Socialist Republic of Vietnam
May Hong Hotel +84982471815
Adequate twin room for only VND 150,000.- or US$ 7.90 per night.Indifferent staff.
Click below for an interactive road map of the May Hong Hotel in Dien Bien Phu and for directions:Overnighting uneventfully in Dien Bien Phu and taking the next morning a regional transborder bus from Dien Bien Phu's well-organised bus station to Muang Khoua in Northern Laos (c. 95 km, 6 hours, VND 88,000.- or US$ 4.60 per person), bidding farewell at the new Tay Trang border crossing to the greed-driven boom-country (North) Vietnam whose resourceful people with their national pastimes of (i) goalpost moving, (ii) overcharging and (iii) short-changing helped us to exercise our awareness skills, philosophising about the reason of this widespread attitude which is probably a unique mix of (i) the inherited we-don’t-give-a-damn egotism of their erstwhile French colonial masters, (ii) the collective war trauma from the Vietnam/American War which has generated a xenophobic default feeling of distrust against foreigners, and (iii) the schizophrenic double standards under the repressive, red-flag waving regime of the still almighty communist party and its feared/hated secret police, entering eventually the poverty-stricken so-called Lao People’s Democratic Republic, another one of the failed communist experiments on this planet, through their backwoods Sop Hun border crossing near the village of Pang Hoc, paying LAK 2,000.- or US$ 0.25 for a compulsory temperature check on our foreheads in order to protect the Lao workers’ and farmers' paradise from the imperialist H1N1 virus and drinking in one go our first bottle of their famous and very tasty Beer Lao for LAK 10,000.- or US$ 1.20 per large 640-ml bottle; here's to staying positive and testing negative, cheers!
Click below for more blog posts about North Vietnam
09 Nov - 14 Nov 2012 Bac Ha
08 Nov - 09 Nov 2012 Lao Cai
25 Oct - 08 Nov 2012 Hanoi
30 Jun - 03 Jul 2010 Sapa
25 Jun - 30 Jun 2010 Hanoi
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
09 Nov - 14 Nov 2012 Bac Ha
08 Nov - 09 Nov 2012 Lao Cai
25 Oct - 08 Nov 2012 Hanoi
30 Jun - 03 Jul 2010 Sapa
25 Jun - 30 Jun 2010 Hanoi
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
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| Facing Vietnam © Konni & Matt |
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