I have been on this forum since the 2000s alright. This is my second nick. My first nick, I lost the password, I don't know where it is.
I wrote something today. Hope to share with everyone. It is a summary of what has been said on this thread - peppered with my own views and opinions of course.
Feel free to critique!
Vietnam
On big economy
When Vietnam opened up its economy with the Doi Moi reforms of 1986, many observers expected it to prosper along the path of China. Instead, it went down Indonesia’s route, becoming another former poster boy for IMF/WB which ultimately ended in failure. Unlike China (and to a lesser extent Cambodia), which can showcase its Great Wall (Angkor Wat), the Vietnamese were never known to be great builders. Ambitious engineering projects, like the ship building Vinashin company, have failed spectacularly. Vincom is now thinking about making cars, but it is clear that Vietnam’s domestic market cannot sustain an industry by itself; the key is whether Vietnamese companies can reach the level of competing overseas conglomerates and sell itself internationally. One of the issues plaguing Vietnamese economy is that of leadership. Sons and daughters of the top leaders lead a blessed life, and they are given high positions before they have proven themselves.
The Vietnamese economy, in my opinion, needs an external stimulus, pretty much like what the Vietnam War has done for Bangkok/Pattaya, and what the Cold war has done for the recovering economics of South Korea/Japan in the aftermath of WW2. But all these are just ifs and buts. In the meantime, I think the Vietnamese economy will just plod along. Every now and then a big investor will come in, but a big show of fireworks and self congratulatory announcements will always be followed by the inevitable time delays, funds drying up, unfinished projects and what have you.
On small businesses
In China, you cannot do anything without relationships, but the Vietnamese seems to have taken this concept to a whole new level altogether. Positions are given out almost purely based on connections. Without inter govt-govt, govt-business connections, nothing gets done. Existing within this complex network of societal relationships, corruption is the big endemic issue. No business can survive without bribery of some sort of another. Consequently, Vietnamese girls are very good at calculating how much coffee money to give to who – based on positions, relations, rewards, and various other factors that make up the social hierarchy and business community. Any Vietnamese girl worth her salt can do these stuffs very quickly in her head, you can trust the final figure they come up with – it will not be far off the mark. To save face, they sometimes come up with ingenious ways to hide the obvious, like a red packet hidden underneath a flower vase etc.
The legal business framework in Vietnam is very much is its infancy stage. Big companies such as corporate banks have been caught with their pants down because they underestimate how little protection they get from Vietnamese business laws. A Singaporean businessman once advised me, “A contract in Vietnam is not worth the paper it is written on. Don’t expect the legal system or the ministries to help you too. They are more perplexing and frustrating then you think. At the end of the day, all you have are your relationships. Never burn bridges...” I think it is sound advice.
The issue of face saving is an important sociological concept in Vietnamese society and is worth delving into again. Singviet has mentioned many times how prevalent this concept is, it permeates every segment, every caveat of life in Vietnam. Only one person has argued otherwise (he argued well too), that the concept is a largely superficial one, and has often been overstated. For example, the Vietnamese apparently do not like to ‘lose face’, but they have absolutely no qualm about making you do so. Western writers talking about this concept claimed that this face saving thing is really just an excuse for inefficiency, indecisiveness, and generally not solving any problem altogether. Nevertheless, it is a conspicuous concept in Vietnamese vocabulary, it is how they organise their relationships, their community, and the least any foreigners should do is to spend some time to understand it.
Vietnamese grasp on larger economic concepts is on very shaky grounds. Some Vietnamese political leaders have made speeches which astounded international observers because it highlights how financially ignorant they are. These are people in very high positions, but they do not seem to understand how money works at all. As LKY said, the Vietnamese simply cannot comprehend that one happy investor equals to more investors. For them, every time an investor comes in, it is an opportunity to corner him and squeeze him dry. Vietnamese officials, business, the public easily be in cahoots with one another to con a foreigner.
On the other hand, I have read a westerner wrote that in six years in Vietnam, he has never paid a single cent of bribe before. Albeit it took him a long time to build any kind of sustainable and meaningful relations, over dinner and coffee etc, with genuine sincerity shown on both sides. Vietnamese also argue that foreigners can be at fault too, overseas investors earn profits but do not want to pay corporate tax. Foreigners think they can just go in, earn money and walk away without giving anything back to Vietnamese society.
On views towards foreigners
The only people who are able to paint Vietnam onto a romantic canvas are westerners who see everything Asian from an orientalist (exotic) perspective. The rest of us go to Vietnam for very practical purposes, there is no such thing is ‘falling in love’ with Vietnam or whatsoever. In my opinion, Vietnam is one of the most hostile places for foreigners. They spend an inordinate amount of time and energy thinking of creative ways to trap unwary foreigners who are arrogant (unfortunate) enough to step onto their sacred soil. Many have tried to explain this social phenomenon; most attribute it to their war experiences, their heavy sufferings resulting in a complex that the world owes them something. I do not agree with such explanations because it is simply not true, and I caution against going down this path of thought.
Intra Vietnamese relations are complicated on another level. The income gap has reached a point where animosity is being fostered at every levels of society. In every social setting, the rich (old) always pays. It is like an impromptu, ad hoc tax on his wealth, the amount varying with each interaction, purpose, setting, and personnel involved. Many travellers to Vietnam have hence advised that if various societal transactions with Vietnamese have made you feel like you were being scammed in some way or another, there is no need to take it personally. It is just the way their society is, and is more an indictment of your wealth and status rather than your nationality.
Someone on this thread once mentioned that it is far easier for a westerner to understand Vietnam than a Singaporean, despite our proximity to Vietnamese (Chinese) culture and traditions. I have also read a westerner who once advised never to lose your temper no matter what happens. The Vietnamese are careful not to lose their temper FIRST in front of a foreigner, and you should never do so too. When you show that you are angry, they will know they have bullied you.
On family issues
Vietnamese girls are close to their parents. Nothing happens between you and the girl without the parents knowing. The Vietnamese also have a comparatively large family; they find solace in community and relationships and take pride in communal living. Vietnamese girls hate being alone – solitude and individualism does not exist in their vocabulary. If you tell a Vietnamese girl that you are travelling/eating/working alone, they look at you in pity, asks you what is wrong, and then think of ways to help you.
The Vietnamese penchant for gossip is legendary, almost on par with the Singaporean love for complains. It is amazing the amount of time, energy and effort Vietnamese girls put into this particular pastime, there is not a single caveat of the friends/relatives/family’s life, not a single piece of juicy bits which cannot be dissected, analyzed and discussed to death, with or without a satisfactory conclusion. There is a sociological explanation that gossiping serves a bonding purpose within and among social groups. So it’s more than just fun. And oh, of course it also makes you feel better because you are talking about the failures of other people.
Many have also made the observation that Vietnamese girls like to compare – from husband’s salary to types of houses to weight of gold necklace etc. I do not have much experience in this particular aspect of Vietnamese behaviour, so I’ll leave it here. In my opinion, all these are just poor country symptoms – if and when Vietnam becomes a developed country, all these will disappear.
To be continued...