Good morning Vietnam! Saigon heisst heute Ho Chi Minh und ist nach einem vietnamesischen Nationalhelden benannt, der anscheinend viel Gutes fuers Land getan hatte. Saigon ist eine pulsierende, geschaeftige Millionenstadt, die den Spagat zwischen kommunistischer Ideologie und wildem Konsum gut geschafft hat. Man findet viele Plakate und Fahnen mit dem kommunistischen Stern, aber genau so viele Sternchen funkeln einem in der Eingangshalle des Diamond Plaza Shopping Centres entgegen. Es geht hier eindeutig nur ums Geschaeft bei den Vietnamesen und die Sozialleistungen des sozialistischen Staats sind mehr schlecht als recht. Die kommunistische Fuehrung laesst aber ihre Praesenz klar werden, wenn man den Wiedervereinigungs-Palast oder das "War remnants Museum" besucht. Die ziemlich einseitige Darstellung des Vietnamkriegs laesst Helden des Viet Cong hochleben und die Austellungen und Bilder passen voll ins Bild der eher plumpen und leicht durchschaubaren Propaganda der Regierung. Auch die Tunnel des Viet C ong bei Cu Chi ausserhalb der Stadt hinterlassen bei den Besuchern ein einseitiges Bild. Die Medienberichterstattung ist ebenfalls in den Haenden der kommunistischen Partei, Internetseiten wie Facebook sind hier verboten.Nichts desto trotz gefaellt es uns hier und wir erleben jeden Tag wieder Neues. Besonders beeindruckend ist der Verkehr. Tausende Motorraeder brummen ueber die Strassen bis spaet in die Nacht.
Good morning Vietnam! Saigon has got a new name after the war and is called Ho Chi Minh City nowadays. Named after a communist hero who seemed to have done a lot of good things for the nation. Saigon is a lively and busy city which managed to be compliant with the parties ideas and at the same time fullfil the wild needs of the 7.1 million costumers. We find communist stars all over the city on posters and banners but there are as many stars that shine into ones eyes when we entered the Diamond Plaza Shopping Centre. There is nothing like making business for Vietnamese people and the social security is just more like a joke than some serious program in the socialist state. The communist leaders though make it very clear who rules the country when one visits the reunification palace or the war remnant museum. The very one sided exhibits celebrate heroes of the Viet Cong and the photographs perfectly play into the simple and obvious propaganda of the governement. Also the media is controlled by the Vietnamese state, internet pages like facebook are restricted in this country.After all, we still like it here and are amazed by the many new things this place has to offer. Especially the traffic here is impressing. Thousands of motorbikes speed over the streets until late night.
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Good morning Vietnam! Saigon has got a new name after the war and is called Ho Chi Minh City nowadays. Named after a communist hero who seemed to have done a lot of good things for the nation. Saigon is a lively and busy city which managed to be compliant with the parties ideas and at the same time fullfil the wild needs of the 7.1 million costumers. We find communist stars all over the city on posters and banners but there are as many stars that shine into ones eyes when we entered the Diamond Plaza Shopping Centre. There is nothing like making business for Vietnamese people and the social security is just more like a joke than some serious program in the socialist state. The communist leaders though make it very clear who rules the country when one visits the reunification palace or the war remnant museum. The very one sided exhibits celebrate heroes of the Viet Cong and the photographs perfectly play into the simple and obvious propaganda of the governement. Also the media is controlled by the Vietnamese state, internet pages like facebook are restricted in this country.After all, we still like it here and are amazed by the many new things this place has to offer. Especially the traffic here is impressing. Thousands of motorbikes speed over the streets until late night.
