I decided to take this trip for many personal reasons. From what I understand so far of my own personal background, my grandparents were from China and had immigrated to Vietnam where they have settled and eventually raised a family and my parents.
Ever since I was little my parents would always ask if I wanted to visit Vietnam but I was always very reluctant to go because I had absolutely no interests in their culture or life style. But after this past year experiencing all that I did, the good and the bad, I felt the need to visit the land my parents grew up in and had once called home. After landing in Hong Kong I had met up with my father who had flown in from Hawai'i for some personal family matters. 
First I had landed in Ho Chi Minh City, the city my mother was raised in. My first impressions of the city was that it was really humid, transportation was a disaster, and the style of living was still somewhat third world. 90% of the city traveled via mopeds while the other 10% in cars. Lanes, right-of-way, and crosswalks practically didn't exist! Moped drivers would carry up to two or three people at a time while others would carry long rods on their shoulders while also steering their vehicle. This was probably the hugest culture shock for me as I've never seen this kind of lifestyle before.
Food, was what I had imagined it to be. Growing up with a mother who grew up in Vietnam meant Vietnamese food every night. The tastes and flavors of most dishes in Vietnam were exactly what I had back in Hawai'i, in and out of my personal kitchen. But don't fret there are still great dishes to look forward to for anyone who is thinking about traveling to Vietnam in the future. My personal recommendations would be the fruits and shellfish! Growing up I was always able to eat Pho, pork chops, and other noodle dishes at home and at restaurants that match up, flavor wise, to the ones I had in Vietnam. But the shellfish dishes such as clams, oysters, muscle, and scallops -- those were the crown jewels for me because of their cheap price and abundance in flavor. Fruits were really fresh and cheap there as well with a selection that is hard to find in Hawai'i because their grown domestically. For example the very expensive fruit, mangosteen, that many people have seen in drinks but never in real life is half the cost you would pay in Hawai'i. Durian, for the fearless, was around the same price but much fresher and bigger in Vietnam.
After having spent a couple of days in Vietnam I had got on a plane with my father and aunt to fly to Da Lat, another province in Vietnam. This was the place from which my father had been raised. Da Lat was much more country than Ho Chi Minh City. They're known for their coffee, tea, vegetable, and fruit plantations.
Eating here was much more cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City as most of the businesses where small mom and pop shops. Sanitation here was what I had expected it to be along with the types of businesses and technology.
Overall I felt this trip was definitely something I needed to experience. It was a reminder of why my parents fought hard to immigrate us to Hawaii, to get the education we have, and to live the lifestyle we have now. The trip gave me the boost I needed to finish my last semester at UH, to get my degree and make something of myself one day so that I am able to provide myself with the lifestyle I want for myself, parents, and kids one day.
Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. - Edmund Burke
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