Good Afternoon Vietnam

I'm just back from a short trip to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An). Stay tuned for some Vietnamese design and visual culture-related posts.

At left are some of Vietnam's old style of banknote. They're made of paper and are readily identifiable (handy in crowded markets) due to each note's distinctive colouration. The new Vietnamese banknotes are polymer, complete with a transparent window (just like the Australian ones – I bet they're made here). They lack the visual charm of their predecessors – but then again, what rapidly developing nation wants to be known for using elephants as a construction tool? – and some denominations are so similar in colour that sometimes it's a little tricky telling them apart. That's not so good in crowded markets or dimly lit restaurants and bars.

You can always use US dollars over there – but they look even more alike...

A fascinating place. More posts to come.

Fancy travelling there and want to learn how to cross the extremely busy, motorscooter-populated roads? Watch and learn... More in the continuation.

It works!