Step 1
Preview items in closet by categories while REMOVING from closet (START WITH A CLEAN SLATE!): -Suits -Pant Suits -Dresses -Blouses -Shirts -T-Shirts (Crew Neck) -Collared Knits -Pants -Jeans -Sweaters -Leather/Suede/Pleather -Obsessions -Unmentionables-ETC
Step 2
Decide what will fit in the closet and what must go in drawers. Remember Knit Sweaters and Dresses must be folded for longevity of use (so they will not be stretched or be punctured with holes) Fold Jeans.... ALL THE SAME WAY
Step 3
Get rid of broken, unusable hangers and wire hangers.
Step 4
Count and Obtain hangers (no wire hangers) -clip hangers for pants and skirts -suit hangers for suits and pant suits -shirt and blouse hangers-dress hangers -unmentionable hanger-ETCNOTE: I have found the new Stainless Steel hangers with clips or foamed angles and having clips work really well.
Step 5
During the upcoming step:Arrage by Colors-Reds/Burgundys/Orange -Blues/Purples/Pinks -Tan/Khaki/Brown/Yellows -Black/Grey-White/Off-Whites -Ecru/Neutrals-ETC
Step 6
Place in the closet logically based on YOUR lifestyle. So, if you are casual in work and play do not wear Suits or Dresses regularly, place them in the far reaches of the closet. If you work hard and play less, arrange the closet for ease of getting your groove on in the morning. This will help get your second cup of coffee. -MAKE SENSE of YOUR closet based on your lifestyle and divide by color. If you have a big closet need..... divide by fabrics as well. Some of us will have 3 categories, while others have 16 categories.
Step 7
Donate items you have no intentions of wearing again. Keep your receipt as a tax write off. ----KEEP IT if there is a question in your mind.... You may build off the clothing item later for another outfit. Personally, I build from these questionable items and often receive positive comments.
Halong Bay @ Vietnam
Our seafood lunch served on the boat
This is the junk boat that we will spend a night on cost around USD 55 per night inclusive of one lunch, one dinner and breakfast. Mond Gelato Cafe Restaurant @Hanoi
The pizza price around 85,00 dong, pasta is around 100,00 dongAfter a long customer meeting we went for a delicious italian restaurant walking distance from Melia Hotel, I loved the nice ambience.
Address
Gelato Cafe Restaurant
30A BA Trieu
St Joseph's Cathedral @ Hanoi
Walk nearly about 1/2 hours from the Melia Hotel to this nice Cathedral.
St Joseph's Cathedral
This Catholic cathedral was completed in 1887, by Monseigneur Pigneau de Behaine. It was closed in 1975 upon reunification of Vietnam, and was not reopened until 1985. The neo-gothic style of the cathedral looks somewhat out of place in the busy and typically Vietnamese streets of Hanoi, although it is built in what is considered to be the French quarter of the city. The church itself has a striking presence with its two large square towers and can be visited any day of the week, making a quiet escape from the noisy Hanoi streets. If you happen to be in Hanoi for Christmas, this is the place to visit. The courtyard of the church becomes a huge gathering point and takes on a real carnival atmosphere, with fairy floss vendors and the like.
This Catholic cathedral was completed in 1887, by Monseigneur Pigneau de Behaine. It was closed in 1975 upon reunification of Vietnam, and was not reopened until 1985. The neo-gothic style of the cathedral looks somewhat out of place in the busy and typically Vietnamese streets of Hanoi, although it is built in what is considered to be the French quarter of the city. The church itself has a striking presence with its two large square towers and can be visited any day of the week, making a quiet escape from the noisy Hanoi streets. If you happen to be in Hanoi for Christmas, this is the place to visit. The courtyard of the church becomes a huge gathering point and takes on a real carnival atmosphere, with fairy floss vendors and the like.
Old Quater, Hanoi
The History of Hanoi's Old Quarter by Barbara Cohen
The history of Hanoi's Old Quarter spans 2000 years. It lies between the Returned Sword Lake to the South and the Long Bien Bridge to the North. The former city rampart, now called Tran Nhat Duat Street, marks its East border and the citadel wall on Ly Nam De Street its West. Present-day Hanoi ('Inside the Riverbend') was once a turtle and alligator-infested swamp, then a cluster of villages made up of houses on stilts. The villages were unified by Chinese administrators who built ramparts around their headquarters and called the area "Dominated Annam." In the late tenth century the Vietnamese attained independence from the Chinese. King Ly Thai To made the city his capital in 1010 and gave it the name Thang Long ('Soaring Dragon'.)
According to legend, the King began rebuilding the former Chinese palace, but the walls tumbled down. While he prayed to the local earth god, a white horse emerged from the temple and galloped West. The King decided to build his citadel walls along the traces of its hoof prints and declared the white horse the city's guardian. The White Horse (Bach Ma) Pagoda on Hang Buom Street still pays homage to that guardian.
In early the thirteenth century guilds evolved from the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the walled palace to satisfy the court's demand for the highest quality products. Artisan guilds worked and lived together developing systems for the transport merchandise from the village of manufacture to the designated streets in the business quarter which sells it. The Commercial city was ideally located between the Palace and the transportation capabilities of the river. A market was at the onetime confluence of the To Lich and Red Rivers (the ancient market Dong Xuan, still stands and remains an active market today.) Skilled crafts people migrated there to fill that need.
A majority of the street names here start with Hang, which means merchandise or shop. The guild streets were named for their product or location. For example, skilled silversmiths from Hai Hung province now occupy Hang Bac Street one of the most ancient streets in all Vietnam.
Each guild had its own patron saint to which many local temples are dedicated. Hang Bong Street has five such temples.
Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village and performed the same craft, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners' homes, evolved out of market stalls before streets ever came into existence. Because shops were taxed by the width of frontage on the market, storage and living space moved to the rear. They developed into the long and narrow houses, called tube houses.
Although the area is often called the 36 old streets, there may have actually been more. Some believe that the number 36 came from the Fifteenth century when there might have been 36 guilds. Others attribute the name "36" to a more abstract concept. The number 9 in Asia represents "plenty." Nine times 4 (the four directions) would make 36 which means simply: many.
By the seventeenth century the city was protected by 16 gates which were locked at night by heavy wooden doors. The Quan Chuong gate built in 1744 still stands at the end of Hang Chieu street. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Nguyen Dynasty set up its capital in Hue. Thang Long, renamed Hanoi, lost its political power but retained its economic vitality. The citadel of Hanoi was reconstructed and remains the western boundary of the Old Quarter.
By the late nineteenth century, Hanoi once again became a political center, now of the French Indochinese Union. South of the Lake, native buildings were razed to make way for the cream-colored colonial offices and villas whose shutters and doors were invariably green, Rivers and ponds were filled as health measures against mosquitoes and to increase available land. North of the lake the maze of narrow alleys continued to grow haphazardly. After the French withdrawal in 1954, Hanoi became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and socialist austerity prevailed. During the American War resources were devoted to fighting and the Old Quarter hardly changed. In 1972 when the city was bombed, buildings were destroyed in the Kim Lien district but the commercial quarter remained intact.
The Old Quarter is precious legacy of Hanoi's ancient past, but the area is challenged by rapid changes. Today handicraft production is being increasingly replaced by restaurants, repair shops, and tailors. Craft workers constitute only 9% of the population. Traders make up 40%. As the population increases, historically important buildings have become living spaces, schools or shops.
At the same time, since the policy of economic openness policy of 1987 a dramatic building boom has begun, threatening the charm of the district. Multi-story buildings are going up which use out-of-place finishing techniques and designs. Local, national, and international agencies are formulating plans to preserve the historic ambiance of the Old Quarter.
Hanoi's Old Quarter: the 36 streetsby Barbara Cohen
As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Located between the Lake of the Restored Sword, the Long Bien Bridge, a former city rampart, and a citadel wall, the Old Quarter started as a snake and alligator-infested swamp. It later evolved into a cluster of villages made up of houses on stilts, and was unified by Chinese administrators who built ramparts around their headquarters. The area was named "Dominated Annam" or "Protected South" by the Chinese.
In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds.
The Old Quarter began to acquire its reputation as a crafts area when the Vietnamese attained independence in the 11th century and King Ly Thai To built his palace there. In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds. Skilled craftsmen migrated to the Quarter, and artisan guilds were formed by craftsmen originating from the same village and performing similar services. Members of the guilds worked and lived together, creating a cooperative system for transporting merchandise to the designated streets in the business quarter.
Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners’ homes evolved out of market stalls, before streets were formed. Because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their storefront, storage and living space moved to the rear of the buildings. Consequently, the long and narrow buildings were called "tube houses." Typical measurements for such houses are 3 meters wide by 60 meters long.
The Old Quarter has a rich religious heritage. When the craftsmen moved from outlying villages into the capital, they brought with them their religious practices. They transferred their temples, pagodas and communal houses to their new location. Each guild has one or two religious structures and honors its own patron saint or founder. Therefore, on each street in the Old Quarter there is at least one temple. Now, many of the old temples in the Old Quarter have been transformed into shops and living quarters, but some of the old buildings’ religious roots can still be recognized by the architecture of their roofs.
Although the old section of Hanoi is often called the "36 Old Streets," there are more than 36 actual streets. Some researchers believe that the number 36 came from the 15th century when there might have been 36 guild locations, which were workshop areas, not streets. When streets were later developed, the guild names were applied to the streets. Others attribute the 36 to a more abstract concept. The number nine in Asia represents the concept of "plenty." Nine times the four directions makes 36, which simply means "many." There are now more than 70 streets in the area.
Some streets have achieved fame by their inclusion in popular guidebooks. Han Gai Street offers silk clothing ready-made and tailored, embroidery, and silver products. Hang Quat, the street that formerly sold silk and feather fans, now stuns the visitor by its brilliantly colored funeral and festival flags and religious objects and clothing. To Thinh Street connects the above two and is still the wood turner’s street. Hang Ma glimmers with shiny paper products, such as gift wrappings, wedding decorations and miniature paper objects to burn for the dead. Lan Ong Street is a sensual delight of textures and smells emanating from the sacks of herbal medicinal products: leaves, roots, barks, and powders.
Let us turn now to nine of the lesser known streets in the Old Quarter that possess a unique character worth exploring.
Hang Bac Street
A majority of the street names in the Old Quarter start with the word hang. Hang means merchandise or shop. The guild streets were named for their product, service or location. Hang Bac, one of the oldest streets in Vietnam, dates from at least the 13th century. Bac means silver, and appropriately, this street started as a silver ingot factory under the reign of Le Thanh Tong (1469-1497). Village people, called the "Trau Khe silver casters," were brought into the capital to cast silver bars and coins. After a ceremony to transfer their craft from their village of Trau Khe to Hanoi, they set up two temples to honor the founders of their craft. At one communal house, the silver was molten and poured into molds. At the other communal house, the molds were further processed for delivery to the Prime Minister. The crafters went to great lengths to keep their methods secret to avoid counterfeit products.
At the turn of the 18th century, the street took on more varied functions. In addition to the casting of silver ingots, the street attracted more jewelry makers and money exchangers. Money exchangers thrived, since in the old days, paper money was not used. Instead, currency consisted of bronze and zinc coins and silver ingots. When merchants needed a large amount of money for business transactions, they would exchange the heavy metal bars on Hang Bac. During the French time it was called "Exchange Street." Although paper currency was later used, the word for it included the word bac.
Hang Bac also has jewelers of different types: engravers, smelters, polishers, and gold-leaf makers. The first jewelry makers were the Dong Cac guild, which settled during the Le dynasty (1428-1788). They founded a temple dedicated to three brothers who learned their art in China in the 6th century, and who are considered the patron saints of the Vietnamese jewelry making profession.
There are several famous buildings on this street. In the communal house on Hang Bac, there is a stone stele, built in 1783, telling about a Mandarin who forcibly took over the communal house. The locals took him to court and won back their building. The Dung Tho Temple is dedicated to Chu Bi, a Taoist deity. At the end of the French colonial period, this temple had been named Truong Ca, after a person who watched over the temple and served the best noodle soup. One building on this street is the pride of contemporary history-the Chuong Vang (Golden Bell) Theater, which still hosts traditional Vietnamese theater performances. The former traditional-venue theater, the To Nhu (Quang Lac) Theater built in the 1920s, also is on this street but has been transformed into apartments.
Hang Be Street
In the mid-19th century, the guild of bamboo raft makers was located on this street outside the My Loc gate, one of the many sturdy gates to the city. The cai mang raft consisted of 12 to 15 large bamboo poles lashed together by strips of green bamboo bark. Their anterior was slightly raised by heating the wood, and the aft was rigged with three quadrangular sails made of coarse linen dyed with extracts of sweet potato skins.
Bamboo rafts were sensible for Hanoi’s shallow rivers, lakes and swamps, which can not provide solid anchorage or natural shelter from storms. The flat design better weathered the seasonal typhoons that lash the northern part of Vietnam, and is better adapted to coastal and river fishing. The bamboo poles from which the rafts were constructed were sold one block east on Hang Tre Street.
Cau Go Street
Meaning "Wooden Bridge," Cau Go Street is located one block north of the Lake of the Restored Sword, and was in fact the location of a wooden bridge. About 150 years ago, the bridge crossed a thin stream of water connecting the Thai Cuc Lake with the Lake of the Restored Sword. Dyers from the neighboring Silk Street set out their silk to dry or bleached their fabric beside the bridge. Under the French occupation, the lake and stream were filled as health measures and to increase buildable land. The little wooden bridge became a regular street.
On the edge of the lake, women in wide brimmed hats once sold armfuls of flowers to the French for a few coins. Today a flower market exists where the Cau Go alley intersects with the main street. Other historical sites on Cau Go are the secret headquarters and hiding place of the 1930-45 "Love the Country" resistance movement.
Cau Go today is a commercial street specializing in women’s accessories.
Hang Dao Street
This street is one of Vietnam’s oldest streets. It serves as a main axis running from north to south, cutting the Old Quarter in half. In the French Colonial time, Hang Dao Street was a center for the trading of silk products. On the first and sixth days of the lunar month, there were fairs for the sale of silk items. Shops also sold other types of fabric such as gauze, brocade, crepe, and muslin. Almost all the non-silk products were white.
In the beginning of the 15th century, this street was the location of the silk dyer guild from the Hai Hung Province, which specialized in a deep pink dye. Dao, the name of the street, refers to the pink of apricot blossoms, which are symbolic of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The demand for this special color was so high that the fabric had to be dyed at other locations as well
The history of Hanoi's Old Quarter spans 2000 years. It lies between the Returned Sword Lake to the South and the Long Bien Bridge to the North. The former city rampart, now called Tran Nhat Duat Street, marks its East border and the citadel wall on Ly Nam De Street its West. Present-day Hanoi ('Inside the Riverbend') was once a turtle and alligator-infested swamp, then a cluster of villages made up of houses on stilts. The villages were unified by Chinese administrators who built ramparts around their headquarters and called the area "Dominated Annam." In the late tenth century the Vietnamese attained independence from the Chinese. King Ly Thai To made the city his capital in 1010 and gave it the name Thang Long ('Soaring Dragon'.)
According to legend, the King began rebuilding the former Chinese palace, but the walls tumbled down. While he prayed to the local earth god, a white horse emerged from the temple and galloped West. The King decided to build his citadel walls along the traces of its hoof prints and declared the white horse the city's guardian. The White Horse (Bach Ma) Pagoda on Hang Buom Street still pays homage to that guardian.
In early the thirteenth century guilds evolved from the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the walled palace to satisfy the court's demand for the highest quality products. Artisan guilds worked and lived together developing systems for the transport merchandise from the village of manufacture to the designated streets in the business quarter which sells it. The Commercial city was ideally located between the Palace and the transportation capabilities of the river. A market was at the onetime confluence of the To Lich and Red Rivers (the ancient market Dong Xuan, still stands and remains an active market today.) Skilled crafts people migrated there to fill that need.
A majority of the street names here start with Hang, which means merchandise or shop. The guild streets were named for their product or location. For example, skilled silversmiths from Hai Hung province now occupy Hang Bac Street one of the most ancient streets in all Vietnam.
Each guild had its own patron saint to which many local temples are dedicated. Hang Bong Street has five such temples.
Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village and performed the same craft, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners' homes, evolved out of market stalls before streets ever came into existence. Because shops were taxed by the width of frontage on the market, storage and living space moved to the rear. They developed into the long and narrow houses, called tube houses.
Although the area is often called the 36 old streets, there may have actually been more. Some believe that the number 36 came from the Fifteenth century when there might have been 36 guilds. Others attribute the name "36" to a more abstract concept. The number 9 in Asia represents "plenty." Nine times 4 (the four directions) would make 36 which means simply: many.
By the seventeenth century the city was protected by 16 gates which were locked at night by heavy wooden doors. The Quan Chuong gate built in 1744 still stands at the end of Hang Chieu street. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Nguyen Dynasty set up its capital in Hue. Thang Long, renamed Hanoi, lost its political power but retained its economic vitality. The citadel of Hanoi was reconstructed and remains the western boundary of the Old Quarter.
By the late nineteenth century, Hanoi once again became a political center, now of the French Indochinese Union. South of the Lake, native buildings were razed to make way for the cream-colored colonial offices and villas whose shutters and doors were invariably green, Rivers and ponds were filled as health measures against mosquitoes and to increase available land. North of the lake the maze of narrow alleys continued to grow haphazardly. After the French withdrawal in 1954, Hanoi became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and socialist austerity prevailed. During the American War resources were devoted to fighting and the Old Quarter hardly changed. In 1972 when the city was bombed, buildings were destroyed in the Kim Lien district but the commercial quarter remained intact.
The Old Quarter is precious legacy of Hanoi's ancient past, but the area is challenged by rapid changes. Today handicraft production is being increasingly replaced by restaurants, repair shops, and tailors. Craft workers constitute only 9% of the population. Traders make up 40%. As the population increases, historically important buildings have become living spaces, schools or shops.
At the same time, since the policy of economic openness policy of 1987 a dramatic building boom has begun, threatening the charm of the district. Multi-story buildings are going up which use out-of-place finishing techniques and designs. Local, national, and international agencies are formulating plans to preserve the historic ambiance of the Old Quarter.
Hanoi's Old Quarter: the 36 streetsby Barbara Cohen
As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Located between the Lake of the Restored Sword, the Long Bien Bridge, a former city rampart, and a citadel wall, the Old Quarter started as a snake and alligator-infested swamp. It later evolved into a cluster of villages made up of houses on stilts, and was unified by Chinese administrators who built ramparts around their headquarters. The area was named "Dominated Annam" or "Protected South" by the Chinese.
In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds.
The Old Quarter began to acquire its reputation as a crafts area when the Vietnamese attained independence in the 11th century and King Ly Thai To built his palace there. In the early 13th century, the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds. Skilled craftsmen migrated to the Quarter, and artisan guilds were formed by craftsmen originating from the same village and performing similar services. Members of the guilds worked and lived together, creating a cooperative system for transporting merchandise to the designated streets in the business quarter.
Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners’ homes evolved out of market stalls, before streets were formed. Because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their storefront, storage and living space moved to the rear of the buildings. Consequently, the long and narrow buildings were called "tube houses." Typical measurements for such houses are 3 meters wide by 60 meters long.
The Old Quarter has a rich religious heritage. When the craftsmen moved from outlying villages into the capital, they brought with them their religious practices. They transferred their temples, pagodas and communal houses to their new location. Each guild has one or two religious structures and honors its own patron saint or founder. Therefore, on each street in the Old Quarter there is at least one temple. Now, many of the old temples in the Old Quarter have been transformed into shops and living quarters, but some of the old buildings’ religious roots can still be recognized by the architecture of their roofs.
Although the old section of Hanoi is often called the "36 Old Streets," there are more than 36 actual streets. Some researchers believe that the number 36 came from the 15th century when there might have been 36 guild locations, which were workshop areas, not streets. When streets were later developed, the guild names were applied to the streets. Others attribute the 36 to a more abstract concept. The number nine in Asia represents the concept of "plenty." Nine times the four directions makes 36, which simply means "many." There are now more than 70 streets in the area.
Some streets have achieved fame by their inclusion in popular guidebooks. Han Gai Street offers silk clothing ready-made and tailored, embroidery, and silver products. Hang Quat, the street that formerly sold silk and feather fans, now stuns the visitor by its brilliantly colored funeral and festival flags and religious objects and clothing. To Thinh Street connects the above two and is still the wood turner’s street. Hang Ma glimmers with shiny paper products, such as gift wrappings, wedding decorations and miniature paper objects to burn for the dead. Lan Ong Street is a sensual delight of textures and smells emanating from the sacks of herbal medicinal products: leaves, roots, barks, and powders.
Let us turn now to nine of the lesser known streets in the Old Quarter that possess a unique character worth exploring.
Hang Bac Street
A majority of the street names in the Old Quarter start with the word hang. Hang means merchandise or shop. The guild streets were named for their product, service or location. Hang Bac, one of the oldest streets in Vietnam, dates from at least the 13th century. Bac means silver, and appropriately, this street started as a silver ingot factory under the reign of Le Thanh Tong (1469-1497). Village people, called the "Trau Khe silver casters," were brought into the capital to cast silver bars and coins. After a ceremony to transfer their craft from their village of Trau Khe to Hanoi, they set up two temples to honor the founders of their craft. At one communal house, the silver was molten and poured into molds. At the other communal house, the molds were further processed for delivery to the Prime Minister. The crafters went to great lengths to keep their methods secret to avoid counterfeit products.
At the turn of the 18th century, the street took on more varied functions. In addition to the casting of silver ingots, the street attracted more jewelry makers and money exchangers. Money exchangers thrived, since in the old days, paper money was not used. Instead, currency consisted of bronze and zinc coins and silver ingots. When merchants needed a large amount of money for business transactions, they would exchange the heavy metal bars on Hang Bac. During the French time it was called "Exchange Street." Although paper currency was later used, the word for it included the word bac.
Hang Bac also has jewelers of different types: engravers, smelters, polishers, and gold-leaf makers. The first jewelry makers were the Dong Cac guild, which settled during the Le dynasty (1428-1788). They founded a temple dedicated to three brothers who learned their art in China in the 6th century, and who are considered the patron saints of the Vietnamese jewelry making profession.
There are several famous buildings on this street. In the communal house on Hang Bac, there is a stone stele, built in 1783, telling about a Mandarin who forcibly took over the communal house. The locals took him to court and won back their building. The Dung Tho Temple is dedicated to Chu Bi, a Taoist deity. At the end of the French colonial period, this temple had been named Truong Ca, after a person who watched over the temple and served the best noodle soup. One building on this street is the pride of contemporary history-the Chuong Vang (Golden Bell) Theater, which still hosts traditional Vietnamese theater performances. The former traditional-venue theater, the To Nhu (Quang Lac) Theater built in the 1920s, also is on this street but has been transformed into apartments.
Hang Be Street
In the mid-19th century, the guild of bamboo raft makers was located on this street outside the My Loc gate, one of the many sturdy gates to the city. The cai mang raft consisted of 12 to 15 large bamboo poles lashed together by strips of green bamboo bark. Their anterior was slightly raised by heating the wood, and the aft was rigged with three quadrangular sails made of coarse linen dyed with extracts of sweet potato skins.
Bamboo rafts were sensible for Hanoi’s shallow rivers, lakes and swamps, which can not provide solid anchorage or natural shelter from storms. The flat design better weathered the seasonal typhoons that lash the northern part of Vietnam, and is better adapted to coastal and river fishing. The bamboo poles from which the rafts were constructed were sold one block east on Hang Tre Street.
Cau Go Street
Meaning "Wooden Bridge," Cau Go Street is located one block north of the Lake of the Restored Sword, and was in fact the location of a wooden bridge. About 150 years ago, the bridge crossed a thin stream of water connecting the Thai Cuc Lake with the Lake of the Restored Sword. Dyers from the neighboring Silk Street set out their silk to dry or bleached their fabric beside the bridge. Under the French occupation, the lake and stream were filled as health measures and to increase buildable land. The little wooden bridge became a regular street.
On the edge of the lake, women in wide brimmed hats once sold armfuls of flowers to the French for a few coins. Today a flower market exists where the Cau Go alley intersects with the main street. Other historical sites on Cau Go are the secret headquarters and hiding place of the 1930-45 "Love the Country" resistance movement.
Cau Go today is a commercial street specializing in women’s accessories.
Hang Dao Street
This street is one of Vietnam’s oldest streets. It serves as a main axis running from north to south, cutting the Old Quarter in half. In the French Colonial time, Hang Dao Street was a center for the trading of silk products. On the first and sixth days of the lunar month, there were fairs for the sale of silk items. Shops also sold other types of fabric such as gauze, brocade, crepe, and muslin. Almost all the non-silk products were white.
In the beginning of the 15th century, this street was the location of the silk dyer guild from the Hai Hung Province, which specialized in a deep pink dye. Dao, the name of the street, refers to the pink of apricot blossoms, which are symbolic of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The demand for this special color was so high that the fabric had to be dyed at other locations as well
Cafe Lan @ Hanoi
One of Hanoi's oldest cafés, this slightly musty one-room establishment is practically a historical monument. Its proprietor, Nguyen Lam, provided coffee and often loans to the city's impoverished artist community during the war, and rumor has it that he is sitting on an art collection now worth a fortune. He serves Vietnamese-style hot and iced coffee (with thick, sweet condensed milk) to a crowd of faithful regulars.
Café Lam
60 Nguyen Huu HuanHanoi Vietnam
Café Lam
60 Nguyen Huu HuanHanoi Vietnam
Vietnam Language
The Banquet Manager has taught me some easy Vietnamese as below:-
1. Greeting - Xin Choa
2. Goodbye - Tam biet
3. Thank you - Com on
4. How much - Boa rhieu tien
5. Beef noodle - pho bo
1. Greeting - Xin Choa
2. Goodbye - Tam biet
3. Thank you - Com on
4. How much - Boa rhieu tien
5. Beef noodle - pho bo
General Tips: During Your Stay
It is very important to enjoy yourself when on a trip, whether it be for business or pleasure and you must not be constantly thinking about what you should or should not be doing. Instead the tips below are meant purely as a guide, for you to take some points from and others to leave all together.
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
Try to look as if you know where you are going, this may not be so easy if after all it is the first ever time in that country, but even still look confident as IF you know.
Carrying maps around looking perplexed, and stopping to look at monuments or buildings, obviously shows that you are from out of town, and may attract the wrong type of attention.
Using travellers cheques, will always be helpful, as will using a credit card for any purchases made so that you can take advantage of the additional insurance offered.
Do NOT pull large amounts of cash out of your pocket. This will catch attention, no matter what country you are in. It sounds so silly, but it is amazing how many people pull out a mound of cash to be some small item. We see it all the time in Thailand, and it always amazes us. There have been times when even we were tempted to follow the guy and........ rest assured we didn't !
Try to think about where you are going that day and carry sufficient cash for that and any unforeseen extras, plus a card. That should cover all you need and will limit any losses if anything did happen.
Do NOT accept drinks from anybody that you have just met, especially if in dubious surroundings or do not know, they could be laced with any type of concoction.
Try not to go on "wonderful trips" or to a "super shopping centre" rides with people who approach you in the street. This could lead anywhere, and will probably cost you a lot more than by taking a normal taxi. Ask your concierge or read through this site.
Check on your first day whether you need to reconfirm your next flight, if so do it then. Some airlines do not require this anymore but it is still worthwhile calling them so that they at least have your contact details, in case the flight is delayed or whatever.
Do not carry your passport around, leave it in the safe in your hotel. A photocopy will suffice if local law states that you need to.
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
Try to look as if you know where you are going, this may not be so easy if after all it is the first ever time in that country, but even still look confident as IF you know.
Carrying maps around looking perplexed, and stopping to look at monuments or buildings, obviously shows that you are from out of town, and may attract the wrong type of attention.
Using travellers cheques, will always be helpful, as will using a credit card for any purchases made so that you can take advantage of the additional insurance offered.
Do NOT pull large amounts of cash out of your pocket. This will catch attention, no matter what country you are in. It sounds so silly, but it is amazing how many people pull out a mound of cash to be some small item. We see it all the time in Thailand, and it always amazes us. There have been times when even we were tempted to follow the guy and........ rest assured we didn't !
Try to think about where you are going that day and carry sufficient cash for that and any unforeseen extras, plus a card. That should cover all you need and will limit any losses if anything did happen.
Do NOT accept drinks from anybody that you have just met, especially if in dubious surroundings or do not know, they could be laced with any type of concoction.
Try not to go on "wonderful trips" or to a "super shopping centre" rides with people who approach you in the street. This could lead anywhere, and will probably cost you a lot more than by taking a normal taxi. Ask your concierge or read through this site.
Check on your first day whether you need to reconfirm your next flight, if so do it then. Some airlines do not require this anymore but it is still worthwhile calling them so that they at least have your contact details, in case the flight is delayed or whatever.
Do not carry your passport around, leave it in the safe in your hotel. A photocopy will suffice if local law states that you need to.
Travel Tips :Cut The Stress Out of Frequent Travel
According to a World Bank study and Hyatt Hotel survey, insurance claims for health problems tend to increase among employees who travel often. In fact, employees who travel overseas are twice as likely to file health claims for psychological problems (male travellers are 80% and female travelling executives are 18% more likely to file such claims).Corporate travellers are up to three times as likely to suffer psychological disorders than their non-travelling colleagues, finds a study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The more business trips that are taken, the greater is the likelihood of a person making a medical claim.The dramatic and sudden changes in climate, daily routine and sleep pattern, as well as unfamiliar cultures, high intensity workload and separation from loved ones are likely to compound the physical and mental stress of travel. Here are some areas that you can watch out for to control your stress levels.Pack A DealDon't deal with packing, rather, just stay packed. Instead of having to deal with the stress of last minute or constant packing, try to keep a travel case that is always ready. I used to wait until the last minute to pack and I always forgot something important.Then one day in Moldova, the thought hit me that I always repack the same clothes. When I arrived home, I went to the Internet and did a search under "travel clothes". I am now the proud owner of five travel certified wrinkle resistance shirts (three dress, two informal), three travel pants (with all kinds of hidden pockets) and a really amazing sports coat that can double as a pillow without wrinkling.Here's the clincher: I make my boss pay for my laundry! When I use the hotel laundry, my clothes are packed so nicely with little pieces of cardboard and in a plastic bag. So this is what I do: At the end of the trip, I have one set of dirty clothes that I put in a plastic bag and place back in the suitcase. On the next trip, this goes into the hotel laundry. Voila! No more packing, I just set the suitcase aside for the next trip.Take It SlowI was the sort of flyer who would always try to get that last thing done at the office and then rush to the airport worried that I might miss the plane. The enlightening moment, in this case, was at the Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg.I clearly remembered saying to myself that I hate this (travelling). My next thought was that I am going to have to somehow change my attitude or I will be spending half my life stressed out and hating what I do. I went to the Business Class lounge, cancelled my flight that was leaving in 15 minutes and rebooked for the next flight leaving in three hours. I then went to the bookstore and got a good read. Going back to the lounge, I got a gin and tonic and life has never been the same since. I now look forward to the airport.Waiting for the plane is now a special time for me. This is my time to relax and adjust to the transition from office to road trip. One well-known way of dealing effectively with stress is to slow down, which is the technique here. Try moving, talking and behaving in a more relaxed, slower manner during your next trip to the airport and see if it actually allows some of your stress to ebb away.Reward YourselfTake a break and reward yourself. Sure you're on a working trip but often close by to your destination are some wonderfully exotic and exciting things to see or do. I was recently on a trip to Pakistan where I was dealing with the post traumatic stress of witnessing a beheading (that sure was stressful!).Close by were some of the most impressive ruins in the world from the Indus River Culture. I got up at 5.30 am, hired a driver from the hotel, had a wonderful time and made it back for the 10 am meeting. When I think of that trip now, the memory is of the country's wonderful and ancient culture. On a trip to Paris a few years ago, I went and saw the Mona Lisa for 10 short minutes, which was all I had. I just sat and admired her.Reward yourself by engaging in something pleasurable and you will decrease stress and realise a boost in the disease-fighting quality of your immune system for several days. By the way, I gave up planning ahead of time what to see or do as I found this too stressful.Stay In TouchOn a recent trip, my teenager's response to my call home was to scream to another sibling, "It's just Dad again, calling from some place in Antarctica I think. He said you have to talk to him." What a warm wonderful feeling for Dad to know he has absolutely normal teenagers even if they don't want to talk.This brings me to the fourth strategy: stay in touch with home. Phone calls or even e-mail can give you a fun break from the 24-hour demands of business travel and it reassures both you and your loved ones that you are still a family, no matter how many miles separate you. It can also reduce the stress of readjusting to home life after the trip is over.There is nothing more relaxing than asking the kids how they did in the track meet or what they did over the weekend. By the way, never ask how your kids performed in their exams. From my experience, this is not relaxing.It is now less expensive from many locations overseas to make international calls but whatever the price, I just consider it as one of the costs of having a job with a lot of travel involved.Eat RightWhat you eat can promote or relieve stress, and help or hinder the body in how it handles the physical stress response. Stay healthy and stress-resistant by taking time out for good meals. When I travel, I find eating to be one of the most enjoyable parts of travel. I focus on the four basic food groups: Tex-Mex, Asian, Continental and Middle Eastern. If you are stressed out and need a break from anxiety, try asking those around you to recommend a great place to eat.Get Some SleepI have found that the frequent traveller's best friend is a set of soft earplugs, neck pillow and eye covers. Lack of adequate sleep can make you moody, angry and more vulnerable to illness and stress.Work That BodyEveryone knows that physical activity is one of the most effective stress-management techniques around. When things do not go exactly as they should, you may be tempted to skip your workout because you're feeling stressed.If this happens, remind yourself that exercise will help relieve those feelings of stress and improve your problem-solving ability so that you can cope better with the inevitable challenges and opportunities of travel.To work away your tension and fortify yourself against the negative physical effects of travel stress, try taking a walk. My most vivid memory of Moscow is a cool crisp 40-minute walk early in the morning to Red Square. A good swim in the hotel pool is also a very effective way to get in some exercise.Take NotesWriting down your feelings in a diary may help relieve stress. I find writing about what I have seen and experienced to be an effective way to demonstrate to myself the wonderful aspects of travel. This is what I recently wrote on one of my many "field trips". "I felt as though I had been plumped upon another planet or into another geologic horizon of which man had no knowledge or memory." - Richard Evelyn Byrd. Flying down the Antarctica Peninsula, there are towering mountains that rise abruptly out of the sea shrouded with thick glaciers. The sea is alive with icebergs of fanciful shape and impossible hue floating on glossy waters, like rough-cut diamonds scattered by a giant unseen hand. Antarctica's ethereal landscape shimmers with a savage beauty and raw power that exceeded the expectations of even a jaded traveller like me.A study done at John Hopkins eight years ago showed that people who wrote down some of their adventures, be they positive or negative experiences, showed improved mental health and were better able to cope with travel stress.The Best MedicineLaughter is one of the healthiest antidotes to stress. When we laugh or even smile, blood flow to the brain is increased, endorphins (painkilling hormones that give us a sense of well being) are released, and levels of stress hormones drop.Establish Travel RitualsPeople who have high stress in their lives tend to live in an environment without ritual, surrounded by mental and physical chaos. Travel removes one from a lot of the established rituals of life. The nine examples given above are, by and large, rituals I have established for myself in a travel environment.Establishing rituals can help prevent and reduce stress by saving time. It can be a comfort factor in times of stress, when predictability and certainty reassure us that no matter how bad conditions get, some things remain constant
Travel tips : Getting An Upgrade To Business Class
Travelling comes in all shapes sizes and forms. We all have different tastes, some of us prefer small personalised hotels, others large and gold gilded hotels, others all inclusive and the list goes on. One thing that must be a constant though, comes in the form of air travel - we all enjoy being upgraded.
Whether you normally travel in economy, or business class, it is always something that comes as a pleasurable surprise when we learn that we have been upgraded, at no cost to ourselves.
Although pleasurable, and not something that most of us would turn down, upgrades can be a rather damaging thing. If you normally travel in economy class, due to the price of the ticket, then an upgrade to business will open your eyes to a new world that can very easily damage your view and enjoyment of travelling back in "coach". The same applies to a certain extent from business to first. We have heard many a frequent traveller praise the airline for upgrading them and then admit ' I wish they hadn't as it is going to be so difficult to fly again in the back of the bus.....'
Of course this is what the airlines are hoping for, they are hoping that the upgrade they have given to you, will convert an economy class traveller to business and business to first. The upgrades are also used as a loyalty bonus and a way to say thank you for your business, or if you want the truth - a way to get the airlines out of a spot of trouble because of over booking.
Most airlines upgrade passengers because they overbook their flights. This happens because the airlines have to count into their figures a certain amount of cancellations and a few no shows, when the passengers do turn up then the airline needs space, especially at the back of the plane and this is when the upgrading begins.
The first thing you need to do is join the airlines frequent flyer programme. Almost every airline in the world has its own frequent flyer programme, and to make our lives as complicated as possible they are all different! Not to make things any simpler these programmes then fall into different world alliances that include many different airlines each, such as the largest, Star Alliance and the more recent One World (as this topic is so large we will cover it on a different page, in the airline section).
Joining the club is free and normally will mean points for each mile of travel earned, and lots of other bonuses that can be used towards free flights and other goodies. Regarding upgrades, then the holders of the airlines frequent flyer club will have priority. That is to say if the airline needs to upgrade, then they will check who is a member and then upgrade them subject to their status. So if you are the only member on the plane, you stand a very good chance of turning left rather than right upon boarding.
The complication to this rule is in the status of the membership, most clubs have different membership levels, and obviously the higher your status the more priority you have.
If you are fortunate to be of the higher membership level, then there are a few little tricks to help you get upgraded. These tricks do not always work, and may even have a little risk attached, but are worth a try and are probably the best shot you have of being upgraded. If when you book your flight ask the airline if the flight is busy, if you can get onto the busiest flight or even ask to be waitlisted and you do manage to get onto that plane then there is a very good chance that you will be upgraded, for the reasons mentioned earlier. This also means however that if you are not upgraded then you will end up on a very busy plane !
The search for an upgrade does not stop here, however. Whether you are a member or not it is worthwhile being nice to the person who checks you in, they may not (and normally do not) have the authority to upgrade at their own discretion but the check-in staff can help. Ask the staff to put a message in the system that if there is to be any upgrades you would really appreciate being included.
At this stage of the flight (check-in) it does help to be dressed suitably although not as helpful as most people would have you believe. There have been many reports on how to get upgraded and a lot do stress the importance of your appearance, it is not half as important as being a member of the club or even just being nice to the man or lady at check in, but does help.
First and Business class has improved enormously over the past few years. Virgin offers massages in flight and is introducing double beds to its Upper Class cabin, All Nippon Airways has two work stations on some of its' flights that allows you to sit at a desk and work on your lap top using a special electric supply, Singapore Airlines has a full bed in its first class cabin that has a 17 inch television with remote to give you a real media experience in-flight, and the list goes on an on.
At the end of the day getting upgraded is not an easy thing to achieve, however joining the frequent flyer programme will definitely help and will offer you a whole world of other benefits. Good Luck !
Whether you normally travel in economy, or business class, it is always something that comes as a pleasurable surprise when we learn that we have been upgraded, at no cost to ourselves.
Although pleasurable, and not something that most of us would turn down, upgrades can be a rather damaging thing. If you normally travel in economy class, due to the price of the ticket, then an upgrade to business will open your eyes to a new world that can very easily damage your view and enjoyment of travelling back in "coach". The same applies to a certain extent from business to first. We have heard many a frequent traveller praise the airline for upgrading them and then admit ' I wish they hadn't as it is going to be so difficult to fly again in the back of the bus.....'
Of course this is what the airlines are hoping for, they are hoping that the upgrade they have given to you, will convert an economy class traveller to business and business to first. The upgrades are also used as a loyalty bonus and a way to say thank you for your business, or if you want the truth - a way to get the airlines out of a spot of trouble because of over booking.
Most airlines upgrade passengers because they overbook their flights. This happens because the airlines have to count into their figures a certain amount of cancellations and a few no shows, when the passengers do turn up then the airline needs space, especially at the back of the plane and this is when the upgrading begins.
The first thing you need to do is join the airlines frequent flyer programme. Almost every airline in the world has its own frequent flyer programme, and to make our lives as complicated as possible they are all different! Not to make things any simpler these programmes then fall into different world alliances that include many different airlines each, such as the largest, Star Alliance and the more recent One World (as this topic is so large we will cover it on a different page, in the airline section).
Joining the club is free and normally will mean points for each mile of travel earned, and lots of other bonuses that can be used towards free flights and other goodies. Regarding upgrades, then the holders of the airlines frequent flyer club will have priority. That is to say if the airline needs to upgrade, then they will check who is a member and then upgrade them subject to their status. So if you are the only member on the plane, you stand a very good chance of turning left rather than right upon boarding.
The complication to this rule is in the status of the membership, most clubs have different membership levels, and obviously the higher your status the more priority you have.
If you are fortunate to be of the higher membership level, then there are a few little tricks to help you get upgraded. These tricks do not always work, and may even have a little risk attached, but are worth a try and are probably the best shot you have of being upgraded. If when you book your flight ask the airline if the flight is busy, if you can get onto the busiest flight or even ask to be waitlisted and you do manage to get onto that plane then there is a very good chance that you will be upgraded, for the reasons mentioned earlier. This also means however that if you are not upgraded then you will end up on a very busy plane !
The search for an upgrade does not stop here, however. Whether you are a member or not it is worthwhile being nice to the person who checks you in, they may not (and normally do not) have the authority to upgrade at their own discretion but the check-in staff can help. Ask the staff to put a message in the system that if there is to be any upgrades you would really appreciate being included.
At this stage of the flight (check-in) it does help to be dressed suitably although not as helpful as most people would have you believe. There have been many reports on how to get upgraded and a lot do stress the importance of your appearance, it is not half as important as being a member of the club or even just being nice to the man or lady at check in, but does help.
First and Business class has improved enormously over the past few years. Virgin offers massages in flight and is introducing double beds to its Upper Class cabin, All Nippon Airways has two work stations on some of its' flights that allows you to sit at a desk and work on your lap top using a special electric supply, Singapore Airlines has a full bed in its first class cabin that has a 17 inch television with remote to give you a real media experience in-flight, and the list goes on an on.
At the end of the day getting upgraded is not an easy thing to achieve, however joining the frequent flyer programme will definitely help and will offer you a whole world of other benefits. Good Luck !
Travel tips : Culture Shock
I have traveled to a few countries that knowing the local culture in advance will help a lot and the followin an article from the internet that hope will help you guys out there.
Culture Shock is not something that people generally get on a holiday but as soon as your boss calls you into the office and says "Hi John, we value you so much we want you to head our Hong Kong operations !" you really need to start thinking about the implications and how you are going to avoid this condition. It is not so much as a life threatening disease, but it can lead to some very serious problems if you do not take a few precautions.
Culture shock is definitely a serious condition that needs to be watched, and checked upon. I personally have suffered from it on numerous occasions and yes sleep deprivation, mood swings, and depression are all in there.
Travelling to a new destination with unusual habits and traditions can be a very traumatic experience, a little research before you leave will help tremendously but the most important thing is to actually leave with an open mind. A lot of people fly off without any research and expect things to be done in exactly the same way and at the same speed as they were at home, well this just isn't going to happen, and it is very important to try to understand the culture religion and people of the country that you are travelling to.
The culture shock selection of books are a very good starting place, but one that you will not really understand fully until you are actually in the country mingling with the locals. One interesting point of this can be found in the book Culture Shock Thailand (check our book reviews here), Thai people are among the nicest people in the world but it is a very different world from let's say the UK. The book explains a good deal about Thai culture and traditions and it explains how Thais smile their way out of an embarrassing situation and look down on those that don't. The book then puts this into a couple of different examples, to try to ensure that the reader understands. One such example is that if you are walking down the street and someone throws dirty water over you from a doorway, you should smile at the person that did this, showing your forgiveness, this should help clear the air and the person will most likely go out of there way to help you clean up, imagine this happening in London ! Thais shy away from confrontation, and this is one of the many aspects that make them such a happy and kind nation.
If as an expatriate you are moving to a country with severe Culture Shock such as perhaps Cambodia, or Vietnam, then even more research would be needed. Nowadays you can do a lot more research than was ever possible with the growth of the internet. You can see pictures of pretty much every destination in the world and even read restaurant, hotel and bar reviews without having even left your office. It is also advisable to stay away from a lot of the other expats especially before you leave and for while after you arrive in the destination, a lot of expats can be very negative about a country, even though they continue to stay there and this is not something that you need when you have just travelled half way around the world. Instead leave with an open mind and make your own judgements about the place after you have started to understand it a little.
One of the biggest causes though of Culture Shock is language. It will make an enormous amount of difference to you if you learn a little or as much as possible of the local language before you leave. Take up classes and practice it as much as you can; if you are studying Thai, eat out at Thai restaurants and try to practice your Thai. This small step will make your life a lot simpler and will also give you immediate respect when you arrive in the foreign country, not to mention open many new doors. If you show an interest in the other persons language and culture they will show an interest in you.
If you are being relocated by your company try to find out a little about the living conditions in that country and the package that the company offers you. Will they supply you with hotel accommodation or will you be straight into an appartment or house ? Are you given a housing allowance and allowed to choose the accomodation yourself ? Will the company pay the deposits that the landlord requires etc. ? Will you have maids ? What about a car ? How many return trips will you have a year to your home country ? Will they be in economy or business class ? What about your family rights - the wife - the husband - the children ? How long is the posting for ? Will the company pay for repatriation due to illness, or unemployment ? Do they have limits to the amount of furniture that you can send over but most importantly bring back ? Will they cover these charges ? Do they have any restrictions as to how you send these things ? Do they offer you insurance that is suitable for the country that you are travelling to ?
So now that you have read up on the country, searched millions of web pages, have learnt a little of the language, and are happy with the package that the company is offering you, you are ready to leave.
When you arrive it is important to fit in, get a feel for the place, the smells, the sounds. I would suggest just walking for a day or two experiencing the mystique of the new land you have just discovered. After a while when you are feeling a little more at home join a club, and make friends socially outside of your regular work patterns, and try to meet and befriend as many locals a you can, so that you will really get a deeper understanding of where you and most probably appreciate the differences in culture a lot more.
Culture Shock basically comes from a lack of understanding and built up anxiety, and can be caused by the most minute things, building up. One time in Hong Kong a colleague seemed to be literally screaming at the waitress in Cantonese, I was very anxious and asked what was wrong, my colleague looked very confused as to why I was asking the question and she simply replied that she was ordering some water !
All in all every expat has had his or her bad days, and there are times you just want to get on a plane and fly back, however these days are minimal compared to the fun, and amazing discoveries that you will make. Once you are bitten by the spirit and feeling of adventure you are about to embark on, you will have more difficulty believe it or not, returning "home" than you imagined especially the longer you stay away.
Culture Shock is not something that people generally get on a holiday but as soon as your boss calls you into the office and says "Hi John, we value you so much we want you to head our Hong Kong operations !" you really need to start thinking about the implications and how you are going to avoid this condition. It is not so much as a life threatening disease, but it can lead to some very serious problems if you do not take a few precautions.
Culture shock is definitely a serious condition that needs to be watched, and checked upon. I personally have suffered from it on numerous occasions and yes sleep deprivation, mood swings, and depression are all in there.
Travelling to a new destination with unusual habits and traditions can be a very traumatic experience, a little research before you leave will help tremendously but the most important thing is to actually leave with an open mind. A lot of people fly off without any research and expect things to be done in exactly the same way and at the same speed as they were at home, well this just isn't going to happen, and it is very important to try to understand the culture religion and people of the country that you are travelling to.
The culture shock selection of books are a very good starting place, but one that you will not really understand fully until you are actually in the country mingling with the locals. One interesting point of this can be found in the book Culture Shock Thailand (check our book reviews here), Thai people are among the nicest people in the world but it is a very different world from let's say the UK. The book explains a good deal about Thai culture and traditions and it explains how Thais smile their way out of an embarrassing situation and look down on those that don't. The book then puts this into a couple of different examples, to try to ensure that the reader understands. One such example is that if you are walking down the street and someone throws dirty water over you from a doorway, you should smile at the person that did this, showing your forgiveness, this should help clear the air and the person will most likely go out of there way to help you clean up, imagine this happening in London ! Thais shy away from confrontation, and this is one of the many aspects that make them such a happy and kind nation.
If as an expatriate you are moving to a country with severe Culture Shock such as perhaps Cambodia, or Vietnam, then even more research would be needed. Nowadays you can do a lot more research than was ever possible with the growth of the internet. You can see pictures of pretty much every destination in the world and even read restaurant, hotel and bar reviews without having even left your office. It is also advisable to stay away from a lot of the other expats especially before you leave and for while after you arrive in the destination, a lot of expats can be very negative about a country, even though they continue to stay there and this is not something that you need when you have just travelled half way around the world. Instead leave with an open mind and make your own judgements about the place after you have started to understand it a little.
One of the biggest causes though of Culture Shock is language. It will make an enormous amount of difference to you if you learn a little or as much as possible of the local language before you leave. Take up classes and practice it as much as you can; if you are studying Thai, eat out at Thai restaurants and try to practice your Thai. This small step will make your life a lot simpler and will also give you immediate respect when you arrive in the foreign country, not to mention open many new doors. If you show an interest in the other persons language and culture they will show an interest in you.
If you are being relocated by your company try to find out a little about the living conditions in that country and the package that the company offers you. Will they supply you with hotel accommodation or will you be straight into an appartment or house ? Are you given a housing allowance and allowed to choose the accomodation yourself ? Will the company pay the deposits that the landlord requires etc. ? Will you have maids ? What about a car ? How many return trips will you have a year to your home country ? Will they be in economy or business class ? What about your family rights - the wife - the husband - the children ? How long is the posting for ? Will the company pay for repatriation due to illness, or unemployment ? Do they have limits to the amount of furniture that you can send over but most importantly bring back ? Will they cover these charges ? Do they have any restrictions as to how you send these things ? Do they offer you insurance that is suitable for the country that you are travelling to ?
So now that you have read up on the country, searched millions of web pages, have learnt a little of the language, and are happy with the package that the company is offering you, you are ready to leave.
When you arrive it is important to fit in, get a feel for the place, the smells, the sounds. I would suggest just walking for a day or two experiencing the mystique of the new land you have just discovered. After a while when you are feeling a little more at home join a club, and make friends socially outside of your regular work patterns, and try to meet and befriend as many locals a you can, so that you will really get a deeper understanding of where you and most probably appreciate the differences in culture a lot more.
Culture Shock basically comes from a lack of understanding and built up anxiety, and can be caused by the most minute things, building up. One time in Hong Kong a colleague seemed to be literally screaming at the waitress in Cantonese, I was very anxious and asked what was wrong, my colleague looked very confused as to why I was asking the question and she simply replied that she was ordering some water !
All in all every expat has had his or her bad days, and there are times you just want to get on a plane and fly back, however these days are minimal compared to the fun, and amazing discoveries that you will make. Once you are bitten by the spirit and feeling of adventure you are about to embark on, you will have more difficulty believe it or not, returning "home" than you imagined especially the longer you stay away.
Planning Your Trip - Guide to travel
When planning your trip, make sure that you find out about the wet and dry seasons, or other possible weather conditions that may affect your holiday. If you are using a travel agent then make sure that you ask about this, even though they should tell you.
· Ask your agent, or other sources to find out whether the hotel or even the destination has any work going on. Again the agent should tell you, however he/she may have over looked the hotel that is being built right next door.
· If you are travelling to an area that may be considered a 'hot zone' (possibly dangerous) then check with your insurance company to verify whether you will be covered in case something goes wrong. If they do not, and you still want to travel, then find one that will.
· If your itinerary may change, ensure that there are absolutely no charges if you do change the dates or times of flights. Ask your agent to fully explain the restrictions that may appear, on your ticket, to ensure that they meet with your needs.
· If you are flying with one of the alliances, such as Star or One World. Just verify with your agent what plane is going to be used. They should tell you, but it is surprising how often you will see people complaining that they expected to be on a Singapore Airline plane, not the Lufthansa one that they find themselves on. This is the result of the code share agreements that the airlines are using.
· If money is valuable and if you are buying a plane ticket on a certain airline and have been told that due to these code sharing agreements you will actually be flying on another airline. Then call around or check if you can buy any cheaper tickets on the actual airline that you will be flying. Believe it or not code share does not mean price share and you may be able to find much cheaper.
· It is recommended to buy your holiday using a credit card. This gives you the comfort of official records, and also additional insurance that comes with the card. One of the best for travel is American Express, where you can also transfer your points to your frequent flier programme
· Ask your agent, or other sources to find out whether the hotel or even the destination has any work going on. Again the agent should tell you, however he/she may have over looked the hotel that is being built right next door.
· If you are travelling to an area that may be considered a 'hot zone' (possibly dangerous) then check with your insurance company to verify whether you will be covered in case something goes wrong. If they do not, and you still want to travel, then find one that will.
· If your itinerary may change, ensure that there are absolutely no charges if you do change the dates or times of flights. Ask your agent to fully explain the restrictions that may appear, on your ticket, to ensure that they meet with your needs.
· If you are flying with one of the alliances, such as Star or One World. Just verify with your agent what plane is going to be used. They should tell you, but it is surprising how often you will see people complaining that they expected to be on a Singapore Airline plane, not the Lufthansa one that they find themselves on. This is the result of the code share agreements that the airlines are using.
· If money is valuable and if you are buying a plane ticket on a certain airline and have been told that due to these code sharing agreements you will actually be flying on another airline. Then call around or check if you can buy any cheaper tickets on the actual airline that you will be flying. Believe it or not code share does not mean price share and you may be able to find much cheaper.
· It is recommended to buy your holiday using a credit card. This gives you the comfort of official records, and also additional insurance that comes with the card. One of the best for travel is American Express, where you can also transfer your points to your frequent flier programme
Melia Hotel @ Hanoi
This is how the function room layout which taken a lot of time for preparation but everything turns out well.
Melia Hotel @ Hanoi
This is my first business trip to Vietnam and didn't know what to expect.
I am getting ready to conduct a presentation seminar for our customer so getting quite stressful.
This is the view from my room.
This is Melia Hotel, one of the 5 star hotel here. I am in charge for a seminar here.
I am getting ready to conduct a presentation seminar for our customer so getting quite stressful.
This is the view from my room.
This is Melia Hotel, one of the 5 star hotel here. I am in charge for a seminar here. Attractions In Hanoi
Attractions in and around Hanoi
The Perfume Pagoda
The pagoda, or rather an accumulation of several pagodas about 60 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of North Vietnam. The pagodas and shrines are in between and even inside various limestone caves. The grounds are a favourite destination for Vietnamese pilgrims.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The mausoleum, built from 1973 to 1975 in a style similar to that of the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow, is located at Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh publicly declared Vietnam's independence on September 2, 1945. Right after his death on September 3, 1969, Ho Chi Minh's body was embalmed by a team of Soviet experts. Visitors to the mausoleum are expected to behave devoutly.
Photo: Perfume Pagoda in the north of Vietnam - The pagoda, or rather an accumulation of several pagodas about 60 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of North Vietnam.
The One Pillar Pagoda
The One Pillar Pagoda is one of the few monuments of Vietnam dating back to the time of the founding of the first Vietnamese empire independent from China in the 11th century. However, the present pagoda is not the original building. After it has repeatedly been damaged or destroyed in its almost 1,000 years of existence, it was renovated and rebuilt over and over again. The last reconstruction took place in 1955, after the French colonial forces had blown it up before their retreat in 1954. The original pagoda had been constructed in 1049 under Emperor Ly Thai Tong, after a goddess had appeared in his dreams and allegedly handed a son to him.
The Temple of Literature
This pagoda and the surrounding complex have played a prominent role in the history of Vietnamese thinking. Originally it had been built in 1070 in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, whose teachings have influenced Vietnam almost as strongly as they have shaped China. This temple has been for centuries the place where exams for the rank of Mandarin were taken. The exams lasted for 35 days and were extremely difficult. In 1733, for instance, only 8 out of 3,000 candidates passed the exams.
Halong Bay
Halong Bay, located about 170 kilometers east of Hanoi near the most important North Vietnamese port city of Haiphong, is of a breathtaking scenic beauty. More than 3,000 islands, islets and limestone rocks rise from the waters of the bay. The coast is rocky and perforated by numerous caves and grottoes with ancient stalactite and stalagmite formations. Halong Bay has a fairylike landscape and has indeed for centuries inspired Vietnamese poets.
The Perfume Pagoda
The pagoda, or rather an accumulation of several pagodas about 60 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of North Vietnam. The pagodas and shrines are in between and even inside various limestone caves. The grounds are a favourite destination for Vietnamese pilgrims.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The mausoleum, built from 1973 to 1975 in a style similar to that of the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow, is located at Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh publicly declared Vietnam's independence on September 2, 1945. Right after his death on September 3, 1969, Ho Chi Minh's body was embalmed by a team of Soviet experts. Visitors to the mausoleum are expected to behave devoutly.
Photo: Perfume Pagoda in the north of Vietnam - The pagoda, or rather an accumulation of several pagodas about 60 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of North Vietnam.
The One Pillar Pagoda
The One Pillar Pagoda is one of the few monuments of Vietnam dating back to the time of the founding of the first Vietnamese empire independent from China in the 11th century. However, the present pagoda is not the original building. After it has repeatedly been damaged or destroyed in its almost 1,000 years of existence, it was renovated and rebuilt over and over again. The last reconstruction took place in 1955, after the French colonial forces had blown it up before their retreat in 1954. The original pagoda had been constructed in 1049 under Emperor Ly Thai Tong, after a goddess had appeared in his dreams and allegedly handed a son to him.
The Temple of Literature
This pagoda and the surrounding complex have played a prominent role in the history of Vietnamese thinking. Originally it had been built in 1070 in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, whose teachings have influenced Vietnam almost as strongly as they have shaped China. This temple has been for centuries the place where exams for the rank of Mandarin were taken. The exams lasted for 35 days and were extremely difficult. In 1733, for instance, only 8 out of 3,000 candidates passed the exams.
Halong Bay
Halong Bay, located about 170 kilometers east of Hanoi near the most important North Vietnamese port city of Haiphong, is of a breathtaking scenic beauty. More than 3,000 islands, islets and limestone rocks rise from the waters of the bay. The coast is rocky and perforated by numerous caves and grottoes with ancient stalactite and stalagmite formations. Halong Bay has a fairylike landscape and has indeed for centuries inspired Vietnamese poets.
Entry Regulations
Entry Regulations
Every Western visitor to Vietnam needs to have a visa. Visa for Vietnam are not as easily available as for instance visa for Thailand.
It is in general only possible to procure the visa by yourself, when you are travelling on business matters or on an official mission. In both cases you need an invitation letter, either from your Vietnamese business partner (at best a government organization) or from the Vietnamese government office which you will deal with on an official mission.
The Vietnamese business partner or government agency should send the invitation directly to the embassy where the foreigner intends to apply for his visa. When the foreigner appears at the embassy, he or she will have to refer to that invitation letter.
Apart from that, in order to give some weight to the individual visa application, it is recommended to bring along all correspondence ever exchanged with the Vietnamese business partner or government agency.
Tourist visa for Vietnam are easily obtained, if you book a package arrangement with a travel agent. In general, the Vietnamese government is not particularly interested in visitors, travelling on their own.
Bangkok is considered the place where one has the best chance to get a tourist visa for Vietnam without being booked on a package tour. But even in Bangkok, individual travellers cannot just enter the embassy and apply for a visa by themselves. Even those, who have not booked an arrangement with a travel agent, will have to turn to a travel office to have a Vietnam visa issued. Travel offices in Bangkok taking care of Vietnam visas for individual travellers usually charge comparatively high fees of about US $ 70.
There are no problems in obtaining a visa for those, who book a Vietnam arrangement with a travel agent. To provide a Vietnam visa usually is part of the services of the travel agent handling an arranged tour.
Visa formalities are not limited to the issuing of a visa for the period of the journey.
Vietnam is one of the most bureaucratic countries of Southeast Asia. For a journey to Vietnam it is not sufficient to just be in possession of a visa for the duration of the stay. The visa must also detail the place of entry to and exit from the country, as well as the mode of transport one uses.
Every Western visitor to Vietnam needs to have a visa. Visa for Vietnam are not as easily available as for instance visa for Thailand.
It is in general only possible to procure the visa by yourself, when you are travelling on business matters or on an official mission. In both cases you need an invitation letter, either from your Vietnamese business partner (at best a government organization) or from the Vietnamese government office which you will deal with on an official mission.
The Vietnamese business partner or government agency should send the invitation directly to the embassy where the foreigner intends to apply for his visa. When the foreigner appears at the embassy, he or she will have to refer to that invitation letter.
Apart from that, in order to give some weight to the individual visa application, it is recommended to bring along all correspondence ever exchanged with the Vietnamese business partner or government agency.
Tourist visa for Vietnam are easily obtained, if you book a package arrangement with a travel agent. In general, the Vietnamese government is not particularly interested in visitors, travelling on their own.
Bangkok is considered the place where one has the best chance to get a tourist visa for Vietnam without being booked on a package tour. But even in Bangkok, individual travellers cannot just enter the embassy and apply for a visa by themselves. Even those, who have not booked an arrangement with a travel agent, will have to turn to a travel office to have a Vietnam visa issued. Travel offices in Bangkok taking care of Vietnam visas for individual travellers usually charge comparatively high fees of about US $ 70.
There are no problems in obtaining a visa for those, who book a Vietnam arrangement with a travel agent. To provide a Vietnam visa usually is part of the services of the travel agent handling an arranged tour.
Visa formalities are not limited to the issuing of a visa for the period of the journey.
Vietnam is one of the most bureaucratic countries of Southeast Asia. For a journey to Vietnam it is not sufficient to just be in possession of a visa for the duration of the stay. The visa must also detail the place of entry to and exit from the country, as well as the mode of transport one uses.
History Of Vietnam
History
The Kingdom of Funan
In the 1st century of Christian reckoning the kingdom of Funan establishes itself in the Mekong delta, which today is Vietnamese territory. The founders of this kingdom have probably been Indian immigrants. In subsequent centuries Funan develops into a seafaring merchant power without expanding into a state with a large land area.
Photo: Vietnamese Temple
It is strategically well located to become a trading power as in those days ships travelled almost exclusively close to the coastline and the land tip of the Mekong delta was an important stopover on the sea route between China and the Malay realms on the Malay Peninsula, on Sumatra and on Java.
In the 6th century the kingdom of Funan dissolves. An important reason for the decline of Funan is the improved seafaring technology allowing ships to stray farther from the coasts. Funan is conquered by the kingdom of Champa, which has established itself to the North of Funan.
The Kingdom of Champa
In the 2nd century of Christian reckoning, the kingdom of Champa establishes itself in the area modern-day Danang. It is founded by the people of the Chams, who are ethnically not related to the Vietnamese but probably have immigrated from an area today belonging to Indonesia. While the kingdom of Funan to the South of Champa was hardly influenced by China, the kingdom of Champa, during the 1,600 years of its history, repeatedly suffers Chinese overlordship.
Apart from that, Champa has to balance between two immediate neighbours stronger in numbers of population and in military terms: Vietnam to the North and the realm of the Khmer (Cambodians) to the South. Like Funan, the kingdom of Champa principally is a seafaring merchant power ruling over only a small land area.
In 1471 the armies of the Vietnamese Le Dynasty conquer the kingdom of Champa. About 60,000 Champa soldiers are slain, another 60,000 are abducted into Vietnamese slavery. The kingdom of Champa is reduced to a small area around the present-day Vietnamese city of Nha Trang.
When in 1720 a new attack by Vietnamese armies threatens the kingdom of Champa, the entire nation of the Cham emigrates to the Southwest, into an area north of lake Tonle Sap in present-day Cambodia.
During the Cambodian Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975 to 1979, some 100,000 of 250,000 Chams die or are killed.
Vietnamese Dynasties
In 1010 the first Vietnamese Ly Dynasty emperor who is independent from China establishes himself in Thang Long (present-day Hanoi). Before that, for more than 1,000 years, the Vietnamese core land (the delta of the Red River, flowing into the Tonkin Bay of the South China Sea) was either just a Chinese province or ruled by Vietnamese dynasties more or less accepting Chinese overlordship.
During these more than 1,000 years, when China more or less directly ruled over the Vietnamese, but also after Vietnamese dynasties had gained independence, China influenced Vietnamese culture and government structures enormously. The basic foundations of the Vietnamese culture and its government structures are the teachings of Confucius (551-479 B.C.). Vietnamese dynasties and the Vietnamese emperors' courts, in architectural as well as political matters, follow the structural examples of Beijing; well into the 20th century official Vietnamese publications used Chinese script.
In 1471, after the Vietnamese empire had slowly expanded to the South in previous decades, an army of the Vietnamese Le Dynasty conquers the kingdom of Champa with its center in the present-day Danang area. The kingdom of Champa is reduced to a small state around Nha Trang.
In the 18th century the Vietnamese expand farther to the South into the Mekong delta, an area that until then had been settled by Khmers (Cambodians). The Khmers are pushed to the West into an area roughly covering present-day Cambodia.
Colonial Times
In 1859 French troops conquer Saigon. The French intervention was triggered by the persecution of Christians in the Vietnamese empire, which started in the 30's of the 19th century. The first European missionary executed in the Vietnamese capital of Hué was Frenchman François Isidore Gagelin. He was publicly strangled. Between 1848 and 1860, 25 European priests, some 3,000 Vietnamese priests and more than 30,000 Vietnamese Catholics are executed.
In 1862 the Vietnamese emperor Tu Duc surrenders South Vietnam to the French, who set up their colony of Cochin China. Apart from that, Emperor Tu Duc has to assure an end to the persecution of Christians.
In 1883 France forces the yet uncolonialized part of Vietnam to accept the status of a French protectorate. Administratively the French divide the country into the colony Cochin China (in the South) and the protectorates Annam (central Vietnam) and Tonkin (North Vietnam).
In September 1940, after the conquest of France by German armies, Japanese troops occupy Indochina without meeting any resistance. Officially the word is that the French colonial power leaves all military installation for the Japanese to use; in response the French colonial administration remains in office. Therefore the years of World War II mean less war activity and destruction for Vietnam than, for instance, the fiercely contended Southeast Asian states of Burma and the Philippines.
With the Japanese capitulation on August 14, 1945, World War II ends in East Asia. France attempts to establish herself again as colonial power in Vietnam.
The Vietnam Wars
On September 2, 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh publicly declares Vietnam independent. While in South Vietnam the communist Viet Minh engage the French colonial administration in a guerrilla war, starting right after the declaration of independence, Ho Chi Minh, in his position as leader of the independence movement in North Vietnam, decides to negotiate with France. His reason: at that time there are more than 180,000 nationalist Chinese troops in North Vietnam; the Viet Minh in North Vietnam feel not strong enough to conduct their liberation war simultaneously against the French colonial forces and the Chinese troops.
In 1946, after the French had rebuilt their colonial administration in Vietnam, Chinese nationalists agree on a retreat of Chinese troops from Vietnam. This being accomplished, the Viet Minh increase their attacks against French colonial forces and installations in both South and North Vietnam. While the French succeed in keeping the cities under their control, the countryside is increasingly ruled by the Viet Minh.
On November 20, 1953, the French colonial forces install a garrison of 16,000 troops in Dien Bien Phu, a broad valley in the rough mountains along the border of North Vietnam and Northern Laos. From Dien Bien Phu the French intend to control the border region between the two countries. This is deemed necessary because the Viet Minh provide the communist movement in Laos, Pathet Lao, with arms.
The French military believed the valley of Dien Bien Phu, 19 kilometres long and 13 kilometres wide, to be safe from attacks by the Viet Minh. Nevertheless, in the following weeks and months Vietnamese troops under General Giap prepare to attack Dien Bien Phu. With the help of up to 200,000 porters, the Viet Minh manage to transport heavy artillery up the mountains surrounding the valley of Dien Bien Phu.
In March 1954 the Viet Minh commence their attack on the French garrison of Dien Bien Phu. On May 7, 1954, they conquer the French command center; 9,500 French colonial troops surrender. It is one of the gravest defeats in the history of the French colonial forces.
More than 20,000 Viet Minh and more than 3,000 French were killed in the battle for Dien Bien Phu. In the war between the Viet Minh and the French, which overall lasted for nine years, up to one million civilians, 200,000 to 300,000 Viet Minh and some 95,000 French colonial troops lost their lives.
On July 20, 1954 in Geneva, negotiators of the Viet Minh and France agree on the division of Vietnam into two states: a communist North Vietnam and a capitalist South-Vietnam.
In the years 1959-1963 the communist government of North Vietnam, after first having assumed that the communist guerrillas of South Vietnam could topple the Diem government by themselves, steers a course of escalating military confrontation. More than 40,000 North Vietnamese guerrilla infiltrate the South and provide the South Vietnamese communists with arms and ammunition transported on the Ho Chi Minh Trail on Laotian and Cambodian territory.
In 1961, newly elected US president Kennedy sends the first 100 military advisors and a special unit of 400 soldiers to Vietnam. In the following year the US increase the presence of their troops in Vietnam to 11,000 soldiers.
On August 2, 1964, two American cruisers are fired at by North Vietnamese patrol boats in the Bay of Tonkin. The US insist that the cruisers had been in international waters and use the incident as an excuse to bomb targets in North Vietnam for the first time. Only in 1971 it becomes known that the two American warships had violated the territorial waters of North Vietnam.
In March 1965 the US Airforce starts Operation Rolling Thunder, the wide-scale American bombardment of North Vietnam. During the following three-and-a-half years more than twice as many bombs are dropped over North Vietnam than were dropped during the entire World War II.
To reduce the exposure of industrial installations and the country's population, North Vietnam responds with a total decentralization of its economy and the evacuation of large numbers of people from the cities.
At the peak of the Vietnam War, in 1968, the US have about half a million soldiers in Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand together sent another 90,000 troops. The South Vietnamese army at that time counts about 1.5 million men.
The National Liberation Front under communist leadership, named Vietcong by the US, opposes this contingent with 400,000 troops.
On February 1, 1968, the forces of the National Liberation Army begin their large-scale Tet offensive against targets in 105 South Vietnamese cities. Even though the Vietcong are repulsed successfully everywhere except in Hué, and even though the Vietcong suffer tremendous losses, the Tet offensive is considered the turning point of the Vietnam War.
For the US, the Tet offensive effects a change of attitude. After the Tet offensive the US government is no longer primarily interested in winning the war, but rather looks for ways to back out of it without loosing too much of its reputation as a great military power.
The US Operation Rolling Thunder, the carpet bombardments of North Vietnam by the US airforce, ends in October 1968. The US begin to withdraw troops from Vietnam.
In 1969 in Paris, the US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Vietcong start negotiating a full withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam.
In 1972, before the negotiations of Paris bring any results, the US reduce their troops in Vietnam to less than 100,000.
March 30, 1972 sees a communist spring offensive, not by the Vietcong but by conventional North Vietnamese troops crossing the demarcation line (the 17th degree of northern latitude) to invade South Vietnam. Intensive bombardments by American fighter planes force the North Vietnamese troops to retreat.
On January 27, 1973, a cease-fire agreement is signed in Paris and becomes effective that day. In March 1973 the last American troops leave Vietnam.
About two years later, North Vietnamese and Southern communist forces begin a large-scale offensive with the declared aim of a total victory over the South Vietnamese state. Only a few weeks later, on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops occupy Saigon and thus bring three decades of war to an end.
United Vietnam
Initially for fear of political persecution, later because of the difficult economic situation in Vietnam, increasing numbers of so-called boat people flee the country. Often they use boats definitely not fit to cross oceans.
According to international estimates at least one third of the boat people die during their flight - either because their boats capsize and sink, or because of insufficient provisions on board. Pirates pose an additional problem. They capture a refugee vessel, rob all possessions, rape the women and finally kill all people on board and sink the boat.
In 1979 alone, more than 270,000 boat people flee from Vietnam. In the first six months of that year, the Malaysian Coast Guard forces more than 40,000 Vietnamese boat people on 267 ships to leave Malaysian territorial waters and to return to the open sea, where the refugees, including children, are left to their fate, which, more often than not, means death.
On December 25, 1978, after a series of transgressions at the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, Vietnamese armies invade Cambodia. On January 7, 1979, Vietnamese troops occupy Phnom Penh. A Vietnam-friendly government is installed, Heng Samrin, a Khmer Rouge guerrilla who before had fled to Vietnam, is declared president.
The new Cambodian government is not recognized by Western countries. In 1989 Hanoi recalls the Vietnamese troops from Cambodia.
At its 6th party congress in 1986, and after a decade-long economic crisis, the Communist Party of Vietnam decides on a far-reaching program of economic reforms aiming to introduce a liberal economy. Since then the economic structures of Vietnam have become more and more capitalistic, although the Communist Party still remains the sole political power of the country.
The Kingdom of Funan
In the 1st century of Christian reckoning the kingdom of Funan establishes itself in the Mekong delta, which today is Vietnamese territory. The founders of this kingdom have probably been Indian immigrants. In subsequent centuries Funan develops into a seafaring merchant power without expanding into a state with a large land area.
Photo: Vietnamese Temple
It is strategically well located to become a trading power as in those days ships travelled almost exclusively close to the coastline and the land tip of the Mekong delta was an important stopover on the sea route between China and the Malay realms on the Malay Peninsula, on Sumatra and on Java.
In the 6th century the kingdom of Funan dissolves. An important reason for the decline of Funan is the improved seafaring technology allowing ships to stray farther from the coasts. Funan is conquered by the kingdom of Champa, which has established itself to the North of Funan.
The Kingdom of Champa
In the 2nd century of Christian reckoning, the kingdom of Champa establishes itself in the area modern-day Danang. It is founded by the people of the Chams, who are ethnically not related to the Vietnamese but probably have immigrated from an area today belonging to Indonesia. While the kingdom of Funan to the South of Champa was hardly influenced by China, the kingdom of Champa, during the 1,600 years of its history, repeatedly suffers Chinese overlordship.
Apart from that, Champa has to balance between two immediate neighbours stronger in numbers of population and in military terms: Vietnam to the North and the realm of the Khmer (Cambodians) to the South. Like Funan, the kingdom of Champa principally is a seafaring merchant power ruling over only a small land area.
In 1471 the armies of the Vietnamese Le Dynasty conquer the kingdom of Champa. About 60,000 Champa soldiers are slain, another 60,000 are abducted into Vietnamese slavery. The kingdom of Champa is reduced to a small area around the present-day Vietnamese city of Nha Trang.
When in 1720 a new attack by Vietnamese armies threatens the kingdom of Champa, the entire nation of the Cham emigrates to the Southwest, into an area north of lake Tonle Sap in present-day Cambodia.
During the Cambodian Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975 to 1979, some 100,000 of 250,000 Chams die or are killed.
Vietnamese Dynasties
In 1010 the first Vietnamese Ly Dynasty emperor who is independent from China establishes himself in Thang Long (present-day Hanoi). Before that, for more than 1,000 years, the Vietnamese core land (the delta of the Red River, flowing into the Tonkin Bay of the South China Sea) was either just a Chinese province or ruled by Vietnamese dynasties more or less accepting Chinese overlordship.
During these more than 1,000 years, when China more or less directly ruled over the Vietnamese, but also after Vietnamese dynasties had gained independence, China influenced Vietnamese culture and government structures enormously. The basic foundations of the Vietnamese culture and its government structures are the teachings of Confucius (551-479 B.C.). Vietnamese dynasties and the Vietnamese emperors' courts, in architectural as well as political matters, follow the structural examples of Beijing; well into the 20th century official Vietnamese publications used Chinese script.
In 1471, after the Vietnamese empire had slowly expanded to the South in previous decades, an army of the Vietnamese Le Dynasty conquers the kingdom of Champa with its center in the present-day Danang area. The kingdom of Champa is reduced to a small state around Nha Trang.
In the 18th century the Vietnamese expand farther to the South into the Mekong delta, an area that until then had been settled by Khmers (Cambodians). The Khmers are pushed to the West into an area roughly covering present-day Cambodia.
Colonial Times
In 1859 French troops conquer Saigon. The French intervention was triggered by the persecution of Christians in the Vietnamese empire, which started in the 30's of the 19th century. The first European missionary executed in the Vietnamese capital of Hué was Frenchman François Isidore Gagelin. He was publicly strangled. Between 1848 and 1860, 25 European priests, some 3,000 Vietnamese priests and more than 30,000 Vietnamese Catholics are executed.
In 1862 the Vietnamese emperor Tu Duc surrenders South Vietnam to the French, who set up their colony of Cochin China. Apart from that, Emperor Tu Duc has to assure an end to the persecution of Christians.
In 1883 France forces the yet uncolonialized part of Vietnam to accept the status of a French protectorate. Administratively the French divide the country into the colony Cochin China (in the South) and the protectorates Annam (central Vietnam) and Tonkin (North Vietnam).
In September 1940, after the conquest of France by German armies, Japanese troops occupy Indochina without meeting any resistance. Officially the word is that the French colonial power leaves all military installation for the Japanese to use; in response the French colonial administration remains in office. Therefore the years of World War II mean less war activity and destruction for Vietnam than, for instance, the fiercely contended Southeast Asian states of Burma and the Philippines.
With the Japanese capitulation on August 14, 1945, World War II ends in East Asia. France attempts to establish herself again as colonial power in Vietnam.
The Vietnam Wars
On September 2, 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh publicly declares Vietnam independent. While in South Vietnam the communist Viet Minh engage the French colonial administration in a guerrilla war, starting right after the declaration of independence, Ho Chi Minh, in his position as leader of the independence movement in North Vietnam, decides to negotiate with France. His reason: at that time there are more than 180,000 nationalist Chinese troops in North Vietnam; the Viet Minh in North Vietnam feel not strong enough to conduct their liberation war simultaneously against the French colonial forces and the Chinese troops.
In 1946, after the French had rebuilt their colonial administration in Vietnam, Chinese nationalists agree on a retreat of Chinese troops from Vietnam. This being accomplished, the Viet Minh increase their attacks against French colonial forces and installations in both South and North Vietnam. While the French succeed in keeping the cities under their control, the countryside is increasingly ruled by the Viet Minh.
On November 20, 1953, the French colonial forces install a garrison of 16,000 troops in Dien Bien Phu, a broad valley in the rough mountains along the border of North Vietnam and Northern Laos. From Dien Bien Phu the French intend to control the border region between the two countries. This is deemed necessary because the Viet Minh provide the communist movement in Laos, Pathet Lao, with arms.
The French military believed the valley of Dien Bien Phu, 19 kilometres long and 13 kilometres wide, to be safe from attacks by the Viet Minh. Nevertheless, in the following weeks and months Vietnamese troops under General Giap prepare to attack Dien Bien Phu. With the help of up to 200,000 porters, the Viet Minh manage to transport heavy artillery up the mountains surrounding the valley of Dien Bien Phu.
In March 1954 the Viet Minh commence their attack on the French garrison of Dien Bien Phu. On May 7, 1954, they conquer the French command center; 9,500 French colonial troops surrender. It is one of the gravest defeats in the history of the French colonial forces.
More than 20,000 Viet Minh and more than 3,000 French were killed in the battle for Dien Bien Phu. In the war between the Viet Minh and the French, which overall lasted for nine years, up to one million civilians, 200,000 to 300,000 Viet Minh and some 95,000 French colonial troops lost their lives.
On July 20, 1954 in Geneva, negotiators of the Viet Minh and France agree on the division of Vietnam into two states: a communist North Vietnam and a capitalist South-Vietnam.
In the years 1959-1963 the communist government of North Vietnam, after first having assumed that the communist guerrillas of South Vietnam could topple the Diem government by themselves, steers a course of escalating military confrontation. More than 40,000 North Vietnamese guerrilla infiltrate the South and provide the South Vietnamese communists with arms and ammunition transported on the Ho Chi Minh Trail on Laotian and Cambodian territory.
In 1961, newly elected US president Kennedy sends the first 100 military advisors and a special unit of 400 soldiers to Vietnam. In the following year the US increase the presence of their troops in Vietnam to 11,000 soldiers.
On August 2, 1964, two American cruisers are fired at by North Vietnamese patrol boats in the Bay of Tonkin. The US insist that the cruisers had been in international waters and use the incident as an excuse to bomb targets in North Vietnam for the first time. Only in 1971 it becomes known that the two American warships had violated the territorial waters of North Vietnam.
In March 1965 the US Airforce starts Operation Rolling Thunder, the wide-scale American bombardment of North Vietnam. During the following three-and-a-half years more than twice as many bombs are dropped over North Vietnam than were dropped during the entire World War II.
To reduce the exposure of industrial installations and the country's population, North Vietnam responds with a total decentralization of its economy and the evacuation of large numbers of people from the cities.
At the peak of the Vietnam War, in 1968, the US have about half a million soldiers in Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand together sent another 90,000 troops. The South Vietnamese army at that time counts about 1.5 million men.
The National Liberation Front under communist leadership, named Vietcong by the US, opposes this contingent with 400,000 troops.
On February 1, 1968, the forces of the National Liberation Army begin their large-scale Tet offensive against targets in 105 South Vietnamese cities. Even though the Vietcong are repulsed successfully everywhere except in Hué, and even though the Vietcong suffer tremendous losses, the Tet offensive is considered the turning point of the Vietnam War.
For the US, the Tet offensive effects a change of attitude. After the Tet offensive the US government is no longer primarily interested in winning the war, but rather looks for ways to back out of it without loosing too much of its reputation as a great military power.
The US Operation Rolling Thunder, the carpet bombardments of North Vietnam by the US airforce, ends in October 1968. The US begin to withdraw troops from Vietnam.
In 1969 in Paris, the US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Vietcong start negotiating a full withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam.
In 1972, before the negotiations of Paris bring any results, the US reduce their troops in Vietnam to less than 100,000.
March 30, 1972 sees a communist spring offensive, not by the Vietcong but by conventional North Vietnamese troops crossing the demarcation line (the 17th degree of northern latitude) to invade South Vietnam. Intensive bombardments by American fighter planes force the North Vietnamese troops to retreat.
On January 27, 1973, a cease-fire agreement is signed in Paris and becomes effective that day. In March 1973 the last American troops leave Vietnam.
About two years later, North Vietnamese and Southern communist forces begin a large-scale offensive with the declared aim of a total victory over the South Vietnamese state. Only a few weeks later, on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops occupy Saigon and thus bring three decades of war to an end.
United Vietnam
Initially for fear of political persecution, later because of the difficult economic situation in Vietnam, increasing numbers of so-called boat people flee the country. Often they use boats definitely not fit to cross oceans.
According to international estimates at least one third of the boat people die during their flight - either because their boats capsize and sink, or because of insufficient provisions on board. Pirates pose an additional problem. They capture a refugee vessel, rob all possessions, rape the women and finally kill all people on board and sink the boat.
In 1979 alone, more than 270,000 boat people flee from Vietnam. In the first six months of that year, the Malaysian Coast Guard forces more than 40,000 Vietnamese boat people on 267 ships to leave Malaysian territorial waters and to return to the open sea, where the refugees, including children, are left to their fate, which, more often than not, means death.
On December 25, 1978, after a series of transgressions at the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, Vietnamese armies invade Cambodia. On January 7, 1979, Vietnamese troops occupy Phnom Penh. A Vietnam-friendly government is installed, Heng Samrin, a Khmer Rouge guerrilla who before had fled to Vietnam, is declared president.
The new Cambodian government is not recognized by Western countries. In 1989 Hanoi recalls the Vietnamese troops from Cambodia.
At its 6th party congress in 1986, and after a decade-long economic crisis, the Communist Party of Vietnam decides on a far-reaching program of economic reforms aiming to introduce a liberal economy. Since then the economic structures of Vietnam have become more and more capitalistic, although the Communist Party still remains the sole political power of the country.
Hanoi, Vietnam Here I Come
I will need to travel for work to Hanoi Vietnam another few more weeks and doing some research about the country.
Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, lies on the banks of the Red River, some 100 kilometres from its mouth. Human settlements at the place date back as far as the 3rd century B.C.
In 1010 Hanoi, at that time known by the name of Thang Long, became capital of the first Vietnamese dynasty independent from the Chinese. The city received its present name, Hanoi, only in 1831. However, at that time not Hanoi but Hué was the capital of the Vietnamese empire.
In 1882 Hanoi was conquered by a French expedition. In 1883 France forced the then uncolonialized North of the Vietnamese empire to accept the status of a French protectorate. The French administratively divided the country into the colony Cochin China (in the South) and the protectorates Annam (central Vietnam) and Tonkin (North Vietnam). Hanoi became the capital of the protectorate Tonkin.
Vast parts of present-day Hanoi were built during the French colonial occupation. With its broad boulevards and a French-inspired architecture the city has a noticeable structural charm.
The French abandoned Hanoi after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the division of Vietnam into two separate states according to the Geneva Treaty signed on July 20, 1954. Ho Chi Minh made Hanoi the capital of North Vietnam and initially concentrated on the expansion of the city's industry.
During the US bombardments of North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968 the authorities evacuated 75 % of Hanoi's population. After the end of the bombardments the city again grew rapidly. Today the population of Hanoi counts more than 3 million.
Nevertheless, the city does not seem as crowded as Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. And even though Hanoi is the political capital of the country, Ho Chi Minh City definitely is ahead economically.
Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, lies on the banks of the Red River, some 100 kilometres from its mouth. Human settlements at the place date back as far as the 3rd century B.C.
In 1010 Hanoi, at that time known by the name of Thang Long, became capital of the first Vietnamese dynasty independent from the Chinese. The city received its present name, Hanoi, only in 1831. However, at that time not Hanoi but Hué was the capital of the Vietnamese empire.
In 1882 Hanoi was conquered by a French expedition. In 1883 France forced the then uncolonialized North of the Vietnamese empire to accept the status of a French protectorate. The French administratively divided the country into the colony Cochin China (in the South) and the protectorates Annam (central Vietnam) and Tonkin (North Vietnam). Hanoi became the capital of the protectorate Tonkin.
Vast parts of present-day Hanoi were built during the French colonial occupation. With its broad boulevards and a French-inspired architecture the city has a noticeable structural charm.
The French abandoned Hanoi after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the division of Vietnam into two separate states according to the Geneva Treaty signed on July 20, 1954. Ho Chi Minh made Hanoi the capital of North Vietnam and initially concentrated on the expansion of the city's industry.
During the US bombardments of North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968 the authorities evacuated 75 % of Hanoi's population. After the end of the bombardments the city again grew rapidly. Today the population of Hanoi counts more than 3 million.
Nevertheless, the city does not seem as crowded as Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. And even though Hanoi is the political capital of the country, Ho Chi Minh City definitely is ahead economically.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
