Hey guys, I need a convincing argument that I won't contract some deadly disease or something over in Vietnam. Because some people think that I'll get sick and die from bird flu or something... Give me some statistics and stuff so I can prove that it's safe haha.

My trip to Vietnam hangs in the balance!!!

Fable:

It looks like the superiors in question are your parents, and I ain't crazy enough to get between you and your parents. Having said that, I can think of arguments, several of which may not work:

(1) Our death rate as individual human beings is 100%. Why cling to life in the US when we could die in Vietnam?

(2) Life is a b!tch, and then you die;

(3) If you die this summer in Vietnam, your parents won't have to worry about paying for your college education;

(4) Your little sister wants to move up one level in the family hierarchy, and she wants you out of the way;

(5) I have no plans to be trafficked;

On a more serious note, check the State Department advisories on visiting Vietnam - I don't think these advisories are mentioning anything to worry about. Vietnam has received several million tourists last year, and almost everyone came back home alive (there is always some twerp who picks the moment when he is on vacation to get a fatal heart attack). As long as you use some sense - for example, if you are buying food from a street vendor, make sure that someone is buying and eating the food ahead of you and that he is not keeling over.

In addition, most Vietnamese cities have Internet cafes where you can report your comings and goings to your parents. You can also promise that someone will always know at all times where you are and what you are doing. As part of planning your trip, it doesn't hurt if you have a list of hospitals or doctors you could go to is you got yourself in medical trouble. If you got into medical trouble, arrange ahead of time for someone to contact an American consulate or the American embassy to make the arrangements for shipping you out where you can be treated. Your parents will appreciate the fact that you are well prepared and hopefully, this will go a long way toward reassuring them that you will come back home alive. If I were your parents, I'd be more worried about the city traffic than anything else, and you can mitigate that risk by promising your parents that you'll pay a cyclo to help you deal with said traffic.

there are horror stories like people dyed old meat red to make look new, or used deadly chemical on vegetables etc.... but its rare to hear this kind of stories in the city.

Here what I did when I went back last November:

1. Don't eat birds (chicken) just to be safe. I have a crazy friend went back and ate "tiet canh(raw blood of chicken/duck). He's crazy and the locals think so too.

2. Eat cooked/hot foods. Ate "pho" alot over there when I was in the city.

3. Eat around tourist places if you can or eat a meal made by your relatives(if you trust them enough).

4. Drink bottled water and if can drink beer, drink it at everymeal. Its good!

5. Take all the necessary shots before you go.

6. and enjoy your trip. Actually, foods over there are VERY good. Sometimes I just forget all the basic rules.


Unrelated to foods: watch your belongings at the airport, check ALL your stuff before you get to the airport, carefull with things people ask you to bring back home......

Don't get too paranoid with all these things. Vacations suppose to be fun and enjoyable. Fun and amazement should outweigh all these "concerns".

I ate Chicken at the height of the bird flu. I'm still here.