Part 1, Invading Saigon
As a result of this capitalism, foreigners are seen as rich, and are therefore targets, to be overcharged and cheated wherever possible.
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| Southern Vietnam Part 1, Invading Saigon |
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| Vietnam was a very different country, which we realized immediately upon arrival. Since the war ended in 1975, the oppressive government has loosened its grip a little. The effect is a fiercely capitalistic society and a communist regime coexisting simultaneously. As a result of this capitalism, foreigners are seen as rich, and are therefore targets, to be overcharged and cheated wherever possible. |
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| Thats not to say we didn't meet honest and fair people in Vietnam. This cyclo driver was testament to that. He was a commander in the south Vietnamese army before the communists won the war and sent him to a "Re-education" camp (a prison camp) for nine years. Upon his release, he discovered his parents had been dead for 5 years and he had absolutely no earthly possessions. With his revoutionary history, he couldn't get a job, so he had to drive a Cyclo to feed himself... yet in the face of such continued injustice, he is an honest man and left a great impression on us. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saigon, once the stronghold of the American forces in Vietnam, is today a tangled mess of bicycles and motorbikes slicing through the smog. It's not a comely city, but with a slight vivacity to it. Not enough vivacity to warrant the amount of time we spent there, but hey, we had to get our Chinese visas:) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The conical hats are still used everywhere in Vietnam, and made for some great photo ops. These marketeers are hawking their fruit along the streets of Saigon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Another marketeer... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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