BY;DONALD SEVILLA
TRAVELOGUE: Dateline Hanoi
Having been on my fourth visit to this country, though my first in Hanoi, why am I always surprised?
Every travel comes with its new set of adventures and experiences, priceless memories that live with us through time.
From being a war-ravaged country decades ago, a literal phoenix that rose from its ashes, Vietnam has come a long way.
It has moved fast forward, outpacing it’s neighbors in economic growth and development. Where the Philippines once stood a proud leader of the pack in our corner of the globe, we have now become a ” lazy boy” of Asia, dwelling on past glories and struggling to survive into a bright future for its people.
Make no mistake. I am a proud citizen of the country of my birth, but am so embarrassed about how things have been mismanaged and handled by political leaders who stood at the helm of its governance.
Yet corruption is not totally absent in our Asian neighbors, but they have fared better than us at handling it. Just recently, a billionaire Vietnamese businesswoman was given a long jail sentence on corruption charges.
In the Philippines we have yet to see “big fish” prosecuted and jailed for crimes related to the flood control scandal. Where we haven’t shown teeth in pursuing perpetrators, others have displayed grit and determination to crack down on erring individuals.
Vietnam years back was way behind. But now their rapid economic growth has outshone us. Vietnamese EV car manufacturer VINFAST has invaded our shores and is competing at par with large Chinese EV players.
Their tourism industry has grown by leaps and bounds and visitors coming to our shores are shifting focus to Vietnam. While we in the Philippines grapple with high prices of food and basic commodities, Vietnamese people tend to be self-sufficient producing their own food abundantly.
I was surprised while enroute to the Old Quarter of Hanoi, to see a large plot of land planted with bananas and other crops in the middle of the city like an urban vegetable oasis. Whether this was government owned or privately initiated is immaterial as it highlights the fact that their government has given attention to food sufficiency through agriculture.
Can we say the same of our beloved Philippines? Ironically, Vietnam is the top exporter of rice to our country when years back, their students of agriculture learned and studied from us at IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) in Laguna. Where have we gone wrong to become the world’s top importer of the product?
Traversing the country’s highways make me humble by comparison. The quality of work seems far better than our notorious DPWH.
Where their railways are working and modernized. the Philippines is struggling with the Tutuban rail line. I can go on and on but that would be more embarrassing.
So what happened? Haven’t we learned our lessons well?
On a side note, my dear Bohol, land of my birth and my favorite ” ube kinampay” has taken pride in tourism and her attractions like whale watching, Chocolate Hills, etc. but where are the tourists now? Have they come in droves or gone away?
Wake up Bohol! It’s time to study and learn. Vietnam is way, way, inexpensive!