Timeless Hanoi

"Time, timing, timelessness — all are heightened in Hanoi at this moment in its history. The steady pulse of the video calendar, the boom-boxed beats of the exercise soundtracks and the incessant putt-putt of the motorbiking hordes flowing past new luxury hotels and construction sites signal that an ages-old culture and a young and recently robust capitalist economy are marching toward modernity."

"At Highway4, an Old Quarter gastropub that specializes in the traditional Chinese-influenced cuisine of northern Vietnam, modernization takes a curious form. The restaurant owners have phased out the moonshine infused with crow, bees and silkworms and replaced it with their own brand of elegant rice and fruit liqueurs that carry the slogan "the future of a tradition."

Assignment for USA TODAY