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I’m in Vietnam this week for work. Here’s some almost-appropriate music to listen to while you read this post:

So far, Vietnam seems like what I imagine China felt like 15 to 20 years ago before it was completely overtaken by investment and development. In Hanoi, you will find the same crazy moto-dominated traffic, lines of make-shift stores that sell pirate iPhones next to plumbing supplies, and questionable street food vendors that you would find in China. But Hanoi doesn’t seem to be nearly as modern (or should I say western?) as Shanghai or Beijing. There is no public transit, the taxis don’t seem to be regulated in any meaningful way, and there aren’t any of the modern super malls like you would see in Xujiahui in Shanghai.

But I don’t think things will stay like this for very much longer. China developed so quickly that visitors who returned after two or three years away would barely be able to recognize areas they had visited before. I don’t know if investment will strike Vietnam that quickly, but I’m sure this place is going to look completely different ten years from now.

Our company sponsored the Tour de Georgia stage finish in Augusta. We got VIP tickets, so I was able to get a good spot by the finish line to take some pictures. Here’ s a shot from the finish:

I’ve been trying to find good outdoor places to run in Augusta where you won’t get run down by trucks. So far, the best I have found is the Augusta Canal. It can be a little muddy when it has been raining, but otherwise it is pretty nice.

Here is the run I did on Saturday.  You can zoom in and click on the blue line to see where the running path is on the canal.

Augusta, GA is the land of terrible chain restaurants. But if you are stuck here and dig enough, there are a few good places. Here are my favorite vegetarian-friendly places.