A little communist capital finds its way

Unlike many others that have moved to China, I was quite familiar with the place before I decided to pack up my belongings and find an apartment. I first visited Beijing back in the late 1990s, and the city had changed quite substantially by the time I decided to call it home in 2004.

But while I knew a bit about Beijing, and have since lived and traveled throughout the country, my hands-on experience in the rest of Asia is quite limited. Yes, I've been to Thailand (like almost everyone). I also had an amazing trip to Tokyo about a year and a half ago, and have been trying to find time to head back ever since.

(As an aside, I actually studied Japanese language for four years in high school and college in Canada. I also studied Japanese history, culture, and contemporary society. As a big fan of Japan, it's odd how I ended up in China. I'll save that story for another day.)

The cruise I'm currently on through Southeast Asia has been a big eye-opener. Singapore was absolutely incredible. It's a cleaner Hong Kong (not that Hong Kong is dirty, by any stretch) with beaches. One of my former colleagues in Guangzhou, Lena Gidwani, was born in the city, and urged me to accept any working opportunity there with promises that I'd have the time of my life. I doubt many would turn down the opportunity, after having visited.

The cruise also visited Bangkok, which I won't go into too many details about (everyone's been there, right?), as well as Sihanoukville, Cambodia. I just finished a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Southeast Asia correspondent Henry Kamm, called Cambodia: Report from a Stricken Land. The book shed light one one of the world's forgotten countries, and a society that has suffered immensely through a coup d'etat, an authoritarian leader (Lon Nol), the Khmer Rouge, a Vietnamese puppet state, failed election, and disastrous UN occupation. For anyone interested in Cambodia (formerly known as the People's Republic of Kampuchea) or Southeast Asian politics and history, this book is a must-read.

Our port-of-call, Sihanoukville, is the only beach resort in Cambodia. The town is home to a few million people, although you wouldn't know it by driving around the city. It's a mix of shacks with a few motorbikes and some people on the edge of dire poverty. When it comes to development, China is light years ahead of Sihanoukville. Nonetheless, the beaches in the town were perhaps the most exotic and appealing I'd ever seen. White, powdery sand streched for miles with little thatched-roof huts doling out beer and other snacks to the few people that were in the area. There were no crowds, no big American tourists, neon or lineups. It was tranquil. A few backpackers had made their way to the area, and some were even indulging in "Happy Food" (this is another tale for another day -- let's just say the two "Happy Shakes" I drank took their toll on me, and I went to bed early). I was handed a photocopied leaflet advertising some cheap drinks at one of the beachfront bars... 50 cents for a pint of Angkor beer.

Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, was an eclectic place that I didn't have much time to see. In fact, I was there for only 2 hours, not enough time to comment fully. But it left me with a Shanghai-esque vibe. Nha Trang, Vietnam's top beach resort, was next, and fulfilled everyone's expectations. Expect big things from this town in the future. Several people on board our ship are already making plans to return.

Finally, what I've been leading up to. Our final stop (not including our disembarkation in Hong Kong), Hanoi. I'm not sure if this will help for all of our readers, but picture a city like this: Montreal's French architecture, Guangzhou's narrow alleys and vibrant street life, New Orleans' warm weather and crowded balconies, and Beijing's feel of being a communist capital city. That doesn't really sum up this place, but it's the best I can do.

Vietnam is definitely growing. Sometimes, while living in China, I think we tend to believe that China is the only Asian giant that is drawing foreign direct investment, exporting products, and attracting the world's attention. But in fact, Asia, as a whole, is booming. Vietnam is a key example. In my drive from the picturesque Halong Bay to Hanoi, I passed an LG plant, a Toyota plant, and a number of other big name technology companies. A plethora of garment factories also lined the highway into town.

Hanoi is much smaller than its southern (and perhaps flashier) cousin, Saigon. But I can't help but think it's got a really good vibe, and reminds me tremendously of Montreal. As I write this, I am in a hotel in the city's old quarter. This historic area features tree-lined narrow streets, outdoor restaurants, cafes, delis, bars, and hotels -- yes, hotels everywhere. I'm in a completely vertical hotel that only features two rooms on each floor, and it appears almost all the hotels in this area are the same.

The French influence is everywhere. Cafes serve coffee and croissants, bakeries are common, the smell of French bread being freshly baked permeates the city, and the sandwiches are delicious. Whereas Shanghai and Tianjin have French conessions, it seems the majority of Hanoi has retained its French architecture (while I have travled around Hanoi for a day and a half, I have only spent one night here -- so please take my observations with this in mind).

Finally, Hanoi reminds me of what I pictured Beijing to be like in the 1980s. My hotel, in the beautiful old quarter, features a double and a single bed. My ceiling is seven meters high. I have a beautiful balcony overlooking Hanoi. And I'm paying $20 a night.

The restaruant and bar scene is just budding, with beer and meals still incredibly cheap. Bia hoi, which are outdoor beer gardens, can be found everywhere in the capital, with beer going for as low as 25 cents. Street food, like in China, is abundant.

But while prices are low, the options for international cuisine are already staggering; a quick look at a local magazine shows that Hanoi offers a number of food options in the following categories: cafes, delis, Chinese, Thai, French, Mediterranean, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ukranian, Russian, Vegetarian, and western. The nightlife is also picking up, with a number of bars hosting large crowds late into the night, 7 days a week.

The other thing that makes Hanoi a bit easier for foreigners -- and the merits of this can be debated, perhaps in the comments -- is that the traditional Vietnamese characters, which were based on Chinese characters, have been abolished. The Vietnamese pinyin is known as Quoc Ngu. It was invented in the 17th century by French Jesuit priest Alexandre de Rhodes, and was adopted as Vietnam's sole writing style. I tend to think this is a sad development (I'd hate to see Chinese characters disappear to be replaced by pinyin), however it definitely makes communicating and learning the language much, much easier.

This trip through Southeast Asia has opened this region to this correspondent much more than it was before. Those that are interested in China must understand that its fate, and its history, is tied to its neighbors. Following what they are doing, and how they are developing, will help one's understanding of China's own challenges.

And aside from those platitudes, visit Vietnam. You won't regret it.