Man, Vietnam is truly a stunning country. Having been from the far reaches of the north all the way down to the south, I feel qualified to make such a statement. But I feel like I am repeating myself: “THIS is the most beautiful place in Vietnam”. Well, only one more time, I promise. Phu Quoc Island is everything a tropical island should be – white sand, turquoise water, palm trees waving in the breeze, and freshly caught seafood served grilled on the beach every night for dinner. On the other side of the road that lines the beaches there is lush, green jungle. This is one of those that places that you need to be careful about – if you don’t have anywhere to be, you could really get stuck here.

And the amazing thing about it is that it’s not too crowded. The main beach is fairly developed, but with beach-front bungalows rather than high-rise hotels. It’s only an hour flight from Saigon and it cost me $40 one way, and taking the boat back to the mainland is $8 plus the cost of the bus afterwards. I can’t believe more people from Saigon don’t come here for a few days break from the city.

But having said that, the cast from Season 1: Saigon actually did come here for a quick holiday from teaching. You can read about their experience here: http://www.jetsetzero.tv/2008/12/01/sna-phu-quoc/

Suffice it to say, it goes to show that it’s very possible to have two completely different experiences in the same place. The words “gruelling”, “irritating” and “island prison” certainly didn’t enter my vocabulary while here.

Note: the last picture is the series is literally where I wrote this post on my laptop, gazing upon the sun as it went down over the Gulf of Thailand. They will have to drag me kicking and screaming away from here.

Why oh why must some of the European ladies go topless on foreign beaches? Is it that they haven’t taken the time to learn about the culture they’re visiting or is it because they know it’s inappropriate but simply don’t give a shit?

Whatever the reason, it really pisses me off. I’m not personally offended by it, but the look of shock is evident when locals pass by these ignorant women. Vietnam seems fairly liberal in its big cities – visit either Saigon or Hanoi and you’ll see many young women dressed stylishly in revealing dresses and heels, though even this will get clucks of disapproval from the older people. In the smaller towns or at religious sites proper, respectful attire should be donned. And it’s NEVER okay for a woman to take off her top in public. How important is it for you to tan your damn nipples?

Every responsible traveller should educate themselves about where they are going BEFORE they go. Many Aussies don’t realize that we tip in North American restaurants and they spend their vacation stiffing servers wherever they go. That just leaves a server grumbling that they missed out on some potential cash. Exposing yourself in a conservative country has a much longer-lasting effect on the people. It’s no wonder how negative stereotypes of Western women come to be born.