(Sa Pa, Vietnam) - This is the Vietnam everyone wants to see.
Beautiful. Unspoiled. Firmly rooted in the past, but reaching for the future. A country that is at once filled with farmers in conical hats working their fields with plow animals and at the same time being driven by young people communicating and doing business on cell phones in the city center.
There is some truth to this perception, but it is also true that for most of the people of Vietnam the country's path to being considered a developed nation has a long way to go.
If you research the state of the economy here you'll find the World Bank, the U.S. government and other sources all have a favorable outlook for Vietnam. In the 1980's the country's communist government made a decision to move toward a mixed economy rather than one directed by the state and the results have been positive.
Vietnam's gross national product is growing every year. There are signs of brick and mortar development everywhere and there is no doubt Vietnam is a major player in the digital economy, but for the average citizen life is far from what we in the United States would consider middle class. There is an obvious tension between the present for most people, and dreams of a prosperous future.
No where is this more apparent than a town like Sa Pa in the northwest.
Thousands of tourists arrive by bus every day attracted by photos of lush green hills and step planted agriculture. The photos are idyllic if you frame the scene tightly. However, when you zoom out, you see a much different image. Families living in unsanitary conditions, merchants and food vendors selling at prices that are artificially low, poor roads, poor utilities and a generally hard life.
Anyone visiting from say - a place like the United States - has to feel some level of guilt in enjoying the beauty Sa Pa has to offer in contrast to the way the locals are forced to live.
There are however no signs of resentment toward the foreigners who bring their money, admire what Sa Pa has to offer, and keep the retail economy humming.
It all raises questions about economic justice and what responsibility investors and the government have to make sure the citizens of Vietnam benefit as the country grows. As the Sa Pa skyline rises with Swiss looking luxury hotels, a few blocks away, often hidden out of sight, children play in trash strewn streets, adults wear surgical masks to protect their lungs from air pollution, and the young and the old follow tourists through town selling trinkets to try to make some extra cash.
In a place like this, environmental protection also needs to be a priority. Unregulated development can lead to decisions that have a lasting impact for decades to come.
These photos are also taken in Sa Pa and show the full picture of what life is like here for the average family.
The best hope for Vietnam may lie with its very young population. Nearly 70% of the people are under 35. They have a different world view and different expectations for how they want to live their lives. Some are trapped by the circumstances of their birth, but others - many others - have eyes opened by technology and mass communication and want more.
We all have a stake in helping Vietnam in its march toward economic viability. We can help by demonstrating how to regulate development in a way that protects the environment while providing a ladder of opportunity for a larger portion of the population.
It is in our own self-interest to do so. As technology shrinks our world, countries like Vietnam are less and less far away places we can only imagine visiting - they are more like a borough or a neighborhood of our own hometown. Decisions made here - change occurring here - effects us all.
© Dean Pagani 2019
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© Dean Pagani 2019