VIETNAM TODAY

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NGUYEN KINH DOANH

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(Pictures follow at end of article)

It is my eighth trip to Vietnam and my first time going by Asiana Airlines. It is less expensive than other airlines: Cathay Pacific, Eva, and China Airlines. However, the disadvantage is its arrival in Saigon by midnight. The details of my flight were written in the website www.nguyenkinhdoanh.com, article VIETNAM 2006.

The July 2006 census indicates Vietnam has 84,402,974 people. It borders the People’s Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. Vietnam is one of the most densely populated nations in Southeast Asia.

In May 2006, Vietnam negotiated a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. that marked the completion of the bilateral negotiations with WTO members the country needed to qualify for accession to the organization. Among other steps taken in the process of transitioning to a market economy, Vietnam in July 2006 updated its intellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS. Vietnam’s chief trading partners include Japan, Australia, ASEAN countries, the U.S. and Western European nations. Vietnam was accepted into the WTO on November 7, 2006.

APEC stands for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. It is a group of Pacific Rim countries that meet with the purpose of improving economic and political ties. It has standing committees on a wide range of issues.

The heads of government of all APEC members meet annually in a summit called “APEC Economic Leaders’ meeting” rotating in location among APEC’s member economies. APEC is famous for its tradition of having attending leaders dress in the national costume of the host nation.

Last year the summit was held in Busan, South Korea. This year, Host Vietnam parlayed its robust growth into multimillion–dollar contracts, while the United States and Russia signed a pact allowing Moscow’s future entry into the World Trade Organization. Next year, APEC Economic Leaders’ meeting will gather in Sydney, Australia.

Vietnam is still a relatively poor country with GDP of US $251.8 billion (estimated 2004). This translates to ~US $3000 per capita. One US dollar is equal to 16,075 Vietnamese Dong. The spending power of the public has noticeably increased. The reason lies in the high prices for property.

In the capital of Hanoi, property prices can be as high as those in Tokyo or New York City. This has amazed many people because the average income per capita of this city is around US $1,000 per annum. The booming prices have given poor land owners the opportunity to sell their homes for inflated prices. Tourism has become an increasingly important industry in Vietnam. There are some 4 million annual visitors. Expatriate Vietnamese are an important source of financial and capital investment.

As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer of cashew nuts with a one-third global share and second-largest rice exporter in the world. Vietnam has the highest percent of land use for permanent crops, 6.93%, of any nation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber, and fishery products.

Popular Vietnamese dishes. There are tens of thousands of dining places in Saigon from luxurious restaurants to food stands. Popular Vietnamese dishes encompass:

· Bo 7 Mon: Vietnamese seven courses of Beef. And there is also Ca 7 Mon: Vietnamese seven courses of Fish.

· Pho: Beef or Chicken Noodle Soup.

· Banh Bao: Steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, vegetables, quail eggs, beef, pork…

· Banh Chung: Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans, fatty pork and black sesame seeds, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet).

· Banh Mi Thit: Vietnamese sandwich with special ingredients and different kinds of meat per order.

· Banh Xeo: Crepe made out of rice flour, coconut milk, and spring onions.

· Bun Bo Hue: Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam.

· Com Tam: Grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus a Vietnamese dish called “bi” (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly cut pork skin) over the broken rice (what the words “com tam” actually mean in Vietnamese).

· Spring Rolls aka Egg Roll (Nem Ran hoac Cha Gio): Deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat, Vietnamese yam, crab, shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms and other ingredients.

· Goi cuon (Summer Rolls) also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls. They are rice paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in peanut sauce.

· Bun Rieu. Noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, in a broth that includes tomatoes and chilis. Served with bean sprout, prawn paste, mint leaves, and whole-leaf lettuce.

· Banh Bot Chien. A Chinese influenced pastry with many versions all over Asia. The pastry has cooked potato mixed with scrambled eggs, light oil and different ingredients.

· Canh chua. A very popular Vietnamese sour soup. Typically with vegetables, fish, shrimp, meat, pineapples…

· Bo bia: Fried daikon and carrots, Chinese sausage, shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped with vermicelli noodle in a rice paper roll. Dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (with freshly roasted and grounded peanuts).

…..Those above-mentioned dishes are the most popular Vietnamese foods.

There are “unusual” dishes such as snake, crocodile, soft-shell turtle, goat, snail and dog are enjoyed almost exclusively as “cocktail delicacies” with alcohol, and are not considered typical everyday fare. However, dog meat consumption is more widespread in the North, where it is considered a borderline mainstream meat, although not eaten nearly as often as pork or fish.

Balut (hot vit lon), a common dish in other Asian countries, can be found in Vietnam as well. Balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. Typically it is served with fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.

Coffee and Tea. In 2002, during our visit to North Vietnam, we stayed at the house of my wife’s relatives in PHUONG BUOI. This area is famous for making silk and specialized papers for the King in the old days. Inside PHUONG BUOI and the surrounding areas, we saw many tea spots, from the ones with a small table where customers drank tea and smoked long pipe (2-3 feet) with stuffing tobacco to expensive tea houses where college students, professors and business people spent hours discussing many subjects. Ironically, there were very few coffee shops. The famous one in Vietnam today is TRUNG NGUYEN COFFEE.

The story of TRUNG NGUYEN establishment is legendary and adventurous. In 1996, TRUNG NGUYEN, owed to four young medical students dreaming of worldwide Vietnamese coffee distribution, was established from a small coffee processing facility.

Now in the year of 2006, there are 1,000 TRUNG NGUYEN coffee shops in Vietnam with many branches in the United States, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, and China. Investment of TRUNG NGUYEN in retail distributions at G7 Mart is US $400 million.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of TRUNG NGUYEN Coffee Co., Ltd. is Dr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu. He was granted the Best Young Entrepreneur 2004 Prize by the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Dang Le Nguyen Vu are four distinguished family names. According to Professor Le Trung Hoa, author of Vietnamese Family and Personal Names, 2.1% Vietnamese have family name Dang, 9.5% Le, 38.4% Nguyen and 3.9% have Vu as family name.

In Vietnam, the entire name of a person usually consists of three parts in the order: a family name, a middle name, and a given name. It is different from English name in the order: given name, middle name, and last name.

For example, my name is NGUYEN KINH DOANH. NGUYEN is a family name, KINH is a middle name and DOANH is a given name. If it is written in English way: DOANH KINH NGUYEN. Many Vietnamese who come to the United States have changed their names to the English order and when becoming US citizens changed to English name. NGUYEN VAN HUNG in Vietnam becomes HUNG VAN NGUYEN and when HUNG get naturalization, the name be HENRY VAN NGUYEN…

In addition, when referring to a person in Vietnam, they do not mention by family name but by given name. For example, NGUYEN VAN HUNG is known as “MR. HUNG,” not “MR. NGUYEN.”

Let’s go back to Dr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu. Magazine Tuoi Tre Chu Nhat (Sunday Youth) issue dated October 17, 2004 had an interview with Dr. Vu in which he related, “In 1990, I passed the entry exam to the medical school. During my days at the medical school, I was always worried about the works and life of a medical doctor. The more I studied the more I got nervous. For a better life, many of us forgot the Hippocratic Oath. The truth is so painful. And the best solution for me not to violate is…giving it up, find another job.”

It was a drastic change for Dr. Vu. Every time, when visiting Vietnam, I never missed going to TRUNG NGUYEN outlets with friends, relatives, and associates. In a nice and quiet atmosphere, I could sit there sipping coffee or tea, discussing my businesses with those who were with me. Attentive and dedicated services of Dr. Vu’s employees are so praiseworthy. They always were ready to give us more ice cubes and tea, and asked about our needs.

TRUNG NGUYEN also offers special lunch for 15,000 and the menu changes daily. On Friday December 8, 2006, we see rice plus three items: First, choice of fried fish, chicken, or beef; sour spicy soup or vegetable soup; and boiled cabbage.

How is the coffee made? In TRUNG NGUYEN and most of other coffee shops including ones in the alleys, they use filtered coffee unlike normal Western styles of instant powder coffee. A customer is served an individual filter pot with ground coffee tightened inside and a hot water container. The boiled water permeates through the ground coffee and drips into the cup under the filter. The slow drip of boiled water makes the coffee strong and smells fresh.

Most coffee shops in the alleys are very simples: some wooden chairs and tables with a counter where coffee is made. The price is a great bargain, only 26 U.S. cents.

Tourism. Recently, Vietnam announced its plans to invest US $5.5 billion in its tourism industry and attract 6 million visitors by 2010 at a press briefing in Ha Noi. In addition, the join venture between Vietnam and Japan is planning to organize a direct tour from Japan to central Vietnam. It is expected to take 3,000 Japanese travelers a month to central tourism resorts.

Saigontourist Travel Service in Saigon, telephone no. 8279279, e-mail info@saigontourist.net is offering tours to greet Christmas and New Year in the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris and Da Lat. Fiditour has prepared dynamic and enthusiastic plans for visitors by visiting the famed coastal city of Vung Tau by helicopter, gift delivery service, and festival tours. The telephone number for Fiditour is 9141414, e-mail fiditour@hcm.vnn.vn. There are many others: BenThanh Tourist, Exotissimo, Indochina Venture, Viettravel, 190 Pasteur, telephone 822 8898, TNK Travel…

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky is the General Director of Viettravel. The Government appointed his company as the official car and tour service provider for delegations at the APEC 14 on November 12-19. His guide tour Pham Van Duc did an excellent job in leading us to Thailand last year. I wrote about this trip and featured in NGAY MAI (TOMORROW) as well as TRAVEL magazine.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). To date, foreign investors have poured in US $8.3 billion. In 2003, the investment was 2.9 billion, in 2004 was 4.2 billion, in 2005 was 6.8 billion and by the end of 2006, it is projected the investment from foreigners will surpass US $9 billion.

The biggest investors are South Korea (31%), Hong Kong (14%), then the U.S. and Japan (10%).

Religion. Majority of Vietnamese people are classified themselves as non-religious, although they visit religious temples many times a year. The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam allows religious freedom. There are five main religions in Vietnam: Buddhism, Roman Catholicsm, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao, Protestantism, and Islam.

I met with Venerable Dr. Thich Nhat Tu at 92 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Saigon. Dr. Tu is the Editor of Buddhism Today Website. He went to India to study in 1994 and graduated in 2002 with a Doctor’s degree in Philosophy.

In my two hours conversation with him, Dr. Tu discussed many subjects. He explained to me the Buddhism philosophy, history, his thoughts for a more constructive relationship with Buddhism overseas, and suggestions for a better Buddhist structure in Vietnam.

Dr. Tu spoke amicably, nonstop (unless I interrupted him for questions), clearly, and in very simple sentences. He told me that many Buddhist monks in Vietnam have college degrees. With sponsorship from other countries, they can go there and preach Buddhism. It’s so expensive for a monk from Vietnam going to a Western University to study. Therefore, we need to clear the barriers between the Buddhist disciples in Vietnam and Buddhist disciples in other countries. If people from other countries invite the Buddhist Professors in Vietnam to their facility for teaching, in short or long term, it would be a mutual benefit for both sides.

He also desires to have more Buddhist schools, books, and facilities for orphans and disadvantages. The Venerable emphasizes they should be both public and private.

There are other guests waiting outside. I thank Dr. Tu and Venerable Thich Minh Sang for giving me the appointment. Website of Buddhism Today: www.daophatngaynay.com and www.tusachphathoc.com

I also met with Venerable Thich Dat Dao, General Secretary of Vietnamese Buddhist Institute at 750 Nguyen Kiem, Saigon. We had very nice conversations. The website of Vietnam Buddhist Institute is www.vbu.edu.vn

We also visited Catholic and Protestant churches. Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Islamic temples are also crowded with worshippers.

Martial Arts. Vietnamese martial arts are influenced by efforts to defend the country from foreign occupations (China, France, and Japan) and also by the people whom Vietnam conquered (Champa and Mien).

Through thousands of years of internal, civil strife, dynastic changes, foreign conquests, warlords and guerrilla tactics, the Vietnamese martial arts masters use what they learned from their neighbors and evolved a unique form of martial arts.

Vietnamese Kings used them to train their troops and to defend the country against China’s invasions. In addition to the army, family clans and Buddhist temples cultivated a variety of styles to defend them in disputes.

There are two famous martial arts centers in Vietnam: Kien An in the North and Binh Dinh in the South. The First International Festival of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts was held in Binh Dinh, Vietnam from August 4 – 7, 2006. Details and photos of this dynamic event are reported in my website www.nguyenkinhdoanh.com (INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MARTIAL ARTS IN VIETNAM).

Organizing Committee of this Festival includes: Grand Master Ho Hoa Hue, Tinh Vo Dao Martial Arts; Mr. Phuong Tan, Publisher of Martial Arts Stars; Mr. Le Van Minh, President of Sports Department; Mr. Le Kim Hoa; Mr. Mr. Dinh Khac Dien; and Mr. Nguyen Van Minh.

Over 500 Marial Arts Grand Masters, Masters, students from 35 nations and 21 branches of School of Martial Arts participated in the Festival. Tens of thousands of viewers were there intensely watching the event. International, national and local news media mentioned enthusiastic responses of audiences.

From the United States, Grand Master Nguyen Lam of Kienando arrived with Lynelle Millitate and Fermin Ramos. In addition, the General Association for the Development of World Martial Arts President Ly Hoang Tung, Martial Arts Master, from Orange County, California were also present with photographer Nguyen Ngan, Martial Arts Master Diep Lang…Delegations from Belgium, Martinique, Canada, Cambodia, England, France, Russia, Germany, Holland, Italy, Laos, Morocco, Romania, Switzerland…also performed in the event.

For detailed information concerning this event and future Festivals, please contact Grand Master Ho Hoa Hue, Tinh Vo Dao Martial Arts Founder, telephone 771-7246 in Saigon or Mr. Phuong Tan, Publisher of Martial Arts Stars at 511/33 Huynh Van Banh, P. 14, Saigon, telephone number(08)845-4961.

Two great martial arts reference books are THIEU LAM KIEN AN (KIENANDO) and LOI VU QUYEN (THUNDERING RAIN KATA) are available from Ngoc Tram Bookstore, 177B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Saigon, telephone number 925-6961. These books are written by Grand Master Nguyen Lam of Kienando and Master Hong Ngoc Dai Nghia. Grand Master Nguyen Lam is Professor of Martial Arts at CSU, Northridge, California.

Martial Art Master Ly Hoang Tung, President of General Association for the Development of World Martial Arts can be contacted at U.S. telephone number (714) 448-7901.

There are other forms of martial arts in Vietnam: Taekwondo, Judo, Hapkido, Karate, Savate, Sambo…All have influenced among others.

Last but not least is the sensational and famous European kickboxer David Minetti. Throughout the world, he is known for winning French kickboxing championship three times as well as the European Free Fight Championship in 2002.

Now David Minetti is settled down in Saigon with a Vietnamese girl and teaching kickboxing at: K1 Martial Art Center, 159/52/21B Tran Van Dang St., Saigon.

In a Confucian influenced martial art, students with more seniority are considered older brothers and sisters, those with less seniority as younger brothers and sisters. Such clearly delineated relationships are intended to develop good characters, patience, and discipline.

Education. General education in Vietnam is imparted in 5 categories: Kindergarten, primary schools, intermediate schools, high schools and colleges. Courses are taught mainly in Vietnamese. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, there are currently 23 non-public universities, accounting for 11% of the total number of universities. In addition, there are many specialist colleges, established to develop a diverse and skilled national workforce. Most of Vietnam’s most acclaimed universities are based in Hanoi and Saigon.

Transportation. The railways are the most popular form of transportation. Vietnam Railways manages train services on the 2,654 kilometers of railway lines. Vietnam boasts 93,300 kilometers of roads, which connect all cities, towns and many rural areas.

Bicycles, motorcycles and public bus services remain the most popular form of road transportin cities, towns and villages. Traffic congestion is a serios problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the city’s roads struggle to cope with increasing automobiles.

The nation has 7 developed ports and harbours at Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Saigon, Hong Gai, Quy Nhon, and Nha Trang. There are more than 17,000 kilometers of navigable waterways, which play a significant role in rural life owing to the extensive network of rivers in Vietnam. Trade and cargo attract foreign investment in modernizing Vietnam’s ports.

Vietnam has four international airports. Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Saigon is the largest and busiest. There are also many smaller airstrips run by the government and military. Vietnam Airlines is the national carrier, managed entirely by the state. The Pacific Airlines is a smaller service run by state-owned firms that was formed to invite foreign investment in aviation and expand air links to destinations in the Asia Pacific.

Media. Competition has caused the Vietnamese media to embrace more popular culture; newspapers, radio, television and cable television are going for a free-market economy.

Considerable effort is put into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system. Main lines have been substantially increased. As of today, there are over 11 million main lines in use and 6.3 million mobile phones. The international country code is 84.

Intersputnik earth stations are in use. Mobile phone in Vietnam are shared by many mobile operators including MobiFone, VinaFone, Viettel, S-Fone, E-mobile. Since 1997, Vietnam has been connected by two gateways: One in Hanoi which connects with Hong Kong and Australia, and the other in Saigon, which connects with the United States by Sprint.

Internet usage has increased drastically over the past few years. There are five ISPs operating: Vietnam Data Communication Company (VDC), Corporation for Finance and Promoting Technology (FPT), Netnam Company, Saigon Post and Telecommunications Services Corporation (SPT) and Viettel Company. Many private stores offer internet services to users with very cheap prices.

Spending $US 100.00 in Saigon. I had one hundred dollars and went to a jewelry store to obtain 1,600,000 dong Vietnam. Bill denominations exist in 200, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000 and a newly issued 500,000 worth approximately 30 American dollars.

The DONG is the official currency of Vietnam. As of June 2006, Vietnam was the second least valuable currency after that of Romania.

Let’s see what this money can buy. First, I and my wife take a bus to downtown Saigon from Phu Nhuan where we live. The ticket price for the trip is 3,000 each. Before December 1^st, 2006, the price was only 2,000.

Going into a nice restaurant and ordered 2 Pho (Beef Noodle Soup) and drinks. The bill was 28,000. After having breakfast, we went into Bach Dang ice cream at the corner of Pasteur and Le Loi Avenue to have specialized coconut ice cream. Sitting there and looking out at the busy intersection, we finish the delicious ice cream. We paid 100,000 for this. Please remember this is a luxurious ice cream store.

We went in Ben Thanh Market and paid 32,000 for some interesting souvenir items for friends and relatives.

Stopping at a bakery shop, we bought 4 banh mi thit (Vietnamese sandwich with different kinds of special ingredients and meat) for 20,000.

Taking a bus home, we gave the 4 loaves of bread to our family. Then I went to a barber shop to have a haircut. It was 10,000 and I gave a 5,000 tip to the hairdresser. In the evening, I, my wife, anh Nhan, chi Hieu, Loc, Cuc, Trinh and Tinh had dinner at Hoang Ty. It is a specialized banh canh and banh hoi restaurant. Banh canh is a thick noodle soup with a more basic broth with pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sautéed onions sprinkled on top. Banh hoi is the unique Vietnamese noodle that is extremely thin and woven into intricate bundles. Often topped with spring onion and a complementary meat dish.

At Hoang Ty, they advertise as Trang Bang Province “merchandise,” we ordered banh canh, banh hoi, and a large steamed fish plus drinks, of course. The bill was 237,000.

Late at night, I and my wife walked to Phu Nhuan Market close by home to order 2 dishes of banh bot chien. It is the square cube potatoes mixed with scrambled eggs, light oil, and different ingredients. It was only 16,000 for the two dishes. We did not forget to order 2 glasses of squeezing sugar cane drinks: only 4,000.

Before going to bed that night, we checked to see how much we had left. Spending 464,000 for bus fares, haircuts, souvenir items, breakfast, lunch, dinner for eight persons…we still have 1,136,000 in our pocket. In U.S. dollars, we spent only $29 out of $100. I calculate further, for the same services and foods in the United States, it would cost us roughly $270 (nine times more expensive). A great bargain and paradise for consumers from Western countries!

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See pictures below.

©NGUYEN KINH DOANH and SAM WELLS

DECEMBER 2006

REFERENCES

Wikipedia

Saigon Times

Vietnam News

The First IFVTMA, Binh Dinh, Vienam

RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS

HOANG TY – DAC SAN TRANG BANG

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