Tag: Vietnam

Eroded confidence

Huffington is coming out with a book titled “Third World America”.

As she makes the case for America’s shrinking middle-class, I can’t help notice a striking contrast with Vietnam (Third World which wants to become America), whose nascent credit (system) and (middle) class are almost non-existent.

Yet it made the top list of World Happiness Index despite years of war and post-war hardship.

I reminded myself that I need to learn as much as possible to unlock the secret code.

Ignorance is bliss?

In the absence of plenty, everything tastes sweeter. (Hershey is coming out with a new line of chocolate made of pure cocoa from the Mekong Delta region).

I learned that simple-minded people from the country are content with enough to eat, and spend the rest of their time with and for others (similar findings here in the US purported that beyond $75,000 wage earners aren’t  that much happier, unless they found happiness in giving).

Whatever the joint formula of regional, historical and cultural factors, some possible take-aways are:

– sharing is a must (in the context of extended families and selected circle of friends)

– having  high regards for one’s self (Hanoi xe-om drivers wear a suit in Winter time). This point might seem contradictory to point number 1, but

each Vietnamese thinks he/she is better than the person next to him/her. Sharing enhances their status even more, hence point 1 reinforces point 2.

– working with a simpler definition of joy (similar to “Last Train Home” film about a Chinese country couple trying to get home to visit their children having been working in factory all year), which is relationship-oriented, and not materialistic (60+ percent of Vietnamese population still make their living in agriculture i.e. at the mercy of typhoons etc…).

Here, the US, in the aftermath of 9/11, is still trying to undo the harms done by that hideous act, by over-reacting, hence given itself into the long hand of terror (Ted Koppel‘s article in Washington Post). Meanwhile, immigrants in LA protested a recent shooting near MacArthur Park.

A quote by a Guatemalan lady in the LA Times says it all ” I told them not to come, it’s not as good as it was before, but they still come”.

I hear the Statue of Liberty say one thing (come), and the Guatemalan lady say another (don’t come).

Huffington puts her fingers on the pulse: people put all their hope in the political process back in 2008 with the choice of Obama, who himself admitted at yesterday’s press conference that he was frustrated.

We read news about workers not taking their vacation (either they couldn’t afford time from work, or just want to make sure they hold on tight to their jobs).

Meanwhile, the day I was last in Vietnam happened to be a 4-day holiday. People went sightseeing in drove, and traffic in the city was visibly thinning down.

I realize the trade-off that comes with modernity (comfort and convenience but hefty price tag) . I doubt that “happy” people in the Mekong region will stay happy, once HappyLand is fully operable in Long An, a  HCMC city outskirt. With HappyLand come unintended consequences of modernization. Most damaging is the notion that one can manufacture anything, least of which Happiness and Confidence. The former Vietnam has, the latter, the US lacks.

–

 

the infrastructure bills that come due

Infrastructure improvement could cost billions. Kids need to drive someday. And as Mr Buffet wisely put his investment dollars into railways since containers need to be offloaded to the Wal-Mart near you.

Those who travel recently can recall “boarding by zone”, “e-ticketing”, etc.. All sorts of gimmicks , except for the limited runways and slots allowed for take offs.

So, we are back to asking ourselves: to build or not to build.

No pain, no gain.

And it’s a long-term commitment.  Bulldozers and concrete. Fixing the hole while driving through it.

(reminds me of Hwy 22 in Orange County or the 405 in West LA).

Nation-building at home.

While American allies reaped benefits from its generous foreign aid ( among them S Korea, Taiwan, and to a certain extent, S Vietnam during the war – except here, more infrastructure got damaged than built) and recently Iraq, MN bridge, or New Orleans levy are illustrated cases for the new bill.

Leadership is that quality which needs to be tested in times like this. One sees what needs to be done, and one takes action. Period.

Leveraging the downturn, and solving two problems with one solution. P and P/C, the golden eggs and the goose, keeping the nation employed, while paving the road to success for next gens.

Obama can walk out to a well-paved Pennsylvania head high, just like the Clinton/Gore team did with their Information Superhighway.

I have never opined on this blog, except on empowering people, through technology or globalization.

But I know, without infrastructural improvement, globalization will stall (imported goods cannot get to their destination, leads to exporting goods stall at home as well).

Do unto others what you would like yourself be done unto. May the best plan win.

In Vietnam, the town approved a new Happyland, to make Long An Vietnam’s equivalent of Anaheim. By the time the expected 14 million visitors frequented this Happyland, we hope here in the US, 220 million travelers would tell AAA that their holiday travel were excellent due to infrastructure improvement. Our reaction and action during this downturn separates leaders from followers, visionaries from Yes men.

Blind man amidst Saigon traffic

Yesterday I saw a blind man, cane first, feet followed, amidst really busy traffic.

He was neither assisted by a companion, dog or human being, nor by traffic alerts for the blind.

Yet he made it to the other side (without music from the Door) , and was on his way into an alley, which must be his way home.

I am sure his hearing must be extremely sensitive to compensate for his lack of eyesight.

Then I reflect back to my situation. I am  sure I have missed tons of signals during my trip: designer glasses, upscale bikes, Vespa resurgence, Western-style brewery, less road fatality and infrastructure improvement.

Still I have been blind to many situation, most obviously, the absence of the middle class.

Yes, more are out of the poverty level, but it will be another 10-20 years before we see the emergence of a “middle-class Vietnam“.

Since this society is inter-linked on a web model (extended families), we won’t see all-boats-rise for a while yet.

Case in point: the credit system has yet taken hold here because people have used to borrow from friends and relatives, and not institutions (which rely on home ownership as collateral). Banking, insurance and heavy industries are dominated by State-Owned Enterprises.

ATM‘s weren’t even around back in 2000 (one exception was at the Diamond Plaza).

Micro loan (similar approach has been successful in India), hui (turn-taking to borrow from the common pot) and pawning are still prevalent.

So, an economy whose rate of growth is only behind China and India, still functions under the old “trust”system, which further insulates Vietnam and impedes its otherwise ascension on world stage (i.e. access to a larger FDI pool.)

20 years from now, I hope to see Electronic Medical Records take hold here, as well as E-government and E-services. Vietnam Airline now allows self-check-in and there will be a traffic audio alerts to help our blind hero in his daily walk.

There was an Iranian film (the Willow Tree?) about a blind professor who after undergone surgery in France, decided that he did not like his new state of “seeing”.

Way philosophical for me, but the gist is : we can only control the smaller circle and  not the macro one.

To play God is to invite guilt. And I am sure our blind hero has every right to curse the dark (and traffic). Instead, he goes about his way, using cane for feeler and ears for sensors. Wonder what he hears everyday. Certainly, more than those who listen from their I-pods to tune out Saigon noisy traffic. Perhaps on the I-pod, we hear “Getting on to the other side” by the Door.

club elements

To have a good time takes some planning. To organize a dance party for instance.. Yet, here in Saigon, it’s happenin every night of the week, and more so during this festive holiday. Clubbing however is for stress relief. It got sight, smoke, sound and scene.

The feel.

Players know where to go, to spot a “happenin”.

When young, I often organized dance parties. So I know a thing or two about how to create a structure and space for bon vivant.

Energy creates a chain of its likeness. Contagious.

DJ’s, lighting, booze, dance partners, and those at tables nearby and guards, all contributing to success at clubbing.

The rhythm of the night, I want nobody but you, Every move you make etc…

are the must haves.  There is a peak time for every party, when everyone seems to be “in the zone”. A party synergy.

When no table looks at the others, that’s when people lost themselves in “the rhythm of the night”.

I threw a Christmas party in my basement the first Winter at Penn State.

Vietnamese abroaders showed up. We dimmed the lights and gave it a try.

It was cold out, yet warm inside. Young exile men and a few female foreign exchange students, trying to make the best of the situation and occasion.

Here, it’s so commercialized, and cookie-cutter-ed (almost bionic).

But still, if you thrive in clubbing sector, you can survive in business.

It’s purely market-driven and customer-service oriented, albeit young crowd. The good-time business, whose benchmark was set by studio 54.

They don’t use bouncers here. Instead, the uniformed guards circled among the crowd. And they are in your face, to make sure intoxication doesn’t lead to violence. Some clubs even have dancers on stage to catalyze and stir up the pot.

The sound is always deafening.

It’s as if people are trying to scare away the dark.

Las Vegas thrived on Hoover Dam‘s electric supplies. Here in Saigon, occasional black-outs interrupted the party. Don’t worry, we got

power generators, enough for karaoke upstairs.

Don’t be interrupted. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

Live, love and laugh. I couldn’t remember where I was until I see the flag which reminded me that I still am in Vietnam, a Vietnam in transition,

with all the right elements in place, club elements.

P.S. As of this edit, the NYT also ran a piece on workers in China went clubbing after hours of assembling those I phones. A few years back, similar article would feature Bangalore‘s call center workers. It’s a logical and predictable outcome of automation, industrialization and human revolt against the machination of it all. The irony is, club elements involve a lot of machines: speakers, turn tables, smoke machines, light switches and fire alarm. Mr Bose, whose name is now the same as best sound system, passed away a few days ago. RIP. Who need more volume, when you can hear just fine, the music that is, and certainly not the conversation. That’s not one of club elements.

 

Vietnamese meta language

She said No, but her body language said Yes.

He said Yes, but his other language said No.

How to figure it out? Context is key.

Mothers love you your entire life, but never said “I love you” directly.

Teachers who were mighty proud of their students’ achievement, but remained stern and strict behind thick glasses.

Harsh society? Hardly. But one needs to learn how to decode it.

One moment, the lover scolds you, then kisses you the next  second.

Enough to give Westerners a heart attack.

Do not react quickly. Just paraphrase and confirm your understanding. Use a third party for independent verification.

Vietnamese is an interlinked society, way before LinkedIn .

My friend recommended “Com Tam Bui Saigon“, an upscale version of blue-collar broken rice dish. So I found myself dining there.

Word-of-mouth. Trusting “Like”.

Hard to break in if you were an outsider. But once you untangled the knot (after finding out that everyone seems to be related to someone else: from being an in-law to being a distant relative), then you know you are dealing with collective self.

Things get done, but not on your timetable. It takes time to build trust.

Lots of toasting and testing.

People don’t give you deserved praises directly. Even when they do it indirectly, praises came across as having been dipped in vinegar. It keeps you humble. On this point, it’s best to let others sing your praise. Self-promotion belongs in the West.

By nature, it’s a communistic (and somewhat stoic) culture . The nail that stands out gets hammered down.  You can dance, you can shout, but only for  a minute before someone steps in to enforce the rule (I experienced this first hand during my senior year: sending out some guy to rent a base guitar, just to see the power got cut off when it was finally arrived). Recently, a club (Feeling) got inspected with search warrant for running past closing time. Nowhere do we see this conflict on display then at the Water Park, where kids are into action and adventure, while stoic adults sit watching in complete aloof and alienated. Unwanted pregnancy used to be top of the shame list.  Now, it is joined by out-of-closet gays, abortion, interracial marriage and old maids.

Yet Thai Tai, Dao Vinh Hung not only defy the rule, but thrive on it (the former even went so far as undergoing surgery in Thailand, and changing his title, from Mr to Ms).

Imagine Vietnam as a boat, with everyone on it.

Rationing the morale, and rationing the meal.

Take your turn to speak, but make sure group speak has the last say.

Consensus, compromise and often win-lose is the way to go (the winner would rationalize that his win is for the common good. Hence, “hieu” vs “tinh” or filial duty overrides personal self-gratification).

To understand Vietnamese meta language, one doesn’t need a dictionary. Just be ready for upfront loss to hope for eventual gain. And be careful what you wish for,  just like the nation itself which is still trying to win the peace in the midst of urbanization and modernization. It will need a whole set of new language to define itself just to keep pace.

The Y bridge

Years ago, I met a GI in West Virginia. He couldn’t recall the name of a bridge in Saigon, only that it’s a fork on the road.

I blurted out, “the Y bridge”. Something came rushing out of the man’s eyes albeit well-hidden behind thick glasses.

He was instantly transported back to a time and place. When he was younger, more eager to help (he served as a chaplain in the Army)

and perhaps, more idealistic. For me, the Y bridge was the bridge we took to my grandpa.

We took the right of the fork, leading to and pass the Slaughter House (Lo Heo Chanh Hung).  And on our way back, of course, we made a left turn to go home to District 3.

Vietnam now has a bunch of forks on the road to take, most critically, how to get through “valley of death” to join the league of middle-class nations (Singapore, Taiwan, S Korea)  or stand on the side line and watch others zoom by (like the Philippines). In short, middle-income trap. (As of this edit, Vietnam’s Leader is visiting Washington in a series of talks about Trans-Pacific Pact. Another Y bridge after Clinton’s initiative to normalize relations).

It’s common knowledge that each Vietnamese thought highly of him/herself  (one upmanship) e.g. my girlfriend got a whole mouth of crooked teeth – more than yours who has only two.

In that vein, we don’t need a panel of judges to decide which Vietnamese Got Talent. It is happening naturally, every day. Yet, each person needs to make that choice at his/her Y bridge. I learned from a cousin recently about my now late father who once said, ” just to take the turn and deal with the consequences later”. To my Dad, there were no indecision (imagine each traveler stops at the Y bridge, undecided which turn to take).  A dilemma of pre-mortem brain-storming. Calculate the risks. Take the plunge. Fall not into the paralysis of analysis.

A friend shared a YouTube clip on “Ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things”. In it, I found heroes who also faced life dilemma, a fork on the road, their “Y bridge”. But their choices left great intended consequences to this day.

Only after they paid hefty prices.  My Dad lived on until he passed away at the age of 93. Apparently, whatever consequences he had to sort out did not bring him down, otherwise, he would have been dead much sooner.

Put my Dad up against the x-Army chaplain who couldn’t recall the name of the bridge, I would classify my Dad in the first group (Three types: those who made it happen, those who wait for it to happen, and those who ask “what happened?”.) Take the right turn. Then take the left. It’s 50-50 chance, rather than no chance.

 

Wash away

Rain pours so hard here in Saigon. It feels like a city wash. Yet bike traffic never ceases.

Wet city streets didn’t stop weekend spontaneous racing.

Hard-earned money got washed away just as quickly as it is earned, mostly at beer stalls. People press RESET and go on. It’s not too different elsewhere.

Just differs in intensity and speed. Beer consumption is now ranked in the top 3 countries.

BBC News ranked Vietnam as number 7 most-risked nation in internet security.

In life, I also noticed an army of private security at every establishment.

It is not unusual to walk into a night club, just to find yourself surrounded by people: server, waitress, security and manager.

This spontaneous entourage would empty your wallet as quickly as a New York minute.

Meanwhile, everyone else is asleep, occasionally disrupted by the sound of street racing.

And when it rains again the next day, everything seems to take second place to the one and only priority: stay dry and stay alive (with bikers in front and next to you splashing water into your face). Pedestrian lights are now installed, with visible count-down to allow enough time for an amputated man to crawl across the street.

I admire his drive to survive here. And to everyone, it seems like a daily walk in Central Park.

I too press RESET a lot while here. A splash in the States will only be a free windshield wash. But everyone here seems to take nature’s disruption in stride. I have seen bikers talking on the phone, smoking while zig zagging through an alley. Or in the back seat, not just a lady with a cone hat. But the lady with a cone hat and her two baskets of donuts, balancing on her shoulders with a cane. Anything and everything is transported on wheels . Rain or tears couldn’t stop people in motion. Storm only serves as city-wash. It will take a few more decades to clear away the legacy of war, making way for peace and true prosperity. By the time you finish reading this, our amputated man has already crossed the street on his hands, asking you to buy a lottery ticket. He has already emerged a winner in my book.

 

electronics mart for Viet consumption

“I want nobody nobody but you” blasted out from, of all places, busy Hang Xanh circle, Electronics Supermarket by Thailand. Buy a laptop, got a free phone. Flat screen tv‘s, refrigerators and karaoke systems.

Should be the envy of our proverbial Maytag man since N American market has been saturated for a while. How many TV’s can you fit in the kitchen – LG double-door refrigerators already came with built-in TVs).

Now, comes the hard part: connecting all these “smart appliances”. For now, when sold separately, they are “dumb” appliances.

Dao Vinh Hung, the pepper-sprayed singer, bought a 5-million dollar house in Phu My Hung, completely furnished with bells and whistles.

His perpetrator, meanwhile, is out on bail (money pulled together by ardent supporters).  Tech and gadgetry. Mass produced for mass consumption.

There will be a TV show aiming at the upper crust (Managers and expats), all in English. Once the dish is on the roof, and the screen is in the home, people need to channel surf. With choice comes decision (and confusion).

In the US, paid cable subscribers often have to sift through a menu of programming, anything from Spanish soap to Euro soccer.

And Hulu is out to give the control back to the audience. Finally!

We have been talked at for so many years. Now we don’t have to shout out of our window like in Network ” I am mad as hell, and I won’t take it any more”.

The change will take hold with the next generation who are glued to I-phone screens, TV screens, and computer screens. Slowly but surely, fashion will claim its dominance (the old Rex complex is now renovated and ready for trading up).

District 1, playground of the rich,  will both showcase and accessorize the city. Look at me! I have it made e.g. watch, pen, jewelry, glasses, ring, tie, socks and shoes, belts, manchette, wallet (preferably thick), purses, handbags, hats, lighters and cigarette cases. (This reminds me of a scene in Line of Fire, where Clint Eastwood and Renee Russo, as secret service agents loaded with ammunition and gadgetry, droped one after another on a hotel wooded floor).

Meanwhile, out in Binh Thanh, people just wait for the green light, and listen to “I want nobody, nobody but you”, and the electronic mart was just hoping that blasting music will result in lasting impressions, subliminally ” I want nothing else but electronic gadgets for my home. Like Dao Vinh Hung of Phu My Hung.”

Now I understand the cult of karaoke. You get there faster by singing than studying.

Mother’s memorial and modern madam

It’s been a few days since full moon. But people here in HCMC still burn incense and ceremonial money for the dead, most particularly, for deceased mothers. Meanwhile, there is a class of women entrepreneurs who don’t mind drink you under the table, drive to work and in every aspect, personify the softer side of Saigon.

There is a list of richest women published yearly, from real estate to private university, and everything in between.

So, it’s either the upper crust, or those who sell lottery tickets in the rain.

Vietnamese lit often depicts mothers as stern but strong : handling everything in the back room, yet giving credits to their husbands, who mainly serve as greeters. We got the Trung sisters, and Ms Trieu who fought the Chinese invaders.

A new class of single moms have emerged to shoulder all burdens of modern life.

I took my mom’s picture back in the mid-80’s. So it was a bit of a surprise to see the miniature version placed in the back of Van Hanh Temple in Dalat.

I looked twice to find her name plate. She was and in spirit still is my mother, yet known as a teacher to others. She taught me life lessons e.g. be considerate always, put others’ need before your own, and never forget where you came from.

I used to stop by her assisted living apartment to visit, just to find a full meal waiting for me. Today’s equivalent of a Sheraton buffet.

Modernity is pressed for time. And traditional bon vivant is the sacrificial lamb. Burger and drink, want fries with it?

With its current rate, we might see not only the living but also the dead here end up with fast food.  For now, everyone still use ceremonial money and toss rice into the air, to be in harmony with the spirits world. Peace in this life and the next.

Anyone who knows a little bit about history of Vietnam, wouldn’t say it’s a machismo culture.

Watch out for Tiger mom here. Single-handedly, they once did what the whole Trans-Pact Partnership could barely reach an agreement i.e. how to contain and eject unwanted invaders.

Jazzy Saigon

I attended Quyen Thien Dac and the Nilsson Trio (Jazz) performance a while ago.

Cultural exchange. But “fant” or on-the-dime invention is not new here.  Saigon traffic has already been jazzy, zigzagging at every turn.

I was with friends. He himself brought an ensemble of jazz men to Vietnam a while back.

Mighty proud of my friend who is multi-talented and multi-tasking.

I also noticed an “order in chaos” pattern here in Vietnam.

You might visit  Nha Tho Duc Ba (Notre Dame de Saigon) and  a taxi hop later, visit Lang Ong (the Grand General Temple). In one jazzy move, you embrace both a Church that glorifies the Maternal side of divinity, and a temple that honors a local patriarch who died a martyr death defending the city (of Gia Dinh) against invaders. Yin and yang, zigzagging at the highest level, both East and West. Young people are into Hospitality Management (to capitalize on booming tourism and the lack of service mentality, taken for granted  in Thailand . Four-star price demands four-star service.

Thus, at the service level, we still have room for improvement.

But not to take away credits. Young Vietnamese, having completed their studies abroad are coming back. Reverse brain drain; just like their Indian and Chinese counterparts (my housemate was toasting a US-bound relative last night. She will be attend US College this Fall).

Marriott is here. So are Inter-Continental, Hyatt and Hilton. Chinese building boom (latest horse-shoe Sheraton for one) echoes here as well, since constructors need work.

Everyone is snapping up valuable real estate and talent.

Need a musician? Done. Hair and make up? Done.

Even M&A. Things might have slow down due to the Recession, but many are seeing opportunity in crisis (young expat filmmakers have given it a try).

This paradox has traditionally been a Vietnamese trademark: thriving in chaos. So Thien Dac personifies what everyone already knew: the positive spirit needed to rise above one’s humble circumstances.

It’s weather perfect last night. And I knew I was sitting in the middle of change, and perhaps, might be swept away by whatever comes with it.