Enclaves.

Before stepping out of the Rising Dragon Hotel, my home for the last 3 weeks, I realize how much of a bubble it is from the bustling culture that races on outside its sparkling clear glass doors. Fashioned with marble counter-tops and an intricate chandelier hanging overhead, it tries to shield its guests from the developing world outside. Though from inside, I can see women carrying their vegetables and produce merchandise on their shoulders as they wander the alleyways and roads looking for potential customers. Bikes pass with more cargo balancing on the back than I would feel comfortable cramming into my civic in the states. The trees giving shade overhead are actually webs of telephone and electricity wires woven into low hanging branches.

Getting out to see the city, Mia and I had a day of walking and taxiing around Hanoi. After a full night's worth of thunder, rain and general storming the city gleams with fresher air and clearer skies. We make our way down the street hugging as tight as we can to the “sidewalk”* as cars and scooters race to their respective destinations. I have stopped counting how many times my arm, leg or some part of my body has nearly been taken off by an intrepid driver trying to make his/her way through.

We pass countless shops and buildings luminous with commodities and the promise of air conditioned interiors. More enclaves. The façade of the buildings are not too impressive, but the light fixtures, layouts and items inside look like they are portals to a boutique on California’s most posh shopping strips.

The shopping centers and hotels are not the only enclaves. We visited the oldest pagodas** in Hanoi. On West Lake, it is a refuge from the busy city atmosphere it sits in the center of. Walking into the Pagoda the sounds of the city were significantly muffled by walls and trees. As I stand in a clearing, I watch the leaves of a tree dance with the breeze. If I had been placed here just staring and listening, I would not have known that I was surrounded by sky rises and newly built commercial buildings. Unlike economic enclaves, this was more like a peaceful haven.

Looking at Vietnam from a development stand point, enclave is probably not the best term to use. Though these places are seemingly separate, they do interact quite a bit with the culture. All of the motorbikes I see everyday are often driven by fashionable Vietnamese men and women, dressed in shiny shoes and beautiful attire. Even the culture has the sense of peace I witnessed in the pagoda. So maybe these “enclaves” slowly leak out their influence in a blotchy process of development and an evolution of Vietnamese Culture.

* Sidewalk is just another term for places to park motorbikes and setup your merchandise.
** Fun Fact: Pagodas are only for worshiping Buddha, temples are for worshipping other gods and city heroes.