The neighbor (Vietnam)

The neighbor always greeted me with a “hello, teacher” and a smile. I was her ChatGPT as she always had questions for me—  about travel, and sometimes about Japanese and Korean politics.

The neighbor and her friends run the little bars in the Japanese town. They like to have interesting topics to discuss with their patrons who are mostly Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese businessmen or factory experts. The more topics they had to discuss, the longer they could keep the guests.

I didn’t mind the quick chat. Often, I got useful intelligence from them— the stuff their guests let slip— like what tech giant is going to start mobile phone production in Vietnam. Perhaps I should switch careers to industrial espionage.

Notes:

I feel one of the unseen factors that aids in the development of tech manufacturing is the presence of such “entertainment” areas. I saw it in China in the 2000s. Many of the “expat experts” who come to set up these factories and take up lead roles are males, who are nominally single when they are here.

I am in this place every couple of weeks. I can see the change in the women who move here. Their first few weeks, fresh out of the hometown, are shy and nervous. They are on YouTube learning Japanese or Chinese, still in pyjamas. A couple week later, there is a marked increase in confidence.

December 2022: I was sketching the above sketch of my neighbour at the brewery owned beer place at the entrance of the Japanese town. One of the staff, a young woman,  peered at my drawing. She said she recognised what I was drawing and said something disparaging about the girls who work in the counter bars. She gave her own example, stating that there are decent jobs that one can do without resorting to sexualising oneself. I explained to her that she speaks good English, has lived in a big city and has confidence in navigating modern Saigon. Many of the girls who work in the counter bar scene come from out of town. They may not have the skills and confidence to navigate more sophisticated work spaces. I recounted another conversation with another neighbour who she was talking about her trepidation in entering a posh cafe because she feared she would be out of place.  

June 2025: There is a short reference to such a place, the Rio hotel in Gumi, Korea. This is where in the late 1990s, LG was making the colorful iMac for Apple. Apple staff visiting Gumi, stayed at the Rio hotel and they were surprised by the Saloom in the hotel that provided “entertainment” to the electronics industry around.