Vietnam
- During nine days in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) also known as North Korea (8 to 17 April), I
encountered surprises upon surprises in this mysterious and strange nation.
It was
a trip led by the Vietnamese Union of Friendship Organizations, with eight
members to visit this nation for the historic 100th birthday celebrations of
the late state's founder Kim Il-sung.
We
arrived at Beijing airport three hours ahead of the flight, but the booth of
DPRK's state-owned flag carrier Air Koryo was empty.
However,
just 30 minutes later, a large group started to gather. Most were international
visitors.
There
are few flights to DPRK. On April 11 for example, there were four flights from
Beijing to Pyongyang, the capital of DPRK.
Currently
you can only fly to Pyongyang from China or Russia.
Aboard
the flight TU-154, I suddenly found my seat (as written on the ticket) occupied
by a strange passenger.
After I
complained to a beautiful Korean stewardess, she calmly and politely took me to
find a new and unoccupied seat.
The
plane was quite small and old. There were ashtrays left on the plane; most
knobs were old but I enjoy the food and drinks very much.
Drinks
include alcoholic beverage, soft drinks, and freshwater. All were made in DPRK.
After
two hours of flight, the TU-154 softly landed in Pyongyang airport.
A
strict requirement from DPRK security is that you must leave all your mobile
phones at the airport.
Even if
you could sneak one in, you would not be able to use it because there is no
international roaming service there.
Yet,
there is an Egyptian telecom company supplying mobile service for around a
million subscribers.
However,
only Korean people inside DPRK can call each other. Foreigners must use a
different network and can only call foreigners.
Old plane, colorless buildings, abundant
flowers
It started
to get dark as we were being transported from the airport to the hotel.
However,
on the streets, there were many people present, tending to large flower pots to
prepare for the upcoming historic event - April 15, the centenary birthday of
the eternal president.
We
stayed at 4-star Yanggakdo International Hotel located in a small island in the
capital.
It had
47 floors and on the top floor there was a revolving restaurant.
There
were also massage, karaoke, disco services, and even a small casino in the
basement.
Pyongyang
has some very wide streets with thin traffic.
In the
evening, it is quite dark as there are no street lights.
Both
sides of the street boast low, colorless apartment blocks under eight floors,
so that there will be no need for elevators. They mostly bear a tint of white
or grey.
Pyongyang
people love flowers. Nearly all balconies on the apartment blocks have flower
pots.
Near my
hotel, there was also a large area reserved for flowers.
My
first dinner was at a restaurant inside the hotel. There was kimchi, fried
fish, minced meat, white rice (Korean rice with long grains), and taedong-gang
beer (brewed by a state-owned company in Pyongyang).
The
beer is a pride of DPRK since it has been exported to the US.
Listed in DPRK won, payment in USD
I came
to a telephone booth at the hotel to call home. Fee for a 4 minute call to
Vietnam, the charge was US$5 (S$6.20).
There
was also an email service here, but you had to send it from the official email
of the hotel.
Stores
inside the hotel sold DPRK specialties, like bear gall, ginseng, Korean rice,
DPRK skirts together with tobacco imported from Vietnam, Heineken beer and
cakes.
All
prices were listed in the DPRK won, although payments had to be made in USD,
euro or in Chinese yuan.
During
my nine days in this strange country, I did not see the DPRK won. You also
cannot use your Visa or MasterCard here.
An
interesting thing I learnt is that even Vietnamese diplomats at the Vietnamese
embassy in Pyongyang have to fly to Beijing to receive their regular salary.
In
DPRK, besides 11 Vietnamese embassy officials and their 17 relatives, there are
no other Vietnamese citizens.
However,
the Vietnamese embassy there has a full-time official in charge of consular
affairs.
At the
hotel, besides DPRK and Chinese channels, there are two others: NHK English and
BBC News. But locals are not allowed to watch the latter two.
Nameless buildings, no address
I
noticed that many very spacious streets in Pyongyang have no names, while
apartment buildings bear no address numbers.
Even a
building I was sure was an official government building had no name. When I
asked, I got the reply that was "due to security reasons".
There
were many trams on the street, just like Hanoi in the old days. Still, there
are luxury cars like Lexus, Mercedes, BMW side by side with tractors, buses and
trucks that are stuffed to the full with passengers.
Pyongyang
has taxis whose prices are quite cheap, according to a Vietnamese diplomat
stationed there.
Taxis
bear the brand Volkswagen Passat. Bicycles only travel back and forth on the
pavements.
Then,
there’s a crowded metro station in Pyongyang. According to a Korean translator
by the name of Kim who was once educated in Hanoi, this was built in the 1960s.
There are 17 stations.
The
total length of this public system is around 24 km under a depth of 100 to
200m.
This is
the deepest metro station in the world, Kim (the translator) explained. It can
also be used as a shelter in case of war.
During
my trip, I met with representatives from three state-owned DPRK companies in
gold mining, restaurant and jewelry industries.
We
discussed opening a DPRK restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City and launching guided
tours from Vietnam to Pyongyang in the near future.
Leaving
DPRK, I believe this country's economy and tourism will further develop in the
future. The 105-floor Koryo hotel, built since 1978, is about to be finished
and waiting to welcome visitors.
Average salary: $25 per month
In
Pyongyang, the average salary for a worker is US$20 (S$24.85) per month.
But the
state provides houses, necessities, and clothes. In addition, pupils get free
education and the people enjoy free health care.
Music
is a compulsory subject starting from preschool.
It is
due to this that DPRK kids are very good at singing and dancing.
In
February this year, 14 kids from Kim Sang Preschool in DPRK visited Vietnam and
were praised by Vietnamese teachers as being much more disciplined than their
Vietnamese peers.
DPRK
now faces a food shortage. The Vietnamese embassy in DPRK informed us that DPRK
can only produce 4.6 million tons of food for its 25 million population per
year (Vietnam has 50 million tons for nearly 90 million citizens).
Thus,
DPRK has to import or receive aid equaling 10 to 15 million tons per year.
Sources
say that many Vietnamese companies want to sell rice there but encounter difficulties
regarding payment methods.
Tuoi
Tre contributor
Tuoi
Tre News
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