Seoul VS HCMC

Well it's been well over a year and a half since I was last in Korea. I have some mental notes that I need to jot down after living in Vietnam for 20 months minus 5 weeks.

Things I had forgotten about Korea

Seoul is huge.

Everybody has the same cars. There must be 3 or 4 differant kinds. Car parks look more like the Ford factory when you see all the new cars laid out waiting for export.

The princess factor. I would compare Vietnamese girls to Korean girls, but I wouldn't know where to start. These girls over here....man have they got some attitude!

For young people here, looking good is a hobby, nay, a fixation. Subway trains are like huge moving mirrors. Women constantly groom themselves. It's mandatory to have an mp3 player.

Buses are really comfortable here.

ALL old ladys have a perm which is dyed black.

Vietnam/Korea culture shock

First, the cars! All the cars! I haven't snapped the traffic yet as I haven't found a satisfactory spot to do so, but the cars! 10 lanes of gridlock.

Depsite the crazy danger involved with motorbikes, they rule! As I said, the traffic is awful here. The subway system is extensive, but it's time consuming and often busy. Where's my motorbike! RAHH!

WALKING! I forgot about walking. I barely walk anywhere in HCMC. Here if I'm not in a train I'm walking. At least my legs will get stronger.

Daylight! I got totally disorientated last night. It was 7.45 and it was still daylight. It was like having vertigo.....I wanted to run up to someone, grab them and scream "What's happening? It's still day! The sun hasn't gone down! ARGGHHHH!".

Cost of Living

Subway= 900 Won (15,167 VND, 94 cents)
Xe Om ride = 10,000 VND (593 Won, 62 cents)

Average lunch in a Korean Restaurant = 4000 Won (67,000 VND, $4.18)
Average lunch in a Vietnamese Restaurant = 20,000 VND (1,186 Won, $1.25)

Bunch of bananas for breakfast in Korea = 1750 Won (29,423 VND, $1.84)
Bunch of bananas for breakfast in Vietnam = 5000 VND (296 Won, 31 cents)

Crappy hotel room for one night in Seoul, Korea = 30,000 Won (505,000 VND, $31.60)
Crappy hotel room for one night in HCMC, Vietnam = 80,000 VND (4,700 Won,$5)

That's all I've got really so far. More comparisons as they come along. Some of the prices are 'rough', others are accurate.