A copy of Việt Nam News is displayed and discussed on US news channel CNN during the Trump-Kim summit five years ago in Hà Nội. — VNS Photo
By Alex Reeves - @afreeves23
After a recent failed attempt to review Hà Nội’s last remaining North Korean restaurant (don’t miss next week’s Sunday edition), it reminded me of the first time I really thought about politics in Việt Nam. Kim Jong Un’s summit with then US President Donald Trump was huge international news and living a stones throw from the Metropole hotel at the time, I was exposed to the volume of traffic, military grade security and media attention that followed it.
It made me consider how Việt Nam, was a country that had warm enough relations with both countries to host such a fascinating event in the history of global diplomacy and for the first time I considered the city and country around me as a political beast. I realised I had little to no idea how things were actually done here and nonetheless was somewhat content in my ignorance.
When my curiosity led me into conversations with local friends, the conversations were brief and with little to no hint of frustration. People seemed happy with the status quo and the general direction of the country's fortunes. Which, when we take a look at the growth of Việt Nam’s economy and the thriving entrepreneurship all around us, is of little surprise.
By no means am I suggesting the ‘expat’ readership of Việt Nam News head home and revolt against their political situation back home, or even advocating for any political apathy or disinterest but there is something to be said about things getting done with the most minimum of fuss.
In the constant churn of election cycles back home, so much gets lost and the ability to make long term plans for anything, be it the economy, the environment or otherwise becomes nigh on impossible as partisan parties take pot shots at each other from ancient and publicly broadcasted chambers.
This is no endorsement of anything, only an observation on the lack of division that can spill down from the sweat glands of government and into the pores of the masses. Regardless of whether it’s cultural, language or ideology, there’s something nice about being able to switch off to the never ending political hum of home and know that it’s unlikely to fall out with someone over such matters. More time is focused on people, how they treat one another and less about buzz words or ethical one-upmanship.
Everywhere has its issues and its own ways of dealing with them. It might well be a lot easier to say from the perspective of an outsider looking in but at the very least it's an experience to be exposed to a different way of viewing society and dismantling the political narrative of your life before Việt Nam is a process worth engaging in, even if you return to the same conclusions, as many of us do.
This is an oversimplification of a complex thing, one man’s privileged musings in the most contentious of areas. That said, while my life continues here, I’ll try to focus on breaking bread rather than Brexit and enjoy the upwards trajectory that seems to carry the mood of so many in my adopted home. — VNS
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