From Noi Bai International Airport to areas near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in downtown Hanoi, bustling construction sites in Vietnam's more-than-1,000-year-old capital signal the country's efforts to spring back from the economic doldrums brought about by the global recession.

But compared with the obvious economic presence of Japan and South Korea, Vietnam's neighbor China seems to be less engaged in the country's recovery than I expected.

Most of the motorcycles - Vietnam's number-one vehicle - one sees around every corner of Hanoi are Japanese brands.