The 'van der Linden' family: Two trips to Cambodia in one week

As some of you may know I'm presently working on an acquisition with activities in Cambodia and Vietnam and I've been frequenting these places recently. The first time Umit and I were in Cambodia and Vietnam was in 2003 as tourists. There was bird flu at the time and it was a surreal experience to travel with so few tourists and spend nights in empty hotels. Mind you it did increase our bargaining position and as a true Dutchman I secured some very good hotel rates. We made an amazing trip from Siem Reap to Chau Doc over water. The most memorable part was traveling down the Mekong in a speedboat going at full throttle whilst drinking wine and looking at the local boats traveling up and down the river with their produce ... I never felt this close to being James Bond. We continued our trip overland to Ho Chi Min City and flew to Hanoi a few days later. Apart from Hanoi we also did a trip up to Sapa which was very worthwhile and Ho Long bay (fortunately our boat didn't sink like the one recently). A lot has happened since this trip in 2003 as the people and economies move up th wealth ladder. Both countries are interesting places with very young and upbeat populations that are eager to improve their living standards.

Three weeks ago I was in Vietnam. My first stop was Ho Chi Min City which is now completely congested. I've never seen so many motorcycles flow through the streets and it is scary to think that these people will one day switch to cars. Business is clearly booming and real estate prices in the old center are going through the roof. The prices are now comparable to European cities which is a bubble if you ask me.

Traffic in HCMC, mainly motorcycles.

Have you ever wondered how to transport your family? The trick is to stay slim.

Next I flew up to Hanoi and I had not realized that the weather around this time of year is quite cold. The temperature was between 5 & 10 degrees centigrade and the people were dressed as if they were heading for the ski slopes. With only a thin tropical suit on and no warm cloths in my bag I realized I could be facing a problem. Non of the buildings have central heating and I was cold for two straight days. Hanoi has still maintained its nice French Asian fusion feel and although from a business perspective is less bustling it feels nice culturally and this is where the government is seated .... and where government contracts are managed.

Winter in Hanoi ... where are their skis?

I've also been visiting Phnom Penh in Cambodia a lot recently. On one of the flights over I was sitting next to another Dutch guy working for Air France/KLM. It turns out he was preparing their new schedule Paris - Phnom Penh. This is interesting because it is the first European airline to announce a direct flight to Phnom Penh and confirms that Cambodia is becoming more important economically. On an aside it is also good for the company I work for because we have and interest in the restaurant concession on Phnom Penh airport. Phnom Penh is developing fast and you can see it all around as the construction of large hotels and offices is happening and tailoring to the influx of business people. Also the once sleepy restaurants along the Mekong are being changed to swanky lounge bars for the hipsters.
Another interesting observation on the trip over was that I was flying over with Bangkok Airways who claim to be Asia's 'boutique airline. At business school I did cases on airlines and they always showed what poor investments they generally are. Bangkok Airways was actually very profitable by owning the airports they were flying to (Ko Samui and Sukothai) or had a monopoly (e.g. BKK Siem Reap). However, sitting in the plane to Phnom Penh where they have no competitive edge would lead me to believe that their margins are falling.

Traffic in Phnom Penh seems more orderly than in Vietnamese cities.

Prime ministers office ... Stalinist style. The deputy PM has an office that is similar in size ... I guess the French taught them about bureaucracy and and the Soviet Union how to design buildings.