Vietnam

China and Vietnam are two countries with a common border of more than 1.2 thousand km and a very ancient history of relationship. Of course, there have been very difficult moments in the history: the gigantic Chinese empire, accustomed to considering neighboring states as its sphere of influence, and small Vietnam did not always find a common ground...

When I used to grow up in a socialist Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, we were told that even if one single human life was endangered, the entire country had to stop and fight for his or her survival. That is how we were raised. That was our culture, or call it the foundation of our worldview. I remember, once there was an explosion...

Some twenty years ago, when I moved to Hanoi, the city was bleak, grey, covered by smog. The war had ended, but terrible scars remained. I brought my 4WD from Chile, and insisted on driving it myself. It was one of the first SUVs in the city. Each time I drove it, it was hit by scooters, which flew like projectiles all over the wide avenues of the capital. Hanoi was beautiful...