A South East Asian Odyssey – Hanoi, Vietnam Part 1

The disappointment of not being able to drive to Hanoi was so overwhelming that I could not sleep in the bus that ferried me to the capital city of Vietnam. I was to be joined by a close friend and former colleague, Elvis D’Cruz, on the long drive from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City along the scenic coast of that country. Various sources were tapped, including the Ambassador of India to Vietnam, to get the requisite permission to drive in Vietnam. After three days it became evident that the Ministry of Transport was not likely to relent. We spent the five days in Hanoi doing the rounds of the sights and smells as well as learning a lot about the culture of the people and appreciating why they were such an industrious society.
Vietnam is the easternmost country of the Indochine peninsula with a population of nearly a 100 million. North and South Vietnam were unified in 1976 after a bloody history of wars and the morally indefensible war that the US waged and got a bloody nose, whose effects are still visible on the land and people. Till 1986 the country was a political outcast. The reforms put in by the Communist Party thereafter set the stage for Vietnam to step onto the bigger theatre of international commerce. It is a fast growing economy today with commendable growth of GDP and per capita income.
People speak Vietnamese, of course, but close to 90% of the population are either irreligious or practice some sort of folk religion. I was touched by their civic sensibility, cleanliness, hygiene, dignity of labor and hospitality. Another feature is the patronage of home cooked food served through small outlets and mobile units. Groups of locals, young and old alike, indulging in animated Vietnamese banter, perched on short stools with a cup of hot beverage in their hands amused me no end.
This is an account of the short stay in Hanoi city.