April 22, 2007

I have often thought that many countries have what I refer to as contrasting city pairs. To explain what I mean, let me provide an example. Wellington is the arts capital of New Zealand. It is a beautiful city - hills around a lovely natural harbour, narrow windy streets, gorgeous views, great cafes and restaurants, museums and art galleries. The city has a real heart about it. The city that most visitors to New Zealand are more familiar with though is Auckland. A great city in it’s own right, though for quite different reasons. It also sits around a harbour but not one that I have ever looked at and thought was uniquely attractive. Auckland’s attraction for many people is it sheer size of population, and more so the opportunities generated by a larger population. It has a more active business scene, night life, and general hustle and bustle – and this is what attracts people to it (though some timid people get scared off by Wellington’s wild weather as well ;). In terms of having a heart and a sense of culture about it, I have never really felt that Auckland has got what it takes. It is cool, and has easy access to great beaches and the sea with reliable weather, but at the end of the day it is simply another large city. It does not have the arty, cultural, ethereal soul that Wellington has.

In my view, the world is full of other examples of contrasting city pairs - Melbourne and Sydney, San Francisco and Los Angeles…

Anyway, what has this got to do with Vietnam? Well, my recent visit to Ho Chi Minh City confirmed for me what I suspected - that Vietnam has it’s own contrasting city pair.

Having lived in Hanoi now for around 11 months, I have been very curious about Ho Chi Minh City, or HCMC as it is often written. Those who know both cites have told of how different they are, and I had often wondered whether by being based in Hanoi I was missing out on something. My first trip to HCMC had been in January for work. It was an overnight trip, so hardly one from which I could get any impression of the city. So in late February, I took the opportunity to venture there for a holiday to learn more about the place. And also to satisfy for myself whether I was in fact missing out on something!

Geographically, politically, and economically these two cities are ages apart. Ho Chi Minh is a two-hour flight from Hanoi. Both Bangkok and Singapore are closer to Ho Chi Minh than Hanoi is. And of course, while very much a part of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, HCMC in many ways retained a more capitalist disposition than Hanoi since the reunification of the north and south of the country in 1975. From those two points alone, the two cities have great reason to be very different.

Hanoi is the Wellington of Vietnam. It is a smaller city, a pretty city. It is centered around Hoan Kiem Lake, but if you look at a map of the city, or venture a few blocks away from the city centre you will find a myriad of other lakes around which the greater city lives, works, and entertains itself. Over 30 of them in fact – of varying shapes and sizes. It is full of trees and small parks. The Old Quarter, arguably the centre and happening part of town, is a wonderfully chaotic collection of narrow streets, shop houses, food stalls, alleyway markets, motorbikes, and crowds. A truly magic place to walk around.

Ho Chi Minh City cannot claim to be the pretty city that Hanoi is. More like Auckland, it is a sprawling mass. The city centre is more modern. It has more of the high-rise buildings one finds in more developed cities (though not copious numbers of them). Ho Chi Minh City’s beauty is perhaps more due to it’s old colonial architecture. The roads in the centre of town are wider than those in Hanoi…you can almost imagine the days when they would have been made of shingle or stone, with tri-shaws, horse drawn carts, and some of the first cars traversing them. Some of the preserved old buildings of Ho Chi Minh City have been tastefully maintained – even the streets encircling such buildings have been preserved so as to enhance the grandness of them (take Notre Dame Cathedral or the Municipal Theatre for example). For those who really want to shop like they shop in any other large city, Ho Chi Minh does have the larger departmental stores, with the big international brands, that Hanoi does not have (or, I should say, is only just starting to get).

Hanoi is a city full of art. Small, open, shops on the street will sell you a painting of anything you want – a Mona Lisa copy or a portrait of yourself. Anything. You want it, they will copy it for you. Then there are the grander galleries carrying some of the many established, plus up and coming, painters of Vietnam. The art enthusiasts can easily keep themselves busy for a day wandering the many galleries on and around Hang Bong and Hang Gai Sts alone. Incidentally, the painters of Vietnam are growing in international stature – do a Google. Many foreigners are flocking here to buy it up as investment art.

I did not find this concentration of an art scene while walking the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. I am sure the artists and galleries exist somewhere as there must be a bigger market for such art in HCMC, but I did not see it. The high streets of HCMC were more focused on fashion houses, departmental stores, and high-end hotels.

Then there is a coffee scene. The penultimate judge of all things worth worrying about in a city. Having most recently lived in a city of franchised coffee, namely Singapore, it was a joy to discover that Hanoi has it’s own unique coffee culture. Being a Wellington boy, I have come to love the atmosphere of individually developed coffees and cafes. Hanoi is full of such places, so you can explore the city until you discover the one that answers your needs and plant your roots for future visits (with a book, laptop, or friends in tow).

HCMC on the other hand, is fast becoming a franchised coffee city. Sure there are the occasional long established ones around, but the future is obviously destined toward the monotony of franchise. Highlands Coffee, Gloria Jeans are but two brands that stood out for me. I am sure it will not be long before the horror of the likes of Starbucks come knocking on the door.

Glad to say, the restaurant scene in both cities is pretty magic. Loads of good restaurants at great prices. And the beauty of both cities in this regard is that many of the best ones are in lovely old houses in less than obvious locations, which makes for a marvelous atmosphere.

Now, the night scene is one area where HCMC is streets ahead of Hanoi. Hanoi is a quiet town from that perspective. If you are type of person who likes to sit down and have a quiet beer with your friends all night long, then fine, there are plenty places to hang out in Hanoi. On the other hand, if you want to boogey on down to some house until the wee hours or whatever, then there are one or two places in Hanoi that might be able to fit your fancy, but they are pretty yuks … or they do not have a dancing permit. HCMC on the other hand, does have quite a humming club scene. Perhaps not quite up to the standards of the other major cities in the region – Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur, but it ain’t bad….and it is better than Hanoi.

When I embarked on my weeklong trip to HCMC, I hoped to come away with a simple question answered – was I losing out by being based in the smaller and quieter capital of Hanoi? And to be honest, I have not been able to answer this question. Yes, HCMC is bigger, with more of everything – more bars, more restaurants, more Gucci shops, more book shops, more flights out of the country, more more more… in many ways, a totally different world. But I dunno. To me it does not have the heart that Hanoi has. So, my verdict at the moment is, I’d rather live in Hanoi, and visit HCMC (regularly!).

Hmmm, but, I may need more visits to HCMC to confirm this :)

Cam on anh chi em.

Please send your comments and questions to: tom@eyeonhanoi.com