Indochine Diary - Notes on Logistics and Life in Vietnam

Introduction

For most of us, Vietnam means a long-ago war – maybe Uncle Joe’s boring stories about “Charlie,” maybe a memory of student protests, maybe nothing specific or concrete at all.

In the new millennium, though, Vietnam is a real country, with a real economy – part of the new global economy. It is full of real people, living real lives, and logistics plays a part in those lives.

Nearly a year ago, I reported on the state of logistics in Cuba, and concluded that a robust future there would be significantly enhanced by lifting the US embargo, and integrating the socialist nation into the fabric of, at a minimum, hemispheric trade. Developments in another socialist country, Vietnam, provide an educational contrast to Cuba’s status quo, and parallels will be drawn throughout this writing.

However, the Vietnamese story stands on its own, and I’ll try to tie together such disparate themes as Ethel Merman, sex, Kleenex, raising the dead, and the nutritional value of cobras within a logistics story line.

Hang on; it could be an interesting ride.

Thanks, Disclaimers, and Other Administrivia

Imprimatur, Sponsorship, and Motivation

The Cuba trip was conducted under the auspices of People To People International, and featured organized interaction with academics and practicing logistics professionals. Past and present Council of Logistics Management (CLM) leadership made up a major segment of the touring party.

The Vietnam excursion was a personal odyssey, motivated by interests in history and culture – just me, my wife, and our younger son (who may have thought the purpose of the trip was to locate a prospective bride). Nevertheless, the state of Vietnamese logistics persisted in presenting itself at a number of junctures, and I became persuaded that it is vital to consider in-country logistics in any thinking about the country’s future prospects.

As was the case with the Cuban trip, that material that follows demanded to see the light of day, and began to write itself.

Organizational Support

Vietnam is not the kind of destination for which one – not this one, anyway – grabs the phrase book, straps on the backpack, and heads off to adventure. The geography is not immediately clear, the language is incredibly more difficult than it appears, there are sanitation challenges, and the collective remembrance of war is fresh and strong.

Vietnam

Itinerary

The trip was designed to cover as much of the country as was practical in the time available. We could have profitably spent many, many more days there, but had to make do with what we had. (Even though our interests were more focused on the past two millennia of history, the more recent war history is inescapable.)

Day 1- Arrive in Saigon; transfer to hotel; observe city sights

Day 2 – Mekong Delta tour; city/Cholon (Chinatown) tour

Day 3 – Upcountry travel to Cu Chi tunnels; city tour, including War Remnants Museum

Day 4 – Fly to Danang; Village of Hope, Cham Museum, Marble Mountain

Day 5 – Tour China Beach and Hoi An

Day 6 – Drive to Hue (through Vinh Loc pass); Imperial City and Emperor’s tomb tours

Day 7 – Drive to DMZ and tour Vinh Moc tunnels

Day 8 – Free day

Day 9 – Fly to Hanoi; city tour; Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum; One-Pillar pagoda

Day 10 – City tour; Hoa Lao (“Hanoi Hilton”) Prison; Fine Art Museum; Ethnographic Museum; Drive to Halong Bay

Day 11 – Cruise Halong Bay; drive to Hanoi; Water Puppet show

Day 12 – Free morning in city; transfer to airport

Placename And Other Usage

Since “reunification” in 1975, Saigon has been officially called Ho Chi Minh City. Technically, Saigon now refers to only two of the fourteen districts that make up the city, even though the city’s great river is still the Saigon. However, Saigon is used in common speech to indicate the city, and I will avoid the politically correct, but awkward, use of Ho Chi Minh City.

In correct usage, the country is Viet Nam. Principal cities are Ha Noi, Sai Gon, Da Nang, and so on. I will generally follow popular English renderings of Vietnam, Saigon, Hanoi, etc.

Some usage places the term “socialist” in quotation marks to imply that the reference is not really to socialism at all. Communist regimes tend to use the softer, and more widely accepted, term, thus inviting sarcasm. Whenever the term, “socialist,” is used in this writing it will be employed without quotes, but should be understood to mean “communist.”

Disclaimer

Please take note that this paper is, essentially, an opinion piece. All of the opinions expressed are strictly my own, and do not reflect the views of Vietnamtourisn, nor of any of our guides.

While our guides were most helpful in providing information and observations, I alone am responsible for any errors or misunderstandings of fact.

Reality Check

Anything written about Vietnam is, by definition, obsolete by the time it reaches a reader. Too much is happening, too fast, in trade, industry, geopolitics, and infrastructure development to keep up with.

There ought to be a gigantic “Under Construction” sign posted on all maps and atlases for Vietnam. The country is a work in progress – literally as well as figuratively.

* * * * *

With all that out of they way, let’s get to work . . .

First Impressions

Life And Death

Despite growth, construction, dizzying traffic, and multi-dimensional vitality, the country is one big cemetery.

Throughout the countryside, the rice paddies and vegetable fields are studded with the graves and shrines of generations of ancestors. All of this presence of the past is not macabre, but positive, and certainly colorful.

At the edge of every town, a municipal cemetery stands out – big as a field, parti-colored, and largely above ground. Imagine St. Louis #3 in New Orleans, or Recoleta in Buenos Aires, in the hands of Buddhists and Confucians, splashing reds and golds – and dragons – over the alabaster and cement of traditional funerary edifices. The Catholics are no less restrained, merely adding a cross to the gaudy constructions.

Then imagine water buffalo either grazing, or pulling a plow, between and around the memorials, all part of an eternal continuum, with death part of life, and the past with us always.

In the major cities, the time-honored burial practices are no longer feasible, land commanding the premium that it does. And, the State is encouraging cremation to conserve what little space remains. But, many Orientals fear that extreme heat damages the soul’s ability to move on, and so resist the blandishments of the State.

Beyond these natural monuments to the departed, the government has erected countless monuments and war memorials, generally in the stark Soviet fashion. These may be found in or near any village of consequence, and in all the cities. They are generally accompanied by several dozens, often several hundreds, of gravestones.

While the cement involved might have been more useful and productive in urban renewal projects, the national need to recognize and remember their fallen cannot be trivialized.

It is impossible to travel far in Vietnam without encountering visible reminders of the dead.

Anomalies In The Industrial Revolution

The march toward mechanization and industrialization is uneven, at best. Thousand-year-old agricultural practices are conducted side-by-side with modern manufacturing.

There is a burgeoning textiles industry, yet staggering volumes of local cloth are produced on hand-operated looms. Embroidered products for internal and external consumption are created by rooms full of individuals, who copy designs by inspection, and hand stitch at chest level work tables to match the hand-drawn designs. Silk thread is produced from hand-threaded fibers twisted through foot-powered spinners.

A potter we observed, making commercial products, depended on another individual who spun the wheel at a uniform speed by turning it with her foot. The simple foot-powered treadle model would be a technology breakthrough.

Modern electronic and automotive assembly plants are jewels of the new economy, yet the streets are full of shops in which tin and smithy work is done the way it has been for generations.

There are good odds that the tiny house at the edge of the rice paddy where the water buffalo is grazing has a television set.

Any economic data are skewed by the divide and disparity between the near-subsistence agrarian life, and urban life, which is seeing housing prices in Hanoi and Saigon that could give lessons to the San Francisco Bay area or the Hamptons.

The People

In the main, the Vietnamese are handsome, even beautiful. They are friendly, and curious. Happy to see American visitors, they are eager to please. They seem to feel compelled to show us the worst of what the war wrought upon them, yet are hesitant to offend us.

Perhaps our perceptions of beauty were enhanced by the number of women wearing the traditional ao dai (pronounced “ow zye”). Actually, these marvelous inventions were developed in the ‘30’s by applying French style influences to the Chinese-derived cheong sam. In any case, as the Vietnamese admit, they are the sexiest garments in the world, “covering everything, and hiding nothing.”

Our son maintains that the pulchritude meter pegs out in the south and central regions; I prudently have no comment.

The Vietnamese are bright and educated, as discussed below. Industrious and entrepreneurial, they are quickly rescuing the country from the earlier Soviet-inspired mismanagement.

Conversational English is not yet a pervasive strength. It is too new a subject in school, and there are relatively few opportunities to practice with native-speakers. Those who learned during the war are largely in the South, and are fewer with each passing year.

Those who do have some English are thrilled to have a chance to use it, and will readily engage in conversation. Not everyone who approaches you on the street, wanting to know your name and where you’re from, is trying to sell you something.

The Arts

Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps by some subtle bond among peoples in the process of evolving into new forms of communist/socialist economics, arts activities in Vietnam, much like in Cuba, are lively and progressive.

Painters and their pictures span the range from cheap kitsch, through competent traditional, to very advanced contemporary art. Both Saigon and Hanoi (but particularly Hanoi) are loaded with excellent galleries.

Excellent work can be purchased for very little money, but the best of the gallery artists can, and do, command thousands for their best works (and still be bargains).

Handicrafts in stone and woodcarving are often of very good quality, and are also very affordable. Do be sure to acquire lacquerware and woodcarvings from seasoned wood; products made of green wood will not survive much temperature/humidity stress.

There are also traditional performing arts, the best known of which is represented by Hanoi’s Water Puppets. A long history of dance, theater, and music are also well maintained. The way cool musical instrument is a sort of vertical bamboo marimba.

About Religion

Vietnam is a genuine religious melting pot. A sizable majority are Buddhists, with another large percentage being Confucian. The Christian population of 7 or 8 million is largely Roman Catholic, with sprinklings of Baptists and Pentecostals of various stripes. There are sizable minorities practicing Taoism, Islam, Hoa Hao, and Caodai.

Catholics are concentrated more in the South, many having fled the North after partition in 1953. Caodaists (some 3 million strong) are mainly in the Mekong Delta. The sect originated in Tay Ninh, not far from the Cu Chi tunnels northwest of Saigon, and has only one, but splendid, temple in Saigon.

Today they might maintain otherwise, but religious expression was not encouraged in the Soviet years. Now, 15 years after the initiation of the open door, do moi, policy, religious practices are open and exuberant.

Catholicism has been around since the early 16^th century, and the arrival of Portuguese Dominican missionaries. Later in the century, Franciscans from the Philippines continued missionary work. The French colonial period, preceded by Jesuits, provided both social cachet and a boost for the relatively new faith.

Vietnam has been generally hospitable to new religions. Caodaism, for example, dates from only 1926, and incorporates Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Roman Catholicism, ancestor cults, and local superstition.

Temples, pagodas, and meeting halls abound in every neighborhood and every town. Maybe there aren’t all that many, when one considers a church on every corner in Bible Belt cities, or the parish churches that define neighborhoods in cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

But they surely do stand out in Vietnam, with brightly colored statuary, sculpted rooflines, red pillars and walls, and gilt Buddhas, saints, and benefactors. And, the Caodai temples scream for attention as the loudest and gaudiest of all, the Ethel Mermans of the world of temples. They have the wildest colors, most towering ceilings, and the greatest visual diversity of God-representations of all faiths in Vietnam.

By the way, despite the dominance of Eastern religions, people everywhere – even in the much-less-Christian North – seem to be tuned in to Christmas. Hotels and shops are appropriately decorated, and street vendors sell Santa masks by the gross. It has become a big selling season for retailers, and decorated Christmas trees are very popular among individuals and families – again, even in Hanoi.

The Vietnamese love New Year celebrations, as well. In addition to the Tet lunar observance in (usually) February, the solar (January 1) version occasions an earlier round of party hearty merriment. And we think they slip in a couple of other New Year’s versions, as well.

For those who wish to understand the difference between pagodas, temples, and communal meeting halls, I have no earthly idea. Whatever the Vietnamese definitions are, they are different from the Chinese.

Education

Vietnam is a highly educated and literate nation, enabled by a compulsory national education program, and a Romanized character system dating from the mid-17^th century. Similar to the Korean breakthrough of a phonetic script to make the meaning of Chinese ideograms accessible to the common people, the Vietnamese alphabet provides a foundation for widespread literacy and broad-based communications.

The written language is not a transliteration, however, so is of limited use to Westerners. Vietnamese is, similar to Chinese, a six-tonal language, the subtleties of which are easily lost in the printed version

In principle, education is compulsory for all children through the primary grades and into “Junior High.” In practice, the rule is less strictly enforced in remote rural areas, and children in fishing families are the least likely to obtain a basic education. (Some areas maintain “floating schools” to attempt to reach this at-risk population.)

About half the students qualify to go on to the last three years of High School, but others (those who don’t immediately enter the job market) may continue to attend school, if their families can afford to pay for it. Only 10% qualify to continue on to a university education, but, again, some portion of the 90% may continue, if finances permit, at a private school, or study abroad.

Imbalances in graduate specialties, and employer concerns regarding the availability of certain skilled workers, suggest the potential for shifts in vo-ed programs.

English is gaining favor as a foreign language option, beginning in the fifth year. Often, children will take on two languages, perhaps English and French, but Russian is no longer in fashion.

Basic Geography & Facts

Vietnam is another of those “skinny” countries, from a distribution standpoint, but more or less vertical, while Cuba (like Canada’s population distribution) is horizontal. Nearly 130,000 square miles in area, the land mass is about 1,100 miles from top to bottom, as the crow flies, and is only 30 miles wide at its narrowest. Occupying the entire east coast of Indo-China, there are over 2,000 miles of coastline, 90% on the South China Sea/Pacific Ocean, with the remainder curling around to face the Gulf of Thailand.

People equipped with good imaginations, or a handy supply of ruou rice whiskey, are able to discern the shape of a dragon in an outline of the country.

The country is bordered on the west by landlocked Laos in the north, and by Cambodia in the south. Often forgotten is the northern border of about 500 miles with China. Hanoi is about 600 miles west Hong Kong, and Saigon is about 700 miles northeast of Singapore. Bangkok is just under 500 miles from Saigon, and just over 500 miles from Hanoi.

Climatically, the south is tropical, with the stereotypical two seasons, rainy and dry. The north is more temperate, with distinctive seasons, including a mild winter. The southern tip of the country, at the 9^th parallel, is at the same latitude as Panama. The northern extremity is even with Havana, but with a much different elevation.

The population of over 80 million is overwhelmingly (90%) made up of Viet peoples (it is not called Vietnam for no reason). There are smatterings of ethnic Chinese, Khmers (left over from the days of the Angkor Kingdom in Cambodia), and Chams, remnants of a thousand-year-ago Hindu kingdom between the Viets in the north, and the Khmers in the south. The Chams and Khmers total fewer than half a million, and the Chinese number about one million, 99.7% of whom have taken on Vietnamese citizenship.

The Chinese population might be greater, but enormous numbers fled during the conflicts of the late ‘70’s.

Then there are the other 53 ethno-linguistic groups – H’mongs (Striped, Black, Red), Moungs, Thais (Black, White), Daos (Red, White), Tays, and others – each retaining distinctive costumes and practices. These folk concentrate in the mountains, which make up about three-quarters of Vietnam’s land mass.

The colonial French conveniently called those in central and southern areas (mainly Muongs), “Montagnards,” which simplifies the reference but is not terribly useful otherwise. There are about 700,000 of these peoples.

Those in the northern and northwest mountains, principally H’mong, Tay, and Nung, account for another two million, or so, of the population

Fundamentally, Vietnam is a rural/small town agrarian nation. Only 20% to 25% of the population is urban, trending upward. Saigon is the largest city, with over 5 million inhabitants, and another 2 million in immediately surrounding areas. This number may be low, based on “official” residency – there are numerous, hundreds of thousands, of ”illegals” there, as well.

Hanoi contains perhaps 3 million or fewer people, with another 1 million in adjacent suburban communities. Haiphong, Hanoi’s port city 60 miles to the east holds another 1.5 million, or thereabouts, residents. Danang, the next largest city, weighs in at between three-quarters and one million, is a shadow of its size in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, when it was the center of wartime USAF activity.

In summary, there are two major population centers approximately 900 road miles apart (700 by air), each at the center of a cluster of provincial capitals, and connected by a string of provincial capitals along the spine of the country. Thousands of hamlets and towns dot the roadside, and countryside, in between.

A Few Words About The War

No visit to Vietnam can escape the fact of our war there. There are visible reminders everywhere – disabled veterans, handicapped victims of Agent Orange, memorials and cemeteries, museums, captured armaments, the “Hanoi Hilton,” etc.

There are numerous reminders of “simpler is better” lessons in logistics:

• The capability to move enormous quantities of materiel and personnel down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, from North to South Vietnam through Laos. The “trail” was/is actually a motley collection of simple paths and trails.
• The tunnel systems at Cu Chi, one hundred fifty miles and more in extent, supporting Viet Cong military activity in the heart of ARVN and US installations.
• The Vinh Moc tunnel system, housing an entire village at depths of as much as 70 feet, surviving B-52 bombing raids, and allowing the people to work their fields by night for six years.

It is entirely too easy to look back with the clarity of hindsight and the perspective of the socialist camp’s collapse, and say, with Robert S. McNamara, “We were wrong . . . terribly wrong.” Perhaps we were. Or, perhaps we were wrong for the right reasons.

The World As It Was

The intensity of the capitalist-communist contest for the souls of nations is largely forgotten today. And, decisions were taken by governments (ours included) based on what could be either known or surmised at the time.

By the ‘60’s, the West had successfully stemmed the Red Tide in Europe. Although Eastern Europe was a mismatched set of Moscow’s satellites, the postwar (WWII) scares generated by Italian, French, and Greek Communist organizations were in check. We had fought one United Nations conflict, at great cost in lives and treasure, to stalemate the Russo-Chinese adventure on the Korean Peninsula.

Then, we were facing a development that seemed to threaten Southeast Asia, with critical strategic importance in military and economic spheres. A known, long-time, and devoted Communist leader at the head of the northern half of a divided nation had eyes on the southern half.

If the south fell, were Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the rest in jeopardy? How near would a new Asian Communist bloc approach Australia? What would happen to supplies of precious rare minerals? Could we maintain tactical military deployments to protect the rest of the area?

Whether the Gulf of Tonkin incident was real, or a fabrication designed to force Congress to authorize action may not be material, given the bigger picture of perceived vulnerability of all Southeast Asia. As time led to strong Marxist factions – even governments - in Laos and Cambodia, the basis for Western concerns became a little more understandable.

How could we analyze and interpret Ho Chi Minh’s nationalistic ambitions in light of demonstrated global objectives for Russian and Chinese Communism? Obviously, we couldn’t, and didn’t.

Manipulating Surrogates

In Vietnam, the conflict is called the “American War.” They don’t understand to this day why we waged it. Happily, the Vietnamese man in the street assigns blame to the US government, and not to the American people, so we are welcome there.

In a tribute to the skills of Soviet propaganda, the Vietnamese still consider that the Russians were their friends – citizens of a sister nation. The reality that the Soviets were callously using client states to advance their global agenda (and that we were reciprocating), instead of facing off, mano a mano, with their principal adversary, is not appreciated by that particular client state.

One might argue that Vietnam was the wrong battle for us because, once the Russians picked their client, we were stuck with what was left - a weak, corrupt, oppressive, and unpopular government in the south.

The irony is that, at one time, the US thought very highly of Ho Chi Minh. Toward the end of WWII, our OSS (the CIA predecessor) was in close contact with him, supplying arms and money for his anti-Japanese (anti-fascist) activities.

The Winners Write History

Make no mistake about who won. Reality – US forces left the field of battle under the cover of diplomacy. And left ARVN (the Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and its government to the inevitable.

Visits to war-related sites can be difficult, and I imagine are extremely so for veterans or for families who lost someone in the war. The introductory film at the Cu Chi tunnels, for example, was produced a long time ago, in an age of ham-handed and extreme propaganda. Its references to American “monsters” are unsettling.

The War Remnants Museum in Saigon devotes a significant amount of space to photographic evidence of “war crimes” and atrocities, including the human consequences of applying Agent Orange (dioxin) to the countryside. They make no mention, of course, of North Vietnamese or Vietcong transgressions, and would be shocked if any were brought up.

The exhibits at Hoa Lo Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton”) concentrate on barbaric oppression of political prisoners practiced by the French when the buildings were La Maison Centrale. Photos of the American pilots held there show them at Mass, reading mail, and playing games (a presentation that John McCain might take some exception to). No photos of Jane Fonda were observed.

But, even a one-sided presentation doesn’t mean that the evidence is false. I am reminded of my imaginary friend and alter ego Whitney Massengill’s observations: “War makes men of boys. And beasts of men.”

The Price We All Paid

Much is made of the US sacrifice in Vietnam. The dead and wounded. The disillusioned. The cost. Bitter division among our citizens. Loss of innocence regarding our government’s motives and trustworthiness.

We sent over 500,000 of our young people there in the peak years of 1968 and 1969, nearly 3 million in total over the course of the war. A known 58, 202 didn’t come back, double the fatalities experienced in Korea. Countless numbers didn’t come back the same as when they left. Over 2,000 are still officially listed as “Missing in Action.”

The economic cost to the US was about $330 billion, by some reckoning (at least $200 billion) versus $18 billion for the Korean conflict.

Consider what the Vietnamese spent, and remember that they were willing to spend more – whatever it might take to gain their nation.

It is difficult to know exactly who suffered what in the war – large numbers are casually thrown out, with little recourse for validation or verification. However, fairly conservative estimates posit that nearly a quarter-million South Vietnamese military had been killed up ‘til 1973; some large additional number died between then and the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. These casualties are sometimes not counted by the current government, as the ARVN were “traitors” for the winners writing history.

As many as 1 million – 1 million! – North Vietnamese and Vietcong died in the same period, more by 1975. Four million civilians, 10% of the population at that time were killed or injured, many in the north as a result of bombing. About 1 million of these died.

300,000 Vietnamese are listed as MIA. The total military and civilian losses – deaths, not casualties – in the French and American wars might reach 5 or 6 million.

The Military Today

Military forces, mainly army, are highly visible in every city, and in every part of the country. There are seemingly barracks and/or headquarters in every town and in numerous city locations.

While they have appropriated and recycled old US facilities where and when practical, significant new building effort has gone into housing military (and civilian governmental) units. Often reflecting Soviet tastes and architecture, the facilities would be depressing if it weren’t for the Vietnamese practice of painting them the yellowish-gold color that connotes prosperity.

I don’t know today’s numbers, but Vietnam has had, for years, one of the largest standing armies in the world. This is understandable for any country with China for a neighbor, and a history of being compelled to fight off foes from both near and far.

The Political Structure

The Communist Party runs Vietnam. It’s a different version, much different from Castro’s operation. It is peculiarly Vietnamese, but it is still the CP.

Evolution

Ho Chi Minh was a Communist, and had been since the late teens in Paris. He even helped found the French Communist Party. The Soviet model – he was in Moscow in the ‘20’s – persuaded him of the need to organize the Vietnamese for a workers’ revolution.

But his cause was always intertwined with the goal of national liberation – from the Japanese, from the Chinese, from the French. The Vietnamese Independence League (Vietminh) was the instrument created for that purpose, and the organization we (the OSS) backed to fight the Japanese and their erstwhile allies, the French (directed by the collaborating Vichy government).

Even though China helped arm Vietnam, Soviet influence was dominant. One story has it that practices of re-education and show trials generated enough ill feeling that the enormously popular “Uncle Ho” (who died in 1969) was called back to a more prominent and visible role in government, to soften negative perceptions and to present a kindler, gentler face to the people.

By 1978, Vietnam had joined COMECON, the Eastern European, Russian-dominated, economic community. The nation thus caught the dread diseases of central state planning and 5-year plan objectives. As usual, and as everywhere, the Soviet model didn’t work. Vietnam, a fertile land, was no longer able to feed itself.

A reform-minded CP General Secretary was selected (not elected, one notes) in 1986, and the opening to the West, do moi, began to explore market-oriented systems. Home ownership possibilities were reopened, individual businesses were encouraged, and individual (as opposed to collectivized) farming was restored.

The liberalization continued in 1991, with major shifts in both the Politburo and the Central Committee, and a new General Secretary pledged to continue reforms. By 1998, the next General Secretary was ready to work with the US on a process for normalizing trade relations.

Nevertheless, the CP and all its trappings – Politburo, Central Committee – run the country. Anybody of any importance in business and industry, the arts, the military, the government is a CP member.

CP members make up about 2% of the total population. This does not indicate, however, that a dissatisfied populace is being cruelly manipulated by a controlling minority, with an army at its back.

The New Mandarin Class

In the days of the Vietnamese Emperors, candidates appeared annually before the Emperor at the Imperial City in Hue. They had studied diligently for, and had taken, examinations to determine their proficiency in a number of disciplines.

Those who passed (and some Emperors personally graded the tests) were called through either of two great doors, one for civil Mandarins and one for the military. Civil Mandarins might have national roles or local/regional governmental responsibilities.

Failures could study and retake the tests, or possibly accept lesser local administrative positions, if they were among the civil candidates.

Today, admission to the Communist Party is essentially by invitation, with sponsorship. It is not possible for a person to decide to join, and simply apply for membership. Ideological commitment is not a sufficient criterion for participation at high levels.

It is also not possible to go anywhere in business, government, or military activities in Vietnam without being a Party member.

Essentially, the “up-and-comers” are encouraged to present themselves. They must display proficiency in a number of areas – languages, computer literacy, specialty skills, whatever. Their performance and credentials are examined, and they are either admitted or rejected for membership.

This process, like the historic one, sifts through the elite of the nation for inclusion in the ruling/governing classes. How ironic to find this echo of imperial practice in a modern socialist state.

Ho Chi Minh

Some additional commentary about the legendary “Uncle Ho” is called for at this point. I won’t attempt a biographical summary, and have already touched on his life. But, questions remain, at least to the Western observer, about Ho’s character and ambitions.

Was he truly the kindly, simple man of the people that legend presents? Was he a ruthless, soulless, Marxist who had no qualms about the excesses of the Stalinist camp? Collective warm memories dissuade sharp questioning, but it’s difficult to conceive that someone who spent the ‘20’s in Moscow and operated in the Soviet sphere for decades didn’t know, and approve of, what was going on.

Whatever and whomever he really was, Ho Chi Minh is revered by the people, even today. The Presidential Palace in Hanoi, in which he worked but refused to live, is a monument. His nearby residence is a shrine and museum.

Ho’s mausoleum, adjacent to the home and palace, commands a view of the square in which he proclaimed independence, the National Assembly building, and the national War Memorial. A starkly impressive piece of classical neo-Socialist architecture, it stands somewhat at odds with its Franco-Vietnamese surroundings.

The cynic suspects that a Disneyesque queue management system is in place in order to give the impression of popularity, with a small line even at the quietest of times. Whatever, the line does move quickly through for a rapid, but adequate, viewing of the embalmed folk hero.

And, people come still - from the towns, the farms, the mountains – to pay their respects, to the tune of several thousands a day. This, 32 years after Ho’s death. There are school groups, ethnic villagers in distinct costumes, and old soldiers who have donned their uniforms one last time.

No cameras or loitering are permitted by the guards. The people circling the glass casket are subdued. They save their chatter and observations until they leave the mausoleum for a tour through the house and museum, where they cannot help but turn and stare at the strange Westerners in their midst.

And so, a secular saint has taken his place in the Vietnamese pantheon.

About Les Francais

No discussion of any aspect of Vietnam is complete without recognizing the role of the French in its modern history, for better or for worse. There remains today, as in the title of this piece, a whiff – a hint – of something vaguely French in Vietnamese affairs today.

Some number of people – mainly older folks – still speak French. My wife was called “Madame” everywhere we went. And, the beret is a most popular headgear among gentlemen of a certain age, especially in the North.

Particularly in Hanoi and Saigon, public buildings frequently reflect French colonial architecture. Restaurants, even those serving Vietnamese food, often bear French names. Broad boulevards and parks bespeak the city planning touch of the French.

Not so long ago, French was taught in all the schools, and conversational French was commonplace. The children of the well-to-do, were often educated in France – and learned Vietnamese as a second language. The French were physically visible, and powerful, in civil administration, in business, in plantation ownership and management, and in military presence.

Governmental bureaucracy took French form in paperwork and processes, with traces persisting to this day. Adding a Communist overlay might be considered overkill.

But, the relationship is definitely a love/hate one – attachment to many French things coupled with antipathy toward the French, themselves. Perhaps, as is the case with Americans, the strong feelings are not directed toward people as much as to governments and institutions.

The intertwining of France and Vietnam goes back nearly 400 years, to the arrival of French Jesuits in 1615. Later in the 17^th century, the future was foreshadowed by the establishment of separate ruling dynasties in the north and south.

By the end of the 18^th century, rebellion and turmoil involving the north, the south, and China, led to French support and training for a southern prince’s armies. This culminated in Emperor Gia Long (the first of the long Nguyen dynasty) capturing Hanoi and uniting the country for the first time in 200 years. French missionaries reappeared, and French power and influence spread.

By mid-19^th-century, open conflict had broken out. Without citing chapter and verse, the French colonial armies won, and won big. By the end of the century, the (French) Indochinese Union also included Cambodia, Laos, the Chinese port of Qizhouwan, and Vietnam – carved up into north (Tonkin), central (Annam), and south (Cochin China) pieces.

One suspects the division had both political and administrative aims, but the division and the names were historically invalid. The last time Vietnam had been a tri-partite geography was several centuries prior. “Annam” was a Chinese term for all of Vietnam. And, “Cochin” was a Portuguese term that was not intended to label a limited southern portion of the country.

By the middle 1900’s (WWII), the nominal emperor, Bao Dai, had become a French puppet, and the (Vichy) French had capitulated to a Japanese takeover of Vietnam that left a French administration in place. Two million (20%) of the north’s population died as the result of famine (and flood) attributed to Japanese-French practices.

Post WWII turmoil saw Vietminh-French conflict, division into north and south at the 18^th parallel, and Bao Dai entering and departing stage right, like an ingénue in a bad play.

US President Truman elected to side with France’s DeGaulle, our WWII ally, and support the French forces in opposition to our erstwhile friends, Ho Chi Minh and (the brilliant) General Vo Nguyen Giap (who lived to exact a fearful revenge upon us). By 1954, the French had been thoroughly defeated, humiliated at Dien Bien Phu, and left the theater.

Today, asked directly about the best thing the French did, a Vietnamese is likely to say, “the principal benefit was that they left behind the recipe for croissants.”

Infrastructure

The country is both well-prepared and ill-prepared to support continued and growing logistics and supply chain challenges. However, they appear to know what needs to be done, and are aggressively shoring up the weak spots. A big job still lies before them.

Air

Vietnam’s three international airports are highly accessible from international points of origin, generally through Asian connecting points, with wide choices of carriers into Saigon and Hanoi (as well as charter service into Danang). There is no direct service from either the US or the UK.

A number of US carriers reach Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, and other Asian destinations, where connections may be made with reliable, first-class regional carriers. Or, major Asian airlines might be taken from West Coast departure points (or Europe), connecting through Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila – the usual transfer points.

Major carriers going into Vietnam include: Singapore (which I can highly recommend), Cathay Pacific, Air Malaysia, Asiana, Thai Airways, China Airlines, Korean Air, and British Air.

Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier, operates both domestically and internationally, and is an exemplary operation. Unlike Cuba, Vietnam has kept all of its Russian-made fleet totally grounded since 1997. The core fleet is made up of new, reliable equipment:

• 2 Fokker 70’s - mainly for in-country destinations, and also to Vientane, Laos, and Canton, China
• 6 ATR 72’s - almost exclusively for domestic flights, plus a run to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• 2 Airbus A321’s – Hanoi/Saigon flights, plus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Kaohsung, China
• 10 Airbus A320’s – Saigon/Danang/Hanoi flights, and to international destinations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, and Beijing, Guangzhou, and Kunming in China
• 6 Boeing B767’s – long-haul flights to Paris (via Dubai), Sydney, Melbourne, Osaka, Seoul; short-hauls to Taipei and Hong Kong

All told, 15 domestic and 22 international destinations are provided with regular service.

As if this weren’t enough contrast with the dreadful Cubana fleet, which a dedicated crew strive manfully to keep aloft, Vietnam operates code-share (China Airlines) routes to Los Angeles and San Francisco (via Taipei). They have just announced (December, 2001) the purchase of four Boeing B777’s, which will extend their international capabilities, including the announced routes to Moscow (reopened) and Shanghai.

Vietnam Airlines’ cockpit and cabin crews are impressively professional, capable and service-committed. They can hold their own anywhere, based on our experience with Saigon/ Danang and Hue/Hanoi flights.

Vietnam Airlines is reported to have a small semiprivate domestic competitor, Pacific Airlines, which we had no experience with. In both cases, prices are government-mandated, anyway.

Airport facilities are a mixed bag. Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat is the remnant of our military facility, and wartime hangars (now used for miscellaneous storage) still line the runway. Big, busy, confusing, and decrepit, it is long overdue for a major facelift, and hardly seems able to handle its passenger load.

Until just months, maybe days, ago, Hanoi’s Noi Bai was the Russian equivalent of Tan Son Nhat, but it is now an ultra-modern, comfortable, two-story facility, featuring food, duty-free shopping, and spacious lounges.

Danang’s relatively new facility is perfectly adequate and comfortable. Hue’s Phu Bai is probably a lot like provincial operations throughout the country, generally functional and mainly adequate, but not a place to be when things go wrong, and when fluent Vietnamese is not a core competency.

Rail

The good news is that there is an active rail system, which, unlike Cuba’s, is in frequent use. The 1,200-mile network is essentially a north-south operation, serving Hanoi to Saigon, and the coastal towns in between. To get from Saigon to Hanoi by train could take as long as 48 hours (and no less than 36), depending on the number of stops and the presence or absence of any unanticipated delays . . . and that’s the quick train, the Reunification Express.

The narrow-gauge line, dating from (like so many things) the French colonial period essentially follows Highway #1 along the coast. From Hanoi, travelers are able to go east to Haiphong (also for access to Halong and Cat Ba), northeast to Lang Son, and northwest onthe “luxury” train to the border town of Lao Cai (for access to Sapa). It is also possible, with a border crossing and a number of connections, to go on from Lang Son to Beijing. There is no such hub-and-spoke access to other locations out of Saigon.

Both passenger and freight services employ the same track. Limited observation suggests that passenger usage is greater in both number of trains, and number of cars per train in the passenger sector. 10-12 cars might make up a representative freight train, with 14-20 cars on a passenger train.

Some observers suggest that an upgrade to standard gauge could be a useful upgrade to the logistics infrastructure, permitting greater rail movement of containers. On the surface, cost and payback would seem to pose tough challenges, yet there are limitations to what even an upgraded highway system might accommodate (see below).

Maritime

Vietnam’s ports are doing a land-office business with the country’s economic recovery. Haiphong, Hanoi’s port, was extensively bombed during the war, but is today’s largest and busiest port facility. The roads and streets leading to it from Hanoi are lined with manufacturing and commerce of all sorts.

Saigon, the port of the south, is pressing hard to regain its former status. And, Danang, the third port (and a trading center for centuries), serves the central areas.

There are three additional deep-water ports, including Halong Bay in the north.

With thriving import and export activity, the ports are critical parts of Vietnam’s supply chain success. These are the enablers (and theoretical limiters) for national logistics volume and velocity. A sea-change (pun intended) to overland international movement of goods is not likely within our lifetimes, given road conditions and capacities.

Very casual observation suggests that these facilities are a long way from using their potential capacity.

River

River transport is both necessary and problematic, particularly in the south. One basic challenge is that the major rivers tend to run east/west in a north/south country.

This is true of the Red River in the north, through Hanoi; the Mekong, coming through from Cambodia as it splits into several branches in the delta; the Saigon, meandering southwesterly to the sea; and any number of smaller rivers in the central portions of the country – the Ba, the Bung, the Quang Tri, the Ca, the Ma, the Luong, and so on.

Yet, again particularly in the Mekong Delta in the south, there is no rail access, and road quality and capacity are suspect and variable. Water routes are critical to bring outgoing produce to market. And, incoming products to consumers. In fact, many markets there are exclusively water-based, with trade being conducted from boat to boat in a vast floating exchange.

Can improvements be made to this intercourse among the shallow-draft boats that ply the rivers and canals of the Delta? I don’t know, but I do know that the vital role of these craft must be recognized in any vision for a national supply chain. We chuckle a bit when encountering these motor-driven suppliers of fruits and vegetables (powered by single and tandem two-cycle engines), but they are the reality of distribution in the breadbasket of the nation.

Highway

Good maps show Vietnam crisscrossed with highways linking every city and town of any consequence. Don’t believe them. Not that tourists are permitted to drive in Vietnam; they aren’t. It’s a lucky thing – we’d kill ourselves within a day.

Principal highways are of staggeringly variable quality. Highway #1 from Saigon to Hanoi (actually from the Mekong Delta to the Chinese border) illustrates. It is the national highway, and, in the south, ranges from perfectly serviceable to nearly impassable, particularly when and where repairs are being undertaken at railroad crossings and mountain passes.

Once the pride and joy of the US military, it poses as much impediment to movement as it does encouragement, although in and near Saigon it is in good shape, and is undergoing widening and repaving in some sections.

In the north, the road had a less-stellar pedigree, but has benefited from new highway money coming into the country. It is in superb condition almost down to the 17^th Parallel, the old divider between North and South Vietnam.

The good news is that Vietnam has scored some serious outside money, from the World Bank and the Asian development Bank. It is being poured into highway upgrades and reconstruction, and will be repaid through a 20-year toll collection program. The refurbishment of Highway #1, which should be completed by the end of 2002, is the first priority. That the northern portion was done first is no surprise – the northern national government is going to take care of its own first.

Next is Highway #2, an essentially north-south route following the old Ho Chi Minh Trail through the western mountains, from Ha Tay Province west of Hanoi to Saigon.

Other roads of note include the recently upgraded Highway #5 from Hanoi to Haiphong, and the excellent road that continues to Halong Bay. Not upgraded, but vital arteries, are: #6 from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu, #70 which bisects the northwest, #7 through Nghe An Province into Laos, #14 through the central highlands, #22 from Saigon northwest through Tay Ninh and into Cambodia, and #80 in the upper Mekong Delta southwest of Saigon.

We traveled to Cu Chi and its tunnels on #22, which was originally built by the US military, and apparently not maintained since. In general, there are more and better roads in the south, thanks to the US war effort, but even routine maintenance is reported to be a general problem.

Secondary roads are also highly uneven in quality, tending toward the unacceptable. Tertiary roads are dirt, often mud, and useless during the rainy season. (There is a program underway, however, that encourages towns and villages to pave local paths on a 60/40 basis with federal and local monies.)

The major roads are paved, and being upgraded on a more permanent basis, as noted above. But of all the highways (7,500 miles worth) labeled national roads, only 60% are paved. The 25,000 miles of provincial or district roads are only 8% paved.

Even when the roads are good, or even simply dry, travel is slow going. Saigon to Hanoi can be a 3-4 day affair, which makes the 2-day train trip reasonably attractive, and the 2-hour flight compelling.

Causal factors, in addition to weather and fundamental road conditions, are:

• the sheer number of vehicles of all varieties – trucks, buses, motorbikes, bicycles, and
• agricultural traffic, including wandering water buffalo

(More on those topics follows below.)

Truck Transport

Cuba’s national fleet of a reported 60,000 trucks pales alongside the uncountable numbers of Vietnamese commercial transport vehicles. The streets and roads are full of trucks, of all ages and sizes, and of all makes and purposes. And, they are all gainfully employed and on the move.

Most appear to be in the 2 ¸ - 5-ton range, but there are significantly more larger vehicles than in Cuba – tankers, 20-foot (and larger) straight trucks, many flatbed container haulers, some conventional (to us) semi’s. We even saw one TransAmerica leased trailer, and some International power units.

There are a large number of purpose-built, very small, trucks for, among other tasks, beer and soft drink distribution, generally tagged for their specific product. These were the only brand-specific vehicles we saw.

On the road north out of Saigon, at about the point at which Tiger beer signs began to give way to Huda, Coca Cola signs began to give way to Pepsi, and the delivery trucks changed accordingly.

The truly remarkable component of the national fleet (a misnomer, as these are privately owned) is the phenomenon of a sea of light trucks used for local and farm transport. These are superannuated military vehicles, or share chassis design with them, and are Rube Goldberg contraptions, rigged up with power provided by two-stroke engines originally developed for water transport.

The traffic backups that can be generated by a few of these on the main road would do Atlanta proud.

The backbone of truck transport begins with large numbers of IFA (East German) vehicles, and Russian Kamaz’s. Then come the Japanese, making up the next generation. But, these have become too expensive, and the Koreans (Kia, Hundai) are the current favorite in new trucks (and for busses, as well).

Some heavier-duty leftover military vehicles have been refurbished and re-badged, often as DeSoto’s or Dodges. (Memo to self: Notify Juergen and Dieter that someone is misapprehending DaimlerChrysler trade names.)

There are also large numbers – they are truly ubiquitous - of miniature, 3-wheeled vehicles used for the short-haul transport of goods (and people, see below). Slower and more erratic than the other trucks, their two-cycle engines are noisy and smoky.

Warehousing

We did not observe specific warehousing facilities and activities, probably a shortcoming occasioned by the personal nature of the trip. However, we did not encounter obvious distribution centers or campuses, or clear warehousing districts in manufacturing and port areas.

Obviously, with the degree of import and export activity going on, and the amount of consumer product distribution taking place (another contrast with Cuba), there are warehouses of some sort, somewhere. Whether they employ planning and management techniques comparable to what we would expect is unknown.

The suspicion is that warehousing is not particularly advanced, from the global supply chain perspective. What we did observe, if only from a distance, was bulk storage areas attached to manufacturing facilities. Those spotted did not display dock door numbers and arrangements that would support sophisticated routing, load building, and distribution tactics.

However, these points are based on very limited observation. They were reinforced when we saw a beer distribution truck with a few extra cases stacked/packed in the passenger half of the cab.

Personal Transport

This arena presents another dramatic contrast with Cuba. The Vietnamese are a people on the move, and at all hours. Rush hours in the major cities are horrendously surreal, but streets and highways are clogged all the time.

There isn’t room for all the traffic on the road, and the widely different speeds involved lead to clamor and chaos, as all try to make their ways to wherever.

It is fortunate that foreigners are not permitted to drive autos; the potential for injury and monetary damages are great enough as it is. The first rule of the road is that whichever is bigger, or faster, or was there first, wins. Otherwise, all are equal on the road, man or beast, motorized or not.

That said, when there is an accident (and there are plenty of them), the larger vehicle is deemed to be at fault, no matter the actual circumstances. So, the reverse pecking order is: large truck, bus, smaller truck, car, moto, cyclo, bicycle, water buffalo. Killing a water buffalo might incur damages related to the next several generations of its offspring.

The horn is the vehicular component likely to fail first, from overuse.

Automobiles

Car ownership by individuals is on the rise, and there are only a few relics of the past still on the road. Except for the handful of classics spotted in elegant sections of Hanoi and Saigon, the cars are new and by no means confined to entry-level econoboxes. We even spotted a Lexus, although the finest vehicle we saw was a Citroen of uncertain, but stately, vintage.

The big Asian names are all there, with large, glass-fronted showrooms, as well as some European leaders. To illustrate the extent of the business, there are 20 Mercedes dealerships in the country, 16 Mitsubishi, 13 Suzuki, 14 Fiat, 12 Toyota, 10 Ford, and 3 Daewoo. Many other marques (Hyundai, Kia, Isuzu, etc.) are also present.

Ford, the #2 seller, after Toyota, dominates the pickup and SUV segments. With an assembly plant just outside Hanoi, it sold 310 units in a recent month.

Given the congestion of city streets, the practicality of auto ownership might be questionable, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping anyone with the money from getting one.

Fuel for automobiles, trucks, buses, and motorbikes is not a problem. Gas stations are everywhere, with well-known brands represented: BP (huge in Saigon), Mobil, Caltex (Chevron/Texaco), Castrol, Petrolimex, and others

Buses

The intracity systems in Saigon and Hanoi are reported to be improving, but, based on limited observation, are not a useful option for anyone with enough money for taxis, which are plentiful and reasonable. The buses we saw in Saigon were clean, new, and empty.

The intercity mélange - it canât really be called a system ö is fascinating and frightening to observe.Ê The mixture of generations of vehicles on the road is a study in evolution.Ê The standing joke is that the transport museum and the bus terminal are one and the s

There are plenty of new-generation buses, generally Korean and usually Hyundai. The next generation is Japanese, which have become too expensive for the local market, and there are several Tata’s from India. (For those new to the area, Tata is a huge Indian industrial conglomerate, not slang for any body parts.) The next older generation is made up of US and Russian vehicles from the ’60’s and ‘70’s, mainly refurbished, repainted, and re-badged military units.

The real phenomenon is the huge number of ancien Renaults – 50 years old, and more. Small, fully loaded, and with layers of paint jobs thicker than the original sheet metal, they zoom along the highways at speeds in excess of 20 miles per hour. The French take pride in the durability of these marvels, until they learn that they’ve all been re-rigged with Russian motors.

There is also a large fleet of mini-buses, somewhat larger than golf carts, apparently privately owned, and of uncertain provenance. These carry either people (seated on benches) or goods, or sometimes both, and participate on an equal basis with other vehicles in the unarmed conflict that passes for traffic.

The “real” buses may have schedules, but these are reported to be of no consequence. They arrive when they arrive, and they leave when they leave. Jammed to the gills, with people not only standing, but hanging out the windows, they have only one speed – top (subject to traffic limitations).

Luggage and other possessions (motorbikes, chickens, pigs, etc.) are placed (and not all that securely) on roof racks). They present, thus, an imposing sight when, horns a-blare, they attempt to overtake every other vehicle on the road.

Motorbikes

The motorbike (moto) is the Vietnamese national carriage. The numbers on the streets and highways beggar description. Our first Saigon rush hour experience looked as if it were a computer-generated movie scene, with mobs of dangerous devices descending upon the valiant hero, the plucky heroine, and their amusing sidekick.

Literally millions of these are on the road, with more joining the throngs every day. One estimate puts the Saigon moto population alone at over 4 million, with another million commuting in each day.

It’s possible. From country-wide imports of 300,000 in 1998, the inflow rose to 1.4 million in 2000, and was nearly 2 million in the first 11 months of 2001.

In the cities, almost everyone is on a moto. Bicycles appear to be the province of schoolchildren. Even in the country, bicycles are in a distinct minority vis-a-vis motos. (This ratio may have shifted rapidly from the recent times in which bicycles were dominant, especially in the countryside.) These, too, participate on an equal footing with other transport modes.

Most anything and everything is transported on motos – girlfriends, families of four, 6’ x 6’ panes of glass, firewood, produce for market – to the point of blinding the driver. So, these, too, are integral parts of the “last mile’ distribution system.

Many women have their own motos, and are, at least in the daylight hours, most fetching, with conical hats, long (sometimes shoulder-length) gloves, and face-covering masks and kerchiefs. These precautions are taken, not because of dirt and pollution, but to protect their fair complexions, which are much prized by the distaff side.

Motos are overwhelmingly in the 50cc to 125cc displacement range. There are a few 250’s, even 450’s, but these are enjoyed only by a few of the wealthy elite. Prices range from $800 to $900 for the cheapest Chinese import, but many are in the $3,000 - $5,000 range for the popular Japanese brands. There are a handful of Korean entries in the market, also.

Some Russian Minsks are still in service. By far, the make to have is Honda. Its Dreams, Waves, and Cubs (and other versions) totally dominate the category. In fact, in Vietnam, hon da has become the generic name for motos, joining the ranks of Kleenex and Xerox as trade names that have come to designate an entire category.

Even the venerable, and pricey, Vespa from Italy is here. It lures buyers with cachet, not price, and owners participate in Vespa-only road trips and outings.

Cyclos

The three-wheeled pedicabs that provide popular, but inaccurate, stereotypes of Asian life are still around. They provide a legitimate, but limited means of in-town transportation.

Drivers, often renting the cabs by the day, congregate around popular hotels, going for the tourist trade. Most of the traffic we observed was indigenous.

They are inefficient for groups of two or three, requiring traveling in packs through traffic that will separate loved ones from one another in less than 60 seconds. They are not safe at night in Saigon (perhaps at any time), with a rising incidence of mugging and robberies being reported.

Cyclo, driver, and a toothy Western tourist do make for a good photo opportunity, however.

Curiously, the Saigon variety feature the driver in the rear, and the passenger up front – another recipe for traffic disaster. Outside Saigon, for some reason, the driver tends to be in front, with the passenger (or other load) in the rear.

Power And Communications

Conditions in Vietnam, while not perfect, are orders-of-magnitude ahead of those in Cuba.

Electricity

The country enjoys a steady supply of reliable power from a network of four (one north, two central, one south) hydroelectric plants, whose output can be shifted to areas of need in the national grid.

The current (no pun intended) estimate is that 80% of the people are connected to electric power. The goal is 95% by 2010. That may seem low, but is impressive in the context of the size and scope of the primitive rice farming population.

We encountered only two instances of flickering lights in our two weeks there, and no complete outages, as we experienced in Cuba. The system may become more stressed during the heat of summer, however.

A number of new facilities are being funded or are in active development, primarily designed to extend remote/rural coverage.

Gas

Funding has just been secured for a Vietnamese first, a natural gas distribution facility, with an annual capacity of seven billion cubic meters per year.

Telephone

(Memo to self: Ask Fidel to ask the Vietnamese how they do it.) The phones work, and really well. We expected the usual delays, disconnects and outrageous costs.

Instead, overseas calls were clear, reliable, immediate, and (while not cheap) not nearly as nasty a gouging as we’ve experienced elsewhere (Argentina, for example).

There is coverage in all areas of the country, with 61 total area codes for provinces and major cities. Sprint and MCI access codes are available for international calls.

Local service is reported to be static-riddled. We can’t say, but did observe that cell phone usage is pervasive, like everywhere else in the world, in Hanoi and Saigon.

Radio And Television

Hotels, of course, have satellite dishes, and bring in CNN, BBC, CNBC and many other pure entertainment channels. Vietnam TV includes nightly broadcasts in French and English, in addition to its Vietnamese fare on 3 channels (2 in the countryside).

Antennae are everywhere, even in the smallest towns. Some estimate that 90% of city dwellers have TV sets, with 30%-40% penetration in the countryside.

Domestic national radio broadcasts on 2 AM and 3 FM frequencies, at least in Saigon. The Voice of Vietnam broadcasts for international consumption on AM. FM, and shortwave frequencies in numerous languages. There are no bars to incoming shortwave reception.

Radio and television receivers are plentiful and widely available – in competing brands.

Press

There appear to be a multitude of newspapers and magazines available in Vietnamese. The premier English-language publication is the daily Viet Nam News. There is also a French-language daily, not simply a repeat of the other paper. Both appear to be published by state-run enterprises.

Despite the propaganda content and slant of Viet Nam News, it is a useful and comprehensive source of information about developments both in-country and internationally. It covers sports, entertainment, the arts, and business, in addition to general news.

The propaganda is not terribly intrusive or offensive – nothing as lurid and laughable as the old-fashioned “running dogs of imperialism” drivel. It does feature a bit of a slant in favor of developments in “other progressive nations.” And, there is almost always a five- or ten-year plan date for accomplishment of the latest economic or infrastructure target.

The weekly Vietnam Investment Review and the monthly Vietnam Economic Times both carry somewhat more independent commentary on business issues, as products of joint ventures between government entities and foreign organizations.

Unlike in Cuba, there is no paper shortage, so these outlets publish regularly, and are widely available.

Internet

It’s everywhere. Internet cafes dot the side streets in the cities, with very reasonable connect rates, from a penny to ten cents per minute. Although a nervous government shut down cybercafes (and confiscated computers) in 1997, they are back, and widely used.

It is easier for the Vietnamese to use internet services than an American. Our biggest ISP’s (e.g., CompuServe, AOL) don’t have Vietnamese nodes. But, the real observation is that PC’s and the internet are integral parts of the domestic information infrastructure.

Kids learn the right stuff in school, and business usage is extensive. And, of course, Microsoft rules in the software world. People joke that America is the land of the two Bills. One is Clinton, popular because of his visit in 2000; the other is Gates, because everybody uses his software.

Water

“Water, water everywhere . . .” in the words of the poet. Between the sea, the rivers, and the rainy season, quantity is not usually a problem. The country is powered hydroelectrically.

There is ample supply for industrial purposes, and irrigation is vital to the rice crop, among others. Drinking it is another matter.

The national water distribution system may be aging, prematurely. Some 60% of the pipes are over 35 years old, and meet 40% or less, of demand. An estimated 30% of the water taken in to the system is lost before it can be delivered.

Even in the big cities, only 60% of the population gets its water from the system. That figure drops to the range of 30% to 50% in medium-sized cities. The coverage plummets to 10% - 15% in provincial and district towns.

Funding for major redevelopment is actively being pursued by the government.

Food And Beverages

Unlike Cuba, Vietnam’s restaurants don’t have to cope with random and persistent shortages of particular foods. And ration coupons have not been a part of daily life for several years.

There are culinary tours of Vietnam, and we feared we might be on one of them for the first several days. The quantity and quality of meals provided to tourists can be overwhelming.

Meals

The food day typically began with a seductively complete buffet breakfast in the hotel du jour, featuring eggs/omelets, Asian specialties, fresh fruits, breads and pastries, crepes (ah, those French, again), juices and coffee. The temptation was to carb up against the rigors of the day’s sightseeing gauntlet. A brisk fifty-foot jog to the waiting van worked off the calories taken on in this cause.

Ready or not, lunches were uniformly excellent and intimidating. The 6 or 7 courses presented usually involved soup, duck, prawns, spring rolls, chicken (often in salad), rice, fruits, and a whole deep-fried fish. Forks are seldom provided outside of hotels, so rapidly gaining proficiency in Chopsticks 101 is very important for the serious eater.

We would then waddle to the van, fully prepared to withstand the afternoon’s agenda. Evenings arrived before the effects of lunch had worn off, but the talented restaurateurs we were handed over to were not afraid, and served up even more and better of the same. The van was beginning to sag a bit upon evening re-entry.

The principal difference between lunches and dinners was one of degree and not of kind. The recipes were generally a shade more elegant and diverse, and the number of courses tended to increase. The food was glorious.

Rice is, of course, a staple, but a wide variety of vegetables abound, and French fries appear regularly. Seafood of all kinds is fresh and superb, and the poultry is smashingly good. Pork and beef (usually veal) are plentiful and tasty, and lamb is occasionally found. Fruits come in dozens of varieties, some familiar, many not, and all intensely flavored and delicious.

The cuisine is not Chinese and not Thai, for those looking for a point of reference. It is obviously Oriental, but it is distinctively Vietnamese. There are differences from southern, to central, to northern versions and specialties, but you’ll recognize the food as Vietnamese wherever you are.

Some dishes are not for the faint of heart, beginning with dog (more of a favorite in the north), and continuing with anything described as virility enhancing. These include snake – the more poisonous, the better – and a number of exotic species.

What do the Vietnamese eat? Those extravaganzas we were wolfing down were served in Vietnamese restaurants serving Vietnamese people. But, for ordinary folks, and/or a quick bite, little hole-in-the-wall eateries featuring com and pho are on every corner. Many of these stalls are called “dusty cafes” because of their open fronts and proximity to roadways.

Com is rice, and pho is beef (or chicken, pork, or shrimp) soup with rice noodles - Vietnam’s soul food. Our most memorable lunch may have been pho at a dusty café, taken at a shared table with six Vietnamese and eaten with chopsticks from a communal bucket.

We report, with regret, that KFC has four stores in Vietnam. Baskin-Robbins is also there. One shudders at the implications for the future.

Drink

Bia is a most popular drink in Vietnam, and local brands include 333, Halida, Saigon Export, Hanoi, and Tiger. Huda, made in Hue in a Danish/Vietnamese joint venture is popular in the central region, and Heineken is brewed in-country under license.

Imported and domestic bottled waters are everywhere, which is a necessity, as tap water (and ice) is not potable for visitors. The good hotels have good purification systems, but even the top hostelry in Hanoi advised against drinking its own purified water.

Another good thing the French did was to create a wine-drinking culture. French, Californian, Australian, Spanish, and Italian wines are all available at the best hotels and restaurants. Vietnamese rice wine is plentiful and perilous.

Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola are both made and distributed in Vietnam, and appear to battle as fiercely for market share there as they do elsewhere. Coconut milk is an excellent refresher, and there are numerous local fruit juices.

A cornucopia of imported spirits is available, and at fairly reasonable prices, as are many hideous “tropical” cocktails made from them. Russian vodka is one positive reminder of the old days. Vietnamese vodka, like Vietnamese champagne, is not recommended unless you are giving it to someone for purposes of revenge. Chinese liquors are only recommended in the event one’s truck is out of fuel.

Snake wine is a marvel to behold. Touted as “Vietnamese Viagra,” it usually consists of a pickled cobra coiled up in a bottle filled with rice wine. The cobra’s hood is spread wide, which must surely involve techniques similar to those used to raise souvenir ships-in-bottles.

Reported benefits, in addition to overcoming impotence, include curing night blindness (or inducing it, I forget which). It is highly recommended as a guarantor for fathering a son, a critically important family objective in Vietnam. For the difficult cases, large bottles are prepared, containing several – and several varieties of – serpents.

Ca phe is just what you think it is. Decaf is available at the better hotels. It is generally robust and flavorful. The native version, however, is unique unto itself.

Imagine espresso cranked up a notch. The thick, rich version served up in Vietnamese coffee shops was clearly devised with the intention of revivifying long-gone ancestors. We’ve had coffee in Brasil, Argentina, Cuba – places with national pride on the line when it comes to strong coffee, and I’ll put up the Vietnamese version against anyone’s.

Between the local coffee and the state of traffic, the body finds it easy to stay on 24-hour alert. For those wishing a tamer experience, the coffee may be mixed with a large helping of sweetened, condensed milk – a most unusual experience that is not recommended as a regular habit.

The National Economy

The side-by-side existence of “old” and “new” economies makes this a difficult story to tell. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is only about $25 billion, or between $300 and $325 per head, making Vietnam one of the poorer countries in the world.

Yet, the country (with some exceptions noted below) is climbing out of poverty. While not rich by any means, Vietnam is poised to become another Asian success story. I believe that it is necessary to factor out (which I don’t know how to do) the subsistence-level family rice farming from the rest of Vietnamese building, manufacturing, and commerce (including agri-business) to get a better picture of what is really happening, economically.

Economic Environment

Following war and reunification, Vietnam underwent an obligatory process of learning how the Soviet model fails. Happily, the economy did not ever become so dependent on Soviet and/or satellite support that it collapsed when their benefactors became unstable and pulled out.

But, things were not getting better – in fact, worse. During the period of “socialist camp” support, the country engaged in two wars. Even with initial do moi announced in 1986, war continued for another two or so years. By 1991, when the Russians and others left, even more liberal leaders and policies were put into place.

Some complain that the policy has been a dud. To be sure, the government has had to feel its way in the process of centrally managing a more market-facing economy (a contradiction in terms). There have been false starts, with a fair number of foreign banks and companies pulling out in the late ‘90’s, after initial high hopes.

But without, do moi, the entrepreneurial spirit in the people would not have been unleashed, and the massive move to home and business ownership would not have started. And, the foundation for the next steps, critical to the economy in the new millennium, would not have been laid.

What makes this story so much different from Cuba’s are:

• Political and economic liberalization went much farther, earlier, in Vietnam
• The US government was sufficiently encouraged that it lifted the embargo in 1994, opening up access to World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and significant foreign investment
• By 1998, the treaty prohibiting trade between Vietnam and the US was overturned.
• A three-year progression of steps to normalize relations culminated in the signing of a bilateral trade agreement in December 2001.

The state is continuing its program of “restructuring” (consolidating) and privatizing industries. Thirteen were accomplished this year (2001), and 119 have been accomplished since 1992.

It is the developments since 1994 that have really set the economy on fire, providing jobs, capital, and opportunity beyond what might have been imagined previously. There are ups and downs, and growth has occurred at an uneven pace. And, there are miles yet to travel on the road to prosperity.

Today, despite the grinding poverty in which rice farmers toil, a broad spectrum of citizens have access to, and choices in, consumer products and appliances on a scale that can only be enjoyed by foreigners or star athletes (or perhaps Party officials) in Cuba. They can, somehow, afford transportation, and they can buy (not rent from the state) houses. An estimated 30% of big-city households have washing machines.

The Stock Exchange

Yes, there is one, headquartered in Saigon. It opened in mid-2000 with with two listings.

Presently, nine companies have permission to list shares, along with four bond offerings. Eight additional operations are awaiting approval to begin trading.

Typical daily volume is 100,000 shares, and about $300,000. Hey, you’ve got to start somewhere.

Baby Tiger?

Some of the luster has dimmed from the Asian success stories of the early ‘90’s. And Vietnam will not ever be another Singapore. Might it become another South Korea?

The answer is problematic, as other countries have big head starts. Korea’s economic rebuilding began after its war in the ‘50’s. Japan began in the late ‘40’s. Vietnam had committed its scant resources to a succession of wars, fighting first the French, then the US in the wars we paid any attention to. Those were followed by conflict with Cambodia, which did not completely end until 1989, and repelling a Chinese invasion.

As noted, the government still struggles with how far to go, or not go, in the brave new world of economic liberalization. But, there are sign and portents that are encouraging.

A body of successful experience with joint ventures and private investment has been built up. Industrial consolidation and privatization are moving ahead in a number of sectors. No external trade restrictions hold back development. And, the US trade potential is now on a level playing field.

The workforce is bright and energetic – and educated and literate. I’d bet on Vietnam as a next generation success story, if we had to vote now.

Currency And Income

The national currency is the dong, which trades at about 15,000 to the US dollar. The dollar is accepted for individual commerce throughout the country, although in remote areas and/or at smaller shops change may be made in dong.

Exchange rates tend to vary upward, with the size of the bill you are changing. Street offers of a better rate are usually scams that are intended to short-change the less-attentive, or to lure the tourist into flashing a wad of cash, to which bad things will then happen.

Wages vary widely, depending on location and position. A Hanoi or Saigon-based middle manager can easily make $500 a month, with perks that increase his/her purchasing power. An executive or industrialist can make fabulous sums. A college-educated, English-speaking sales person in the central part of the country might make $35 a month, but would be facing a much different cost of living.

The progressive income tax (an oxymoron if ever there was) leads to some manipulation of the balance of wages and perks to optimize the earner’s net position, and manage to a lower taxation level.

A plantation owner might make $100,000 a year. The farmer, at the subsistence level, makes almost nothing, but is feeding his family, and has a very low cost of living in the countryside. His only capital investment is in beast(s) of burden, whether bovine or buffalo. Nevertheless, there is a gradual in-migration to the cities, as more farmers look for more in life than subsistence.

These disparities result, in part, from the opportunities provided by the liberalization of a quasi-market economy. To some extent, the rising tide that lifts all boats is helping the entire country. But, the rice farmer is largely exempted from benefiting.

His work is completely manual, and the size of his farm won’t support mechanization. He is fortunate to have a water buffalo; a tractor, even though it is assembled in Vietnam, is a luxury for someone else. I cannot speculate regarding how long it might take for the Vietnamese family farm to enter the Industrial Age, with economies of scale and earnings potential that would be consistent with the remainder of the national economy.

Health And Welfare

A continually improving overall economy has largely eliminated malnourishment, and both governmental and non-governmental organization (NGO) immunization programs are stemming any spread of disease. The big cities are home to large hospitals, and clinics are found in any town of consequence.

Although many prescription pharmaceuticals are available over-the-counter at the ubiquitous na thuoc pharmacies, they may be in shorter supply in an inverse relationship to the distance from Hanoi or Saigon. Traditional (at least in the Chinese tradition) medicine is widely practiced.

Retirement age was reported to be 55, consistent with Vietnamese thinking that the last decade of life should constitute the golden years. That would be consistent with the anecdotally reported average life span.

Given the awkwardness of evolving economic transition from total government planning, regulation, and operation to a more market-driven model, the responsibility for payment of unemployment and retirement benefits was not clear.

Social Issues

In a country that is at once poor and prosperous, there are inevitable haves and have-nots. Painful as it may be to deal with the resulting problems, this is an improvement over having a nation made up exclusively of the have-nots.

So, visitors need to face the reality that there are, beyond rural farmers, poor people in Vietnam. The cities have visible numbers of beggars – kids, elderly, disabled veterans - and aggressive street vendors. The street vendors typically have a mixed bag of Tiger Balm, postcards, or a tattered copy of Graham Greene’s The Quiet American (set in Saigon’s Hotel Continental) to press upon you. But, their numbers and tactics are significantly less of a problem than in, say, Mexico City or Rome.

Prostitution is reported to have increased over the past several years, as the country has opened itself up, and regional visitors have looked for sexual tourism. HIV/AIDS is prevalent in this industry, and we had areas pointed out in which incidences were said to be 1/3rd and 2/3rds, respectively. A pseudo-sex industry can also lure the besotted into a deft pocket picking.

Encouragingly, the government is facing this, and a companion drug – mainly heroin - problem, head-on, with appropriate publicity and programs.

Some pure thinkers attribute bribery and corruption to a failure of do moi, more precisely translated as, “renovation.” The existence of same has been documented and reported in the official media, and the propensity of traffic police to earn a handsome income in “off the books” fines is freely discussed. Party leadership is reputed to live well, as are their families.

However that may or may not be, it is difficult to lay blame on a policy of greater, rather than lesser, openness. Any event, newspapers and public statements continuously rail against inefficiency and waste.

Unemployment exists, but it is difficult to track and quantify. The faithful maintain that there is none. Others might admit to, perhaps, 5%. For the unemployed, possibilities for day-labor spot employment, for street vending, for selling at a market stall, for example, cloud the question – and the answer.

Among the educated population, there are imbalances. Lawyers, journalists, and economists are in over-supply, while there are shortages in teaching and information technology. Manufacturing enterprises have reported shortages of skilled workers.

Exports

There’s a lot more to the Vietnamese economy than rice, although rice is a major industry. There is enough “big business” rice production, with mechanization, quality processes, hybrid development, and environmentally sound fertilizers and chemicals, to make Vietnam the Number #2 rice exporter in the world, after Thailand and ahead of the US. (As noted, they had to import rice to feed themselves as late as the late ‘80’s.)

Other major products and industries include rubber, textiles, chemicals, and processed foods. Vietnam is the #4 or #5 cashew exporter, and is a major coffee exporter, as well. Oil is a major export, although gasoline must be imported, as there is no local refinery capability. (Recent contracts have been announced to build a refinery and a lubricant plant.)

Oil is the leading export in value, followed by the fast-growing textiles category. Exports to the US include, in order: garments, footwear, household appliances, electronics, and art/handicrafts.

The main trading partners are Asian – China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan – as are the majority of investors and sources of quasi-public funds. However, the Danes and Norwegians are involved in joint ventures (beer and fertilizer), and Russia is providing financing for the aforementioned oil refinery.

Ford, as noted, already has an assembly plant, and a major run at further developing US trade was evidenced by the end-of-year opening of a New York trade office. Numerous agreements and relationships are being pursued in Europe, and with Israel and Mexico. Plastics are being exported to South Africa.

Construction

Construction is underway everywhere you look, and more is on the drawing boards. In addition to the many road, airport, power plant, water, and refinery examples cited, there are countless specific projects:

• A huge department store (a foreign concept) in Hanoi, to outdo the other one, in Saigon
• Industrial parks throughout the country
• Office/commercial developments in both Saigon and Hanoi
• A supermarket in Danang (another distinctly foreign concept)
• The first 25 of a planned chain of 300 convenience stores

And on and on. Each day’s newspaper brings news of more projects and joint ventures. The equipment required for all this work is in-country and available, as are the trucks and trailers needed to haul it around.

The Vietnamese have done a commendable job of recycling buildings that formerly housed US military enterprises, both in the cities and in the country. They have been turned into factories, schools, and facilities for the Vietnamese military. But, the pace and scale of construction today is turning these into irrelevant footnotes to history.

Home building is also going through the roof. Hanoi and Saigon continue to grow, and entire new sections of the cities are being created, in addition to the sprucing up of older sections. Many of the homes are, in fact, luxurious. We did not pass a single village in the countryside that did not have at least one new home under construction.

The simplest cement house in the countryside (single-wide, one story), might cost $5,000. An average, but nice, home in town (single-wide, two or three story) could reach $45,000. We saw a triple-wide, four-story place in a desirable section of Saigon advertised for $12.5 million.

Apartments are problematic. The Soviet model encouraged building some of the depressing concrete rabbit warrens so popular in Eastern Europe, but the Vietnamese didn’t take to them, much preferring the idea of having their own houses. One elegant new apartment development in Saigon’s Cholon district is going begging, but the $400 a month price tag may be putting some people off.

Tourism

While Cuba has turned to the development of tourism as the major plank in its platform for development (and the collection of US dollars), Vietnam is apparently developing tourism as simply one more economic sector.

Real data is hard to come by, but annual tourism might be providing in the range of 2 to 2 ¸ million visitors. These, coupled with increasing inbound business travel, have fueled a boom in hotel building, some of which has gotten a little out of hand, with a new Sheraton in Hanoi closing down after a year of low-to-no occupancy.

Tourism infrastructure development stands on its own, and it is not siphoning off capital that might be better employed in another sector, a much healthier scenario than the Cuban version.

Not that tourism is taken lightly. The new and refurbished hotels are splendid. The Furama Resort at China Beach ranks in the Top Ten in Asia. The Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi is a member of the same hotel group as the legendary Raffles in Singapore.

Tourism companies pull out all the stops to make sure that everything goes right for the visitor, and that the overall experience shows the absolute best of the country and its people. Significant investment is being put into the renovation and restoration of the tombs and temples that will define the trip for many visitors.

Tourists are a mixed lot, from the US, France, Australia, Germany, and elsewhere. There are special tours to accommodate US veterans who want to revisit the places they saw during the war.

While tourism capitalizes on excellent, and renewable, resources to generate cash, there is a greater source in the US, France, Australia, and elsewhere. The Vietnamese overseas (viet kieu) pump tons of money into the economy, either through investment or by support to their families still there.

Agriculture

Good stuff grows everywhere, although the south is warmer and more fertile. There is a middle ground between the plantation owner and the subsistence farmer, which the government is encouraging.

The mid-sized enterprise can now afford mechanical help, exemplified by a recent initiative to sell no-interest/no-down-payment rice processing equipment (pumps, grinders, driers, polishers, etc.) to farmers in the Mekong Delta, where only 15% of the crop is processed by mechanized driers.

There is enough demand for tractors (despite the prevalence of cattle and buffalo in the fields and paddies) that there is a Vietnamese tractor assembly plant, and we observed a number of tractor sales enterprises.

For some reason, the use of cattle, often of the Brahma persuasion, to work the fields was more prevalent in the south, in the Mekong Delta. Only a few buffalo were seen. In the north the proportions were reversed, with the buffalo most prevalent in the fields. We saw a limited amount of cattle-drawn carriage in the north, further clogging Highway #1, but none in the south.

Crops are very diverse, and include a wide variety of vegetables, both familiar and unfamiliar. What we would call “truck farming” is practiced in both north and south, and a surprising (to us) amount of sweet corn is grown.

Garlic, pepper, lemon grass, basil, ginger, coriander, and mint are all grown for use in the subtle seasonings that grace Vietnamese food.

Cassava, or taro (tapioca), is cultivated, mainly as animal feed. During the war, Vietcong would survive on meals of this nondescript root while living in the tunnels.

Fruit growing is strongest in the south, and given the climate, almost easy. The variety is stunning. Pomelos (grapefruit) are not only sweet, but are the size of cabbages. Several types of bananas are grown, including “ladyfingers.” Citrus is pervasive, oranges and limes, and the kumquat, which provides a wonderful juice for seasoning. Starfruit, jackfruit, longan, lychees. Papayas, watermelon, avocado, coconut – there’s seemingly no end.

The history of fishing goes back centuries, and active traditional fishing continues today. In addition, newer techniques of shrimp and fish farming are being introduced along the coast, with great success.

Raising animals for food is growing in quality and quantity. Most duck, geese and chickens appeared to be in mid-sized flocks on small farms, but were certainly being purpose-grown.

Hog-raising and goat husbandry were observed in limited application, but cattle is where the action is.

The national dairy herd is relatively small, and supplies, at best, only 20% of the raw milk required by the two large producers, Vinamilk and Foremost. A series of plans have been announced to upgrade the size and quality of the herd, with imports of stock, and better breeding practices. The plan is to go from 31,000 tons a year now to 300,000 tons by 2010.

Similarly, the beef herd is slated for government-supported upgrading. Only 20% of demand can now be met by the domestic herds. Most beef consumed in Vietnam is “young,” so we took some comfort that we would not have additional opportunities to meet up with the animals we were seeing at work in the fields.

Cotton production is currently only able to meet 2/3rds of the textile industry’s demand.

Rubber is another major crop. Current annual production of 300,000 tons goes mainly to China. The projection is for increased capacity and production of 600,000 tons by 2010.

How Green Was My Valley

Vietnam has come late, preoccupied with not starving to death, to the green movement. But, they are serious about ecology, air quality, pure water – the whole environmental package – today. Farming for export is very earth-friendly. Appropriate (Social Audit) certification is widespread, and the green agenda is publicly and sincerely promoted.

Carpet bombing and Agent Orange application during the war, coupled with expanding agricultural development and over-logging, nearly denuded the country of its forests. Habitat for native species for elephant, wild buffalo, rhinoceros, tapir, tiger, leopard, antelope, crocodile, monkey, boar, numerous birds, and others has been severely jeopardized.

The government has committed to widespread reforestation programs, but there is some concern that the commitment may not be able to keep up with the rate of loss. Estimates vary widely, the more pessimistic suggesting that forest coverage fell to something approaching 20% of the country.

Reforestation programs are active and underway, and an announced objective is to restore forest coverage to 45%. Whatever the facts turn out to be, it will be some generations before reforestation projects provide a mature renewable resource base.

The Logistics Community

Our isolation from Vietnam makes any solid understanding of what they know, and where they are, in logistics frustrating to gather. There are no Vietnamese attendees at WERC or CLM conferences, as there are from Australia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Nor is there a CLM Roundtable, as in Singapore.

Of course, they can’t get the visas necessary to attend, because of stringent government requirements for personal assets and family connections as conditions for approval. However, there is evidence that leading Vietnamese companies do attend regional conferences and events.

With the influence of trading partners’ solid global logistics backgrounds, there is bound to be strong input into logistics practices in Vietnam. And, as a member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), there is undoubtedly continuous interchange at a many levels.

Georgia Tech’s TLI (The Logistics Institute-Asia) program, developed in collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) might provide another venue for Vietnamese logistics information and interchange with the Asian logistics and supply chain community.

The auto and motorbike companies, with spare parts needs, have, by definition, well-defined logistics networks and practices. Consumer products of all kinds, including for example, Asian operations of M&M/Mars and Nabisco, enjoy wide distribution of fresh products throughout the country.

Plenty of strong logistics players are in place. The big parcel delivery guys are all there – DHL, UPS, FedEx. TNT is a highly visible presence in all areas of the country.

The national “Yellow Pages” lists:

• Hundreds of trading companies
• Dozens of transport agents
• Several truck dealers
• Dozens of shipping companies
• Hundreds of freight forwarders

There are no categories for Logistics, Distribution, Warehousing, but this might indicate that actual practice is somewhat ahead of the phone company (again!).

Internet web searches uncover a handful of Vietnamese logistics providers. We did see one truck on our travels with a “logistics” designation.

ISO certification is a big deal, particularly in the exporting community, and companies take out billboards announcing the fact. Twenty-three enterprises are presently ISO or SA (Social Audit) certified, and five more are expected to join the ranks in 2002.

One of our guides (Dung the Teacher, well-read on many subjects) was very eloquent in describing early logistics in an ancient trading port. Ocean going ships from wherever would pull into Hoi An’s river, and tenders would ferry goods dockside. Once there, goods would immediately move into a long, narrow building for warehousing. Subsequently, value-adding activities (his words) would be performed, and the transformed materials would move through to the front of the building for sale and distribution.

Summing Up

Great people, all the potential in the world to do well, a tradition of accomplishment – against all odds. Progressive – at least as progressive as can be expected, given the history and the CP’s grip on power.

Determined, as evidenced by centuries, now, of wars focused on national unity, identity, integrity, and security.

This is a place that can do well, and deserves to do well. The people are good and sweet, not evil. The present government, while indisputably Communist, is not the regime we fought against.

Signs and portents are encouraging – do moi, trade agreements, industry, the plethora of government initiatives, the willingness of the international community (not only in Asia) to invest, and the newest stake in the ground, the bilateral trade agreement with the US.

And, whatever and wherever they wind up, upgrading infrastructure, and organizing logistics planning, will be critical factors in how far and how well Vietnam goes and does.

Art Van Bodegraven is a Supply Chain Consulting Partner with The Progress Group, an Atlanta-based international supply chain and logistics consultancy. Contact him at: (770) 360-5817, (770) 360-5761 (fax), (678) 777-4388 (mobile), or at avan@theprogressgroup.com.