China vs. Vietnam – Siminka's View

The Streets

In Vietnam, walking was only really comfortable in the modern districts. On the older, narrower sidewalks, there were always obstacles—parked motorcycles, tiny stools, street food stalls, or piles of trash. We constantly had to weave around things and often ended up walking right in the street, keeping a sharp eye on traffic. In Shenzhen, the boulevards were wide, but walking was still a challenge because motorcycles used the sidewalks in both directions, and a third of the space was taken up by parked ones. That didn’t leave much room for pedestrians. Chongqing didn’t have this problem, probably because it’s so hilly and full of stairs. As long as you’re in decent shape and have healthy legs, you can walk there without much trouble. Vietnam wasn’t exactly “dirty”—maybe comparable to Bratislava. Main streets were usually kept tidy, but you’d see floating islands of plastic waste along the edges or in the streams, rivers, and lakes. China, on the other hand, was spotless. It’s not necessarily that the citizens are more conscientious, but there’s always someone sweeping, picking up trash, or washing the street with water. One thing I loved about Vietnam was how people beautified their public spaces—you’d see flowerpots in front of houses and shops, and greenery on the facades everywhere.

Street Animals

Interestingly, we saw practically no stray cats in Vietnam. They just weren’t there. There were plenty of dogs, and rats were everywhere. The pigeons were so lazy that Vietnamese kids would play by catching them with their bare hands. Our kids were strictly forbidden from that kind of “fun.” In China, pigeons were non-existent, except as a paid attraction. And those were so large that Simeon actually thought they were chickens. You didn’t see stray dogs roaming around either, but there was always a pair of cat eyes watching you from a wall somewhere.

Safety

We felt safe in both countries. No gangs, no drunks, no junkies, no pickpockets, and no shady-looking characters—even at night.

Food

The kids and I preferred the food in Vietnam. The flavors were milder, often with a simple base that you could customize with sauces. In China, everything was pre-seasoned, and if you didn’t like the spice level or the specific flavor profile, you were out of luck. Vietnamese skewers were grilled dry, while in China, they’d often toss them in a deep fryer first, where they’d soak up a ton of oil, before finishing them on the grill. In Chongqing especially, the food was very greasy, with everything swimming in fat. As for availability, we felt like food was on every corner in Vietnam—but in China, there was even more. It’s truly unbelievable how much food is produced and consumed there. Based on the sheer volume, we got the impression that Chinese people must spend the entire day eating. In Vietnam, we used Grab for delivery a lot. It was so convenient to just order whatever we craved at any time of day. In China, we didn’t use delivery once—everything we wanted was right there in the neighborhood.

Eateries

If I had to choose a symbol for Vietnam, it would be the small plastic stool. They were everywhere—standard equipment for every business. The cheaper the place, the smaller the stools. In China, small stools were rare, mostly just for the personal use of shopkeepers. In Vietnam, it wasn’t uncommon for an order to be forgotten or to arrive long after everyone else had finished eating. In China, I loved the system: you sit down, scan a QR code on the table with Alipay, browse the full menu, order, and pay right there. The food is brought to your table, and you don’t have to deal with staff or wait for a bill. As soon as you’re done, you just leave.

Transportation

Compared to Vietnam, the air in China was cleaner—no exhaust fumes, and cars actually stopped to let pedestrians cross. The big advantage in China is the metro. It’s a huge help for longer trips and a great way to avoid the annoying traffic. In Vietnam, you’re much more dependent on taxis, though the prices were very reasonable during our visit (at least through the Grab app). We never felt the need to try a traditional street taxi in either country.

Shopping

If you’re planning to buy cheap clothes in China, I have bad news: the prices in boutiques are similar to ours. And I don’t just mean the high-end malls; even small street boutiques away from the tourist areas are priced similarly. I’m not saying you can’t find cheap stuff anywhere, but I didn’t want to spend my time on a scavenger hunt. It wasn’t that important to me. From that perspective, if you want to buy gifts or souvenir clothes (even if the quality is lower), the markets in Vietnam are better. We didn’t see those types of “flea markets” in the Chinese cities we visited. As for groceries, we hit the markets and regular shops in Vietnam because we usually had at least a basic kitchen and could cook for ourselves. We loved exploring the variety of items we’d never seen before. Everything was always fresh, and you could haggle over the price. There are food markets in China, too, but we didn’t visit them since we couldn’t cook. We didn’t really need to, though, because every evening, vendors would park their trucks on the street and sell right there. We mostly just bought fresh fruit to eat immediately. Blueberries were probably my biggest expense—I was buying a kilo for about $17, but they were delicious, and the kids and I loved them.

Services

After hearing Johnny’s stories, I had no desire to try services like massages, pedicures, or manicures. Based on Google Maps reviews, it seemed like a total lottery. It seems there’s no real certification requirement, and if they’re short-staffed, they’ll just hire anyone. So, in the same salon, you could get a great service or a total disaster. You have to be careful.

Our Kids’ Freedom

Vietnam was better for our kids because we could just give them some cash and let them wander off to buy food on their own. They were quite independent there. In China, since they didn’t have smartphones, that kind of freedom wasn’t really possible. We could have given them cash, but we weren’t sure if everyone would accept it or if they’d be able to give change easily, so we just didn’t bother.

Waste Management

In Vietnam, there were two bins: one for kitchen waste and one for everything else. China took it further with multiple types of containers: bio-kitchen waste, recyclables, hazardous waste, general waste, and more. The streets in China were also significantly cleaner—someone was always sweeping, picking up trash, or washing the pavement.

Begging

During our entire stay in Vietnam, I only saw about two people begging, both in Ho Chi Minh City. In China, we saw a few more, but it was still very rare. Even though they carried a small bowl for cash, they were also fully tech-equipped and you could donate via QR code. Johnny wanted to give a “lucky” amount to an elderly woman and gave her 14 yuan. The lucky number in China is 8. Instead, he gave her one of the unluckiest numbers possible, because in Chinese, “14” sounds like the word for death. The only thing worse is 44—double death. The woman just gave a cynical laugh at the situation.

The People

Vietnamese people live at a slower pace, and I feel like they enjoy life more. Chinese people, on the other hand, are in a constant rush and want everything instantly. This was especially noticeable with tourists, as most tourism in China is domestic. They arrive, take a quick photo, and move on. It feels like they don’t know how to just enjoy the moment. Vietnamese people were generally more smiley and relaxed, while the Chinese, though kind, were more serious.

Accommodation

In Vietnam, locals helped us find long-term rentals through contacts in Slovakia, so we had large apartments in great locations for a good price. In China, we found our stays through Trip.com, and we were happy with the location and price in both cases. The best and cleanest apartment was in Da Nang. (We stayed in two different ones in the same building. The first, better one, was for a month, and then we spent two weeks in a similar but slightly lower-quality one. I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in the second one for a full month—the mold in the bathrooms and the more worn-out interior and appliances were starting to irritate me.) I’d say mold is a bit of an issue in these warm, humid regions. I’m just not sure if it’s unavoidable or if they’re just indifferent to it. And in general, cleaning ladies for rental apartments don’t seem to go above and beyond—they do the bare minimum and ignore the less visible spots.

Summary

Both countries were a great experience and very rewarding. We liked different things about each, and each enriched us in its own way. We felt welcome and comfortable in both. No one gave us hostile looks or made aggressive comments, and we never felt like we were being ripped off as tourists. We probably paid “tourist prices” or just weren’t great at haggling, but even so, we never felt like we were paying too much. Everyone was kind and helpful.