Vietnam Report - March 22, 2011

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Some 85 percent of all residents in Saigon own motorcycles. There are approximately 12 million people in Vietnam and 7 million of them live in Saigon. Can you imagine about 6 million motorcycles? The street traffic lights are on a 22 second cycle. With the countdown visible to the approaching motorcyclist. Most of the intersections are either 3-ways or circular roundabouts. At one red light, I looked down the street waiting for the light to change and there was an entire city block backed up with motorcycles -- 10 wide! Our bus passed by the old presidential palace where invading North Vietnamese tanks entered the compound and forced the surrender of the South Vietnamese government, ending the war between the south and north on April 30, 1975. We are staying at the Rex Hotel in the old section of the hotel (still very nice). P. Jim commented that everything has changed around the hotel in three years. He hardly recognizes the place. So much was torn down and there is new construction everywhere. Vietnam adopted a free market economy under socialist principles (much like China), realizing that a Marxist economy just does not work. Consequently, several western businesses, who are willing to make a long-term commitment to Vietnam are invited into the country and given tax breaks. The minimum wage remains very low ($1-$2 per day). We've recognized some big manufacturing names: Honda, Canon, North Face -- all made now in Vietnam. The Vietnamese economy is really booming. Times are changing for Vietnam. The TV and the internet has connected the world. More people are aware of how each other lives and their standard of living. Women have a more prominent role in society and are often the bread winners in the family through their entrepreneurial pursuits. Both husband and wife share in the domestic responsibilities of the family and raising children. More Later, P. Jeff