TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Commercial Asylum in Vietnam
by Corey
Signs of migration
are slightly more hidden amidst the Vietnamese
landscape, at least in
the sense
that we have thus far explored. The
absence
of corporate migration may be more noteworthy in many
respects,
particularly
in regards to the American monster McDonald’s. Personal
narratives of strict government control exemplify
the attitude
of the government and are indicative of a time and place
in Vietnamese
history.
McDonalds is not
present in the Ho Chi Minh horizon; golden arches do not
riddle the
landscape. The average
income simply
will not allow for the McDonalds to secure a foothold in
this region of South East Asia,
but rumors
state that the corporation is
on its way. KFC does make a
brief
appearance in some corners of Ho Chi Minh, but other
iconic corporate
staples
do not dominate the commercial countryside.
However, the
images branded amidst mimic products have crossed many
boundaries,
ranging from
the presence of Puma, Polo, Diesel, LV,
Channel, etc. Mimic
products bypass
intellectual property laws under the self motivated
justification that
they
simply mimic the quality of the original and thus,
are worth less. In a nation
built on the
backs of motorbikes,
a wide range of migration occurs in the omnipresent
infiltration of
both
Japanese and Chinese motorcycles. Japanese
bikes
were rumored to cost between 1 and 6
thousand US dollars
while Chinese bikes may cost a mere 300 dollars. Chinese
DVD’s flood the tourist nooks, as
bootleg Hollywood
films bring
American cinema
stars across oceans, exemplifying the easing of trade
barriers and the
invasion
of foreign ideals and images.
A personal
experience regarding migration includes the life history
narrative of
one tour
guide in particular. This
guide had
attempted
to leave Communist Vietnam, was caught, and went on to
spend 10 months
in a
reeducation facility in the North.
If he
had managed to flee the country, he would have joined
the ranks of over
305,500
Vietnamese refugees seeking asylum outside the country,
according to
the World Refugee Survey 2006. The survey
continues with a wide range of statistical data, ranking
refugee status
around
the world and noting that over 15,000 Vietnamese are
still seeking
asylum inside Vietnam
today. Our guide’s father
was a
relatively important figure who had already immigrated
to the United States. By not allowing the next
generation to leave
the country, our tour guide’s case exemplifies a lack of
migration
associated
with a controlling regime.
Rigid government
control is a key theme of Vietnamese history. War
and conflict has forced the country to tighten its
grip on its
citizens while limiting foreign activity within its
borders. The signs of
migration that are now
infiltrating the country are linked to a loosening in
policy, allowing
external
players access to Vietnamese markets.
And
with this inflow of brand names and mopeds, an outflow
has emerged
allowing citizens to leave the country.
I
have heard from many Asian specialists on the ship that
Vietnam
will be
a key contributor to the international community in the
next 10 years. With major
infrastructural funding from the
Japanese, as seen in Vietnam’s
airport improvements and construction, outside
assistance is finally
making its
way past the political borders. Commercial
asylum
still holds true, but McDonalds is on its way, leaving
the
future of
capitalism in Vietnam
open to the imagination.
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