This month's Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam's capital Hanoi has focused attention on the country's rapid changes.

As economic growth continues, the country's newly affluent citizens are finding they no longer have to travel to Shanghai or Bangkok to buy the luxury items they desire.

But amidst all this new-found prosperity, Vietnamese traditions are still very much in evidence.

Some parts of Hanoi retain the traditional hallmarks of the French colonial era.

But others are being rebuilt to house the new multi-storey office blocks and residential units required by the rapidly expanding urban population.

Wartime sites, such as Hao Lao jail - where US Senator John McCain was imprisoned - have been torn down. Only the wall of the building remains, behind a new five star hotel.

Some sites, though, remain the same. Wartime leader Ho Chi Minh is still revered throughout Vietnam, and his mausoleum remains one of the city's focal points.

While the Communist government is showing signs of opening up, it still stifles dissent and regulates press freedom.

Propaganda posters adorn the side of buildings, as the city's never-ending stream of motorbikes hurtle past.