Friday, Nov. 21 and we’re in Hanoi. What a difference!
Laos was quiet and laid-back, slow and peaceful. Hanoi zoomed us back to big-city-Asia hustle and bustle. More than 6 million people, more than 3 million motorbikes, and life at both slow and frenetic paces, depending on which side of a door you’re on.
Initial impressions of Vietnam
The Communist Party is more visibly in control, but most of the population is employed in the private sector, and most people simply ignore the military, which has no impact on their daily lives. Ho Chi Minh is still regarded as a God, and there’s still a statue of Lenin in the middle of town. But there’s no visible animosity towards Americans, and people seem to want to be friends with everybody, and simply focus on business.
This yellow building was constructed to be the presidential palace, but Ho Chi Minh refused to live in it, preferring much simpler living.
This simple green house (next to the palace) is where Ho Chi Minh lived until just before he died. He did all his own cooking too.
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