Tidbits of info about Vietnam from VBJ

[AnHai Doan <anhai@cs.washington.edu>]

Street Talk:
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     Is that what is meant by "Untied Aid"...Does HCMC's        
     chaotic traffic get under your skin? It recently seems to
     have driven one Korean businessman downright nuts. Late one
     January afternoon this gentleman geared up into a police uniform,
     complete with epaulettes, helmet and traffic baton, and ambled
     through the traffic to take a prominent posting at the notorious
     crossroads of Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi, where he began directing
     traffic. Apparently his efforts were not unnoticed. When real
     police showed up to inquire as to the ringer's view on the
     situation he cried, "I love Vietnam! I love Vietnam!"

     Uh, can I make one call?...The good news is that the domestic
     telephone company, VNPT, which enjoys a monopoly on phone service
     in Vietnam, dropped their long-distance prices by up to 23% (a
     rice farmer chatting with her cousin in San Jose will now spend
     the average per capita income for the year in 70 minutes instead
     of 55). But they overindulged. The bad news, for them, came from
     Deputy PM Khai. Seems the good folks manning the posts and
     telecoms got busted overcharging to the tune of $86 million over
     the last three years. Tax investigators also noticed that, despite
     a regulation requiring all income to be reinvested, half sat idle.

     Can we have a berth over the wheel hub?...Your mate wants to book
     a stylish, retro-style freighter cruise embarking in Indochina,
     but you're seasick prone? Your problem is solved-spotted recently
     in a regional business directory is the "Laos Shipping Company."
     Bonus points in creativity for that land-locked nation.

     Sounds like Mensa..."Providing relief to those earnest Party
     members who have over the past years grown somewhat worried about
     the Party's aging membership," reported Vietnam Courier, "it is
     inspiring that of the 90,000 people granted membership of the
     Communist Party in 1996 many were young men and women, and they
     included intellectuals." Party inductees reportedly doubled last
     year, although membership remains less popular in joint-ventures,
     the paper pointed out.

     That's better!...By the time you read this Pete Peterson, US
     nominee for ambassador, might already have come to Vietnam. The
     word at press time is he'll be stopping in HCMC in the beginning
     of March to give a speech, but if Senate gives its stamp by then
     he could be bringing his bags as well. Word is, a very large US
     delegation has already arranged first-rate accommodations in the
     capital city.

     I'll write this headline later...A banner headline splashed across
     an English-language daily in mid-February read: "Government able
     to throw its habit of procrastination, says PM," claiming a major
     success last year for ridding itself of its "chronic habit" of
     "taking its time early in the year but racing against time later
     on." But he also said that lingering but not insurmountable
     problems caused by "slow processing of information last year led
     to adverse effect on production, including rice, the trade
     deficit, and a slower growth rate. However, he noted, that urgent
     problem, too, is to be overcome; a committee will prepare a
     comprehensive procrastination-eradication master plan, expected to
     be initiated in 2000. That last part is a joke.

     In food news...A Hanoi expat disturbed by the pre-Tet explosion in
     the dog population of his immediate neighbors, inquired as to the
     reason for this phenomenon. "They bring good luck. If we don't
     like it, he becomes tasty"...At a local mini hotel a customer
     selected "fish in beer" for 30,000 dong (about $3). When the bill
     came, it was for 45,000 dong. When disputed, the suspiciously
     soused waiter noted that 15,000 was for the 333 beer...A small
     group of tourists brought by their Queen Tour guide to World
     Heritage Site HaLong Bay for a three day outing noticed they were
     being taken to the same restaurant for each of their pre-paid
     meals. The problem was that the food was reportedly terrible. When
     one tourist asked to be taken to a different restaurant, the guide
     was horrified. "What do you expect me to do!" he cried. "I'm only
     the tour guide!"...Chic expat New Year's Eve beverage-champagne,
     by Nitrogen Company 5.

     Comings and goings...Alan Browne, V-Trac's new general manger,
     from Jolly Old England and John White, V-Trac leasing supervisor,
     transferred from Hanoi to HCMC...and to Peter Sandor,
     McCann-Erickson's new HCMC gm...and welcome to Hanoi, Chloe, the
     new daughter of Hanoi Towers' Paul Mason and wife...and farewell
     and best of luck in the outside world to Sandor's predecessor Tony
     Preece...good-bye to the legendary Luu Le, long-time country
     manager for Bank of America (who held the same post until 1975),
     relocated to San Francisco, replaced by Mohan Coomaraswamy, former
     head of marketing ...Gray Smithe, former New World Hotel head
     marketer, to Australia... Michael Mathes to San Fran...Standard
     Chartered Bank chief Iris Fang, off to SCB Singapore and replaced
     by David Manson...and in a class of his own, possibly SCB's
     regional manager John Brinsden-famous for both his 8am eloquence
     and mastery of the region, and the fact that he drank the first
     beer in Vietnam poured from a tap (at Tiger Bar in HCMC)-is facing
     mandatory retirement age this fall. Can't picture him leaving,
     though...

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