Today we listened to a very interesting lecture on how Vietnam has developed over the years. I learned a lot about when the first sky scraper was built (1993) and when the first stock exchange opened in Vietnam (2000). Following this lecture, after having a very yummy sushi lunch, we went on a site visit to Phu My Hung Development. When we entered Phu My Hung there was an obvious change in scenery. Rather than the usual jumble of shops and stands, there were large open grass areas and waterways. The community had an overall feeling of class. Everything is very clean and put together, very different from Ho Chi Minh. I don’t think Phu My Hung is for all demographics. It seems that it is an upper-class neighborhood that also caters to foreigners.
It didn’t seem that Phu My Hung has to follow many environmental rules. The employee who gave us the tour seemed more concerned with sticking to the “master plan”, given to them by designers, than the environment. He did mention there were some standards set by the government, but I can imagine those are pretty relaxed. Since we have been here, I haven’t seen a recycling bin, pair that with only drinking bottled water, and that’s already a large source of waste. As someone who cares about the environment, it is hard to see countries sacrificing sustainability for growth. Vietnam can only grow so big if they are stunted by climate change and pollution.
Phu My Hung looked beautiful from the outside, but it made me think about if the inner workings were as desirable. The man who showed us around seemed proud of their security systems; a copious amount of guards and cameras. Talking to my peers, many of us felt uneasy when we heard that, and it wouldn’t be a point of pride for us. I wonder if city people in Ho Chi Minh want to live in a place like Phu My Hung or they would also feel scared of it like us. The shine of the buildings and parks may blind them from the cameras and possible environmental damage as Phu My Hung recruits 70,000 more residents to live there in the future.
