Ho Chi Minh City's time has come

The travel publicity of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam refers to the country as a destination for the new millennium. For once this piece of self-promotion is spot on. Whereas Thailand and Bali have been offering tropical vacations -- beach-side relaxation with some historical sights -- for more than two decades, Vietnam is a newcomer with what is in effect the same deal. And in both its unwearied attitude toward its new visitors and its sheer value for the money, this newness on the scene shows and scores highly.
Formerly named Saigon, meaning "gift to the foreigner," Ho Chi Minh City was built by the French as their imperial capital in what they called Indochina. What is remarkable is that so little has changed since those days. The city suffered less damage in the Vietnam War than might be supposed, and since the Communist takeover in 1975 not much has been altered.

As a result you have some of that laid-back era with the wide boulevards, resplendent public buildings and hotels, and low pollution levels, now coexisting with several affluent new commercial facades adorning the central area. The city center now has the best of two worlds: old-fashioned charm and modern glitter with little of the concrete-block ugliness of the decades that lay between them.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/04/20/2003251284

The NeoNaziCons didn't learn anything from Vietnam!

of the emerging H5N1 avian flu.

is getting bad...everyone is driving very polluting scooters and motor bikes around, whereas several years ago, they still rode bicycles on more occasions.