Duncan here.    Chuc Mung Na Moi!  (Happy New Year).   It's great being back in Vietnam.  I was here 20 years ago traveling by myself and things have changed quite a bit.  But the people are still as friendly, and the scenery and food are just as spectacular.  The Vietnamese economy has been growing in leaps and bounds.  Twenty years ago the average Vietnamese earned $160.  Now it's almost $2,500.  Not a lot of money compared to a first world country like the US, but an amazing jump in two decades. It feels as if there are three times more motorscooters, and ten times more cars (very few people owned cars in 1991.) Tourism has taken off, and some areas are quite built up with hotels, etc.  It used to be that French was a useful language for travelers to know because older folks who lived through the French colonial period spoke that language.  Now many more Vietnamese speak a little English  -- at least, in the cities and tourist areas.  If you hear into the country few people do, but their kids are starting to learn it in school.

We're in Hanoi, the capital.  The streets are throbbing in traffic, none of which ever seems to stop.  We've only seen a couple of street lights.  Otherwise, hundreds of motorscooters converge from four directions and carefully interweave.  Lots of horns, but they are not blown out of frustration or anger.  Drivers just want to give you a heads-up that they are coming your way.  Crossing a busy street is a bit little wading the rapids of a whitewater river.  The key is to move slowly and steadily.  That gives riders time to adjust and flow around you.  Any sudden movements get you in trouble.

Here are few random images of Vietnam:  Food is commonly cooked, served, and eaten on the sidewalk, on tiny tables and chairs.  Hundreds of motorscooters are parked on the sidewalks (no room in the streets) which means you end up walking in the street traffic.  Most common meal is Pho, a delicious noodle soup with green onions, beef or chicken, peanuts, and broth.  Costs $1-$2 for a full meal.  Women walking down the Hanoi streets with conical hats carrying fruit or vegetables balanced on their shoulders on a bent bamboo pole.  Dust and smog everywhere in Hanoi and many people wear cloth masks over their mouth.  Traffic and people jam the streets from 5:00 am to 1:00 am.  People live in their stores, so you can often see young toddlers running around with shopkeepers.  I see older men in their 70s walking the streets on bent legs and wonder about what an amazing transformation they have seen in their time.  Many of them fought Americans in bitter, deadly combat, and yet here we are again invading their country with backpacks.

Time to go get some lunch.  I'll add some photos when we return.   DM