Lured by Vietnam

I research French colonial rule at Keio University's Faculty of Economics. Within the Indochinese Federation, which consisted of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, Vietnam was the most important to France. While my research is primarily from the French perspective, I often visit for archival research and site inspections to understand the Vietnamese perspective as well.

The first time I went to Vietnam was in 1995. It was around the time the country was shifting toward a market economy under the Doi Moi policy and beginning to welcome tourists. I had just decided to pursue a master's degree and was searching for a research theme, and I remember there being many French tourists. It was an era when travel itself was not yet very common, and French people accounted for 70% of the tourists. The scars of the Vietnam War were still raw and the country was still poor, but seeing retired French people enjoying themselves in their former colony made me wonder about their psychology.

It all started when I decided to research what kind of colonial rule France had practiced in this country, which had experienced wars with France, the United States, and China, and had a long history of colonial rule. More recently, I stayed in Hanoi for about a year and a half around 2017 and 2018.

After graduating from university, I was involved in magazine editing in Japan. I started working in Singapore in 2015, but before that, in 2012, I went to Vietnam for the first time. At that time, I got ripped off badly in Ho Chi Minh City (laughs), but including that, I encountered a culture I had never experienced before, and it felt very fresh.

When I moved from Singapore to New Zealand, I became a freelance writer, and after that, I worked without a fixed location, including Southeast Asia and Japan. However, since I could work anywhere as long as I had a computer and an internet connection, I decided I might as well work in a country I liked, so I chose to live in Hanoi. From 2018 to 2020, while working as a writer in Hanoi, I also taught Japanese at a local recruitment agency.

After graduating from Foreign Trade University in Hanoi, I did an internship at a local Japanese company for about two months. After that, I started a business with a senior colleague, but it didn't go well, so I decided to study in Japan as my next step. At that time, the number of Japanese IT companies in Hanoi was starting to increase, and I thought there would be things I could contribute by studying in Japan.

In 2018, I received a scholarship from the Japanese government, and in 2019, I entered the master's program at the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD). I completed it in 2021 and am now working for a Japanese company.

Among people who like Vietnam, some like Hanoi and others like Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nguyen, you are from Hanoi; is it quite different from Ho Chi Minh City?

First, the weather is different. While Ho Chi Minh City is warm all year round, Hanoi has four seasons like Japan.

Hanoi's winters are cold, aren't they?

That's right. There are times in winter when you even need a down jacket.

It feels colder than the actual temperature. Is that because of the humidity?

Hanoi is a humid and windy area, but the fact that the buildings are well-ventilated might also be a reason for the cold.

I heard that elementary schools close when the minimum temperature drops below 10°C.

No, it's 8°C (laughs).

It's unusual that you don't have to go to school when it's cold (laughs).

Is it because there is no heating equipment?

That's right. However, it seems to be warm this year due to the El Niño phenomenon. When I returned recently, it was 25°C.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also have different views on lifestyle. People in Hanoi save money for things like their children's education or buying a house, but people in Ho Chi Minh City like eating out and shopping even if their salaries are low. They spend money on new things.

You can certainly feel that when you go to both cities. The degree of capitalist development is also different. Coming from someone living in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City is a big city and can be a bit tiring.

I agree. On the other hand, Hanoi has many government institutions and academic hubs, giving it an image closer to Kyoto or Nara.

Compared to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi is smaller in scale, isn't it? It's compact and easy to get around. Old buildings from the colonial era remain, and the atmosphere of the city is nice.

Hoan Kiem Lake is in the center of Hanoi, and this area is the Old Quarter. There are 36 streets, and various specialties are sold on each street. Most people who visit Hanoi for sightseeing stay in this area and can experience the atmosphere of the old city.

For a while after the Vietnam War ended, the country was still poor, and I think it was more a matter of using what was there rather than actively preserving buildings. But now, Vietnamese people well understand that preserving them makes them a tourism resource. There are not only buildings built by the French but also buildings by Vietnamese architects, making it very fun to walk around the city.

My house is in an area a bit away from the Hanoi Old Quarter. I lived in a housing complex, like a company dormitory in Japan, with my grandparents and people from their company. So I knew the people living around me well, and the human relationships were good. It's an environment in contrast to Tokyo.

I also used to have tea parties with my students after Japanese classes. When the Japanese community did volunteer cleaning activities around Hoan Kiem Lake, local young people also actively participated.

The people who came to learn Japanese were very friendly, and after class, they would take me to various shops to eat. I went to stalls that served duck eggs called Trung Vit Lon, which I would have hesitated to order by myself. I also became friends with the middle-aged man who managed the nearby apartment as we saw each other every day, and he would sometimes invite me in, saying, "Come have some tea." I have an image of Vietnamese people being very warm-hearted.

Is there still a certain number of people learning Japanese in Vietnam?

In the classes I taught, people who wanted to work as IT engineers in Japan gathered. The age groups varied, but there were quite a lot of them.

Among people who study abroad, the US and Europe are popular now, and I feel like the number of students coming to Japan has decreased slightly.

Recently in Vietnam, there are Japanese classes in middle schools and high schools, and the number of people studying Japanese is increasing. But Japanese is difficult. Studying just a little isn't enough to be able to study abroad.

Mr. Nguyen, did you intend to study in Japan from the beginning?

Yes. When I came to Japan, I couldn't speak Japanese at all, but the owner of the Japanese company where I worked for about two months at first had completed a Keio Doctoral Program. As I talked with him, I came to respect him and wanted to become that kind of person, so I chose Keio.

Another big reason is that the number of Japanese companies in Vietnam is increasing, and I wanted to learn about Japanese culture and user-centricity. Japanese user-centricity is well-known, and I learned about it by reading various books when I started my business. I wanted to learn about those kinds of services and products in Japan.

Japanese is difficult, isn't it? My students were also struggling.

I studied for a year after coming to Japan, but the entrance requirement for graduate school was the N1 level of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), and studying for just one year was not enough. So I decided to go into a program at KMD where you can obtain a degree using only classes offered in English. I use mostly English for work now, but I am continuing my Japanese studies.

On the other hand, mastering Vietnamese is also hard. The pronunciation in particular is very difficult. I still can't speak it at all.

Me too. I've been studying since my student days, but I haven't become able to speak it at all. It really is the pronunciation.

I wanted to order "Sua Chua Cafe (Yogurt Coffee)" at a cafe, but no matter how many times I repeated it, they couldn't understand me.

Regarding the Japanese sound "n," there are various types of "n" in Vietnam. There are "NH," "MH," and "NG," and when I was asked which "n" it was, I was surprised and asked, "Isn't there just one?" (laughs).

Vietnamese has six different tones. However, just as the Japanese word "hashi" can mean "bridge," "edge," or "chopsticks," you cannot distinguish the pronunciation in hiragana. In that respect, in Vietnamese, you can read the written characters exactly as they are.

Although they aren't used anymore, Kanji (Chinese characters) were used in Vietnam a long time ago, weren't they? Mr. Nguyen, I think you are also learning Kanji; are there times when you can understand the Kanji that were once used in Vietnam?

Among Japanese Kanji, there are some with pronunciations similar to Vietnamese. Depending on the Kanji, reading it sometimes brings up that word in Vietnamese.

Vietnamese food culture is 99 percent different between the north and the south. Not only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but also Da Nang in the central region uses similar ingredients, but the dishes turn out to be something else. There are no dishes with the same name. Of course, famous things like Pho and Banh Mi (Vietnamese-style sandwiches) are everywhere.

I've heard that the southern part has sweeter seasoning, but what do you think?

That's right. In the Ho Chi Minh City area, sugar is often used as a seasoning.

The taste of Pho is also completely different between the south and the north, isn't it?

Yes. Pho is probably sweeter in the south. Pho in Ho Chi Minh City is also eaten with vegetables. In Hanoi, even if you add vegetables, it's only about green onions.

Meat is included, right?

Yes, beef is the main one. There are chicken shops too, but more shops serve it with beef. A characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine might be that the way of making it is fixed for each shop. A beef shop rarely serves chicken Pho.

Speaking of Pho, the famous Hanoi shop Pho Thin opened in Ikebukuro. It's probably the most famous beef Pho shop in Hanoi, isn't it?

That's right. A characteristic of Pho Thin is that they stir-fry the beef. Usually, the meat for Pho is boiled, so stir-frying it is rare.

Mr. Nguyen, did you also eat Banh Mi often?

I ate it often. Banh Mi is fast food for Vietnamese people. Everyone pulls up to a stall on their motorbike on their way to work in the morning and buys it quickly. It's about 100 or 150 yen. I often bought it from a lady who had a shop near my house. My mother used to sell it too.

I see.

But she said it was hard because she had to wake up at 3 a.m. to prepare. She's doing a different job now.

There are many types of Banh Mi, aren't there? It's fun to say "this and this" for ingredients you like, such as eggs or pate, and have them sandwiched right there. They'll even customize it if you ask, and they're all delicious.

That's true. When I was studying in France, I got so tired of eating French bread that I didn't even want to see it, so at first I wondered why I had to eat French bread even after coming to Vietnam, but Vietnamese bread is delicious.

Banh Mi bread is like French bread, but when you bite into it, it's crispy and soft. Is Banh Mi bread made specifically for this purpose?

Yes. It's similar to French bread, but the inside is hollow to make it easier to stuff with ingredients.

I see!

Banh mi is very popular among Japanese people now. I've heard that French bread is too hard, so it's actually quite difficult to make the specific bread used for banh mi.

What about rice? During World War II, France had people mobilized from Vietnam to grow rice in an area called Camargue. As a major rice-producing nation, I'm sure rice cultivation was second nature to the Vietnamese, but most of them returned to Vietnam after the war, and the few who remained in France no longer grow rice today.

Was there a need for rice in France as well?

It seems they had been trying to grow it since the late 19th century, but they couldn't produce good rice and the practice had completely died out. However, when they brought in Vietnamese people to grow it, they were able to produce proper rice, and it's said that the rice-growing region was revitalized because of that. Today, a high-quality rice called Camargue rice is produced there.

In contrast to Japanese rice, which is sticky and easy to eat, Vietnamese rice is long and dry, making it suitable for fried rice. In Vietnam, it's popular to eat it with soup poured over it, similar to ochazuke. But in Japan, people usually eat rice and soup separately, don't they?

Vietnamese noodles are also delicious. I got hooked on Cha Ca in Hanoi and ate it all the time. You can't find that in Japan.

You certainly don't see it often.

It's a Hanoi specialty, right? Chunks of fish seasoned with turmeric are stir-fried in a generous amount of oil along with herbs like dill and green onions. Eating that with nuoc mam (fish sauce) and noodles is incredibly delicious. I even tried making it myself after returning to Japan. Is the fish used for Cha Ca a freshwater fish?

I believe it's snakehead fish. I love Cha Ca too.

I got hooked on a specialty from a port town east of Hanoi called Hai Phong, called Banh Da Cua. It's similar to Pho, but you eat brown flat noodles mixed with sugarcane in a soup rich with crab broth. To put it in Japanese terms, it's like crab ramen. It has toppings like fish cakes and is refreshing rather than greasy. It was so delicious.

Banh Da Cua hasn't really made it to Japan either, has it?

That's true.

There are truly many different types of Vietnamese noodle dishes.

There are also many local beers. I've tried them in various regions, and it's interesting how each has its own characteristics. Perhaps because Hanoi has a cold season, the flavor is quite rich, whereas beers like 333 (Ba Ba Ba) in Ho Chi Minh City are lighter.

Dalat wine, produced in Dalat in the south-central region, has also become very delicious.

Oh yes. I recently tried it for the first time and thought it was delicious. Was it not like that in the past?

It wasn't good at all (laughs). But in the last 20 years, the quality of Vietnamese wine has improved dramatically.

Mr. Nguyen, what is the taste of home for you?

When I was in Hanoi, I often ate sweet and sour braised spare ribs. Vietnam has a dish similar to Japanese braised pork belly (kakuni), but we use nuoc mam for seasoning. Just like soy sauce and nuoc mam, Japan and Vietnam have similar seasonings.

Is nuoc mam used in cooking in both the North and the South?

Yes. Like soy sauce, it's used as a dipping sauce for many things.

Speaking of Vietnamese food culture, we eat a lot of vegetables. There's a huge variety and they're all cheap; we serve boiled vegetables on a large plate for everyone to share.

As for fish, Vietnam uses freshwater fish. I think Japan has a lot of seafood, but in Hanoi especially, freshwater fish is cheaper and easier to get because the sea is far away.

Is there an influence from Chinese cuisine? I imagine there was a long period under Chinese influence.

I think the influence of Chinese cuisine is minimal. France or Thailand should be closer. Chinese cooking uses many seasonings, but Vietnam doesn't go that far. Like Japan, we eat in a way that brings out the freshness of the ingredients. It's simple, but we use a lot of aromatic herbs.

Certainly, Vietnamese cuisine is skillful in its use of herbs.

Herbs come in a wide variety of flavors and colors. If you go to the market, they sell a lot of them, and they're cheaper and tastier than at the supermarket. As for chicken, the chickens sold at the market are so-called free-range, so they have a good texture.

The good thing about the market is that you can buy with peace of mind. My mother has many acquaintances who work at the market, so the quality of the ingredients is always reliable.

Mr. Nguyen, did you mostly eat at home? Or at street stalls?

I usually ate at home. Of course, I sometimes ate at street stalls. Stalls are cheap, so they're popular with people living alone.

Street stalls are really cheap and delicious. I like the stalls where various side dishes are lined up.

That's Com Binh Dan.

Right. When I was in Hanoi, I hardly ever cooked for myself and ate various things at Com Binh Dan. Binh Dan means something like "commoner," so in Japanese terms, it means a "popular eatery" or "diner."

I also used Com Binh Dan often. Like with banh mi, it was fun to point at this and that and have them served with rice.

By the way, don't you feel the high cost of living every time you go lately? I was surprised at how much prices have risen in the last 20 years. When I first went to Vietnam, the largest unit of currency was 50,000 dong, but now it's 500,000 dong (about 3,000 yen). I suppose salary levels have also risen, but a tenfold increase is surprising.

Recently, the number of cars in Hanoi has increased. That said, the number of motorcycles hasn't decreased either, so the traffic in the city is incredible. I heard that the Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup started producing and selling cars, making it easier for Vietnamese people to drive. Along with this, traffic lights have begun to be installed, and both motorcycles and cars have started to stop properly. Such changes seem good, but also a bit sad.

So, crossing the street hasn't been a life-threatening experience lately (laughs).

That's right. But in areas a bit away from the center, the old-fashioned feel remains. After all, crossing while looking left and right and weaving through motorcycles is the first hurdle for living in Hanoi (laughs).

I used to use local buses and motorcycle taxis to get around the city. I used motorcycle taxis often because they feel more open than regular taxis.

What was impressive in Hanoi was being offered a seat on a local bus. I was confused, thinking I wasn't that old yet. Since there are many young students among the passengers, I reconsidered it as a relative issue, and now I gratefully accept the seat (laughs).

I've been offered a seat too. All the young people are very polite about giving up their seats.

I often used Grab taxis (ride-sharing taxis), which had spread even before COVID. Have you ever used them, Mr. Nagashima?

The ride-sharing app Grab is convenient. I also often used motorcycle taxis through Grab.

Japanese taxis haven't changed much, but Vietnamese mobility is changing rapidly. Until Grab became popular, I used to ask a neighborhood man to take me where I wanted to go. Recently, not only apps like Grab, but also electric motorcycles with quiet engine sounds have been released by Vingroup.

Grab drivers are driving very nice cars; it feels like things are starting to reverse compared to Japan. When I was a student, there was still a large gap in economic levels, and even when eating with Vietnamese people, it felt like the Japanese person would treat them, but now it's the opposite. I was treated to many meals locally. In Vietnam, even when eating with people of the same age, there's a culture where someone treats everyone, right?

That's right.

They aren't stingy like splitting the bill. In those moments, I feel the contrast between a sinking Japan and a developing Vietnam (laughs).

Vietnam is lively, and every time I go, I feel the difference from Japan and always get energized.

Mr. Nguyen, don't you feel sad being in Japan? (laughs)

Not at all (laughs). However, I feel it's harder to become close friends with Japanese people compared to Vietnamese people. Japanese people don't talk much about their private lives.

That point is different. Vietnamese people ask personal questions right away. Whether you're married, if you have children, how old you are, and how much your income is.

They really step in, don't they (laughs).

Yes, it's like, "Are you really asking that all of a sudden?" (laughs).

Of course, asking too many private things isn't good, but it also makes it easier to become friends.

I see. Such topics serve as a starting point for the conversation to expand in various ways.

The conversation inevitably centers on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but in the north, there is a mountainous region called Sapa, and the terraced rice fields in this area are very beautiful. Many ethnic minority people live in Sapa, and it felt like a slightly different cultural sphere. There are many different ethnic groups in Vietnam. Diverse people account for about 10% of the population. These people have different costumes and different textiles depending on their ethnicity. Sapa was a very nice place.

Besides Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the most urban city is Da Nang in the central region. Facing the East Vietnam Sea (South China Sea), the population isn't very large, and there are fewer motorcycles, so it's safe. Recently, Japanese IT companies and factories have been increasing, and there are direct flights. I think many Japanese people travel to Da Nang, but it's also a popular city for Vietnamese people.

Nha Trang and Hoi An, which has a World Heritage site, are popular with Vietnamese tourists. In Japan, the ruins of Hue are also popular, but because it's hot and rainy, people usually only spend a day or two there on a trip.

I recently went to Con Dao. This was originally an island used as a penal colony and was called Poulo Condore in French during the colonial era. The remains of the former Con Dao Prison are still there.

"Dao" means "island." In Japan, it is also called Con Dao Island.

I heard it has recently become a tourist destination, so I felt I had to go. While lovely hotels have been built on the island, it has a history where many people were killed. The island is windy and the waves are rough. It is not the kind of place you can easily escape from. I felt there was a good reason why they turned this into a prison island.

This island is home to the grave of Vo Thi Sau, who was killed at the age of 19 for resisting the French during the Indochina War. Vo Thi Sau is a woman often called the Joan of Arc of Vietnam, and Vietnamese people still go to pay their respects today. Her grave is always adorned with flowers, and I believe it is a very important place for Vietnamese history.

I think the number of people like you, Mr. Nguyen, who come to Japan to gain business experience and then return home to start their own businesses is increasing every year. Are you also considering that kind of venture eventually?

There are people like that, but many people around me want to work in the country where they studied. I don't want to go back yet either.

Why is that?

Traveling while studying Japanese is fun because there are so many new discoveries. Japan's transportation system is well-developed, making life very convenient. In Vietnam, even if you want to go to various places, transportation is inconvenient.

That may be true. You can travel between the north and south using the railways built during the French colonial era, but traveling between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City takes a very long time. If you need to travel out of necessity, you would usually take a plane. I suppose that is one reason why everyone doesn't return immediately.

I think there are two types of people among those who return. One is the type who wants to live with their family. When you ask Vietnamese people what is most important to them, almost everyone answers "family." Everyone wants to live with their family.

The other type is the person who wants to do business. It is true that there are many business opportunities in Vietnam right now. There are many young people, and it is probably easier to start a business in Vietnam than in Japan.

But Vietnam will likely face a rapidly aging society with a declining birthrate in the future. The Vietnamese government had introduced a two-child policy, but this has also been relaxed.

That's true. But even now, many families have two children. In Vietnam, if you say you don't want to have children, your family will strongly oppose it. Does that happen in Japan too?

I think it depends on the family, but I believe that happens to some extent in Japan as well. However, it's not as much as in Vietnam. Vietnamese people really do value family very much.

In Vietnam, we think a lot about time with family and work-life balance. When 6:00 p.m. comes, everyone finishes work and goes home. In Japan, if your boss is still there after 6:00, it's hard to leave, isn't it? Vietnamese people don't worry about that sort of thing much.

I think that's a good thing. Japan is also gradually changing toward that way of thinking.

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country, but what I feel is that it doesn't have the same boundless brightness as a place like Thailand. Rather, it has a bit of calmness, something close to the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi." I find its depth very attractive.

It might be because of the historical background, but I feel that Vietnamese people are resilient. I am very curious about how they perceive the former colonial era, so I ask various people, but they don't seem to mind at all. They also love the French; in 2018, when I was staying there, France won the World Cup, and everyone was overjoyed. I find it amazing that they are looking forward despite having experienced such hardships.

By the way, how do you think Vietnam will change in the future? 2023 was a milestone year marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam, and economic growth is now progressing at a tremendous pace. I think that once that gradually settles down, people will start looking at things other than material wealth. At that time, I am very interested to see how the people who fought and consistently won against major powers like France, the US, and China will mature.

Right now, they are pushing forward with economic development, putting the past wars aside, but I think they will eventually look back at the past. How the Vietnamese people face that is my interest for 10 or 20 years from now.

Two or three years ago, the most important thing in starting a cafe was location, but now service and coffee quality are emphasized. Transportation has also become convenient with apps, and the quality of electric scooters is improving. I am looking forward to seeing how these services and technologies develop in the future.

So right now, you are charging through an era of looking forward with energy. What about the past? For example, Mr. Nguyen, do you ever ask your grandparents about the war?

Programs about those who were sacrificed in the war are one of the things commonly broadcast during the New Year, but I don't have many opportunities to talk about the war with my grandparents.

Why is that? They are the generation that experienced the war, aren't they?

I am told to value food because they suffered from a lack of it during the war. But they don't talk about anything beyond that.

Is that because it was such a heavy experience?

I think so.

They probably don't want to talk about it much. However, I hope people like you, Mr. Nguyen, will listen to their experiences of living through that era. Vietnamese people don't talk much about politics, but I think a time will come when people who received an education abroad like you return in 10 or 20 years and think about their own country.

I agree. Vietnam has a young average age, and tools like smartphones are widespread, especially among the younger generation, creating a situation where they can access various information on their own. When I hear "economic growth" or "national development," Japan's period of rapid economic growth comes to mind, but in the sense that they have information tools at hand, they might achieve a different form of development.

In addition to youth, in what direction will the generation equipped with information tools develop the country in the future? At that time, how will energetic young generations like Mr. Nguyen think about the Vietnam of the past? I find it very interesting along with the development of the country.