Hanoi A Changing City

Hanoi is a city of contrasts, it’s easy see the pre 1997 and the post 1997 Hanoi. 1997 is when the US lifted its trade embargo and Vietnam opened up to the rest of the world. As we entered the city from the airport, an hours drive, we passed Hugh industrial complexes displaying the names most large Japanese corporations such as Cannon, Panasonic, Honda, and Yamaha. The current population of Hanoi is 10 million people, in the center of the city where we stayed you see the French influence from 1808 to 1954. The architectural influence is seen in the thin three to four story house; the first floor used for retail and the upper floors used for living of three generations of the family. The tall narrow buildings are functional for four reasons, homes are taxed based on their footprint, they offer retail and wholesale sales, the house as many as four generations, and survive the annual flooding.

Hanoi was heavily bombed in the Vietnam war so many part of the city are dominated by relatively new construction. The French Quarter has a definite look of class while the Old Town is dominated by sidewalk retail. These people eat 14 inches off the ground, they sit on 14 inch plastic stools on the sidewalks outside their homes or store front restaurants eating three meals a day. All food is purchased on a daily basis at the local street market, few homes have any form of refrigeration they cook on the street with butane gas or charcoal in many homes they don’t have electricity so their home is used to sleep and to get in out of the rain.

In the outskirts of the city there are apartment developments and suburb developments to support the industrial development. It’s not at the level of development that I saw in China but there is growth here, much more then Thailand.

Our touring took us the Ho Chi Mien Mausoleum where Ho’s body is embalmed and displayed, were not able to see the body because it was receiving its annual tuning by Russian embalmers. We also saw the presidential Palace, Hanoi Hilton Prison, and B52 park. We also saw a memorial next to Truc Bach Lake erected to John McCain. This is where he was pulled out of the lake on October 26, 1967 after bombing the Hanoi Power Plant and subsequently being shoot down. This all struck me as strange can you imagine a memorial in New York City for the 9-11 terrorists in 2051. Can the world change that much, these are strange people.

We spent Friday morning walking through Old Town and pricing some of the bargains. I looked at some Nike Air running shoes for $45 which could be purchased for $25; they were made in 2005 and they didn’t have a size 9 in four different stores that I tried.
I asked Dy, pronounced ‘E’, why the US got involved in the Vietnam Civil War. This is his explanation; take it for what it’s worth.

The US feared a coalition between Russia and the sleeping giant China. Russia had made attempts to establish strategic positions in Cuba, Vietnam offered an opportunity to establish a strategic position in Asia where attacks could be launched against both China and parts of Russia if such a Russia/ China coalition should evolve. Once the US got involved supporting South Vietnam, Russia started supplying North Vietnam with weapons. Vietnam is still paying their war debt to Russia by giving access to any oil found in Vietnam. Fifty-five thousand Americans and 3.5 million Vietnam died as a result of the war, another 2.5 million Vietnamese are currently dealing with the second generation effects of Agent Orange. Two thousand Amerasian children were born that were not wanted by anyone, they could not get identity cards in Vietnam and now are responsible for a majority of crime in Vietnam, some were airlifted out of Vietnam at the end of the war but many were abandoned by their mothers, and their government.

Last night we went to the Haoni Oprea House to hear the symphony paly the works or Gustav Mahler. Before the concert we eat dinner at a fine French Restruant, the Green Tangerine, see the pictures.

We left Hanoi with the feeling that it was a old but changing city. It will celebrate it’s 1000 anniversary next year. I think Hanoi will become a major commercial center over the next 10 years, they have a lot of cleaning-up to do and I think they can get it done. They have a large, cheap, hardworking workforce that is ready to step into the 21st century. When an ETF becomes available on Vietnam I’ll be an investor.

Back on the bus Saturday morning and we’re off to Halong Bay, considered one of the most beautiful areas in the world. The area was hit by a typhoon last night 84 mph winds and the boats are restricted from sailing in the harbor so we won’t be able to go on the junk and cruise the islands with a night spent on the junk. It looks like the weather will clear and we’ll be able to do a three hour cruise tomorrow morning before heading back to the Hanoi airport.
On the way to Halong Bay we stopped by a work center that only employs children that have been effected by their parents and or grandparents exposure to agent orange. Most have some form of disfigurement, missing fingers, irregular bone structure or learning disabilities. Nita and I found a lacquer painting that will serve as our reminder of this trip.