Vietnam 101

Dear family and friends,

Hello from Hanoi, Vietnam. A country who's very name brings up a visceral feeling of some sort-depending on your age. So I thought I'd do a little class of ' Vietnam 101'- with credit given to James Sullivan, author of the National Geographic book “Traveler Vietnam”.

Vietnam is about the size of New Mexico with a population of 84 MILLION! It has a 93% literacy rate- one of the highest in the world. The median age is 25 ( the US is 36) which means that most of its population was born after the American War( as it is referred to here) ended. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It is the 2nd largest exporter of coffee, and the largest exporter of pepper. Nike is the largest private employer.
It practices Capitalistic Communism or Communistic Capitalism- take your pick. In 2002, one of the world's largest insurance brokers dubbed Vietnam one of the top 6 safest travel destinations in the world. Who knew?

What's in a name? You say 'po-tay-to', I say 'po-tah-to'. in the US we say the Vietnam War while over here it is called the American War. Considering the short but deadly time we were here, it is just a blip on their history when you consider the French colonized the country for over a hundred years and the Chinese were here for almost 1,000 years from 111B.C to 939 A.D.. Still we left our mark taking a toll of about 5 million deaths. About 1 million of those were combatants and over 4 million were civilians. Since the end of the war in 1975, an average of 4 people a day have been killed by hidden land mines or undetonated bombs. You do the math. Agent Orange continues to cause health problems including cancers and genetic deformities. Mr. Sullivan's comment is that we are lucky the Vietnamese tend not to hold grudges.

So why am I revisiting Hanoi and HaLong Bay and adding visits to Hue and HoiAn? Well, Hanoi is one of the oldest cities in the world. They are getting reading for the big 1,000th birthday on 10/10/10! While it is a bustling city of over 3 million it is calmer and quieter than Ho Chi Minh city ( old Saigon) with far fewer western influences. I've read that while Saigon can be compared to New York City, Hanoi would be more like Boston.

I knew the first time I was here in Dec. 2001, that I wanted to return and spend time exploring the city on my own terms and not be part of a tour group. So that is exactly what my travel pal Val and I are doing- chatting up store clerks, taxi drivers, or the employees at the hotel. The man a few doors down from our hotel who sells candy, cigarettes and bottled water already knows us when we pop in. He takes two one liter bottles then chooses the correct denomination of dong from our hands for payment. We all laugh at having to pay a 1,000 note bill for water.

So what are some changes I've noticed since 2001?
Drivers are wearing helmets when riding motor scooters. That must be how the law is stated since many of the passengers are helmet free including the infants, toddlers and children who ride between their parents ( 4 persons on a motor scooter is not an unusual sight).
There is a new law banning livestock from being transported on bikes or scooters. Believe me nothing can quite compare with the sight of 3 crates stacked one atop each other, tied onto the back of a scooter, with a full size live pig inside each one.
there are more cars. taxis, SUV's and trucks. I even saw a huge honkin hummer.
There is now an actual traffic signal or two.
There are now painted crosswalks that no one pays any attention to. Crossing the street still requires nerves of steel, immense trust in the skill of the drivers, and a thousand guardian angels sitting on your shoulder. Here is how it is done: Step off the curb and proceed to walk with a steady pace until you get to the other side. DO NOT SLOW OR STOP!THIS COULD BE THE END OF YOU!!! The scooters- hundreds of them- then create a ballet like dance around you adjusting their driving to your speed of walking. In all our time here we have never seen an accident or anyone hit.
Internet places- some called 'Gaming Stations'- filled with young rowdy boys ages10-15, all playing video games.
Lots more computer stores and electronic accessories-fewer produce stalls
Fewer ladies with fruits and veggies in large bamboo baskets balanced on a long pole that they carry across their shoulders.
Fewer sidewalk store selling everything under the sun. Now there are more little shops and several streets have metal lockers-like the storage units we use.

Things that are the same:
Traffic. It is a constant flow of scooters, bikes and now more cars.
Restaurants on the sidewalk. All sorts of cooking is done on the side of the street. Families and customers sit on tiny plastic stools and eat from morning till night.
Personal hygiene- out in the open. A walk down the street can bring these sights: hair cutting, shaving, toe nail cutting, nit picking- just to name a few
Friendly and helpful people.
more on this topic later

Enough for now....... Carolyn

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