Hanoi, Vietnam - October 1, 2002
Good News!! I was able to get booked for a flight leaving tonight to Seoul!!
As far as Hanoi goes.. hmm.. its a great place to buy CDs and DVDs!!! I'm adding quite a few to my collection right now.. Hanoi really isn't too bad of a place.. supposedly the key is to have your own motobike.. that way you don't have to get all of the attention and harrassment from walking down the street. Vietnamese people really are quite friendly and kind, particularly when you are inside of a place - like a restaurant or some kind of business. Its the poverty of the people in the streets.. all saying 'hello' to you and trying to get you to do something or buy something that wears you down. Most expats alleviate or eliminate that whole realm by simply having their own transportation. They just have one moment from the store to their motorbike, and they are on their way to their next destination.
Anyhow, as a tourist, Vietnam is great!! Especially if you are constantly doing things, its extremely tourist friendly. I mean, practically anything and everything you want just kind of comes up to you on the streets.. 'books?', 'postcards?', 't-shirts?'.. the list goes on and on.. and every hotel will book you on any tour or take you anywhere you could possibly want to go in Vietnam for very little money. For the tourist, its the ultimate destination. Literally everyone and everything will be helping to make sure you are going and doing exactly whatever it is you want to be going to or wanting to do.
Also, expat life here seems to be really good as well. The money is definetely here, as well as a demand for everything from teaching English to whatever kind of business a person might want to start. All of the expats I've met so far in this city are extremely intersting and seem to have lived and be living extremely colorful lives..
I'm extremely interested to see where Vietnam will be in the world within the next 15-20 years.. I can't help but think that they really have the ability to become a great country. The people are extremely hard-working, ambitious, go-out-and-get-it types. I never see a lazy Vietnamese person, it just doesn't seem to happen. Most are full of life and energy, and seem to just work at something or another all day from morning to night. Perhaps alot of has to do with how crowded cities like Saigon and Hanoi are. You really cannot get away from all the people. The streets are quite condensed, and everything is definetely within walking distance of wherever you are at. So that also means that you have people literally everywhere. So, it adds a really vibrant and full energy to the place. It does get wearing to be a foreigner walking around here, but I can't help that someday they won't treat foreigners like ATM machines.. maybe if the economic situation of the country matches the work ethics of the people.. it will become a very strong nation.. and a foreigner won't have that incredible immense buying income over the average Vietnamese person. When that day comes, when Vietnamese and foreigners incomes are roughly the same, then Vietnam would definetely be a great place filled with life and energy, and an amazing vibrant culture.
Anyhow, Hanoi has been great.. time to buy some extremely cheap CDs and DVDs.. get some incredibly cheap and tasty Vietnamese food.. and just hangout for the afternoon until I go to the airport this evening..
See you all in Seoul!
Next Journal Entry: U.S.A.
October 1, 2002
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