dawn of a new age, perhaps?

So recently, here in Hanoi, there has been an implementation of temporary new regulations. All nightlife must end by 11 PM, certain roads are blocked off, an extremely high number of men in murky green or pale beige uniforms dominate street corners, and the disappearance of street vendors are widespread. What makes my mind boggle, well not exactly boggle, but twist and turn a little bit is how Vietnam can transform the way the society is shaped so quickly and effectively for such a short amount of time. By the 19th of this month, all will be back to normal. The nightlife will no longer end at 11, but rather one or so. The blocked roads will be opened to pedestrians and those on vehicles. The amount of men in ugly coloured uniforms will subside, and there will be a reemergence of street vendors.

Currently, the APEC Conference is underway here in Hanoi with many officials from various countries taking part in the event. Even George Bush is here in Hanoi. Being an American somewhat makes me want to meet him, but in any other situation, this feeling would definitely not linger within me. APEC, or Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, deals with the economic developments, trade relations and facilitation, and other issues such as anti-corruption/anti-terrorism between countries in the Asian-Pacific area as well as other nations. The topics discussed within the APEC conference effects Vietnam substantially. What types of outcomes that result in such topics of economic development, commerce, finance, tourism, and business being discussed will reflect Vietnam’s economic future. What policies will be passed, agreements with other nations, and internally, what Vietnam must do to uphold these agreements affect the future. One important factor being discussed within this conference are WTO negotiations with Vietnam and the other 149 members.

Wow, Vietnam in the WTO. The question that lingers here on news television channels, in classrooms, and between friends is “Will positive or negative consequences fruit from the induction of Vietnam as the 150th member of the WTO?” Of course, there is no black and white answer to any question, and there must not be for this one. Joining the WTO will open markets, allow new products to stream into Vietnam and the countries products to be exported, provide new jobs, and increase foreign investment and economic activity. It seems as if Vietnam is at the dawn of a new age. From here on out, Vietnam will develop and flourish so fast that within a blink of an eye, the Vietnam of today will no longer be here tomorrow! Not necessarily. Yes, the country will indeed develop extremely fast and become a tiger within Asia, but magnifying into the micro-issues or the internal issues that persist with the induction into the WTO, there exists problems. A high percentage of workers in Vietnam belong to the rural sector: farming in particular. From what I can recall, 80% of the population of Vietnam fall under this category. Officially on the 7th of November of this year, Vietnam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization. With that established, there now only needs to be policies, new laws to be drafted, and agreements on certain economic trade relations between Vietnam and each of the other 149 countries who are part of the WTO. So with these negotiations and agreements, Vietnam’s markets will inevitably be open to a large amount of nations. It really all depends on what type of agreements are made which effect the high percentage of rural workers here in Vietnam. For example, farm products-fruit, vegetables, crops, etc. will not be able to be imported from other countries, China, U.S.A, etc. at a low price, leaving products from farmers within Vietnam to sit, unpurchased. New competition has its pluses and its downfalls, but in the context of such workers here in Vietnam, the forecast seems grey.

As for vendors on the street, selling goods ranging from books to socks, new businesses such as Wal-mart can possibly drive them to destruction. According to a guest speaker yesterday in my Vietnamese Politics class, Wal-mart is due in Vietnam in 2009, in just three years. Fruit vendors, clothing vendors, and any vendor for that matter will face a multiplied amount of hardships than they already do now. Struggling to survive now seems like a better situation than gasping for air in the future. Vietnam into the WTO does in fact have positive macro outcomes. In the future, Vietnam will indeed be a more developed nation, but such micro problems as poverty and lack of opportunity for the lower class will remain.

There has been debate over this idea of growth and poverty. Dollar and Kraay, who argue with growth, the level of poverty will subside. They point towards the development of a nation, economically, and how it has progressed by great lengths. They relate a country’s increasing GDP with the decreasing poverty level. On the other side of the fence stands Oxfam, who refutes this argument by pointing to this idea of equity. A nation can still advance, but the poor and poverty level will remain the same, or in fact increase unless there is equity. Equity for the poor side by side with growth of the nation will allow a country to progress further and bring the gap between rich and poor closer together. But such arguments are merely theories of certain individuals. But nonetheless, such ideas breed discussion over such controversial topics such as these. In placing these ideas onto Vietnam’s current situation–joining the WTO–a prediction of the future can be made. It is not in question whether or not Vietnam will develop. It is obvious that it will. Economically, Vietnam will become stronger than it is today. So growth in Vietnam will happen. But the question that remains is, “will this growth be good for the poor or not”? From my point of view, I agree with Oxfam’s arguments of equity being a crucial factor in growth being positive for the poor. As he states, “the larger the share of any increment to growth captured by the poor, the faster the rate of poverty reduction”. This idea of growth alone being good for the poor assumes that the income of the poor is parallel with the overall growth of the country and that there is no inequity between growth and poor-income households. This assumption also looks past micro-economic issues, and only focuses on the macro. It always seems to be the case for me to focus on micro-scale issues of the economy in these types of situations. I am in fact quite anticipating the future of Vietnam and what it will be like as a nation within the years to come. In essence, there is no resolution to what I feel; it is a mixed feeling.

Until next time.

Tran, Quy-Hac.

Sài Gòn ơi. Sài Gòn ơi, Sài Gòn ơi!

A couple of months ago, the first destination of my journey in Việt Nam was Sài Gòn, or TP Hồ Chí Minh, whichever you prefer calling it. My initial reactions then were completely different than they are now. One of the main reasons why my reactions differ is from the point of previous destination to Saigon. In July, I departed from Chicago, which I would say is quite a developed city. Unlike Chicago, Sài Gòn lacks a train system, towering buildings, and completely structured traffic. Thus, comparing Sài Gòn to Chicago, it is obviously not as developed. Coming to Sài Gòn this time around, I departed from Hà Nội. Hà Nội is much less developed. This can be seen either as positive or negative, whichever perspective one has. I would say Sài Gòn is ahead of Hà Nội perhaps by ten to fifteen years. Sài Gòn’s pollution does not to be as much as a problem as Hà Nội’s. The city streets are easier to follow and being in the city just feels more welcoming.

halloween, introductions, and thoughts.

Halloween

Halloween, as most Americans know, was yesterday. Here in Việt Nam, the holiday is not really practiced. So like the imperialists Americans are, the American students threw a halloween party for the HUFS students a couple of days ago. My initial plan was to dress up as a bowl of phở tái, but it is quite hard to find cardboard here in Hà Nội. I actually contemplated not going to the EAP party, but last minute, I threw on just normal clothes, and went as myself. Lame, I know, but it was a better idea than sitting in my room doing jackshit. I was glad I went to the party. It consisted of bia hơi, and little party games such as wrapping people in toilet paper and picking up apples out of buckets filled with water. The group went bowling afterwards.

Huy, Chỉ Hoa, and I were on one team. Our opponents: Julie Nguyễn, Tommy, and his cousin. It is very hard for Vietnamese people to just play for fun. There needs to be some sort of wager. Me being in Việt Nam did not make it any easier to stray away from such wagers. The losing team would have to split 100 pushups amongst the three. After a game ended, I put my arm muscles to use.

Afterwards, Hảo, Kara, and I headed to this huge halloween celebration near Hồ Tây. Ngọc and Hà were waiting for us; maybe for an hour. For only 7$, it was definitely a steal. I would have to say, this party might have been one of the best I attended since coming to Viẹt Nam. Another thing I realized is that going to these types of parties with friends or meeting a couple of people you know there is much more enjoyable if you were to know close to no one. This possibly applies in similar situations around the globe. Kevin and Chris Minh from EAP showed up an hour later or so. As I walked in, Lừu slapped my arm to say hello. I danced with her and most of her friends for mostly the rest of the night. I arrived to A2 at around 3:00 AM.

Introductions
A few from our group had a 9:00 AM appointment. Tuân invited us to his friend’s house near Bát Tràng, ceramic village, to hang out, eat, relax, and fish. We got onto the motorbikes and rode over 10 KM, which is close to a measly 4-5 miles, to the village near Bát Tràng. As I walked into the place, my stomach was quite content as my eyes were greeted by Linh’s mother sitting at the table mixing up the insides of spring rolls. Jacob, Kara, and I helped out with wrapping the spring rolls, which turned out to be a good experience. Linh Cún complimented me for wrapping the best, but that is only because I have rolled spring/eggrolls before back in the States. We all feasted like kings.

Lounging around followed, and some fishing afterwards. The only to catch a fish, without much effort and work, was Jacob. Essentially by resting his fishing rod on the ground, with a stool holding it in place, a catfish dived for the worm and was tricked by a more intelligent species. After this capturing of the fish, we all decided to stop by Bát Tràng for a look. I really did not want anything, and either did anyone else, but Nguyệt did, which held us up for about 45 minutes (I’m never going to forgive you Nguyệt!). Finally after our lovely trip, I returned back to A2, where my uncle had been waiting for thirty minutes.

A family dinner at Chú Hiên’s house. I would finally meet his oldest daughter, Hạnh, my cousin who is twenty plus my senior. Of course, in Vietnamese tradition, she calls me Anh and I call her Em, since my father is older than my uncle. I still cannot grasp these titles one must use when it comes to family ranking. For those of you who do not know, the word ‘Em’ is generally used for someone who is younger than you, either male or female. The word ‘Anh’ is used to address males who are older than you. Rarely do you use it vice versa; only in family situations such as the one I am in. Despite these hesitation to call my older cousins ‘Em’, I tried it anyway. Why not? They probably have no problem calling me ‘Anh’; I don’t think so at least, so why should I have a problem? But anyways, we ate lậu at my uncles house. It was quite tasty, but more so filling. Following our dinner, my uncle drove me back to A2 where I planned on starting my essay, but instead browsed useless things online.

Thoughts

I find it quite interesting when looking at the relationships, new ones in particular that last for only a short while. During this weekend adventure I was able to meet a few new people, two Linhs and Thúy. All three are great to be around, chat with, and are extremely humorous in their own way. I do plan to spend some time with these new friends I have made with the little time I have left here in Hà Nội. But the interesting thing that I always think about it what impact they have on my life. Impacts often are seen as titanic positive influences, but I like to view them differently. You know, the short time I share with these people, and all the others I have met here in Hà Nội may only last until the end of December, but I am confident that even though I may never see these people again, the short time I’ve spent with them will be engraved in my memory for years to come. It is a possibility we may cross paths again, it may not be. But I view every relationship, to the one time chat with someone the the Chicago ‘L’ to the relationship with a signifant other as a part of shaping who you are and what your views may be. In essence, it is quite interesting for me to view these new relationships that have been forged with these very friendly individuals.

Prior to this past weekend, for maybe around a week or two, I have been somewhat beginning to not enjoy Việt Nam as much as I did previously. But after the halloween party, spending it with new friends from both the U.S. and V.N., I realized that being in any way bitter about Việt Nam was useless. Why not enjoy the time I have left rather than picking out the negative aspects of it. Also, hanging out with the new folks this past Sunday really made me reconsider these negative thoughts lingering around in my head. It was a simple day, where we just lounged around and talked, but it really effected me. It is not a grand event where it has impacted me so profoundly, but rather a small simple one, that has the same effect. I don’t know what it is, but it is just the fact that at that particular time and place, we all enjoyed each others company and had a wonderful time. These type of simple events often times have the greatest effect on one. With that, it leads to this idea of returning back to Hà Nội after I graduate to find work with an NGO for two years. The pollution, the noise, the actions of some people, etc had me deciding against coming back to Hà Nội after graduation and looking at other possibilities. But this past weekend has opened my eyes not only to how I should feel towards the country but also how the country will be integrated into my future. It has rejuvinated me to again look into the possibility of finding work for two years here after graduation.

The last thought is about family. Exactly what is family? Can someone who is not blood to you be family? Can someone who is your blood, but you have never known be family? I would say yes to both. It is all a matter of how one perceives it. Through my perception, a very close, good friend can be family as well as a distant relative you’ve met for the first time. The only difference is the feeling of family and the actual fact that one is family. In the instance of a close friend, one may feel so comfortable around them, share details with them, and trust them greatly as if they are blood. In such an instance, one can take that good friend(s) as family. In the other instance, which I am currently experiencing now, where one meets their blood relatives for the first time is family. You have a bond through the branches of the family tree even if you do not have the same connection you do to your extremely close friends. This past month or two, I have been given the opportunity to meet my father’s younger brother for the first time and get to know him and his family more. At first, it was somewhat awkward because I knew nothing of them. The only thing connecting us two was my father. But throughout these past few months, I have gotten to know them more and have created a connection with them which I hope will grow stronger. When I am at my uncle’s house sometimes, it often hits me how there are some things that are so familiar between him and my own father, both physically and personality wise. Don’t get me wrong, there are many differences, but there are some things, which can be hard to put into words, that are similar between my father and his brother. They have the same hands, and some of their jokes are similiar. They both laugh hysterically at their own jokes, even if they may not be funny to others. It is somewhat odd to see such things. Initially, my uncle was just a man who shared the same blood with me, but now it is much deeper and more than that. It will be great for my father to reunite with his brother after so many years of separation. And I am sure that such thoughts and even wilder ones will linger in my father’s mind when that time comes.

Until next time.

Trần, Qúy-Hạc.

breezy, breezy, trek.

What I saw in images for the past couple of months became reality as our bus from Lào Cài arrived in Sapa. Crowding the streets, walking back and forth, trying to catch the foreigners attention were ethnic minority women, dressed in traditional clothing, perhaps coming from any one of the many groups inhibiting the region. Hmong, Tay, Zhao, and Thai minority groups, distinct with each other in countless ways, make up the ‘dân tộc’ population. An interesting thing about Sapa and the ethnic minority population is how fluent they can speak English. One little girl named Hà, coming from the Hmong group, around twelve years old or so, said she learned to speak because of the numerous foreign tourists who have come to Sapa over the past couple of years. Another interesting, yet somewhat sad situation I observed was the competition between the Kinh, who are Vietnamese, and the ethnic minority groups. At the market in Sapa, the majority of vendors are Kinh, the minority, the Hmong, Tay, Zhao, and Thai. But the ironic, yet not so ironic thing is that the goods being sold to foreign tourists come from these ethnic groups. The Kinh probably purchase the goods from the minority groups, but for how much I cannot guess. Probably very little in comparison to how much they sell their goods for. There are minority groups that do sell their products though, both inside and outside the market area. The thing is it is usually at a higher price than what the Kinh sell their goods for. The Kinh also have a wider range of selection. Sapa is supposed to be known for the large population of ethnic minorities, but 80% of the economic ventures belong to the Kinh in this area. Where does that leave the ethnic minorities?

One, and probably more hotels have tours set up for tourists, which hire Hmong guides. I suppose through this outlet, ethnic minorities have a chance to gain some venue. According to Gerard, EAP’s program director, Cat Cat Hotel practices this setup more than the other hotels. Through Cat Cat Hotel we went for our tours. We arrived in Sapa on Friday morning, where we were greeted by some breakfast. Either phở, which looked bland and tasteless, or a big fat circular omelet, which looked awfully delicious. I chose the latter. After eating and drinking either coffee or tea, we packed up our goods and began our seven hour trek. Our destination, Ban Ho, a Tay minority village. The seven hour trek was tiring, yet spectacular for a few reasons. The first, the scenery took my breath away, and the second, trekking makes you feel great. Oh yes, and the third, trekking with thirty-five other people allows the rise in social interaction. We arrived at Ban Ho with my feet cut up from the new “The Vento Race” sandals I purchased for 85,000 đồng in the Old Quarter. We split into two group each going to our designated house on stilts. Dinner was served, poker followed for Chris Ty Tran, Michelle, Kevin, Hảo, and I, then sleep.

At 7 AM the following morning, we all awoke, ate breakfast; xôi, and headed for a four to five hour trek to Thanh Phu. Compared to the previous day, day two trek was much more gruesome because the sun shined brighter and the wind slowed down. We walked through a few bumpy roads, uphill climbs, and downhill slides, but most of the time it consisted of walking on a cemented road, or just an established road rather, more rocks than cement. We arrived at a somewhat small house where we would be staying the night. A tiny market stood down the hill, where a few of us checked out. I purchased some guava hard candy, peanuts covered with crispy coconut flavored breading, and a few other things. A lot of the young, small local children greeted us. Dressed in really old, faded clothing, unwashed, I imagined what they saw when looking at us. People who look like Vietnamese, but holding ipods, digital cameras, cell phones, and wearing nice western clothes. What separates us is not only the three feet between us, but other countless attributes. I often times wonder what these children will grow up to become. The opportunities they have account for perhaps not even 1% of what we receive. In front of their eyes, we are probably kings, but they have just yet to realize it. It is sad that we are even viewed as such. The difficulties, struggles, and limited opportunities they encounter day in and day out, in my eyes is not fair.  But what is fair?  Will there ever be fair?  That question still cannot be answered.  But by giving the less fortunate more opportunities, perhaps it will decrease the level of inequality.  On the onset of our trip, we brought a couple large bags of winter coats for the children, since Sapa can get pretty chilly during the winter months. But the officials of Việt Nam forbade it. Maybe the government does not want the citizens of Sapa to perceive that their own government cannot take care of its own people. Nonetheless, the winter coats were distributed.

The following day, we awoke to the aroma of crépes, or bánh cakes. Bananas with honey lay on the side for those who wanted to eat it with the crépes. After two, my stomach was filled. Again, we packed our goods and were on our last day of trekking. The third day, although shorter in distance, was perhaps the hardest trek yet. It was 95% uphill. Sweat dripped down my face continuously, and with no towel to wipe it, my eyes burned. The wind picked up a tad bit but nonetheless it was extremely hot. During the beginning of the trip, I slowed down to talk to my friend Huyền, but as a motorbike approached, she asked for a ride leaving me to walk by myself. Later that night she would be punished. Despite the urges to take a rest every other step, I trekked on, and began to really enjoy the wonders of trekking. As we reached out destination, I was somewhat disappointed that there would be no more trekking. But at the same time, my feet, legs, and lungs were thankful. A van brought us back to Sapa.

We stayed at a nice hotel with a great mountain few with comfortable beds. I ate a huge cheeseburger then took a two hour nap. I awoke to the sound of a text message and decided that I would go to the market. Huyền, Chris Tý, and I headed over to the market to see what they had. Chris Tý, I might say, has a very interesting way of bargaining. Effective coupled with humor. Because of this, we purchased a good amount of products at lower prices. I purchased a few small items here and there, mainly cloths sewed by the ethnic minority groups and other small tangible objects representing Sapa. After hours of bargaining and shopping, we returned to the hotel for dinner. Lậu, or hotpot, lay on the tables of Hoa Ban restaurant boiling, ready for us to throw the raw seafood, red meats, and vegetables in. Pour that hot soup into the bowl filled with a tasty combination and noodles and I will slurp it right up. Four bowls later, and a few drinks later, I was full and semi-drunk. During our dinner, Huyền’s punishment consisted of taking a cocktail drink.  Of course for those who are reading this, it would be considered a reward, but for a local, traditional Vietnamese female, drinking alcohol is looked down upon.  Perhaps 3/5 of the people left. Those who remained joined together and had some drinks, chit chatted, and laughed our asses off to I cannot remember what. The time on my watch read 9:46 or so as we dispersed from the restaurant. I was out cold by 11 PM.

I awoke at 7:30 AM the next morning and joined a few of the HUFS students and two EAP students for breakfast. It was a chilly morning so I decided to chow down on a bowl of phở. The temperature of the phở satisfied me more than its taste. An entire free day lie before me. What to do? Where to go? The HUFS students, Julie, Michelle, and Chị Hoa rented motorbikes and rode up a tall mountain. I decided to stay in town though. I went to the market with Kim Mai at first, then she disappeared with a HUFS student to see if she could get the silver necklace she wanted for lower than 800,000 đồng. The Tay man refused to sell it for less. Nguyệt, Hảo, Huyền, and I went back to the market, where I purchased a bunch of items. We went to Hoa Ban restaurant again, but this time, for wood-fired pizza. There, we saw Shane, Kevin, Hà Vân, and Chris Tý finishing up their pizzas. We ordered the Prosciutto and the Son’s Sapa. The prosciutto tasted better. I went to go lay down for a little bit but couldn’t sleep. I met up with a few of the others up on Cat Cat Hotel’s restaurant. Caryn, Matt, Nguyệt, and I decided to go back to the market, where I again purchased a few more things. I spent a lot of money, in VND, but I also attained items I cannot find elsewhere. After we returned, we went back up to the restaurant where I ordered a grilled chicken with honey and sesame dish. Delicious. At 4:30, our bus/van took us to Lào Cài again. 7:00 PM our train left, and at 4:30 AM this morning, the train arrived in Hà Nội. Also, Kim Mai gives one hell of a massage.

In retrospect of these past couple of days, this trip would have to be the best study abroad side trip yet. The environment of Sapa and the other villages in the northern mountainous regions are part of Việt Nam, yet seems like its separate of Việt Nam. The scenery, the way of life, and especially the people and their cultures. In Hà Nội, one does not see much diversity, but walking into Sapa, it is up close in your face. One thing I do wish I had more time for was climbing Mt. Fan Si Pan, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. One day I will have to return to Sapa to again experience the great times I have endured this past weekend and to attempt to climb Mt. Fan Si Pan.

Until next time.

Trần, Qúy-Hạc.