Today I had the luxury of visiting Phu My Hung, a large development corporation that develops residential housing projects. To put this into perspective, the kind of homes developed by Phu My Hung are the kind that the wealthiest of America to even dare to consider living in. Phu My Hung apartments start at around $10,000 a month and pricing can even be more expensive depending on the house that one would choose. The purpose of this company is to attract foreign buyers to Ho Chi Minh city, which in return would boost the city’s economy.

The site itself was astonishing, built with no shortage of greenery and parks galore. There were teams of workers working to keep the places clean and aesthetically pleasing. Although PMH was in it district 7, full of schools and thriving businesses, it still seems to not be isolated from all of the other areas of Ho Chi Minh City. The parts with much more average incomes sat close to the housing complexes, but did not have nearly as much beauty or displayed wealth. I believe that this is a major contrast to American housing communities, where the higher, middle, and lower incomes live in very separate areas. In Vietnam, there are no gates, and the process to buy a house is actually becoming easier with time. As far as environmental aspects, Ho Chi Minh City itself seems to have a problem with air and land pollution, but Phu My Hung seemed to have a major eco-friendly feel.

An issue that I would expect to arise would be personal disagreement from those average inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh city and the constructors of Phu My Hung. Possibly because of the benefit of these housing complexes, the city dwellers are pleased to have others enter. Earlier today, there was a public opinion of the United States and over the last 2 years it rose to 78% favorable. I am deeply interested in how residents of Phu My Hung properly integrate in this city, which I think Americans can possibly learn from. Despite the desire to attract foreigners and the major income differences in the city, Ho Chi Minh City inhabitants still seem to live in complete harmony, and this once again reveals the peaceful spirit alive in Vietnam.