The Battle between Korea and Vietnam

Since you all loved the battle between Korea and Taiwan went so well, I present to you The Battle between Korea and Vietnam.

In this post, I want to compare Korea and Vietnam on various things. Who will be the winner?

1) Cell Service

Well, I gave in folks... I bought a SIM card in Vietnam. But guess what! It was only 9 dollars for 18 gigs of data and no minutes. And I also heard of people getting a SIM card for unlimited data and minutes for 15 dollars. This is such an incredible deal. Only downside... it is usually only 3G even though is says LTE. The SIM card is also supposed to work in most of Vietnam but that also was not the case. Also is was very easy to get a SIM card. You can pretty much walk up to any side shop and they will sell you a SIM card.

In Korea, as an expat you do need to have an ARC card to get a SIM card. Most times I would assume anyone who gets this type of SIM is going to be working or living in Korea for some time. The service in Korea is crazy fast and you always have LTE service, maybe even faster now!

I understand that Vietnam is more of a backpacking destination then Korea and why they do SIM cards the way they do. But I am going to have to give this battle to Korea for 2 reasons.

SPEED and CONSTANT CONNECTIVITY.

Korea- 1 Vietnam-0

2) Transportation

Alright, I love the Seoul metro and love how Korea is easily connected by high speed train or bus. You can essentially go from Seoul to Busan in about 2.5 hours by the KTX. That's crazy fast! Taxis are cheap and rarely scam expats. I have also used other methods of transportation in Korea. A few years ago, I rented a scooter and scooted from Seoul to Sockcho. That ride took around 4 hours with a little 125cc. The ride was beautiful and very safe!

In Vietnam, I also took various kinds of transportation. From boats to taxis, to buses and trains. But one of the best ways to see Vietnam is by motorcycle. My friend Justin and I bought motorbikes in Hue and biked down the coast to Ho Chi Minh. This ride, with stops took about 2 weeks. During this time, I saw some incredible landscapes through the Hai Van Pass and as well as beautiful highlands from Nha Trang to Dalat. That being said, I did feel less safe riding in Vietnam as motorbikes can go anywhere. Lanes do not really exist, and everyone has the right of way. Everyone is always on their horn. Red, yellow or green traffic lights mean you can go. It is just a beautiful, scary chaotic dance of traffic.

So although riding the coast of Vietnam by motorbike was one of the most amazing things I have done, I still give Korean transportation the upper hand here. They just do transportaion, especially public transit very well.

Korea- 2 Vietnam- 0

3) People

Re-post:

"In Korea, I can honestly say, they are some of the nicest people in the world. Most times, people will help you if you are lost or if you cannot read the menu for what to eat. They will help you find the right bus or train, or help you find a taxi home. Old men and women will try to start a short conversation with you if they can speak English. They will feed you when you are hiking. Sometimes, you get the odd person who is rude and doesn't like foreigners in their country, but, hey, I get it. They have been through a lot! I also felt very safe in Korea all of the time." My thoughts stay the same :)

In Vietnam, the people were also very friendly. Always saying hello and greeting you with a smile. The hostel workers, although it is their job, were super genuinely friendly. One thing, and I know that Vietnam is a much bigger tourist destination then Korea, but I felt that especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, everyone was trying to sell you something. Whether it be sunglasses, lighters, hats, or my favorite line from the motorbike guys, " MASSAGE, MARIJUANA, COCAINE? " everyone was trying to sell something. I know a lot of these people make their living off of tourism and selling these things, but it became harder to say no politely after so much persistence and the feeling of people always trying to make you buy something you don't want. They would always take a "NO" with a smile, but it would have.

That being said, some of the moments I had with the locals, drinking beer or chatting about Vietnam history, I really enjoyed the conversation and the company. Therefore, I will call it a tie for friendliness of both countries.

Korea- 3 Vietnam- 1

4) Cleanliness

Re-post:

"In my opinion, most parts of Seoul are some of the cleanest places in the world. Koreans take great pride in keeping their streets and public places clean. That being said, Koreans do not put trash cans on public roads for the most part. This leads to people making what I call, "trash piles" by stop signs or street lights, or wherever the last person decided to conveniently drop their trash. These trash piles are always cleaned up and the streets look fresh in the morning, but I feel by using simple trash cans, every now and then, it would help solve this problem. I am not trying to impose my Western ways on Korea, as they are functioning super well and are a super power in the world. It would just be nice to see less "trash piles" everywhere."

Hate if you want, but I found many parts of Vietnam very dirty. I know that it is being run down by tourists, but to see cockroaches and rats in areas of the city where you feel you might not see them is gross. I am not picky, and I can eat and walk anywhere, even with roaches and rats, but obviously, I'd rather not see them. I had one night in the Mekong Delta at my home stay and their were ants and rats in my room. As a backpacker, you just have to get real drunk and deal with it. And that's what I did. Not complaining, just wishing it wasn't there!

Easily Korea is much cleaner!

Korea- 4 Vietnam- 1

5) Convenient Stores

Re-post:

"Korea has some of the best convenient stores I have ever been. Sometimes they have outside patios where you eat your noodles and drink beer with friends. The selection of food and drink inside in amazing! They will heat up your meals like hamburgers or serve you ice coffee. The workers are always so friendly and willing to help. You can also top up you T-Money cards or ship and collect mail from them. The top ones would be 7/11, CU, and GS25. All have similar stuff and really are part of a true Korean experience."

Thoughts have not changed!

Vietnam has places like Circle K which are decent stores, with a variety of stuff. They also have very cheap beer. Beer in some places is cheaper than water. Similar to Korea, you can go inside, get your cheap beer and walk on the street for a good time.

With that being said, I still give the upper hand to Korea for those amazing patio 7/11's!

Korea- 5 Vietnam- 1

Which country do you prefer?

Comment below or DM me on instagram of Facebook!

Much love-

Anthony