Translation of far-reaching in German

When we landed in Ho Chi Minh city I immediately perceived that the building, houses and structures in the airport had a Russian or a communist influence: large, concrete, grey buildings all over.
We had dinner in a Chinese restaurant not far from where we slept, but it was not good at all. We walked home and slept early. The coming morning we were picked up on the backpackers' street.
I guess it is a very interesting book, but I did not entirely understand it. What did the author try to say, what message did he want to deliver? Do you want that I recommend another book?