Hanoi

Between Monday and Tuesday morning, we traveled through three different countries: Embarked from China, a night in a bed and breakfast in Kuala Lumpur, then arrived in Hanoi Tuesday morning.

Though I've spent less than 24 hours in Vietnam, the city has already put China in perspective. Traffic is even more chaotic, if you can imagine, than Shanghai. Motorbikes are the preferred mode of transportation here and they roar towards you in packs, just millimetres away, and far too close for comfort. There are no Starbucks, McDonald's, or big box supermarkets. But sprinkled around the city are pint-sized women (in comparison to my height at least) wearing rice hats, walking here and there, selling fruit off of a stick that they balance on one shoulder.

And with an exchange rate of 16,000 dong = $1 USD, I can't help but feel a little bit confused whenever I make a purchase. Hanoi, another Communist capital in Asia, is developing; yet not quite as quickly as its gigantic Chinese neighbour.