Westerners in Ho Chi Minh

I find myself observing and analyzing the Westerners I see in Viet Nam almost as much as the Vietnamese. There are relatively few westerners here, but when there is a "Whitey" (as some of my American friends like to say) it is painfully noticeable.

There are several categories of Westerners that come to Viet Nam. The obvious one is the tourist- often families with teenage kids, couples in their twenties (usually Europeans), or older couples. These westerners generally stay in the downtown, "western-friendly" areas.

However, when I was staying in a hotel, I saw a totally different type of westerner. The hotel was in a more out-of-the-way area, so it didn't attract a lot of tourists. I've met quite a few American men who had served in Viet Nam and are now returning. A couple men that I've talked to said that they come at least once a year and try to stay for three or four weeks each time. They are taking Vietnamese courses and otherwise just hanging out in Saigon.

In the hotel, we also saw several families who were in the process of adopting a Vietnamese baby. It was so fun to see all those cute babies. I'm sitting in a cafe downtown right now and three women, each with an adorable infant, just walked out.

As a westerner, I stick out wherever I go, but I don't seem to mind. I don't get harassed like I did in Cairo, Turkey or even Costa Rica. I actually think it'll be hard to go back to the States and just blend in again.