Adidas, Pizza Hut, Subway, The Body Shop, Bud’s Ice Cream, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Nike. Malls. Department stores. Chains of donut shops.
Are these the signs of a communist country?
This is my third ostensibly communist country in Asia and from the looks of things, the only thing separating Vietnam from the outside world is Facebook and McDonald’s. They’re two brand names away from being as globally homogenized as the rest of us.
Although I am surprised at all the new tall buildings, name brand clothing shops and high-end dining there is, I’m not surprised by Vietnam being so capitalist. After all, communism really isn’t communism the way it used to be. Look at China. I think they still claim to be communist…?
Only 2 out of 86 million Vietnamese are members of the communist party. While the political system may not be that free, if it’s true that people vote with their dollars – then Vietnam has elected capitalism.
The breakfast waitress in our hotel broke it down for me. Out of respect for her language skills, I’ll paraphrase. Ten years ago, it took three hours to go 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) to the Mekong Delta area. Today it takes about an hour thanks to the new freeways. Vietnam has widened the streets and repaved roads so traffic will flow better. People can afford more and live better today than when she was a girl. In fact, the change has been rapid.
This might explain the glut of affordable and amazingly high quality boutique hotels we’ve found when making reservations. Vietnam’s tourism industry is booming and the country has adopted the “If you build it, they will come” attitude.
So far, they’re right. Vietnam has gorgeous beaches and lush interiors at an affordable price. Prices resemble those of Thailand 10 or more years ago and Saigon has a feel vaguely reminiscent of the Bangkok I encountered in 2001, only perhaps not quite as built-up yet.
As we walk the streets of Saigon, there’s no shortage of European, American, Canadian, Australian, Chinese and Korean tourists. The central market is filled with Vietnamese people eating on the half with food stalls and with tourists on the half that now sells mostly knick knacks, coffee, tea and souvenir items.
In fact, Vietnam has even come up with its special tourist-attracting invented taboo food item. Much like Indonesia has kopi luwak – “famously gourmet” coffee with beans supposedly made uber-delicious using the “digestive juices” of a civet – Vietnam has weasel coffee. And what could possibly taste better than coffee dropped out of a weasel’s ass?
Vietnam Airlines proudly boasts its fleet of new Airbus planes which transport tourists and businesspeople from across the globe to Vietnam and around the country at ridiculously low fares. Our most expensive domestic flight cost $75 – which is great in a country whose trains are excruciatingly slow (32 to 40 hours from Saigon to Hanoi instead of 1.5 hours by plane). To compliment the sparkling new planes, Saigon’s airport has shiny new terminals. It’s modern and clean coming and going.
Motorcycles still rule the roads of the Saigon streets, but if you can take your eye off their powerful flow for long enough, it’s possible to notice the impressive array of nice, new cars. Toyotas, Nissans…Bentleys.
That’s the thing I didn’t expect. Vietnam not only has have’s and have not’s but it has wide disparities. Somehow, 30+ years of communist rule doesn’t mean that a guy on the street didn’t ask to shine my shoes (while I wearing sandals…) while last night we saw a family celebrating a two year-old’s birthday party with a giant ice cream cake on the 2nd floor of the three story Bud’s of San Francisco Ice Cream Parlor.
Somehow not what I imagined in a people’s republic.
So far, we haven’t seen any destitution or abject poverty, but I don’t see any more socio-economic equality than in a European country.
The one thing that fits with my expectations – but seems out of step with the reality we’ve found – are the hospitals. They’re mediocre to rough looking. No great modern looking facilities. Which makes sense for an Asian socialist republic, but not in a city with as much modernity, development and increased wealth as Saigon.
In the end, I suppose you can change the government far more easily than you can the hearts and minds of the people. For hundreds of years, Saigon has been an important port city and hub of international trade. It was always the largest and most entrepreneurial of Vietnamese cities and indeed that spirit not only wasn’t crushed but seems to be out on display.
Saigon doesn’t have the almost tangible, “we’re going somewhere!” feel of Mumbai, but it has a vitality and sense that it is moving forward. Development is alive and well. I’m not sure if anyone knows exactly where that goes. Will it be a Bangkok, a Shanghai, a Hong Kong – or something altogether different? Who can say?
But I’m sure the train won’t take 40 hours to go from Saigon to Hanoi for much longer.
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