Vietnam: A Timeless Charm
Vietnam: A Timeless Charm

Written by Jerome Lozada

I had been flying to Vietnam as part of my geographic territory building for the corporate learning business of John Clements Consultants — Harvard Business Publishing for two years now. When we travel abroad, our trips are normally packed with meetings, with barely no time to move around and explore. If at all possible, I find time to at least visit a historical place or a museum, where the soul of any country is etched for a lifetime.

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country, which shares its borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia. With a population of 93 million and a celebrated independence of just over 40 years, this country is indeed proving itself as a rising economy along the ASEAN belt. The country had grown immensely since it started implementing economic reforms in the mid 1980s. Basic economic indicators reveal that Vietnam is moving the needle with an economy annually growing at 5.8 percent. It is the third largest oil-producing country in the ASEAN and is foreseen to be the 17th largest economy in the world — indeed, promising.

During my most recent visit to Hanoi, it was a privilege that I had the chance to visit their Museum of Ethnology, Museum of National History, and Temple of Literature. My primordial goal was to dig deeper into the soul of Vietnam and learn more about what drives them as a country.

I learned that education is essential to the Vietnamese people, as evidenced by the Temple of Literature, which was built to honor Confucius, his finest scholars, and men of literary accomplishment. For many years, the Vietnamese were taught that education is the only way to reduce poverty in their country. Annually, before receiving their certificates and diplomas, each graduating class takes time to visit the said temple to give thanks for the blessing of wisdom, which will hopefully help them contribute to building their country.

I also learned that Vietnam is one of the few countries in the world where organized religion has no absolute authority over its people. Living in peace, love, and harmony with one another is more harnessed, rather than being absorbed and influenced by organized religion. “If love and harmony is present in our families and communities, religion has no place in our hearts,” according to one local. Of course, this does not equate to faith. Note that Vietnam has a religious profile of Buddhists, Catholics, and Muslims, among others. Lastly, in every visit I made to Vietnam, I felt a great sense of patriotism among its people. Every Vietnamese has this distinct and noble desire to help their country. The government and its people are relentlessly finding ways to make their lives better.
['Shiela Manalo']
['Vietnam', 'Economics', 'Asean']