The Helmet Law and Road Rage

Hanoians will be the first to admit that they were amazed when the entire country started wearing helmets without incident on December 15th, in compliance with the Helmet Wearing Law. Domestic news programs aired continuous stories on the merits of wearing helmets, posters were hung on lamp posts and the police stood on every corner to enforce the new law on the days leading up to the cross over.

Star News Asia, which is like an "Asian CNN" channel, even broadcast a piece regarding this achievement, adding that the new law hoped to cut down on traffic fatalities in Vietnam. Officially, 13,000 people die every year from traffic accidents in this country. It is known in Southeast Asia as being a very dangrerous place to drive. The government apparently tried to instate this law a few years ago but without success, though it now seems to have stuck for good.

Nevetheless, in a country of 90 million people, some drivers are better than others, and I have witnessed a few cases of road rage during my time here, which I was not expecting to see.

One afternoon, after a lunch at Mediteranneo with Monica, we parted ways to head back to work, taking two seperate motorcycle taxis. My moto driver and I rounded a corner and we stumbled upon a no holds barred road rage fight in the middle of broad daylight.

A guy on his motorbike rammed into a car and words were exchanged between the two drivers. The driver in the car came out and then started punching the guy on the motorbike! The guy on the motorbike fought back, but he got the most of the punches. A crowd then formed and people where trying to pull the two guys apart. Several men and women caught missed punches in the process, which exacerbated the situation further into an all out brawl in the middle of an intersection at a red light. The two guys started bleeding and were finally pulled away from each other when a police officer appeared from nowhere and announced his pressence with a piercing shriek from his whistle like a referee at a hockey game.

The stalled traffic and passersby then dispersed and my motorcycle driver and I were again on our way. He looked over his shoulder at me and shurgged as if to say, "Boys will be boys."

Lenin Park

On one lazy weekend afternoon in late November, Little Gemma, Monica and I set out to Lenin Park, a small green oasis located near the centre of Hanoi. The park is a favourite among young families because it is equipped with tons of play equipment for young children.

On most weekends, the park hosts trade fairs and shows, with loudspeakers and music blaring. On that particular weekend, Little Gemma, Monica and I happened to stumble upon the "Coffee Fair", which featured an extravaganza of booths preaching the values of coffee with salesgirls kitted out in very odd outfits. Little did they know that they were already preaching to the converted!

Little Gemma, Monica and I hopped on a children's train that circles the park for a fee of 30 cents. Waiting for the train to leave the gate, we were besieged by ladies peddling their wares: helium balloons in the shape of cartoon characters, stuffed animals and locally made sweets. It felt like we were in a zoo, except no animals in sight.

With a jolt, the train left its "terminal" and we were off. The train ride was a mere 15 minutes with "scheduled stops" along the route. Lenin Park is surrounded by a network of lakes that you can paddle across in a swan boat. It also has a number of walking paths and shaded seating areas, with mature trees and gardens. Walking through its main gates from the busy city, it is a welcome respite from city life. A relaxing afternoon!

Summertime...And The Livin' Is Easy...

On Cat Ba Island, the Thais and I ended up spending the evening hours ordering bottle after bottle of large beers at a very quaint restaurant that served to die for desserts. We befriended two gals from Denmark who were travelling through southeast asia prior to going back to university for the winter term. Things close down early in Vietnam, so we shook the bar owner's hand and said thank you as he turned off the light... Still, not a bad way to spend the weekend!

Halong Bay

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Halong Bay is located 3 hours away from Hanoi by car. From there, you can jump on a "junk" boat to cruise along the bay looking at the majestic rounded rock formations that look like the spikes from a dragon's tail sitting in water, as legend has it.

On this particular trip, I befriended a group of young Thais who were working with Nok Airlines, a Thai company that was just setting up its headquarters in Hanoi. They were to oversee the launch of a Bangkok-Hanoi air route (90 minutes), which was scheduled to start on November 1st. The price of a one way ticket to Bangkok? 9 cents!!! (Plus taxes). Cheaper than a cup of coffee...how could that be? They assured me that everything was legit, and I am happy to report that the air route has now been launched and doing quite well.

Upon embarking on our "junk" (which really wasn't a junk at all - it was nicely outfitted with comfortable rattan furniture, a working kitchen and bar, and reclining chairs on the sun deck), we were served a delicious sea food lunch. Afterwards, the boat dropped us off at a few little islands, where we were led through stalagtite caves. For the rest of the afternoon, underneath clear blue skies, we cruised the emerald waters, before arriving at Cat Ba to stay the night.

Growing up next to the ocean in British Columbia, there is something to say about being on the open sea. It was invigorating to sit on top of the ship's deck, feeling sun kissed, breathing in fresh air and smelling the salt water. It was a great little escape from life in busy Hanoi...

Vietnam Liaison Officer

A quick note about my job...unfortunately my time here isn't just about eating out and touring the country...I wish!

In my position as the Vietnam Liaison Officer, I act as the "go between" for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN). Essentially, I help coordinate technical exchanges between officials from Canadian cities with officials from Vietnamese cities.

For example, if a city in Vietnam wants to work on developing a recycling program, we might pair that city up with a Canadian city, say, Vancouver. The technical staff in Vancouver that are in charge of the city's recycling program would then provide their Vietnamese counterparts with the expertise, training and information necessary to set up a similar project in Vietnam, taking into consideration the local context and resources available. Ultimately, it's the Vietnamese counterparts that manage the project and are responsible for the long term sustainability of it. The Canadians merely assist to build the capacity of their overseas colleagues and to "train the trainer".

At the moment, the FCM and ACVN are in the process of evaluating the end of three partnerships between Canadian and Vietnamese cities, on subjects such as waste management, tourism development and land information management. As part of the evaluation process, I was recently given the opportunity to facilitate a half-day monitoring and evaluation workshop in Hanoi with our Vietnamese project partners from Lang Son, Nam Dinh, Tuy Hoa and Vung Tau.

Unfortunately, my vietnamese language skills remain quite basic, so I had to use the services of simultaneous translation from english to vietnamese with the help of two professionals. It was an amazing experience, and despite the language barrier, I think the workshop elicited a lot of good questions and comments as well as active participation from all of the delegates involved.

I enjoy working as the Vietnam Liaison Officer as it combines many of my interests: travelling, urban planning and international development.

Cat Ba

Cat Ba is a sleepy little fishing village near Halong Bay, where I stayed overnight on a weekend tour with Rubicon Travel. At night, the little fishing village turns into a bit of Miami and a bit of Las Vegas, with bright neon lights and restaurants that spill onto the sidewalks. During the day, everyone flocks to the sandy beaches, where you can rest, take a swin and karaoke on the beach.

Yes, you read that write. Karaoke on the beach. A local shop keeper has carted out a huge loud speaker, microphone and television that permits Cat Ba's finest to belt out the songs on the beach. What is particularly entertaining is that the karaoke beach is located in a small bay that has great amplification and echo abilities. For miles and miles, you can hear people croak out the oldies but goodies, which always makes for a relaxing afternoon. Not quite.

Vietnamese Shish Taouk

You can take the girl out of Montreal, but you can't take Montreal out of the girl.

I have a shish taouk guy. Yes! If you can believe it.

Around the corner from where I live, on the busy street facing the Fortuna Hotel next to the American Embassy in Hanoi, there are two street vendors who feverishly compete for the hearts of shish taouk lovers. Ladies and gentlemen, street meat is not just a Toronto thing!

My guy's cart is associated with the Goethe Institute, which is a German Cultural institute that also has a very trendy outdoor cafe located in a lovely interior courtyard with large white deck umbrellas. "Schnitzel" is my favourite on the menu there, and on a very sunny day, you can almost pretend that you're having lunch somewhere in Miami.

The other guy's cart is associated with Cafe 29, a local neighbourhood joint that serves enamel peeling coffee. My Goethe Institute guy is cuter though, and I just want to pinch his cheeks every time I see him. He has twinkling eyes and a kind smile. He's the shish taouk guy! How could he not be happy?

After my work-out at the gym, I normally drop by the Goethe Institute cart and grab myself a sandwhich to go. It consists of a freshly toasted baguette, topped with tomatoes, lettuce, onions and cucumber, shaved seasoned meat and a mysterious hot sauce that gives the sandwhich an extra nice burn.

Because I am a regular customer, my shish taouk guy often gives me an extra bit of meat, whichI am always appreciative of and tip for generously.

The price of a shish taouk in Hanoi? 80 cents.

We can barely string together two sentances but my shish taouk guy and I have a common understanding. Food. The great uniter of people. This is making me very hungry.