Vietnam - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

I visited Hanoi (Nov 12-17) and Ho Chi minh City (Nov 17-21) to support the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Here is the 2006 APEC link. In the limited time I had off, I went shopping and bought a chess set with carved figurines, some chopsticks, some coasters and some vietnamese figurines. Vietnam is an interesting country. In Hanoi, the government more strict but the driving is easier than in Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon), the largest city in Vietnam.

Here is an excerpt of the driving situation which i found to be more chaotic than in Manila but no one seems to get in accidents too frequently.

"The road network throughout Vietnam is reasonable but the standard of the roads varies dramatically from good to appalling. In theory, traffic drives on the right but in practice drivers take the most direct path avoiding the many thousands of bicycles, motorbikes and animals in the road. As self-driven car hire is non-existent, visitors to the country have to hire a car with a driver. Most will agree that this is the only way until the country introduces and enforces a system of road rules. There are basic rules, such as you must stop at a red light and headlights must be used at night but that tends to be as far as it goes. Long-term foreign residents are allowed to drive a car but few are brave enough to do so, preferring to employ a Vietnamese chauffeur. It is safe to assume that if a foreigner is driving a car involved in an accident, they will automatically be assumed to be at fault."

While in Hanoi, we worked at the Sheraton which was really nice and since all the rooms were booked so I stayed at the Sunny Hotel. Hanoi is interesting but there is a lot more to do in ho Chi Minh City. While we were shopping in the market, a lady came up to me and put her hat and banana/pineapple sling (similar to the one in the picture on the right) on my shoulder to take a picture.

In Ho Chi Minh City they offer tours of the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extensive network of tunnels used by the New Liberation Front guerrilas during the Vietnam War, which are about a 40 minute ride away from the New World Hotel where we stayed.