On the road in Vietnam

Our travels took us to Hanoi, Vietnam in June-July 2002 where we organized two workshops for managers of television broadcasting organizations.  This was our second trip there in two years, and we hope to return again before too long.

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Hanoi is the center of government and although a government administrative city, it nowadays bustles with energy. Some parts of the city are traversed by the wide boulevards like this one laid out during French colonial times. The second photo shows a typical congested street scene near the downtown area. The third photo shows the lake that is at the heart of the city.  Surrounded by a walkway and park, it is a delightful place to saunter in the cooling breeze at the end of day.

Above Drew watches over the work on an exercise in our Strategic Management Seminar. They seem to be working hard but the group never misses a chance for some good food and fun at a local cafe.  Bottoms up!

Ha Long Bay, a coastal settlement close to Hanoi that the government promotes as a tourist destination, was a spot we visited on a side trip.  We took a boat tour around the large island-studded natural harbor.  Limestone rock outcroppings on the islands are filled with caves that were used by pirates who once sailed the region. Today, fishing communities are based on houseboats like these.

Vietnam has a long varied coastline.  In the northern region the view here is typical, but in the south there are broad beaches.  In in the 1970s, Vietnam was a net importer of rice.  Decades of peace and a steady growth in production have made the country one of the world's leading rice exporters today. Most rice comes from padi fields like this.

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