11 April 2012 ~ Vietnamese Dong

Listening to: Led Zeppelin ~ No Quarter (2/12/1975, Madison Square Garden, NYC)


Happy Birthday!!

It's a short flight from Hong Kong to Hanoi, just 2 hours. I flew there on Dragon Air. They served dim sum for breakfast on the flight.

When I arrived in Hanoi the airport was a little chaotic, but was able to exchange some money (they need to get rid of a few zeros, as $1 US = 20,000 Vietnamese Dong) and find a taxi.

When I exchanged 500 HKD I got 1.3 million dong. (That's about $64 US.)

Here are a few pictures of the currency notes.

All have Ho Chi Mihn on them. He was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1945–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam(North Vietnam).  After his death, Saigon was renamed for him.

The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel was 315,000 dong -- agreed to before I left the airport.

Here's where I stayed on the map.

This is a customer go-live week, so I will be working long hours and my posts will be as available. But I have LOTS of pictures to share (yes, I know currency notes and a map are not the most interesting). So check back often.

This was a great vacation overall. I don't think I'd like to live in Hanoi, but the concept of no malls and no buildings over 4 stories was quite appealing. It felt like a new cultural experience, as very little English is spoken on the streets. It's the complete opposite of Hong Kong.

My perceptions of Vietnam are based on US History textbooks, memories of news reports and protests of the War (American or Vietnam, depending on your country), and movies such as Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Born on the Fourth of July, etc. so it was good to experience first hand.

I've also decided I don't listen to nearly enough Led Zeppelin anymore.