Hanoi
I have two problems with Vietnam. One is its maddeningly anarchic traffic system, where the people here don’t seem to have any interest in observing the Rules of the Road whatsoever, and where it’s impossible to cross the street without feeling like a stunt double in a cheesy Michael Bay flick. I'm on Day 9 of the Vietnam trip and even now it’s still really hard for me to sit in a taxi cab and not clench my fists in road rage at all the near-accidents we've almost had from these crazy Vietnamese drivers.
Problem Number 2, believe it or not, is a little more difficult to get over: I hate how everyone can tell that I’m an American. The reason it pisses me off is because the minute I step out of my taxi, I am swarmed with street peddlers and beggars sticking watches and sunglasses in my face, asking me to please please give them money. It’s not that I am particularly annoyed with this; honestly, I just feel horrible saying no to all of them. It breaks my heart. Like my dad said to me the other day, “You just can't save them all.”
I hope that one day, when I’m capable, I can actually visit Vietnam again and prove my dad's statement wrong by somehow contributing in a big way and making the lives of many here much better. But it’s not like Vietnam really needs my self-righteous help. Their tourism industry is really taking off to the extent where I am now willing to bet that in 15 years Vietnam will be just as popular a tourist destination as even Hawaii.
Which brings me to Hanoi. I really wish all of you could see what I’ve been seeing here in this city, because if you could all see this, no one would dare call Vietnam a third world country (which is where some of my friends thought I was going when I told them about my vacation plans for winter break). Hanoi is indescribably beautiful, a prototype for the future of all the other growing Vietnamese cities. The city is thriving with culture and life, the colors at night are vibrant, and the lush trees mesh perfectly here with all of the French and Chinese-influenced architecture. Hanoi is proof that Vietnam is much more than the image of five dollar whores or gooks eating puppies that I grew up perceiving. There’s substance and class here, and I’m proud that this city exists in Vietnam.
Now if the drivers here just weren’t so mentally retarded, I actually don’t think I would mind living in the motherland.
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5 Comments
It sounds like you are having quite the experience over there in Vietnam. I'm happy you went with a more "serious" tone for this post about Vietnam, even though I thoroughly enjoyed your humor in the last couple, because I can really tell that this trip is having an effect on you. Good for you, Pete, for finding pride in your roots!
Pete, is Hanoi, or Saigon for that matter, similar to Bangkok or Singapore, or other SE Asian cities where they're really built up by new money? In essence, is Vietnam one of the economic Asian tigers?
Typically, when I think of Asian "Tiger" economies I think of Hong Kong and Taiwan, but I'd definitely say that Vietnam is one of the new tigers, in that they've aggressively pursued the export-driven economic model. I wouldn't say that Vietnam is industrializing at a rapid-fire pace though. A couple things Vietnam really needs to do however to become one of those full-fledged tigers is commit to education reform, and also they need to add a more definite infrastructure. But the potential and resources are definitely here for Vietnam to one day gain the reputation of Japan or Hong Kong or something.
when are you coming back to the us?
I'm hearing now that Intel is gonna build a huge factory in Vietnam. That's pretty impressive. Given the country's history, it's good to see capitalism winning over there.
Hope you have a safe trip home, Pete.