Would it be safe for me to travel to Vietnam?

A friend of mine recently asked me to join her and her husband for a trip back to Ho Chi Minh City. At a local Vietnamese restaurant that I frequent, I told the owner that I might be traveling to Vietnam for next year's lunar calendar New Year. For the next thirty minutes, she went on and on about how unsafe it would be for me and that she knew from experience how the government affected her family as she "watched" from America. She said she no longer trusted her siblings and that they were only out for money. I've only known the friend who asked me to come with her for about 6 months. The owner of the restaurant told me to be wary of: trying to be forced into marrying a man from Vietnam (possible relative) and bringing him over to America, having illegal items planted in my luggage so that I would have to bribe the policemen to not have me thrown in jail, being told incorrect information about prices etc from my friend and her family so that they could get extra money... And more, what appeared to be, nonsense. Is this completely unwarranted? I can't find anything on the internet that supports these claims, and I don't think that my friend has every exhibited any behavior to be untrustworthy. Should I politely decline or just try and be safe and smart? I'm just afraid to let this opportunity p to be able to stay in Vietnam for about a month and to have people there that speak English and Vietnamese. Could I override any possible money problems with my friend's family by offering a "donation" of sorts as a thank you for letting me stay with them? I know that she sends her mother and brother money each month, as does her other brother who is also here in the USA. So, would it be expected of me to "bring" them money as well, and how much? Thanks...