Hanoi in November

November is the best time of year in Hanoi. Not too hot, not too cold. It was delightful to spend a few days there, working with some great people and wandering the busy market streets in the evening (when I could stay awake though my jet lag!).

The mopeds overwhelm the city now however--everyone seems to have one and traffic laws are 'flexible' at best. It is up to the pedestrian to make it across the road against buses, hordes of mopeds carrying anything from bales of vegetables to families of three or more, bicycles, and women with bamboo baskets balancing on poles across their shoulders. Since the sidewalks often serve double purpose as restaurants with patrons sitting on foot high plastic stools as they eat or chat, pedestrians are right in the middle of it. While it has worked like a complex ballet in my experience, Vietnam does have a huge death rate from road accidents. I hear they will pass a law in 2008 requiring helmets, so that's a good place to invest!

The program I was working with supports the government's efforts to bring the legal and regulatory codes into WTO compliance. One component provides research on related issues such as the expected impact of tariff cuts on certain sectors (like textile and garments) or vulnerable populations, and measures changing trends in trade as a result of recent liberalization.