add more dense milk (not normal fresh milk) or drink it without adding anything.

At any time of the day, everyone regardless of ages can sit and relax on pavements, and enjoy a cup of iced white coffee. If you are in a hurry, you can still bring your coffee with you in a plastic cup with a straw; the cup is even “equipped” with a plastic bag for convenience.

I really liked it when seeing a taxi driver grab the bag beside him to drink the coffee inside, or when seeing a motorcyclist drink a sip of coffee while waiting for the red traffic light, then hooking the bag at the hanger of the motorcycle when the light turned green, Devbrat Kumar said.

Vietnamese iced white coffee is great!

Instant noodles

Vietnam was ranked third in the world for the instant noodles consumption per capita. Vietnamese people consume about 5.4 billion noodle packages every year on average, which means each Vietnamese person consumes about 56 noodle packages every year (source: WINA). Only Korea and Indonesia could beat Vietnam at this.

Walking in any marts, supermarkets or grocery stores, you will be overwhelmed by hundreds noodle packages displayed on shelves. There are up to 50 companies producing instant noodles in Vietnam, but surprisingly the noodle market is still not saturated.

Beer

Vietnamese people love beer.

Following the streets, you will see groups of men drinking beer together. You can also easily run across a crowd of both local people and the foreign sitting in front of streetside restaurants, enjoying this great drink.  

Last year, Vietnam consumed over 3 billion litres of beer, meaning each person consumed 32 litres. (source: Vietnam Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Association).

Vietnam top the list of the Southeast Asia, was ranked third in Asia and 25^th globally in terms of beer consumption.  

According to economists, Vietnam is in the middle of crisis period. The consumption of most FMCG items is either decreasing or not developing as expected. Despite the fact, beer market is still estimated to increase by 5% this year.  

Source: ngoisao.net