Replies

I have friends there and they tell me what they can and cannot do, what they like and do not like. I use them and my own experience there to judge the openess of Vietnam.

See, that's the problem with anecdotal stories, I have friends in China and Vietnam too, in addition to abundant personal experiences. I believe Vietnam today is merely in a stage similar to mid-1990s China, when pretty much everything was tolerated in the capitalist euphoria unless you were particularly blatant. China is a bigger country than Vietnam (sorry for stating the obvious), and anecdotal stories on China will likely differ a lot more. I have been to Hanoi and Shanghai as recently as 2004, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Shanghai was a more open and vibrant society than Hanoi. You can of course argue that Shanghai isn't the real China, but one can also say neither does Hanoi and Saigon represent the real Vietnam. In any case, when we both resort to contradicting anecdotal stories, the discussion really isn't going anywhere, and so I will butt out from here. Good talk though.

I have been to Hanoi and Shanghai as recently as 2004

I refuse to go to Hanoi and anywhere in China.

Though I do believe they are "communist in name only" as another poster mentioned and though it's mostly symbolic since it's now all one nation, I would never go to Hanoi or any part of the fomer North. That's where I drew the line. The Vietnamese government would have to publically denounce their communist system and adopt a totally free democratic system before I would ever go there.

Even while in Saigon I made it a point never to buy souvenirs from places I suspected were government run shops like the ones you would find in tourist attractions or the post office. I always made a point of buying them from the people selling them in the streets.

I would never go to China for the same reason I will not go to Venezuela and the same reason I dont think Americans should go to Cuba. I dont want my money going to supporting such a regime. I only wished we could avoid the chinese imports...but that's another issue.

Yes, it was a good talk