
What l Expected My First 24 Hours in Vietnam
AI Summary
The vlogger begins their trip in Da Nang, Vietnam, by experiencing an unfortunate taxi fare from the airport to their hotel. Despite the short 16-minute journey, they were charged 900,000 dong, which they later discovered was significantly overpriced. Upon inquiring at the hotel, they learned that a metered taxi would have cost around 150,000 to 180,000 dong, and using a ride-sharing app like Grab would have been even cheaper, around 100,000 dong. The vlogger expresses regret for not checking beforehand due to being tired and in a hurry, and advises viewers to download the Grab app to avoid a similar mistake.
Upon arriving at their hotel, the vlogger notes the heat, comparing it to Thailand. They are impressed by their hotel room, which is a two-bedroom suite, and highlights a beautiful view. Feeling hungry, they decide to explore local food options, having researched a promising restaurant on Google. This marks their first experience trying Vietnamese cuisine. They also mention that this is their first time staying in a five-star hotel and express their happiness. While walking, they observe many people, both Vietnamese and foreigners, wearing a traditional Vietnamese conical hat, the "nón lá."
The vlogger proceeds to the highly-rated restaurant they found on Google, which is described as serving new and original Vietnamese food. They mention their love for seafood and express a desire to try it, noting that the prices are reasonable, with dishes costing around 99,000 dong (approximately 120 Thai baht).
During the meal, the vlogger shares a message about supporting the channel through a "Buy Me a Coffee" membership. They explain the effort involved in organizing and editing videos and how support helps them continue producing content. Members receive perks like early access, exclusive photos, and access to a WhatsApp group.
The vlogger then describes their meal, noting similarities to Thai food. They identify dishes that resemble soups, comparing one to a Korean soup and another to a Thai apple soup. They also try seafood with a sauce, finding it slightly saltier than Thai versions. The total bill for their meal, which included four dishes, two rice portions, and two waters, came to 642,720 dong, or about 800 Thai baht, which they found to be a reasonable price, comparable to Thailand.
After lunch, they head to the beach to take pictures and swim. They initially observe that the beach is not very crowded. However, they later notice that one side of the beach is packed with people. They describe the beach as peaceful and quiet, with clean sand and sea, although they acknowledge that another section of the beach was quite busy.
The vlogger shares their overall impressions of Da Nang. They find the traffic noise, particularly the constant beeping of horns, to be something they are still getting used to, noting that it's more prevalent than in Thailand. They also mention that while the beach itself is nice, they didn't see as many food stalls as they expected compared to Thailand. Regarding the people, they haven't had extensive interactions with locals beyond hotel and restaurant staff, who they found to be good and attentive.
Comparing the beach to those in Thailand, they feel it's less clean and appealing than Phuket but similar to Pattaya. They also observe that many locals wear more modest attire, including long-sleeved swimwear and t-shirts, while walking or exercising on the beach. This leads to a feeling of discomfort for the vlogger when considering wearing a bikini, as they feel people are looking at them more than they are accustomed to. They note that while some Western tourists wear bikinis, many Asian visitors opt for more covered swimwear. Due to this feeling of being observed and the perceived cleanliness of the water, they decide against swimming in the sea and opt to use the hotel's swimming pool instead. They express a desire to visit other beaches to get a broader perspective.
The next morning, the vlogger revisits the beach, noting that it appears cleaner than the previous evening. They reiterate their comparison to Pattaya, specifically mentioning a resemblance to Jomtien Beach, and state that the water is not as blue or clean as in Phuket. They also mention that My Khe Beach, where they are, is reputed to be the cleanest and most beautiful in Da Nang, though their personal feeling is that it's similar to Jomtien but larger.
Finally, the vlogger touches upon the difficulty of crossing roads in Da Nang, highlighting the absence of traffic lights and the need for caution. They conclude by thanking their viewers and expressing hope that they enjoyed the content.