William F. Garrity

This is a nation of recyclers.  For example, there is a street in the Old Quarter where the principal activity seems to be breaking up electrical and mechanical equipment--motors, switches, appliances--and scavenging the parts.  But the entire country seems to get every use it can out of material. 

Airport checkpoint security in Hanoi and Taipei isn't nearly as uptight and fussy as it is in America.  Abroad, I just put my stuff on the conveyor belt and walk through the metal detector.  None of this taking off my jacket, belt, and shoes; emptying of pockets; taking the laptop out and putting it in its own tray; etc. 

If your shoes are at all scuffed, definitely get them shined before touching down in Hanoi.  If you don't, you'll have shoe-shine boys following you all over the city all day, pointing at your feet and saying, "Make pretty!  Oh la la!" 

I have an idea for a business: Hanoi guidebooks, but with tear-out cards for destinations--museums, parks, monuments, restaurants, attractions, etc.--with names and addresses written in English and Vietnamese, and maps on the back.  You tear out the card and hand it to someone--the cabbie, your host, whoever.  There would be a lot less mutual gesticulating and pointing at quidebook entries. 

To-go: I don't know if the notion of to-go food and drink has yet really permeated Hanoi.  Every time I asked for an espresso or latte to go, I got it in a cheap, clear-plastic cup that proceeded to melt in my hands as I struggled to chug the drink. 

I saw the same thing when I was a Peace Corp Volunteer in Costa Rica (1982-84): people are so proud of taking care of their families, increasing their standard of living, and acquiring consumer goods, that often the labels are left on the consumer good!  The refrigerator keeps the manufacturer's label on the doors, people watch television while the sticker covers the entire upper left corner of the screen, sticker-price labels are left on car windows, etc. 

Every meeting room (that we were in, anyway) has a bust of Ho Chi Minh. 

Guys are the same everywhere!  At this café owned and frequented by French expats, a guy comes in in full moto gear--leather jacket, boots, scarf--but also carrying a bright pink Hello Kitty helmet.  His buddies at the café burst into raucous laughter and pointing.  I didn't need to know a lot of French to know they were ruthlessly mocking him.