It's one of the poorest countries in Asia.
80% of the country survives on subsistence agriculture.
The husband farms, the wife sells what they don't eat @ the market. The kids go to school as long as they can afford to (mid-teens). Each family works + plays together.
Fresh fruits are available year-round. I've never tasted bananas so dark + sweet.
Everybody walks, bikes, or motorbikes around. Girls walk alone at night, no worries. A real small town feel for this bustling capital.
Every morning @ 5:30, before the hazy sunrise lights up the rice paddies, the grandma next door is out sweeping her back porch. The outdoor markets are bustling with bargain hunters (prices are 50% lower in the pre-dawn hours). It sounds cliché, but everybody here really seems happy w/ what they've got. Even if it ain't much.
So who's really the poor one here?
