My mathematical prowess extends only far enough to calculate pot odds, so I'm not even gonna estimate how many days are remaining before my arrival at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. But as a newly qualified resident of Detroit, Michigan, it is not beyond my intellectual means to recognize that the magical day is rapidly approaching.
So, in honor of this upcoming occasion, I'm announcing the launch of my newest contribution to procrastinators everywhere: Asia's Nap Shots (err... Asia Snap Shots). Like every amazing idea, it came together over the course of several conversations about Asia, napping, Lou Dobbs, investment, and the similarities between China and Vietnam. What emerged was an endeavor to write about Asia through individual encounters that we, the writers (two Fulbrighters and an international consultant) experience while we're exploring Asia.
Stay tuned!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Exports
This morning's Financial Times had an interesting article comparing the responses of the major Asian economies to the financial crisis. It noted:
"Fortunately, Vietnamese exports have been fairly resilient. While economies such as Singapore and Taiwan have seen declines of 30 or 40 per cent in shipments, Vietnam was down a modest 3.7 per cent in the first four months of this year against the same period in 2008. Economists think Vietnam might be benefiting from a new Wal-Mart effect by which western consumers switch from expensive branded products to cheaper goods in which countries such as Vietnam excel. Last month, the port at Ho Chi Minh City was so busy it was backed up with ships. “They’re not producing i-Pods and laptops; they’re producing T-shirts and shoes,” says Jonathan Pinkus of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government."
"Fortunately, Vietnamese exports have been fairly resilient. While economies such as Singapore and Taiwan have seen declines of 30 or 40 per cent in shipments, Vietnam was down a modest 3.7 per cent in the first four months of this year against the same period in 2008. Economists think Vietnam might be benefiting from a new Wal-Mart effect by which western consumers switch from expensive branded products to cheaper goods in which countries such as Vietnam excel. Last month, the port at Ho Chi Minh City was so busy it was backed up with ships. “They’re not producing i-Pods and laptops; they’re producing T-shirts and shoes,” says Jonathan Pinkus of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government."
What's up?
Vietnam's real estate market, apparently! Don Lam, an executive at VinaCapital, spoke about Vietnam's economy a few weeks ago on CNBC in terms much clearer than you'll find anywhere else online. His comments made me wonder how Vietnam's domestic entrepreneurial class will respond to the infusion of liquidity ushered through the stimulus package. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) seems enthusiastic, making me even more interested in the upcoming Vietnam Business Forum.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Business (as usual)
Next week, the Vietnamese government will welcome hundreds of American, European, and Asian investors to Hanoi for the first of two semi-annual discussions of the state of the Vietnamese economy. Discussions between companies and the government take place all the time, usually through organizations like the American Chamber of Commerce, but next week's meeting carries uncommon importance. In addition to being sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF, the Vietnam Business Forum (as it's called) opens Hanoi's most venerated policy arenas to international scrutiny, inviting opinions from companies headquartered all over the world. It also receives more western media coverage than any other event in Vietnam.
The transcripts from VBF meetings going back to their inception are uniformly uninteresting -- unless you enjoy hearing people praise autocratic technocracy in many different languages (including Hindi). When your economy's growing at 8 percent, nary an international businessman would dare complain about something so esoteric and surmountable as inadequate technical training. But, as a noted Vietnam economist told me a few weeks ago, this year, Vietnam's economy might not grow at all. Even though the financial crisis has affected Asia less than other regions, Vietnan's economy, which survives on exports and outside investment, has been weakened by external financial turmoil. The time for niceties and applause has finally passed.
Anybody who watches C-SPAN even occasionally probably yearns, at least sardonically, for authoritarian governance. I mean, come on -- I know I'm not the only one who's wondered why we allow elected officials whose backgrounds in finance are as limited as yours or mine to design financial regulation (with able-minded economists sitting ruefully on the sidelines). But it's a sacrifice we make for living in a democracy. In Vietnam, no such sacrifice exists -- the people accept an authoritarian government, and in exchange, they suffer no such rhetorical agony (only outright exclusion -- which doesn't seem like such a bad tradeoff anymore). Policy is made only after it's been formulated by economists, reviewed by investors, redrafted by policy analysts, and approved by policymakers. The Vietnam Business Forum establishes the guiding theme for those proceedings.
My guess is that this year's first forum will concentrate on infrastructure and technical training. The first coincides with the government's widely hailed efforts to push small enterprises into multinational corporations' supply chains. The second responds to the growing demand among high value-added companies for skilled workers. We shall see.
And the New York Times had this interesting article.
G'night!
The transcripts from VBF meetings going back to their inception are uniformly uninteresting -- unless you enjoy hearing people praise autocratic technocracy in many different languages (including Hindi). When your economy's growing at 8 percent, nary an international businessman would dare complain about something so esoteric and surmountable as inadequate technical training. But, as a noted Vietnam economist told me a few weeks ago, this year, Vietnam's economy might not grow at all. Even though the financial crisis has affected Asia less than other regions, Vietnan's economy, which survives on exports and outside investment, has been weakened by external financial turmoil. The time for niceties and applause has finally passed.
Anybody who watches C-SPAN even occasionally probably yearns, at least sardonically, for authoritarian governance. I mean, come on -- I know I'm not the only one who's wondered why we allow elected officials whose backgrounds in finance are as limited as yours or mine to design financial regulation (with able-minded economists sitting ruefully on the sidelines). But it's a sacrifice we make for living in a democracy. In Vietnam, no such sacrifice exists -- the people accept an authoritarian government, and in exchange, they suffer no such rhetorical agony (only outright exclusion -- which doesn't seem like such a bad tradeoff anymore). Policy is made only after it's been formulated by economists, reviewed by investors, redrafted by policy analysts, and approved by policymakers. The Vietnam Business Forum establishes the guiding theme for those proceedings.
My guess is that this year's first forum will concentrate on infrastructure and technical training. The first coincides with the government's widely hailed efforts to push small enterprises into multinational corporations' supply chains. The second responds to the growing demand among high value-added companies for skilled workers. We shall see.
And the New York Times had this interesting article.
G'night!
Beginning
Friends, family, and fans... I have returned to the blogosphere.
I'm preparing to spend the next 10 months doing Fulbright research in Vietnam, moving between Hanoi and Saigon in search of answers to the transcendental questions I established two years ago. Yes, I know it's been two years, and no, my questions (why are companies flooding the Vietnamese economy with investment? will foreign direct investment foster political change in Vietnam?) aren't that difficult. But hey, the Fulbright people thought enough of them to sponsor me, so I'm packing my bags and digging even deeper. I hope you'll come along for the ride.
My research project will examine how foreign investors -- notoriously attentive to sociopolitical nuance and traditionally averse to the sort of uncertainty inherent in authoritarian societies -- influence Vietnamese economic policy through their dealings with the Communist government. I'll be spending the first part of my fellowship at Vietnam National University in Hanoi and the second in downtown Saigon (location TBD -- tips and offers appreciated!)
A lot's happened since I last updated my blog. I've written a thesis, which I'll soon make available online, about the relationship between American companies and the Vietnamese government. I've (sort of) learned Vietnamese through instruction at the University of Florida, and I've completed an internship in the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution (fantasy land for nerds... like me). My family now resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan where my father owns and operates a meatpacking plant. My sister, Jamie, just finished her freshman year at Indiana University, and I've deferred my admission to the Master's Program at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Alright, now that that's settled...
Next time.
I miss you, em!
I'm preparing to spend the next 10 months doing Fulbright research in Vietnam, moving between Hanoi and Saigon in search of answers to the transcendental questions I established two years ago. Yes, I know it's been two years, and no, my questions (why are companies flooding the Vietnamese economy with investment? will foreign direct investment foster political change in Vietnam?) aren't that difficult. But hey, the Fulbright people thought enough of them to sponsor me, so I'm packing my bags and digging even deeper. I hope you'll come along for the ride.
My research project will examine how foreign investors -- notoriously attentive to sociopolitical nuance and traditionally averse to the sort of uncertainty inherent in authoritarian societies -- influence Vietnamese economic policy through their dealings with the Communist government. I'll be spending the first part of my fellowship at Vietnam National University in Hanoi and the second in downtown Saigon (location TBD -- tips and offers appreciated!)
A lot's happened since I last updated my blog. I've written a thesis, which I'll soon make available online, about the relationship between American companies and the Vietnamese government. I've (sort of) learned Vietnamese through instruction at the University of Florida, and I've completed an internship in the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution (fantasy land for nerds... like me). My family now resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan where my father owns and operates a meatpacking plant. My sister, Jamie, just finished her freshman year at Indiana University, and I've deferred my admission to the Master's Program at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Alright, now that that's settled...
Next time.
I miss you, em!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Eyes Wide Open
We've got a few days left until our much-anticipated return to America. Anticipate is a funny word, now that I think about it - what's the connotation? In this case, it fits perfectly because I've never felt so ambiguous about going home. I'm already thinking about where I'm gonna stay next year (District 1) and which countries I'm going to visit before and after Vietnam (Indonesia and the Philippines... maybe China for a little bit). It's hard thinking about traffic that doesn't mirror a whirlwind, or food that doesn't come in pre-sliced portions. Hmm... maybe I should get a massage. In a week, I won't be having those thoughts, and it's tough. But for the time being, while I've still got sand left in this hourglass, I'm gonna get down a few more thoughts, and you're gonna read 'em.
One of my favorite sights is that of parents playing with their kids. It's one of those rare phenomena you can't read about in a Polisci textbook or hear about on the news. It's a beautiful sight. A few weeks ago, I saw a father playing badminton with 2 of his kids around 3 PM on a workday. It warmed my heart and made me yearn for my forthcoming reunion with my dad. One of the many evocations I've experienced while being here. This morning, I saw a mom sitting on a bench at the park outside Diamond, playing with him and smiling as she said something deeply encouraging. What it was, who knows? But it made me remember all the times my mom took me into her grasp and said something deeply encouraging at just the right moment, knowing precisely how to improve her son's disposition. Beacons of light abound.
Thanh and I wondered over to District 7, an enclave within a city known for its ethereal beauty. An enclave of colonialist elegance, marked by modern speculative growth. Apartments abound as sprawl ensues, crawling into each parcel of land and reinforcing a consumer culture built by capitalization. This is where the masters of the universe live. It's literally a land unto itself, isolated from the hustle and bustle of Saigon and devoid of any remnants of its Communist past. It's Beverly Hills in Vietnam. I can't say it's disgusting because it isn't, and if I've learned one thing about businessmen, it's that they are making the lives of average Vietnamese better, so why resent them? Why resent them for living lives of luxury? They're comped by a government that values their presence, so why not take advantage of it?
I'm gonna miss learning outside the classroom. They say everything you learn in college is on the street, but it's only during this trip that I've felt that to be true. I go outside and use phrases I picked up that morning, negotiating with bartenders, hailing taxis, and ordering lunch. Granted, I'm nowhere near the level I'd like to be, but I'm moving in that direction. When I wrote my application essay to get into this program, I saw the word immersion and tried to use it as often as possible, figuring it's something I'd automatically like. After all, who wouldn't want to be immersed? But when I arrived in Vietnam and actually found myself "immersed", I started to wonder what I was doing at all. Immersion sounds a lot better when you're applying to a program, I said to myself. Because now I'm stuck in a place where people speak in monosyllabic nothingness about concepts I can't understand nor do I want to. But 2 months later, here I am, lamenting the fact that I won't be exposed to all this in a few days. It's hard to imagine learning Vietnamese in circumstances any different than these; I'm literally in the perfect environment. I love going outside and talking to strangers, and that's something I just can't do in America. I love when I say something to someone and they start laughing and repeat it to all their friends standing around, only to look back at me, repeat it, and say "Gioi qua!" I'll be back next year, and the year after, and as long as people continue to believe in what I'm doing as see me as being worthy of their sponsorship. I'll be here, and I'll be immersed.
One of my favorite sights is that of parents playing with their kids. It's one of those rare phenomena you can't read about in a Polisci textbook or hear about on the news. It's a beautiful sight. A few weeks ago, I saw a father playing badminton with 2 of his kids around 3 PM on a workday. It warmed my heart and made me yearn for my forthcoming reunion with my dad. One of the many evocations I've experienced while being here. This morning, I saw a mom sitting on a bench at the park outside Diamond, playing with him and smiling as she said something deeply encouraging. What it was, who knows? But it made me remember all the times my mom took me into her grasp and said something deeply encouraging at just the right moment, knowing precisely how to improve her son's disposition. Beacons of light abound.
Thanh and I wondered over to District 7, an enclave within a city known for its ethereal beauty. An enclave of colonialist elegance, marked by modern speculative growth. Apartments abound as sprawl ensues, crawling into each parcel of land and reinforcing a consumer culture built by capitalization. This is where the masters of the universe live. It's literally a land unto itself, isolated from the hustle and bustle of Saigon and devoid of any remnants of its Communist past. It's Beverly Hills in Vietnam. I can't say it's disgusting because it isn't, and if I've learned one thing about businessmen, it's that they are making the lives of average Vietnamese better, so why resent them? Why resent them for living lives of luxury? They're comped by a government that values their presence, so why not take advantage of it?
I'm gonna miss learning outside the classroom. They say everything you learn in college is on the street, but it's only during this trip that I've felt that to be true. I go outside and use phrases I picked up that morning, negotiating with bartenders, hailing taxis, and ordering lunch. Granted, I'm nowhere near the level I'd like to be, but I'm moving in that direction. When I wrote my application essay to get into this program, I saw the word immersion and tried to use it as often as possible, figuring it's something I'd automatically like. After all, who wouldn't want to be immersed? But when I arrived in Vietnam and actually found myself "immersed", I started to wonder what I was doing at all. Immersion sounds a lot better when you're applying to a program, I said to myself. Because now I'm stuck in a place where people speak in monosyllabic nothingness about concepts I can't understand nor do I want to. But 2 months later, here I am, lamenting the fact that I won't be exposed to all this in a few days. It's hard to imagine learning Vietnamese in circumstances any different than these; I'm literally in the perfect environment. I love going outside and talking to strangers, and that's something I just can't do in America. I love when I say something to someone and they start laughing and repeat it to all their friends standing around, only to look back at me, repeat it, and say "Gioi qua!" I'll be back next year, and the year after, and as long as people continue to believe in what I'm doing as see me as being worthy of their sponsorship. I'll be here, and I'll be immersed.
Cardboard Erasers
This is one of the posts that shouldn't be written - it should be slept off into the infinite, what Plato called the Realm of Becoming, unknown to mere mortals, only enjoyed by spirits above. But something impels me to stand here, without sitting, at 2:27 AM, before a day of research and language study, and write these words to you. This morning, I bought breakfast from my everyday vendor. I was moving so fast, trying in mangled Vietnamese to understand why she didn't have eggs and tell her that it was alright - I still wanted cheese. Amid my furious vortex of thought and panic, I stopped without trying to, just stopped right there. I realized that I had slowed myself down. Maybe that's more of what I need, slowing myself down. Life comes at'cha fast, doesn't it? Moments like that move slowly.
And what's with the title? I don't know. I stood here for a little while trying to come up with something better, but I kept coming back to "Cardboard Erasers." Now that I stand with an aerial view of my keyboard, I see my hands pouncing on keys like airplans pursuing their targets. Repositioning as the mothership doles out orders, directing each on its way towards home.
And what's with the title? I don't know. I stood here for a little while trying to come up with something better, but I kept coming back to "Cardboard Erasers." Now that I stand with an aerial view of my keyboard, I see my hands pouncing on keys like airplans pursuing their targets. Repositioning as the mothership doles out orders, directing each on its way towards home.
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