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I've noticed the similarities between the two rival cities in China and Vietnam.
* Beijing and Hanoi are both national capitals and political/cultural capitals
* Both Shanghai and Saigon are the largest cities and the modern/commercial centre
* Beijing and Hanoi have long histories as capital and as centre of government, while Shanghai and Saigon are relatively new cities.
* Beijing and Hanoi are in the 'heartlands' of each country, while Shanghai and Saigon are the international face of the country.
* Both Beijing and Hanoi are dominated by grand, communist architecture and large squares. Both also include a lot of historic architecture and neighbourhoods.
* Saigon and Shanghai are newer, with more high-rises.
* The bodies of Ho and Mao are in Hanoi and Beijing respectively.
* Northerners and Beijingers are seen as down to earth, reserved and traditional, while those from the South are seen as business-minded and entreprenueral, as in Saigon and Shanghai.
* The Hanoi accent is the 'standard' Vietnamese accent, while the Saigon accent is more commonly heard overseas. The Beijing Mandarin dialect is the standard lingua franca of the PRC, although Shanghai has it's own language.
Yeah, and Indianapolis is pretty similar to New York City!
Um... no.
Beijing is to Hanoi what an Elephant is to a mouse. There's no comparison.
Of course they're very different, but the similarities should be bleeding obvious. I've been to both. In some ways Vietnam does feel like a mini tropical China (not to belittle it) with the stark commie architecture, portraits of the great leader, commie slogans, while at the same time seeming very capitalist and having a similar culture.
No. They are nothing alike. Crossing the "Friendship" border reveals the stark differences between China and Vietnam. The first border city you come across is Nanning, which feels at least twice as big as Hanoi. I can't speak for HCMC, since I was only there for a day or two and didn't get a feel for the place.
Vietnam is much more free-wheeling than China. Travelling through the country--even though we fought a protracted war with them, Americans can feel much more comfortable with the Vietnamese than the Chinese. In China, there's a constant tension of big brother watching over your shoulder. In Vietnam, the government is (generally) less of an oppressive presence.
Hanoi is a small, sleepy town, not much bigger than Phnom Penh. The imposing government structures are the biggest thing in town; besides the big new mall down south. In Beijing, the government edifices are lost in a sea of skyscrapers.
The Vietnamese are more open (and some would say aggressive). Neither country ranks high on my list of favorite places, but if I had to pick, I'd take Vietnam over China. Plus, Vietnamese usually rather deal in Dollars than RMB (or Dong).
Vietnam and China are similar in the way Italy and Germany are similar. They're in the same continent and have "similar" systems of government, but that's about it. Hanoi = Beijing is like saying Bari = Berlin
No. They are nothing alike. Crossing the "Friendship" border reveals the stark differences between China and Vietnam. The first border city you come across is Nanning, which feels at least twice as big as Hanoi. I can't speak for HCMC, since I was only there for a day or two and didn't get a feel for the place.
Vietnam is much more free-wheeling than China. Travelling through the country--even though we fought a protracted war with them, Americans can feel much more comfortable with the Vietnamese than the Chinese. In China, there's a constant tension of big brother watching over your shoulder. In Vietnam, the government is (generally) less of an oppressive presence.
Hanoi is a small, sleepy town, not much bigger than Phnom Penh. The imposing government structures are the biggest thing in town; besides the big new mall down south. In Beijing, the government edifices are lost in a sea of skyscrapers.
The Vietnamese are more open (and some would say aggressive). Neither country ranks high on my list of favorite places, but if I had to pick, I'd take Vietnam over China. Plus, Vietnamese usually rather deal in Dollars than RMB (or Dong).
Vietnam and China are similar in the way Italy and Germany are similar. They're in the same continent and have "similar" systems of government, but that's about it. Hanoi = Beijing is like saying Bari = Berlin
I didn't say HCMC and Beijing were extremely similar, more that the relationships between HCMC/Hanoi and Shanghai/Beijing are similar. The reasons why should be obvious.
If you think Hanoi is barely bigger than Phnom Penh I question whether you've even been there. It's a bustling city of over 6 million people, while PP has just over 1 million.
There are aggressive people who try to take advantage you in both countries. That's probably the biggest downside to visiting. Vietnam does indeed feel extremely capitalistic for being communist.
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