After the visits to S-21 and the Choeung Ek killing and our individual exploration of Phnom Penh, the time had come for us to catch the bus to the next country in line: the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Bet that sounds still pretty "commie" to many of you, but make no mistake: these guys are embracing capitalism big time. In 2006, Vietnam had the fastest growing GDP in Southeast Asia and there are no signs that they are backing down. The results in quite some governmental and societal schizofrenia with socialist ideas increasingly taking the backseat of things.
Beat up from the long bus ride and surviving the hellish traffic (8.000.000+ motorbikes), we arrived in hustling and bustling Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon). Now the first thing that caught our attention as we hit the streets was that no price is fixed here: everything involves bargaining. If you thought Thailand involves a lot of "haggling" (= onderhandelen, afdingen), then guess again. Across our entire journey through Vietnam, we haven't paid the asked price a single time. In the beginning the bargaining feels like a sport, but once you have to negotiate the prices on anything (e.g. waterbottles, fruit, cabs, etc.) for the gazillionth time, we started to get irritated by their seemingly unsatiable quest for the US$.
But then again, it's not fair to blatantly generalize either. Take, for instance, our new guide: this guy was a gem. He was always prepared, courteous and polite, and got things done quietly and effectively. The guide - and some other kind Vietnamese souls - are who stood out this trip, not particularly the country itself. Still, there were heaps of highlights and it is only fair that we dive headfirst into a very rapidly developing and changing "Next Eleven" country. So fuel up your motorbikes, say your prayers, and join the ride!
After the visits to S-21 and the Choeung Ek killing and our individual exploration of Phnom Penh, the time had come for us to catch the bus to the next country in line: the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Bet that sounds still pretty "commie" to many of you, but make no mistake: these guys are embracing capitalism big time. In 2006, Vietnam had the fastest growing GDP in Southeast Asia and there are no signs that they are backing down. The results in quite some governmental and societal schizofrenia with socialist ideas increasingly taking the backseat of things.
Beat up from the long bus ride and surviving the hellish traffic (8.000.000+ motorbikes), we arrived in hustling and bustling Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon). Now the first thing that caught our attention as we hit the streets was that no price is fixed here: everything involves bargaining. If you thought Thailand involves a lot of "haggling" (= onderhandelen, afdingen), then guess again. Across our entire journey through Vietnam, we haven't paid the asked price a single time. In the beginning the bargaining feels like a sport, but once you have to negotiate the prices on anything (e.g. waterbottles, fruit, cabs, etc.) for the gazillionth time, we started to get irritated by their seemingly unsatiable quest for the US$.
But then again, it's not fair to blatantly generalize either. Take, for instance, our new guide: this guy was a gem. He was always prepared, courteous and polite, and got things done quietly and effectively. The guide - and some other kind Vietnamese souls - are who stood out this trip, not particularly the country itself. Still, there were heaps of highlights and it is only fair that we dive headfirst into a very rapidly developing and changing "Next Eleven" country. So fuel up your motorbikes, say your prayers, and join the ride!
1 comment:
Oopss!!! You should have joined khmer new year in Vietnam :)
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