6 posts tagged “hanoi”

This architect from San Francisco, now living in Saigon, writes quite interestingly in his blog "Antidote to Burnout" about architecture and design in Vietnam. I am not sure I really like the Vietnamese modern designs, but I do appreciate them more after having read about them.

News I have read recently reiterates past statements that foreigners will be allowed to purchase real estate in Vietnam.

Houses for foreigners could become reality

(Listed Dec 28, 2007)

Foreigners will soon be able to own houses if a proposal by the Construction Ministry is approved by the National Assembly's Standing Committee. To be implemented on a trial basis in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a few years, the plan envisages allowing six categories of foreigners - including investors, non-property enterprises, and people married to Vietnamese citizens - to own housing for 70 years. Some of the other conditions are that they must have lived in Vietnam for at least one year, buy the house for themselves or their families and not for commercial purposes, and can only sell the house a year after receiving the ownership certificate. A foreigner who already owns a house can only receive the monetary value of other houses they inherit or receive as a gift. Foreign companies doing business here can buy one or more houses for their foreign employees. At the end of the 70-year period, if the title is not renewed, the owner has to sell or gift the house. The ministry hopes that besides easing the living and working conditions for foreigners in Vietnam, the plan will also help attract more foreign investment and develop the real estate market. Foreigners now rent over 1,300 houses and apartments in Hanoi and 4,000 in HCMC. If the pilot goes without a hitch, the government will expand this program to the rest of the country. FOREIGN BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE PLAN - People coming to Vietnam for direct investments. - People who have contributed to Vietnam and have been honored by ministries or higher-ranked agencies. - Cultural and scientific experts. - People married to Vietnamese citizens and living in Vietnam. - Honorary citizens. - Foreign-invested enterprises not operating in the property sector. Source: VNA

I met with a machine based learning expert recently. We had originally met during my initial expedition to Hanoi. After several hours of talking about life, philosophy, and politics, we had a technical discussion and decided, preliminarily, to work together to create a financial dataset for data mining. I am quite pleased with this possible collaboration. If I had made this progress a few weeks ago, I might still be staying in Hanoi.

To help put things in perspective, I have attached a map of Hanoi. It shows my apartment with an asterisk. You will probably have to drill through to the original image (on flickr) to really read the map, or get a print-ready version for your own use.

I was shocked to see a bottle of Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 on the shelf of my local pastry shop in Hanoi. This was a brilliant little wine introduced to me by Greg Wright a few years ago. Long ago, I bought and drank, and gave away, a case of it. It was one of those rare situations when a simple vinyard has a great year and produces a $60 wine, but still sells it at its normal price of $12. At least that is how I assessed its value. I think Columbia Crest has been coasting on that success ever since; I have not been as enamoured with anything else they have since produced.

Long ago, I had given up trying to find and buy another case or two of this wine. It must be surperb by now; perhaps at its peak. I with I had had the patience and discipline to keep a bottle. But here was another chance.

I asked about the wine. They took the bottle off the shelf. It was covered in dust. I loved that. But of course, I pretended it was a bad thing. But I was concerned the wine might be ruined by now. Not being stored on its side, the cork could have dried out. While each day the store was air conditioned, each summer night it would sit in the heat.

I asked for the price. They did not know. Eventually they found a price list. It was about $15. I asked them how many bottles they had. They had three. I wanted to buy them. I was willing to take a chance that one would have survived. Perhaps the two that were not on the shelf were stored properly, although I doubted it. But they would not sell. They needed to check with the owner first. I had to come back later that afternoon.

The next day, I came back. They were ready to sell. But now the price was $40. I had to at least respect that they appreciated its value. But not knowing what state it was in, and not really needing to drink a bottle of wine on my own, I declined the offer.

But I think, unlike in some other countries in Asia, they do have some appreciation for wine in Vietnam. They appreciate it enough to find good wines, and to price them properly. Now if only they would invest in storing them out of the heat.

As part of my process of leaving, I am documenting my neighbourhood in Hanoi. Today this includes video from a walk about the neighbourhood, and of my favourite restaurant in Vietnam. It is not a coincidence that that restaurant is at the corner of the ally on which I chose to rent an apartment.