Socialism in modern times
Trip Start
Oct 31, 2007
1
5
10
Trip End
Jan 07, 2008
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Monday, November 26, 2007
Our designated taxi driver (we had arranged pick up with our hotel) explained to me how life has changed to the better within the last years. Everyone works and tries to make a living, but still need to be careful with savings or get married to benefit from two incomes. The salaries in Ho-Chi-Minh City (formerly Saigon) are higher than in Hanoi, the capital. Everyone speaks English or French.
Our hotel room is a nice surprise - a room with a view (not the best, but it's a view), bathroom with a real, yes, real tub (rare in Asia), hot water, modern toilet flush (and not a bucket), free internet in the room (the fastest you can get in town), free breakfast and fruit basket. Everything for $30. You can go cheaper and still have similar service.
We felt home right away - a) because I can communicate with them (although I speak Southern Vietnamese dialect, very different than Northern Vietnamese dialect that everyone speaks in Hanoi), b) because the Old Quarter of Hanoi is like South of France mixed with the smells of (for me) familiar Vietnamese cuisine. The Vietnamese live outside their doors - street stalls with food everywhere in the night, really good food for very cheap, young people sitting together outside until 11 PM (curphew starts at that time) - I have read that 60% of the Vietnamese people are under 30 years old. There are definitely many young people here, and they care more about making money, partying, MTV than about socialism.
Last night we sat on baby plastic chairs on the boardwalk and had excellent, ice-cold local beer for 40 cents each glass and later a huge amount of do-it-yourself grilled beef for 6 Dollars (4 Euros), including big bottles of Hanoi beer.
The street vendors are by far not as aggressive as in some other places in Asia, and beggars are not so common here in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Everyone seems to smile at you and tries to help (and do business with?) you. Socialism is still present in form of policemen in russian army green uniforms and hats - both are far too big for the slim Vietnamese guys - walking the streets at night and yelling at restaurant owners for standing two inches too far away from the boardwalk. That's what happened yesterday night while our food was served at our street stall "restaurant". The restaurant owner and I looked at each other, he just said "yes" to the authority-craving policeman, then grinned at me and that was it. So far about desperate attempts of a one-party system to maintain a political system. Forget it - no one really gives a s*** anymore.
Viet Nam has entered the phase of economic liberation without political liberation. We will see how long this will continue peacefully, as there are only 2 millions of Vietnamese registered with the Socialists, versus 80 millions of Vietnamese in this country... (so I read at least).
We were anxious to see if the Vietnamese would "recognize" me as one of theirs or if I was German to them or French etc. No worries! I was asked from time to time if I came from Saigon (because of my accent), that's it. The usual guesses in other Asian countries start with Chinese, Thai and end with Japanese.
Tomorrow we will get up early to visit the Halong Bay, maybe the most famous spot of Vietnam. 3 days and 2 nights on a cruise, Kayaking for Dirk and trekking for me (I got a cold).
We had to get our visa type exchanged against a multiple entry visa - what a bureaucratic nightmare, yikes! But well, it'll be worth it. The new (latest) trip plan is to fly to Beijing (China) on Sunday to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, to meet with my dear friend Will who has been living in China for the last four years, and to enjoy Chinese food. Then we will be off to two towns in Japan (Nagasaki, Okinawa), Taiwan, Shanghai, Hongkong, Nha Trang (Viet Nam), Singapore and Bangkok. Everything within 16 days! Haha, how we are going to do this? I will tell you later ...
That's the reason why we are waiting for a multiple entry visa for Viet Nam. Cross your fingers that they don't keep our passports while we cruise Halong Bay!
Photos can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/missliberty11
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We are going to have breakfast or lunch now (it's 10.13 AM - Tuesday).
Bye everyone!
