I travelled to Vietnam over Christmas with my girlfriend which was amazing. What a great country and lovely people, but the traffic is hectic to say the least. Motorised scooters as far as the eye can see and their cab drivers make ours look like driving instructors.
The other thing that is so great is how cheap everything is. A three course feast with drinks will set you back around $15 - $20. But like Bali or Thailand all the clothes are cheap as well, which is great for my girlfriend not so much me. Shopping isn't a favourite past time of mine.
At one stage we were looking at a Polo Ralph Lauren shirt and we were picking out all the faults in the shirt. We noticed the logo wasn't quite right. Then I reminded myself there's a reason these are getting sold on the streets of Vietnam. I can understand if we were in the Polo Ralph Lauren store in New York, you could kick up a bit of a fuss. But when you're paying $4 for something that's usually $120 I think you just have to be happy that it has a logo!
You have to remember you go from store to store trying to get the best price. Then you realise you spent 45minutes bartering over $1. Life for these people is hard but they seem to be so happy. Wealth for them isn't measured by how much money they have or possessions they own. I guess all of us can be materialistic at certain times. But memories, relationships and life experiences that's what makes us wealthy.
And I really do believe now, "Money can't buy happiness".
in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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