The land of same same
2nd December - Hanoi, Vietnam
Having searched around the city in some detail, I have found only 7 original items. Everything else was a dirty copy. Fake goods are not limited to watches and sunglasses; you can also find fake trainers, bags, money, hotels, cafes, tour operators, even books.
The picture to the left is also fake.
Who am I kidding? Only rich people and the Japanese really care about authenticity. I was keen to pick up some fake gold jewellery for myself and some presents for my family.
Hanoi is an excellent place. I don't doubt this comes in part from our rather damp final chapter in China, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed my time there.
We Stayed in the old quarter along with every other pasty tourist (and there are more than a few). The area is a mix of beautiful old French architecture and mopeds trying to break the sound barrier whilst riding 15 abreast. All of the shops carry out their business on the edge of the pavement and I struggle to imagine a scene more full of life. In the chaos of all this, the locals are extremely welcoming and do not appear to be tiring of tourist dollars in the slightest.
Part of the charm of the area is just wandering down each of the different streets which are known for selling different types of product. In additions, everything is meta cheap, even compared to China, and the food is magnificent.
The rascals that you see above are water puppets. They may look sweet, but having seen a show (where the puppetteers stand behind a screen, up to their waste in bilge water), I wouldn't get in a fight with them; they can run on water and I saw one take down a dragon. I fancy even Semmence could not match that.
Having searched around the city in some detail, I have found only 7 original items. Everything else was a dirty copy. Fake goods are not limited to watches and sunglasses; you can also find fake trainers, bags, money, hotels, cafes, tour operators, even books.The picture to the left is also fake.
Who am I kidding? Only rich people and the Japanese really care about authenticity. I was keen to pick up some fake gold jewellery for myself and some presents for my family.
Hanoi is an excellent place. I don't doubt this comes in part from our rather damp final chapter in China, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed my time there.
We Stayed in the old quarter along with every other pasty tourist (and there are more than a few). The area is a mix of beautiful old French architecture and mopeds trying to break the sound barrier whilst riding 15 abreast. All of the shops carry out their business on the edge of the pavement and I struggle to imagine a scene more full of life. In the chaos of all this, the locals are extremely welcoming and do not appear to be tiring of tourist dollars in the slightest.
Part of the charm of the area is just wandering down each of the different streets which are known for selling different types of product. In additions, everything is meta cheap, even compared to China, and the food is magnificent.
The rascals that you see above are water puppets. They may look sweet, but having seen a show (where the puppetteers stand behind a screen, up to their waste in bilge water), I wouldn't get in a fight with them; they can run on water and I saw one take down a dragon. I fancy even Semmence could not match that.
Labels: Vietnam
posted by _trainer at 12:01 pm
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