Summer in Hanoi
Hanoi. Sixth trip to Viet Nam now. I’ve noticed lots of changes in the past three years. More high-rises, better sidewalks in a few places, more luxury cars.
Today it’s 33 C, high humidity, monsoon downpours, lots of backpackers desperately clutching copies of the Lonely Planet guide. It’s another hazy summer day.
According to a piece in the online International Herald Tribune the other day, inflation rose 27% last month in Hanoi. Food prices are up 74% over last year. A shoeshine has gone from 19 cents to 25 cents; a good haircut from $1.25 to $1.87; a tiny cup of tea on the street from 3 cents to 6 cents; a one-time-use rain coat from 12 cents to 37 cents, a massage from $4.37 to $6.25. It now costs 12 cents to park your motorbike on the sidewalk, and if you get a flat tire, it costs 12 cents to get it pumped, double the prices of a few months ago. My taxi to town from the airport, which cost $10 flat rate last year (40 minute ride) was $16 the other night. The economy is slowing down, factories are closing, workers are leaving the city to return to the countryside, and the stock market is at a standstill. This was the Asian Tiger a couple of years ago. Yikes!
If you’re ever planning to come to Vietnam, two great sites to check: Free travel guide http://vietnamtravelnotes.com/2008/06/27/a-travelers-guide-to-ha-noi-vietnam/ from an ex-pat Blogger living in HCMC http://vietnamtravelnotes.com/
For the scoop on food, a “must read” is www.stickyrice.typepad.com/ The pictures alone are amazing. Rich texture and colour. I get hungry just looking. An all round excellent guide to eating/drinking in Hanoi. I finally got round to trying Fanny Ice Cream, a well known local place serving French gelato. Wow!
Off tomorrow on the overnight train to Lao Cai on the China border for a couple of days work, then back to Hanoi and a flight home Saturday midnight. While in Lao Cai, apparently my local hosts are taking me up in the mountains to Sapa, one of the more famous destinations in Viet Nam. It’s supposed to be beautiful, with lots of local mountain tribes. I’m quite looking forward to it. If you go to http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/vietnam-region.north-west.html you’ll see some professional photographs of the Sapa area.
Today it’s 33 C, high humidity, monsoon downpours, lots of backpackers desperately clutching copies of the Lonely Planet guide. It’s another hazy summer day.
According to a piece in the online International Herald Tribune the other day, inflation rose 27% last month in Hanoi. Food prices are up 74% over last year. A shoeshine has gone from 19 cents to 25 cents; a good haircut from $1.25 to $1.87; a tiny cup of tea on the street from 3 cents to 6 cents; a one-time-use rain coat from 12 cents to 37 cents, a massage from $4.37 to $6.25. It now costs 12 cents to park your motorbike on the sidewalk, and if you get a flat tire, it costs 12 cents to get it pumped, double the prices of a few months ago. My taxi to town from the airport, which cost $10 flat rate last year (40 minute ride) was $16 the other night. The economy is slowing down, factories are closing, workers are leaving the city to return to the countryside, and the stock market is at a standstill. This was the Asian Tiger a couple of years ago. Yikes!
If you’re ever planning to come to Vietnam, two great sites to check: Free travel guide http://vietnamtravelnotes.com/2008/06/27/a-travelers-guide-to-ha-noi-vietnam/ from an ex-pat Blogger living in HCMC http://vietnamtravelnotes.com/
For the scoop on food, a “must read” is www.stickyrice.typepad.com/ The pictures alone are amazing. Rich texture and colour. I get hungry just looking. An all round excellent guide to eating/drinking in Hanoi. I finally got round to trying Fanny Ice Cream, a well known local place serving French gelato. Wow!
Off tomorrow on the overnight train to Lao Cai on the China border for a couple of days work, then back to Hanoi and a flight home Saturday midnight. While in Lao Cai, apparently my local hosts are taking me up in the mountains to Sapa, one of the more famous destinations in Viet Nam. It’s supposed to be beautiful, with lots of local mountain tribes. I’m quite looking forward to it. If you go to http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/vietnam-region.north-west.html you’ll see some professional photographs of the Sapa area.
posted by Mark L at
2:01 AM
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