Many Asian countries have strong affinity for gold, with Vietnam apparently at the top of the list. On a per-capita-income basis, Vietnam consumes twice as much gold as India and 10 times that of China.

Vietnam's gold market has blossomed in response to a lack of confidence in the country's currency, according to a story in yesterday's Financial Times. Since the beginning of 2009, the Vietnamese dong has lost 11 percent of its official value, while gold has risen roughly 42 percent in U.S. dollar terms.