We’re on our way to Ha Long Bay. We signed up for a tour that includes transportation there and back from Hanoi, all in one day. Not the optimal plan, perhaps, but according to the guide books, it’s doable.
Ha Long Bay is Vietnam’s number one tourist attraction. You’ve probably seen pictures of it, although you may not have known where the picture was taken. The sight of those giant rocks rising up out of the mist is pretty special. Our itinerary didn’t allow much time, but we didn’t want to be this close to Ha Long Bay without getting a chance to see it.
Time to Go!
The first thing in the morning, we were picked up by one of those big, modern tourist buses. (Being picked up at our hotel was a plus). From there, we drove around Hanoi to pick up other people who’d be on today’s excursion. That was fine with us, since we hadn’t had a chance to see much of Hanoi outside of West Lake and the Old Quarter.
One stop brought us to the ritzy part of town. I shouldn’t have been surprised, I guess, but I didn’t expect to see a “ritzy part of town” in Hanoi. Just like in Paris or Rome, the usual suspects were there – Gucci, Prada, Hermès… Too bad for us that we couldn’t get off the bus and so a little shopping, eh? What a shame!
The Red River and Beyond
We hadn’t been on the road long when we crossed the Red River. It’s Vietnam’s other big river, besides the mighty Mekong. The Red River starts in China’s Hengduan mountains, 600 miles northwest of here. By the time it reaches Hanoi, it has picked up massive amounts of silt that give it a reddish-brown color.
Just as with the Mekong, the land flattens out as the river reaches the South China Sea, resulting in the Red River Delta. The largest port city in the delta, and the third largest city in Vietnam is Haiphong. We’ll pass by it on our way to Ha Long Bay.
After crossing the Red River, factories and industrial parks lined the road for miles. Some of those factories were the largest buildings I’ve ever seen, area-wise. They were massive. Everything from shoes to motorcycles is being manufactured in this area, just east of Hanoi. The whole area seemed to be booming.
Eventually, as we made our way from Hanoi into the countryside, the scene turned from factories to farmland. We got on a toll road that looked fairly new, and from that point on it was like driving on any freeway anywhere, except with a lot less traffic.
A Little Bit of Propaganda
We were cruising along when a big, red billboard grabbed my attention. There wasn’t a lot of advertising along the highway, (which was nice), so the billboard really stood out. I couldn’t understand what it said, but it was clearly a government-sponsored advertisement. It looked to me to be some kind of a “Rah rah, c’mon, let’s go!” message. Very upbeat.
Here’s another government billboard that’s similar, (below). Very upbeat. This one says something like “Everyone is racing to do make achievements!” Then it says, more or less, “Welcome to the Party’s National Congress.”
The focal point of the billboard is a yellow hammer and sickle on a red background. That’s the symbol of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Hammer and sickle? Whoa.
The old “hammer and sickle” is still around. It goes all the way back to the Russian Revolution. Makes me think of Lenin, Stalin, and those kinds of guys. Nikita, “We will bury you,” Khrushchev. The Cold War. Not the best of times for a lot of people.
Almost Forgot – We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
I had almost forgotten that we’re in a communist country – one of the few left in the world. Technically speaking, we’re in the “Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” But as far as government goes, there is, by law, one and only one political party. That would be the Communist Party of Vietnam – THE Party.
But what does that even mean today? Back in 1970’s, when Communists gained control of a united Vietnam, they started implementing socialist policies. Just about every facet of life would be directly controlled by the government.
It took about ten years of downward sliding – to the point of poverty levels so bad that people were dying of starvation – for the government to make big changes. But ultimately, it did. (See more about how this happened in the Mekong Delta in “Delta Towns — Sa Dec and Cai Be“).
Time for a Change – Doi Moi
In 1986, the government announced a big change. It gave farmers control of what to do with “their” land. Allowances were made so private enterprises could exist. It abolished numerous laws that described how people had to live their lives. The government openly stated that it was encouraging a market-driven economy. In a communist country? Whoa. That was big.
Can you imagine what the Party leadership must have been going through? Those guys had been steeped in the virtues of socialism for most of their lives. This, along with independence and unification of North and South, is what they had fought and sacrificed for. And now, were they supposed to throw socialism out the window? Their debates must have been intense.
To be continued…
