In 2010 I rented an old Soviet motorcycle and road for three weeks across Vietnam, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. What I saw is recorded in this essay of 22 color photos.
Though millions fought and died under the communist flag in Vietnam during decades of warfare, it didn't take long before the country abandoned Marxist economic principles and the centrally planned economy. In 1986, only 11 years after communist forces won the war, the "Doi Moi" reforms were enacted, ending the push for collectivization and adopting a market economy. Today, the results are evident. Much of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and been turned into a highway. Towns that were once heavily bombarded by the US military have now sprung up malls and KFC restaurants. Even within the Communist Party's youth wing, people join for business networking opportunities more often than they do for ideological reasons.
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