Tan’s in Việt Nam!

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Choice is the greatest privilege of all.

-Betty Danger

Yesterday, I made a comment about how I wanted to actually swim in the Red River, not simply drive over it or go to a bar at its shore. Mr. Thu, a Vietnamese professor and the official liason to the EAP program, asked if I wanted to go spend the night at his house. That way, we could both wake up early and go swimming in the Red River. It is very close to his house. I chose to accept his offer.

When we woke up, it was raining quite heavily. There is a typhoon off the coast of Vietnam. The major port city of Haiphong is apparently hit very hard. For Hanoi, it means the streets are flooded to our ankles, sometimes to our calves. Mr. Thu and I chose not to swim in the Red River. Instead, we chose to eat chao ga long, which is a type of porridge with chicken and pig intestine. Pig intestine is very crunchy. After that, he chose to drive me to class.

In history class today, Gerard, the program director, chose to make a claim that Ho Chi Minh may not have played as key of a role in setting up the ideology of the Vietnamese Communist Party as it is commonly perceived. History, however, is all about perception. And while Gerard might be right, it doesn’t negate the fact that both the Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese perceive Ho Chi Minh as a very…influential…man. I therefore chose to check out a book, most appropriately titled Ho Chi Minh, by a man named William J. Duiker, for supplemental reading.

Casual research on Vietnam consistently brings up the name Duiker. He is a leading authority on Vietnam, and he’s from Pennsylvania. His book Ho Chi Minh is very thick. If I were to place his book face up and flat on the flooded ground, page one would not be wet.

Note how high up the water gets. Now imagine that depth (a minimum) of water for one or two kilometers down any road near your home

A funny tangent on this book by Duiker. I went to the new D8 dorm library (opening day was today!) to check out Ho Chi Minh. I found the official, non-pirated version of the book. I checked it out. However, I told the two Vietnamese librarians that I was going to go eat, and asked to leave the book here. They said it was okay. When I came back for the book, it was mysteriously missing. I thought it was some funny joke, until one of the librarians suddenly remembered that he ‘accidentally’ gave my checked out copy to one of the EAP girls who asked for the book while I was gone. I am left with a photocopied version of the book, which is actually a blessing in disguise, as it is much thinner. Man, these Vietnamese boys, letting their hormones get the best of them. I have certainly never let a girl get the best of me. OK that was a lie.

After class, it was pretty obvious that all of Hanoi was flooded…again. Many chose to take the bus home. A bunch of us chose to walk home. It was fun. At one point, I fell into the water, making the umbrella Betty chose to lend me quite pointless.

And some chose…not to walk.
Perhaps one of the biggest differences I see between Vietnam and USA is that the people in Vietnam are much more laid back, while the people of USA like to work to the point of exhaustion. I especially have that tendency, and so do many of my friends. In fact, I was once fond of saying, “You don’t know your limits until you push them.” But why do we push ourselves so hard? I have an opinion why.

Americans (ie, me) push themselves very hard because they can, because they can choose to push themselves. But why won’t the Vietnamese push themselves just as hard? I believe it has to do with consequence.

Americans believe that if they try hard enough, they can achieve whatever they want. They believe they can move up the social ladder, can make more money, and can make a better life for themselves. They believe such things, so they choose to push themselves very hard. America is not perfect in this regard, but for the most part, it is indeed true that if you choose to push yourself hard enough, you can affect change for yourself and for the world around you.

But in Vietnam, I do not believe such an opportunity is available. How do xe om drivers “work harder” when their livelihood depends on both the increasing price of gas and Vietnamese people’s distaste for walking? How do street sellers of trinkets and books “work harder” when their livelihood depends on how familiar the foreign tourists are with bargaining?

I once ate at a street in Hanoi famous for being open in the wee hours of the night. It was in fact 1 or 2am (maybe 3am) when I was there. A very young boy approached asking us to buy candy from him. I asked him when he slept. He said from 4am to 11am. I asked when at what time he went to school. He said he did not go to school. What kind of choice is that?

I am willing to bet $100 U.S. that the little boy selling candy at midnight will not make it very far in life. And what if I am wrong? $100 U.S. will definitely hurt, but I can afford such a bet, even assuming the odds are 50-50. $100 U.S. is 1.58 million dong. How many Vietnamese families can choose to make such a bet? How many Vietnamese families even see 1.58 million dong in one year? (The average yearly salary of a Vietnamese family is about $300 U.S.)

The consequence of “working harder” in Vietnam is almost indistinguishable from “not working hard.” I believe that is a reason why Vietnamese choose to be laid back. Soon, it becomes a part of the culture to take it easy. In America, we can affect great change if we “work hard.” Soon, it becomes the culture to work hard. That is why Americans choose to work very hard, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. But we must remember why we work hard. If we don’t, we will be exhausted and unhappy, but we won’t know why we are exhausted and unhappy. After all, there are consequences to working hard, just as there are consequences to being laid back. I believe it is up to every individual to find the right blend of working hard and relaxing that makes our lives fulfilling.

I am not saying that all Americans are cold-hearted workaholics, and I am not saying that all Vietnamese people are lazy bums. I am also not saying that there is no chance to get ahead in Vietnam, just as I am not saying there is an unlimited chance to get ahead in America. Instead, I am simply making an observation about the general atmosphere of Vietnam and America, which inevitably leaves room for many counterexamples. I suspect there are countless counterexamples. My Vietnamese family is one of the most hardworking people I know.

But based on these observations, I believe American and Vietnamese culture can definitely learn from each other. America can teach the virtues of working hard while Vietnam teaches the virtues of enjoying life. These are the observations I have, and the assertions that I choose to make. I suppose it is now up to the readers to choose to make an opinion on my entry. Or, they can choose to make no opinion.

They say America is special because its people are free. Freedom, however, is a loaded word and too abstract to fully appreciate. America is special, yes, partly because its people have choice.

Choice is the greatest privilege of all.

-Betty Danger

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