I left Hanoi on Tuesday afternoon bound for the next leg of my adventure in Singapore. Vietnam was a tremendous experience, an amazing eye opener to a fascinating country. I have no doubt that 10 or 15 years from Vietnam will be a powerhouse in the world economy. It is already exploding economically with an incredible amount of infrastructure and education investment.

Everyone I met with, from Government Ministers to regular people, was very friendly and they were eager to engage us. The Vietnamese people from my perspective are very hard working, resourceful, creative and forward looking. They are re-building their country with exuberance and determination with no evidence of animosity from the past.   

One thing they need to fix is the country’s currency, know as the Dong. I was advised before traveling to Hanoi to bring plenty of dollar bills and dutifully visited the bank before leaving on the trip to get a few packs of dollars. The Vietnamese prefer US Currency over the Dong. For $100 dollars you can become a millionaire as that amount will covert into 1,880,000 Dong. Basically if you name your currency ‘Dong’ it will be worth sh@#!!

Dave Bossert

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.