Michael J. Totten pens some of the best atmospheric travel writing I know. Here, writing for World Affairs, he describes a sojourn in Vietnam, specifically in the greater Hanoi region. It is a long article, but very pleasant.
The DrsC haven't been that far north in Vietnam but everything Totten writes about the north applies in spades to the parts we've visited, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Da Nang and the old imperial capital Hue. We encountered zero anti-American feeling the several days we were there.
Vietnam is very probably the most capitalist-acting supposedly Communist country in the world. Every new home is built with a shop on the ground floor so the occupants can run a store, or rent it to someone who wishes to do so.
His description of the homes as narrow and tall, very often three stories or even four, is right on the money. Motorbikes, light motorcycles really, are everywhere, often carrying multiple passengers. Totten's read on the climate is spot on too, the heat/humidity combination is brutal.
One of the most impressive buildings I've ever visited is the presidential palace in Ho Chi Minh City, the former home/office of the rulers of South Vietnam. It is so cleverly designed that, without air conditioning, it remains cool and comfortable.
