The Vietnamese Lotus Theory

When I stepped into the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chin Minh City, South Vietnam for the first time in December 2016, I sensed a breeze of optimism and vibrancy in the air. Later I realized that what I have seen in the airport was just the same as what I saw in Ho Chin Minh City during my 5 days stay there, with both the places pulsating with life, vigor, and activities. For a country that has been on the offensive for thousands of years evading various assaults and colonial intent, the optimism that I witnessed in the Vietnamese was quite extraordinary. In fact it was a positive assault on my senses. Today, Vietnam had secured socio-political stability and is known as one of the most dynamic economies in the region with an average growth of 7.5%.

With a population of about 95 million people (as of January, 2017), the Vietnamese had come a long way, reverberating a success note that had placed western and foreign powers including the United States to shame. Vietnam was engrossed in wars, conflicts, invasion and intrusion mostly throughout its existence that it represents an open book truth that the people, be they infants, young or old have all become sort of immune to crisis, conflicts and deadly bloody wars. For a country that has been em-battling conflicts all throughout its growth, the current visible transformation seen in this nation, one of the most bustling economies in South-east Asia, is surely mind- boggling.

In my observation, the prolonged wars and conflicts had prepared the Vietnamese to become very industrious and resourceful. It is a blessing in disguise for the Vietnamese, who are although physically thin, slim and short when compared to the average Asian, they are blessed with a robust patriotism and love for their country, substantiated with a strong urge to work, to be productive and to improve their socio-economic status. I saw fleets of motorcycles mostly women riders plying the streets. Young women in their traditional outfit Ao dai, with debonair smiles, the middle-aged and the old-aged take pride in riding their motorbikes, maneuvering the busy streets of Ho Chin Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.

Vietnam is currently in a period of the golden population structure, i.e. 60% of its population are of working age. As "all wisdom comes by age or office", the incessant wars had bestowed this nation with people of steely willpower and mindsets with extraordinary survival skills come what may. Nothing is wasted in Vietnam. Everything is recycled and put to creative use. The Vietnamese know the value of resources more so when these resources were plundered by colonialists or wiped out by continuous bombing, including the use of hazardous chemicals during the wars especially during the Vietnam-American War.

Though the Vietnamese often despise their colonial conquerors, they have maintain some colonial structures for tourism purposes for instance the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral built in the late 1880s by the French colonists reinforcing the presence of Catholicism in the mainly Buddhists Vietnam. According to one tourist guide whom I spoke to, the presence of these colonial structures will forever remind the Vietnamese not to take the gained freedom for granted. Another superb treat though left by the French will be the world-famous Vietnamese coffee. Every sip is a joy to the taste buds - thick, creamy coffee brew, and coffee aficionados would surely love it in Vietnam.

Everywhere we went in the main streets of Ho Chin Minh city, calls like 'abang' and 'kakak' can be heard. I was quite surprised with the frequent calls made in the Malay Language (also similar to the Indonesian Language) but my doubts were cleared when I noticed that Malaysian tourists form one of the largest groups visiting Vietnam. The cloth material for the 'Baju Kurung' (The traditional Malay attire worn by Malay women in Malaysia) is widely available here, in a variety of choices and colours prompting Malaysians to grab them cheap, in bulk and sell them back home for a handsome profit.

The entrepreneurial skills and mindsets of the Vietnamese are commendable because they have gone to the extra mile to master an alien language to them - the Malay Language just to prosper their businesses. My all-knowing tour guide confessed to me that most of these businesses send their workers to Malaysia to study the language so that customers will be at ease conversing with them. Some even picked up the language through time and practice, trial and error conversing with customers.

The lotus is of significance to the Vietnamese. The lotus grows in the mud, yet maintains its sanctity by blooming the flower above the mud. The same could be said of the Vietnamese, though devastated by years of conflicts and chaos, they were able to stand aloft, rebuilding their country countless times until what it is today. Their perseverance and love for their country are clearly reflected during my visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The entire circumference depicts the war zone and how the Vietnamese evaded the horrific assault by the Americans' who came in with superior weapons' and technological supremacy, simply by hiding in underground tunnels (three floors underground), creating awesome systems of ducts and setting unimaginable deadly traps utilizing wild bamboos, using slippers made from rubber obtained from used tyres and re-producing ammunition from exploded bombs and other remnants.

What I witnessed mesmerized me and I saluted my tour guide out of the respect for an army assembled merely out of peasants, farmers, children and women yet so effective in protecting every inch of the country. These characteristics of being resolute, persevered, creative, innovative and brave can be seen in the Vietnamese people even till this day.

The Vietnamese possess great self-belief in themselves. Their inspirations are derived from supporting each other just like being the beacon of light in the darkness. They would not be able to be as accomplished without the foundation their past leaders have bestowed on them. Their progress do not shallow the fact that they have very strong determination and are not influenced and affected by their past misfortunes. They withstood the harshest of conditions yet remain standing tall till today - strong and tough.

Correspondingly, they remain unaffected by the strains of life. From the sailor's creed, "we cannot direct the winds, but we can direct our sails". It is through the pounding of a serious conflict that we grow. Suffering is the fertilizer for the roots of character. The heroes of life are storm-swept and battle-scarred. The best display of character is seen in those who exhibit the scars from the past. I would like to close with a wonderful quote from Peter F. Drucker - the management consultant guru who said -"The future is difficult to predict but the future are for those who can create it".



 By RG Mohan Rethnaswamy



Article Source: The Vietnamese Lotus Theory