« Bloom Energy bike commuters | Main | An economic analysis of the bike commute » Blegs19 Oct 2007 05:57 pm It looks like I'll be going to Vietnam and Cambodia for ten days in November to check out the economic and business environment. It's a pretty jammed schedule, but I should have some free time. What can my readers recommend? Meanwhile, the heat and the extended daylight savings time have so far kept the SAD away, but I know it's coming as soon as my body catches up to the calendar. Do those light things work, and are they worth the expense? Comments (36)
OOOOO.... How about William Shawcross' Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia. Or. "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys? 
They do work, when you remember to turn them on, which is to say they're better for more organized people. I do get headaches with the lights on from time to time, though.
Where in Vietnam and Cambodia? If you are going to Hanoi, the Sofitel Metropole is the best hotel in a wonderful location. Go to the art galleries, and if you have time, make an excursion with some friends to Halong Bay. The best advice I can give you is to pick up a Luxe Guide. In Asia, you can't go wrong with a Luxe City Guide.
I recommend you speak with Jonathan Pincus, the head economist at UNDP in Hanoi. He will pose you a very serious set of challenges regarding your biases against state-led industrial policy, which is the strategy currently being pursued by the Vietnamese leadership. They seem to be doing pretty well with it. If you want an economist closer to your anti-statist predilections, you might want to talk to David Dapice at the Kennedy School before you go. Another very interesting person to talk to is Martin Rama at the World Bank's Hanoi office. If you want to talk to Vietnamese economists, send me a note and I'll give you some suggestions. Talking to business figures I find less productive -- they're too guarded about their statements, and not critical enough.
Stay at the Hanoi Hilton.
Funny! Get a guide to take you to Ho Chi Min's memorial. Like Mao, he is preserved in glass. He is absolutely venerated there, so it is fascinating not only to see him, but also to see the responses of the Vietnamese that will be there with you.
you should find a place where you can shoot fully automatic weapons
My mom got a GoLite a couple of years ago, and it's made a huge difference for her. Worth every penny. (Just a hint - it comes with a quiz to take to tell you what time of day you need to use it, and my mom got some wierd results, so she called the 800 number to make sure she really did need to get up at 5:00 am to use it. They said the quiz can be confusing and helped her figure out when she really needed it, which turned out to be in the evenings.)
So, if you go to Cambodia you definitely have to go to Siem Reap and see Angkur Wat and other assorted temples. It's so much more than the postcards and a site that really brought home to me that, while I consider myself pretty educated there is so much of the world's history of which I know nothing. I'm sure you'll hit the highlights in Vietnam but I suggest you make time for Hoi An. A beautiful coastal village that was preserved by mutual agreement during the "American" War, it has terrific old architecture and the feel of The Quiet American. Also, the worlds best tailors...well, best tailors who are also cheap. As a long time reader I know you have trouble finding great clothes that fit you (I suffer short legs and a long torso--similar challenge) and Hoi An is simply superb for this. Go to Yaley, the best store. You can bring photos, samples, etc, and they will recreate anything in your fit. I'm in a well-known MBA program right now and everyone compliments me on my interview suit--I love saying it was handmade and only cost me $200--cashmere! I had a gaggle of shirts, jackets, and slacks made too, at about $40 a pop--my sisters went hog wild on a couple of tailored winter jackets. Not sure what your budget is but in Saigon there's a hotel called the Continental...not as new as Sofitel, etc, but right downtown, amazing food, rooftoop bars, built in the late 19th century and still has that vibe--but had been renovated, business services, etc. There's a couple hotels like that downtown, much more fun and more local color than the big new chains further out. Have fun!
Last time I was in Cambodia things were a little more grim than these days. Have fun. Do everything I didn't do.
I believe it is called the Temple of Education, or Learning in Hanoi. Definitely check it out. And in Saigon, you should visit the War Museum.
Sorry, I just remembered. It's called the Temple of Literature. It's about 1000 years old and will give you a good sense of the depth of Vietnamese culture. When I was in Vietnam on an official visit with Treas Sec Rubin in 97, Vietman was the "new Prague." I'll be curious if it still is.
Peter gave you a great heads-up on the tailoring. The 'lights' work, though seeing how you're all 'carbon tax' and all, being Outside, even at night, works wonders -- with fewer 'foreign terrorists' to support in the exchange.
ask your minders what they would recommend you see and read between the lines. Since you can only see so much touristy stuff in such a short time, I would skip it altogether, and go with the flow. It is always interesting to figure out WHY people are showing you what they are. And children... will be drawn to you because of you heighth, so get down on their level and interact with them, if you get the chance. That may tell you more than anything. For the lighting... if you get the light therapy set up to s schedule which is VERY important they do help. If you haven't converted to CF's already save one or two incans for reading and such, and make sure they are chromalux full spectrum bulbs. Or, hint, hint, you could move somehwhere out here... Denver averages between 275 and 300 days of sun [depending on whose figures you believe] and it doesn't get cloudy for weeks at a time... After living in Chicago for 10 years, I was SO glad to be home... I never have SAD issues out here...
Put me in your pocket like a gnome and take me with you! I can carry bags. (Well, I guess if I am a gnome, I can't). Have a good time when November rolls in.
Other commenters have already mentioned Angkor, which is a must; if you want a place for a one-night-stay-over off-the-beaten track in Cambodia I recommend Kampot. (remember to bring back black pepper).
If Vietnam and Cambodia are anything like China, the first thing you should do is get a massage. Your hotel will probably have some kind of health spa/beauty salon (shockingly cheap by US standards and hideously overpriced by Asian standards) if you don't want to spend time looking. Have your hair washed, get a facial, a foot massage, and an hour or two of body massage. It'll put a spring in your step and a smile on your face after that long flight. Talk your wayb into checking out Hong Kong and mainland China as well. You know, while you're in the neighborhood. Hong Kong is a major hub and Shenzhen is within commuting distance. Add as much extra time to your visit as you can - arrive on a Friday night, leave on a Monday. Don't over-schedule. You'll need downtime.
Angkor Wat.
I agree with the Angor Wat and Hoi An recommendations. I also love Hanoi, from which you can take a great overnight train trip to Sapa, near the Chinese border for some great hiking around minority villages. For both Hoi An and Sapa check out the Victoria hotels website, pricey but worth it.
I also love the Luxe city guides to Hanoi & Ho Chi Min. They are pocket size, politically incorrect & very funny. Not sure if they are sold in the States...
One place I will certainly visit if I ever travel to Cambodia is the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. The complex was arguably the most horrific concentration camp in history - only a dozen of it's 17,000 prisoners survived (these were mostly artists put to use sculpting busts of Pol Pot). Not exactly a cheerful way to spend your free time, but by all accounts something that should not be missed.
My link didn't work, but here is the URL: www.luxecityguides.com
As everyone else has suggested, do Angkor Wat - and see if you can make it to the top of the hill by sunset.
Light boxes do work. Mine has been a miracle for me. Do a bit of research on reputable medical site so you know what size to get and how long to use it for. Twenty minutes in front of the light box in the morning while I ate breakfast and read was all it took for me last winter. Enjoy your trip.
I bought a light box a few years ago and found some ok results with it, but it seems like once the SAD hit hard (Vancouver-style) it was easy to forget to use it. I'm sure it works quite well if you have a fixed enough schedule that you can make a habit out of it, but it seems work-at-homes with unfixed schedules need to be very diligent about regular use to really benefit. They certainly have come down in price so it's not a huge risk and the resale value on craigslist makes it even less so. Honestly, the best thing I've done for dealing with SAD is super large doses of caffeine and other stimulants upon waking. Because they're addictive it's less easy to forget about it when your circadian rhythm decides to take a vacation, and somehow it makes it easier to sleep in the evening.
In Cambodia, go to Tonle Sap to see one of the most incredible fishing economies in the world. Also go to the Pailin ruby mines if you can.
I also second (third?) Tuol Sleng, and of course Angkor Wat. If you do get Pailin (which would be tough given your short time in country), cross over to Chantaburi in Thailand to see a real street gem bazaar. Another economic marvel.
Look for a goat-rental business in Phenom Phen. It seems to be helping the locals pretty well.
Look for a goat-rental business in Phenom Phen (sic) Is Ms. McArdle into Mickey Kaus-like sex tourism?
Although the blog I began writing two years ago has pretty much degenerated into periodic ramblings about the charming antics of children, husbands, and cats, I am kind of proud of my early comparision of the respective development environments of Egypt (where I live) and Vietnam -- see http://ldworldwide.com/?p=5. I also traveled to Cambodia in early 2006. I learned that it has a very progressive labor law that makes one feel fine about purchasing garments that are made there -- http://ldworldwide.com/?p=225. I also took an eye-opening walking tour of Phnom Penh -- http://ldworldwide.com/?p=223. Can you fit in a trip to Laos? What a lovely -- and shockingly backward -- country.
Recommended reading: The Quiet American and Tony Bourdain's pieces on Vietnam in A Cook's Tour.
remember how Jonah Goldberg used to "bleg" his Corner readers to write his (still unreleased!! -- tough proofing?) book for him? This is much better. Inspires envy rather than disgust.
Cu Chi tunnels, Haiphong harbor, Angkor, Tonle Sap. Hanoi is more interesting than Saigon. Conversely, da Nang and Phnom Penh are skippable.
No recommendations - haven't been there myself - but you might want to take a look at Adam Minter's recent work on Vietnam's scrap metal industry. Travelogue/business journalism causing a bit of a stir in the foreign community doing biz in nam. Current issue of Scrap magazine and current issue of Recycling Int'l magazine.
|
Search
Subscribe to this blog by Email 
Recent Posts
Monthly Archives
Categories
Comment of the WeekShould I call myself a feminist?
Object of the week
|
Copyright © 2008 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
|
Well, I could never afford one, so I tried to approximate the experience with a package at a tanning salon. Didn't really work. (I looked great, though.)
Honestly the only thing that really works consistently is making sure I'm alone as little as possible, even if it's just going to a coffee shop alone and being around strangers. It's when I'm indoors, alone, and it's dark and nasty weather that things get really bleak. Try to stay public as much as you can.
Posted by Freddie | October 19, 2007 6:09 PM