Vietnam Changed My Mind

Hey Laowinners!

Sorry for the short hiatus, but it's been hectic out on the road with Winston doing a ton of filming, mostly for ADVChina. 

We've already put out a bunch of videos on all three channels that might give you a bit of a taste of Vietnam, but after coming back, we have really freshened our minds and attitudes towards the little brother down south, Vietnam. On this trip, we focused on the massive move of industry from all over the world from China to Vietnam. We even saw Chinese companies operating in the northern regions. 

This of course has led to massive amounts of pollution.

The funny thing is, when you head about 1 hour in any other direction, it's gorgeous blue skies and fresh air, so it was interesting to see how the industry is primarily focused on the north part of the country. The south is relatively untouched... for now.

That being said, there is a certain hope and positivity in the air, very similar to the original vibe that I picked up in China from 2008-2012. My first trips to Vietnam left me feeling empty and hopeless. Like a stagnant communist nation going no where. It was poor. It was soulless. It lacked basic necessities and comforts. The people were lovely, but there is nothing romantic about poverty.

Fast forward to 2019 and Vietnam is booming.
Like China in its peak level booming.  Not everyone is rich, quite the contrary, but people are making money at an alarming rate.

The thing is, Vietnam, as of now, is doing it correctly in relation to it's identity as a socialist/communist country.

When you walk around, you will notice even more hammer and sickles, and more communist propaganda than even China, but it's quite meaningless. Let me explain why.

Vietnam, historically, has never really put socialist programs into practice. They had a cultural revolution, similar to China, but it was MUCH less impactful on today's society.
After the war, and the takeover of the country by the north of Vietnam, the one party state apparatus, and its Soviet Union-esque imagery everywhere is simply an identity; a symbol.

Is it a repressive and stifling government rife with corruption and restrictions? Yep!
Is it as bad as China? Nope. That's no excuse for the destruction of human rights and freedoms, but the fact that it isn't getting worse, and basic freedom of internet and speech exists amongst normal citizens is definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the absolute crack down and closing off that we have been experiencing in China.

Kids are skateboarding at Lenin park, blasting their music, and brandishing their tattoos, all while being able to film themselves in public, and post straight away to YouTube. Huge crowds gather, with no police threats of shutting them down because there are too many people having fun (which happens often in China). Dance parties in the street. Singing circles. Street magicians. Vloggers. People practicing English. Street food. It's such an awesome and positive vibe.

Girls walk around, trading Facebook contacts so they can get a snack later, which by the way, are awesome!

Yeah. The food. It got way better.

Bahn Mi, the french influenced sandwich full of Vietnamese ingredients are a sub $1 favorite. As is everything else we ate. 

There are tons of videos coming up on all three channels, but I wanted to give you guys a report on some general stuff I noticed. It's definitely worth a visit if you every want to (very affordably) catch that early China vibe that we keep going on about. Things seem like they are looking up, and I hope they stay on that trajectory.

Thank you all for your support.