Vietnam - Hanoi – November 21-29, 2002

The methods for cutting grass haven’t changed much – all done by hand.

This is the one-pillar pagoda. Built in the 1049, it survived earthquakes, floods and fires until 1954, when the last act of the French before quitting Vietnam for good was to blow it up. This is a reconstruction of the original.

L We headed over to Halong Bay on the coast, and passed this pottery factory. The quality of the goods was astounding, from what appeared to be pretty primitive working conditions.

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Vietnam is a lot more prosperous than Cambodia, with the average wage being 760USD per year. And the people are incredibly industrious, much more so than either Thailand or Cambodia. Vietnam is an assembled country, with the north, center and south being very different places, and with many, many ethnically diverse peoples. Hanoi is the cultural center of the country, and Ho Chi Minh City, with Saigon as its downtown district, is the center of commerce.

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