Once a war zone, Vietnam now a hot spot for tourism

By Brian Cox Legal News Rock formations resembling the thumbs of giants rise up out of the misty waters of Ha Long Bay. With thousands of limestone isles scattered across it, "Descending Dragon Bay" is one of Vietnam's most picturesque tourist destinations. Detroit attorney Dan Share and his wife Sophie Fierro-Share can attest to that sentiment. Last March, the couple spent 10 days in Southeast Asia, exploring the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, visiting floating fishing villages on the northern shores of Cambodia's great lake, Tonle Sap, and wandering the crowded, chaotic streets of Vietnam's capital, Hanoi. The Barris, Sott, Denn, and Driker attorney says he was most struck on the trip by the stark contrast between Vietnam's economic development and the rural poverty found in Cambodia. The countryside in Vietnam is dotted with factories, Share said, and the tourism industry is booming, as evidenced by a building craze of hotels and golf courses. Traffic in Hanoi was intense, with people driving scooters everywhere. "I saw a man taking a heifer to market on a scooter," recalls Share. "To cross the street you have to step out and walk at a steady pace. It's like gasping and jumping into turbulent waters." In Cambodia, Share and his wife stayed in Siem Reap where they hired a local guide to show them nearby Angkor Archeological Park where visitors can explore a vast ancient complex of temples built in the early 12th century that was largely overgrown by the forest before being rediscovered in the 1800s. Over the span of hundreds of years, enormous roots of banyan trees like monster octopus tentacles entangled some of the temples. "They couldn't remove the roots without destroying the temples," explains Share, "so they left them." Share and his wife began seeing the world when their last child left home. The couple has traveled to Africa, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands in addition to making annual trips to Hong Kong where their daughter resides. Hong Kong has proved a convenient jumping off point for seeing Southeast Asia. "It's fascinating to see how people in different cultures live," says Share, who earned his B.A. at the University of Michigan and his juris doctorate at Harvard Law School. Next on the Shares' trip itinerary: India. Published: Thu, Nov 24, 2011

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