Asia Tour 2011 - Visit to Hanoi

Executive Director, Ryan Doan, and Professor of Business, Dr. Scott Janke, visit Hanoi to do some business development and site seeing. Hanoi was a cool, averaging high 60's to low 70's F (15-20C). An overcast day in Hanoi was actually warmer than the southern California weather IAU staff have been experiencing. Although Dr. Janke has been to Korea and Japan before, this was his first visit to Vietnam.

Dr. Janke was constantly amazed at the sights, culture, people, and reckless driving he saw. With awe, he stated "It's amazing just to sit on the street at a restaurant and watch traffic all morning. Amazingly, there were no accidents!" Dr. Janke was surprised to see some of the display of wealth. On the streets were frequent sightings of new Mercedes S-Classes, Audi's, Porsches, and BMW 7 Series. He saw a flashy Aston Martin, several Bentley's and a handful of Rolls Royces.

Some interesting official sites included Ho Chi Minh's Tomb, the Prime Minister's Building, and the Communist Party's Headquarters. There was the "One Legged Pagoda" that is estimated to be 1000 years old and many beautifully decorated buddhist temples.

For business, the two visited a local Vietnamese college to do some business development. Meeting with young students, Ryan and Dr. Janke provided information about IAU, its programs, transfer policies, etc. Photos of the event made Ryan and Dr. Janke felt welcomed, as the young students were definitely happy to have two members from IAU come all the way from Los Angeles.

When it came to foods, Dr. Janke and Ryan were treated to wonderful authentic entrees. The two adventurously ate in the streets and basically anything that was placed in front of them. Who can visit Hanoi and not eat Pho, the beef noodle soup that is synonymous with Vietnam food culture. Other delicacies included pigeon, sea snails, crispy eel with glass noodles, fried and steamed chicken, sautéed water buffalo, and cá kho to? (braised fish in a clay pot). There were also a number of vegetable plates served, many of which America doesn't have. They were also introduced to a German-style brewery restaurant, Hoa Vien Brauhaus, that served Vietnamese-German fusion food - dynamite!

There is more to come on this trip as the duo head to Medan, Indonesia. Read about the visit to Medan, Indonesia.

View photos of the visit to Hanoi.