http://www.newsweek.com/photo/2010/08/15/best-countries-in-the-world.html

By Tara A. Lewis

With such a huge range of nations in the world, the question of whether there is a best place to live seems both simple and elusive. With that idea in mind, NEWSWEEK offers this list of best countries. Given that there are so many ways to measure achievement, we chose the five we felt were most important--health, economic dynamism (the openness of a country's economy and the breadth of the size of its corporate sector), education, political environment, and quality of life. And because it's easier to improve quality of life if you're tiny and rich like Finland, for example, the list also accounts for income and size with rankings by subcategories. Like all lists, this one is not perfect, but it offers surprising and fascinating answers and plenty of insight into which country is healthiest, why Scandinavian countries always come out on top, and why the title of best country has more than one winner.

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This should be a fun topic. I've nothing against Finland (it's just 86 kms away from where I am now sitting) but to call a place that is so cold & dark most of the year and expensive where people drink themselves into a stupor that would shock most binging Brits the best country in the world to live is pushing it. Sure, it's very clean and the people generally polite and they love hockey and their own form of baseball (pesaball), htey make my favorite brand of cell phone and they have some really whacky TV commercials. But other people aren't beating down their doors to live there.

At a guess, I'd say people aren't knocking down the doors to live in Poland, Ukraine, Ghana......and others mentioned in the article.

Spain's economy at the moment has got to have an effect on all the factors measured.

Except for Australia doing quite well on several measurements, it is a bit of a suprising compilation.

Who'd have thought?

If Ukraine is so great....why are there women trying to leave there in droves?

I've had a few Nigerianesque scam emails from Ghana too.

Liquorice. The Finns make great liquorice.

Liquorice. The Finns make great liquorice.

Black liquorice, good product to make in the winter.

Dark 24/7.

Luv me likrish....yummmmmmy

I'm living in Vietnam at the moment - while working here occupies most of my waking hours, I still find a good social life, cheap shopping, plenty of local and Western food, health care OK, almost everything you want (in Saigon).

Beaches are good in many areas, transport outside HCMC can be iffy.

Wouldn't want to spend too much time outside Saigon, wouldn't want to live in the North.

But apart from the 10 million motorbikes constantly drivingon the streets of Saigon, it's an OK place.

Better than Finland, where I was frozen for two-thirds of the year, bitten to death for the remainder.

I'm living in Vietnam at the moment - while working here occupies most of my waking hours, I still find a good social life, cheap shopping, plenty of local and Western food, health care OK, almost everything you want (in Saigon).

Beaches are good in many areas, transport outside HCMC can be iffy.

Wouldn't want to spend too much time outside Saigon, wouldn't want to live in the North.

But apart from the 10 million motorbikes constantly drivingon the streets of Saigon, it's an OK place.

Better than Finland, where I was frozen for two-thirds of the year, bitten to death for the remainder.

Too many people begging in Saigon for me. Everyone also wanted a tip. I gave 50,000 tip to the guy who gave me a foot massage (I was expecting a girl ) and he immediately asked for more. I bought some postcards off a little girl in the street for 10,000 and she asked for a tip. All that would drive me nuts. Oh, and I let myself be taken in by the powered milk scam. Other than that though, I liked the place quite a bit.

Too many people begging in Saigon for me. Everyone also wanted a tip. I gave 50,000 tip to the guy who gave me a foot massage (I was expecting a girl ) and he immediately asked for more. I bought some postcards off a little girl in the street for 10,000 and she asked for a tip. All that would drive me nuts. Oh, and I let myself be taken in by the powered milk scam. Other than that though, I liked the place quite a bit.

Not nearly the number of beggars I see in Thailand. Some old guys who were probably SV Army officers and not allowed to work, some kids. Lots of people selling lottery tickets. This is SE Asia.

What's the 'powered milk scam'? (or powdered milk?).

My main gripe is with the airport taxis that charge double or treble the correct rate. As I live in the 'burbs they realise I am a resident and no longer try this, but if I go from airport to hotel, arguments ensue.

I've met alot of Finns over the years and have yet to meet one that wasn't entirely lovely. That said, Scandos can be quite nice too. Not saying I'd want to live there but the nice ones have always been in far more abundance than the jerk ones.

Too many people begging in Saigon for me. Everyone also wanted a tip. I gave 50,000 tip to the guy who gave me a foot massage (I was expecting a girl ) and he immediately asked for more. I bought some postcards off a little girl in the street for 10,000 and she asked for a tip. All that would drive me nuts. Oh, and I let myself be taken in by the powered milk scam. Other than that though, I liked the place quite a bit.

Not nearly the number of beggars I see in Thailand. Some old guys who were probably SV Army officers and not allowed to work, some kids. Lots of people selling lottery tickets. This is SE Asia.

What's the 'powered milk scam'? (or powdered milk?).

My main gripe is with the airport taxis that charge double or treble the correct rate. As I live in the 'burbs they realise I am a resident and no longer try this, but if I go from airport to hotel, arguments ensue.

I guess it depends where you are. I was staying at the Caravelle Hotel and there were more people asking for money than I have ever seen in Thailand. Not all sick and elderly either. Go around there and try walking 30 meters without being approached.

POWDERED milk scam. As both myself and my computer get older there are more typos. I blame the computer. Anyway, a little girl comes up to me on my way to a shop to buy something to drink. She speaks perfect English and asks what I'm doing. I tell her going to the store. She tells me that she knows a nice new store and she'll show me if I buy some powdered milk for her baby sister. I figure, it's gotta be a scam but what the heck, it's just baby milk. Nice to have a guide and someone to talk to. The best thing is that NO ONE else bothered me while we walked to the store. I was already on the hook and the others knew it even if I didn't. Anyway, she takes me to a beautiful new shopping center not far from the hotel. She walks right to the lockers, puts her bag inside, takes the key and walks me directly to the powdered milk shelf (she's done this before). There are various sizes but of course the type her baby sister drinks is only available in a 2 or 3 kilo can. We went to the cashier and I told her that I knew I was being scammed somehow but chalked it up to experience. If I remember it cost me $40-50 (~600,000 dong maybe?). Ouch. Yeah, that's the last $#@%^& powdered milk I'll ever buy in my life. I read later that the way the scam works is that while people might not want to give cash, they figure something like baby milk is a safer bet (like I did). But it turns out that the little begger just sells it back to the store and the processes repeated.

I usually take pictures wherever I go but I missed a great shot in Saigon. Along the street there was this old, white all where a barber had set up shop. He had hung a small mirror on the wall and was giving someone a haircut right there on the sidewalk/pavement. Talk about low overhead - mirror, chair, scissors.

Too many people begging in Saigon for me. Everyone also wanted a tip. I gave 50,000 tip to the guy who gave me a foot massage (I was expecting a girl ) and he immediately asked for more. I bought some postcards off a little girl in the street for 10,000 and she asked for a tip. All that would drive me nuts. Oh, and I let myself be taken in by the powered milk scam. Other than that though, I liked the place quite a bit.

Not nearly the number of beggars I see in Thailand. Some old guys who were probably SV Army officers and not allowed to work, some kids. Lots of people selling lottery tickets. This is SE Asia.

What's the 'powered milk scam'? (or powdered milk?).

My main gripe is with the airport taxis that charge double or treble the correct rate. As I live in the 'burbs they realise I am a resident and no longer try this, but if I go from airport to hotel, arguments ensue.

I guess it depends where you are. I was staying at the Caravelle Hotel and there were more people asking for money than I have ever seen in Thailand. Not all sick and elderly either. Go around there and try walking 30 meters without being approached.

POWDERED milk scam. As both myself and my computer get older there are more typos. I blame the computer. Anyway, a little girl comes up to me on my way to a shop to buy something to drink. She speaks perfect English and asks what I'm doing. I tell her going to the store. She tells me that she knows a nice new store and she'll show me if I buy some powdered milk for her baby sister. I figure, it's gotta be a scam but what the heck, it's just baby milk. Nice to have a guide and someone to talk to. The best thing is that NO ONE else bothered me while we walked to the store. I was already on the hook and the others knew it even if I didn't. Anyway, she takes me to a beautiful new shopping center not far from the hotel. She walks right to the lockers, puts her bag inside, takes the key and walks me directly to the powdered milk shelf (she's done this before). There are various sizes but of course the type her baby sister drinks is only available in a 2 or 3 kilo can. We went to the cashier and I told her that I knew I was being scammed somehow but chalked it up to experience. If I remember it cost me $40-50 (~600,000 dong maybe?). Ouch. Yeah, that's the last $#@%^& powdered milk I'll ever buy in my life. I read later that the way the scam works is that while people might not want to give cash, they figure something like baby milk is a safer bet (like I did). But it turns out that the little begger just sells it back to the store and the processes repeated.

I usually take pictures wherever I go but I missed a great shot in Saigon. Along the street there was this old, white all where a barber had set up shop. He had hung a small mirror on the wall and was giving someone a haircut right there on the sidewalk/pavement. Talk about low overhead - mirror, chair, scissors.

Like the butcher shop I posted sumplace a week or so ago.

Plastic tarpaulin on the side of the road, Saigon, and a sharp knife.

No plastic bags for wrapping, people had their own plastic bags.

Try that in NZ or OZ.

Too many people begging in Saigon for me. Everyone also wanted a tip. I gave 50,000 tip to the guy who gave me a foot massage (I was expecting a girl ) and he immediately asked for more. I bought some postcards off a little girl in the street for 10,000 and she asked for a tip. All that would drive me nuts. Oh, and I let myself be taken in by the powered milk scam. Other than that though, I liked the place quite a bit.

Not nearly the number of beggars I see in Thailand. Some old guys who were probably SV Army officers and not allowed to work, some kids. Lots of people selling lottery tickets. This is SE Asia.

What's the 'powered milk scam'? (or powdered milk?).

My main gripe is with the airport taxis that charge double or treble the correct rate. As I live in the 'burbs they realise I am a resident and no longer try this, but if I go from airport to hotel, arguments ensue.

I guess it depends where you are. I was staying at the Caravelle Hotel and there were more people asking for money than I have ever seen in Thailand. Not all sick and elderly either. Go around there and try walking 30 meters without being approached.

POWDERED milk scam. As both myself and my computer get older there are more typos. I blame the computer. Anyway, a little girl comes up to me on my way to a shop to buy something to drink. She speaks perfect English and asks what I'm doing. I tell her going to the store. She tells me that she knows a nice new store and she'll show me if I buy some powdered milk for her baby sister. I figure, it's gotta be a scam but what the heck, it's just baby milk. Nice to have a guide and someone to talk to. The best thing is that NO ONE else bothered me while we walked to the store. I was already on the hook and the others knew it even if I didn't. Anyway, she takes me to a beautiful new shopping center not far from the hotel. She walks right to the lockers, puts her bag inside, takes the key and walks me directly to the powdered milk shelf (she's done this before). There are various sizes but of course the type her baby sister drinks is only available in a 2 or 3 kilo can. We went to the cashier and I told her that I knew I was being scammed somehow but chalked it up to experience. If I remember it cost me $40-50 (~600,000 dong maybe?). Ouch. Yeah, that's the last $#@%^& powdered milk I'll ever buy in my life. I read later that the way the scam works is that while people might not want to give cash, they figure something like baby milk is a safer bet (like I did). But it turns out that the little begger just sells it back to the store and the processes repeated.

I usually take pictures wherever I go but I missed a great shot in Saigon. Along the street there was this old, white all where a barber had set up shop. He had hung a small mirror on the wall and was giving someone a haircut right there on the sidewalk/pavement. Talk about low overhead - mirror, chair, scissors.

I'll take a few pics this weekend, if it's not raining too hard.

Have to be careful in the Caravelle - the manager's a hasher.

Saigon Hash meets outside the hotel every Sunday at 2.00 p.m. - so you could have mistaken us for beggars?

There are various sizes but of course the type her baby sister drinks is only available in a 2 or 3 kilo can. We went to the cashier and I told her that I knew I was being scammed somehow but chalked it up to experience. If I remember it cost me $40-50 (~600,000 dong maybe?). Ouch. Yeah, that's the last powdered milk I'll ever buy in my life.

I usually take pictures wherever I go but I missed a great shot in Saigon. Along the street there was this old, white all where a barber had set up shop. He had hung a small mirror on the wall and was giving someone a haircut right there on the sidewalk/pavement. Talk about low overhead - mirror, chair, scissors.

600k dong would be about 32 dollars (US). Helluva lot more in Aussie dollars usually, but now there's near parity. That's a lot of dosh. But you say it was an upscale supermarket, so could be correct. I have a nearly two-year-old who is just getting used to proper foods, where NZ milk costs US & 1.50 a litre in liquid form. (Says fresh, but it's reconstituted powder).

About ten minutes walk (maybe less) from Caravelle is a little side street with about three or four barbers plying their trade as you described. The street will soon vanish under redevelopment, though. Happening all over Saigon.

Did you see all the model ships for sale near the Caravelle? Seems to be a tourist thingy.

Also near the Caravelle is a Spanish tapas bar, can't recall the name. Previously it was a bar known as the Monkey House and was the liveliest in town. Gone now. Redevelopment. Shame.

Still a few girly bars around, if anyone's interested, but very few.

What was your overall feeling of the town? I like it, but then I live here, so I have to, I suppose.

There are various sizes but of course the type her baby sister drinks is only available in a 2 or 3 kilo can. We went to the cashier and I told her that I knew I was being scammed somehow but chalked it up to experience. If I remember it cost me $40-50 (~600,000 dong maybe?). Ouch. Yeah, that's the last powdered milk I'll ever buy in my life.

I usually take pictures wherever I go but I missed a great shot in Saigon. Along the street there was this old, white all where a barber had set up shop. He had hung a small mirror on the wall and was giving someone a haircut right there on the sidewalk/pavement. Talk about low overhead - mirror, chair, scissors.

600k dong would be about 32 dollars (US). Helluva lot more in Aussie dollars usually, but now there's near parity. That's a lot of dosh. But you say it was an upscale supermarket, so could be correct. I have a nearly two-year-old who is just getting used to proper foods, where NZ milk costs US & 1.50 a litre in liquid form. (Says fresh, but it's reconstituted powder).

About ten minutes walk (maybe less) from Caravelle is a little side street with about three or four barbers plying their trade as you described. The street will soon vanish under redevelopment, though. Happening all over Saigon.

Did you see all the model ships for sale near the Caravelle? Seems to be a tourist thingy.

Also near the Caravelle is a Spanish tapas bar, can't recall the name. Previously it was a bar known as the Monkey House and was the liveliest in town. Gone now. Redevelopment. Shame.

Still a few girly bars around, if anyone's interested, but very few.

What was your overall feeling of the town? I like it, but then I live here, so I have to, I suppose.

When I was there I think the rate was about 16000 to the dollar. Now it's almost 20000.

The boat thing sounds familiar.

I remember one girly bar around the corner. We palyed pool upstairs and the girls were dressed like Thai bar girls. That is until the lights started blinking and they ran off only to return a few minutes later in more respectable dresses.