The speed at which new users can download Rufus and have linux installed over that shit is truly amazing.
Mint is my go-to recommendation.
Openvpn is a protocol that other vpns can use, the speed and quality would still depend on what provider you use. A provider would provide a config file that would include all the info required by openvpn to create the connection, as long as they include that then you could use openvpn.
Beans on toast.