Various Photos of Hanoi

Children getting out of school with a different sort of carpool, shoe street (36 different commerce streets; coffee, tea, yarn, flowers, bamboo, paper, etc), New Year's Eve, 40th anniversary of the B-52 bombing, wedding day car which is most likely rented. There is a 100% tax on new car purchases. 10-15 years ago it was all bicycles and now it is mostly scooters/motorcycles that fill the road.

Halong Bay

Relaxing, kayaking, floating villages, pearl farming, and finishing up with the Surprise Caves.

Street Food

The people will eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner...more so if they are single. Plastic chairs and tables line the streets. And these are miniature versions, like something a child would have. At 5'6" I feel like a giant sitting and walking among this dinning furniture. There is a lot of leaning over your food, slurping noodles and small napkins you hold - everything we were taught not to do.

Food is sold off carts, the backs of bicycles, the lady with a yoke, push cart, and a stand. Here are some photos of the food makers as well as prepared food. One is of a restaurant that serves dog...very expensive.

Ceramics

Many times in visiting lessor developed countries the uniqueness of their handicrafts sticks out. Here os seems everyone makes the same few designs whether is be lacquer, ceramics, silks, wood carvings, etc. Vietnam is different. Is is because they are more developed? Is it because they did not have a capitalist economy until 20-25 years ago? Not sure but here are some photos of a ceramic manufacture...all done by hand using molds. Obviously labor is cheap. They say these workers make $150-250/month. A plate was selling for $40, before negotiation.

Cu Chi Tunnels and More

The Cu Chi Tunnels were built by the people of the village with the same name during the French Revolution, mid 1950's. However the majority of the 200K of tunnels was built during the Vietnam (American) War. They lived underground; cooking, school, making weapons, sleeping etc. They would only come out at night. They were known for building booby traps. They were very ingenious people.

From there is was a stop to look at rubber trees. Very labor intensive.

The last stop was at a lacquer facility owned by the government employing handicap people who I would guess were victims of agent orange.

And now it is wrapping up the evening at a restaurant that makes crispy rice in a clay pot. They come out with the clay pot, break it, through it across the room where a fellow waiter catches it and proceeds to toss it up in the air a few times. Marketing at is finest. No it is not Friday's in Vietnam.

Oh, one last note...every been to Asia and had questions regarding the toilet? The sign shows that people in Asia have a bit of difficult with western toilets. The chuckle for the day.