Good Morning (from) Vietnam

Since arriving in Vietnam late Friday evening, Ally and I have been busy seeing the sights and catching up our sleep. We arrived safely in Hanoi after a 14 hour flight to Japan and then a 6.5 hour flight to Vietnam, with only two minor travel hitches. I've already learned one new "international travel" lesson: give yourself an extra 2 days at your first destination to recover from jet lag! We were one of the first in our tour to arrive in the country. We have a wonderful Thai tour leader named Yo. Also on the tour are 2 Canadians, 4 Brits, 2 Australians, and one other American. On our first day here, we were awoken bright and early by what sounded like a bullhorn directly outside our window. Later we found out the government uses a PA system to make announcements to its citizens.

We learned from our guide book that the Vietnamese culture is generally more conservative in their clothing choices. Despite the stifling heat, no one wears tank tops and most people wear long pants... I've even seen people in sweaters! We are fortunate to have air conditioning in our hotel, but most places are not a/c equipped and even the refrigerators are warmer... I don't think the Vietnamese know the meaning of "ice cold drink" :).

There doesn't appear to be any public transport and everyone rides around on motorbikes. The bikes outnumber cars by 30 to 1. There are so many bikes on the street, I can't imagine what it would be like if everyone had cars. There are no stop signs and hardly any traffic lights, but even those are usually ignored. Needless to say traffic here is chaos. The motorbikes and cars don't stop for each other or for people, but they slow down and weave around each other. Crossing the street seems like a near-death experience: you walk slowly out into a mass of incoming traffic and hope the riders are paying attention long enough to swerve around you.

The buildings are usually built adjacent - like town homes - and are very narrow... Many buildings, especially historical and government ones, are painted yellow. The sides are unfinished concrete, but many have beautiful facades. The French influence is still evident in the elaborate balconies, french doors, columns, and stonework. In the front of each one is a shop, sort of like a garage, that each family sells goods from. Most families live behind or above the store front. The sidewalks are cluttered with people and bikes. They're used as a dining area/kitchen, a workshop, and a parking lot all at the same time. Many people cook and serve food right on the street and their patrons sit on tiny plastic stools to eat. I even saw someone cutting metal and welding right on the sidewalk in front of their shelving shop.

In Hanoi, we visited the Temple of Literature where vendors sell a multitude of books and old men sit around doing calligraphy for a fee. As we watched, they offered to do our names, so we wrote them on the corner of the paper and the man drew it in calligraphy ink. For some reason, all the Vietnamese teenagers crowded around got really excited about my name, but not Ally's. We also visited the "Hanoi Hilton" or Hoa Lao prison, where John McCain and other American GI's were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. The French kept Vietnamese revolutionaries there. We strolled around Hoan Kiem lake and enjoyed some delicious ice cream. Once the tour started, we visited the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, garden, and house, and saw a show of water puppets. Despite not being able to understand the music, it was still very entertaining.

I haven't really had a chance to practice my negotiating skills because Yo recommended we shop in Hoi An. We did go to an indoor market to check out the shopping. To say it was crowded is an understatement.. Some of the stalls were the size of bath tubs and everywhere the aisles were packed with boxes and goods in plastic boxes.

Today we drove north to Ha Long Bay. The bay is a grouping of limestone formations and is known as the most beautiful area in Vietnam. We took a walk through a huge cave (very cool) and kayaked through the bay. Tonight we stay on a junk boat in Ha Long Bay, head back to Hanoi tomorrow, then we take a sleeper train to Hue. I am interested to see how the other cities differ from the culture in Hanoi.