Vietnamese Demand for Cycles

Among the most salient phenomena that a person visiting parts of Asia notices, is the variety of options for transportation. In my view, Asia remains the continent of bicycles and rickshaws by a huge margin. From India to China and Vietnam, one gets the distinct impression that bicycles or rickshaws are an important way for people to move around and to transport goods as well. Rarely does one see transportation by cycles adopted to that degree in the African and Latin American world. 

In this interesting article, Esmer Golluoglu of the Guardian covers a story of the place of cycles of different kinds in Vietnam. Indeed, it is not just a story of mobility and furious economic growth but also an unimaginable anthropological study about ownership, status and utility of cycles of various kinds. Significant is the view that ownership is hierarchical starting with the conventional cycle, to the e-bike, motorbike and the automobile as marking the apex of status. To my mind therefore, it is possible to accurately deduce a person's status by the kind of cycle that she owns in Vietnam. It is certain that some marketers have noted it but this is quite an important issue for study about markets and the segments within them.  

Closing Vietnam's Think Tank

In my view one indicator of the level of freedom in any country is the number, quality and variety of issues that think tanks do. This is not to argue that there is a causative relationship between the two. This trite point occurred to me today after reading through this short piece in the LA Times. the main point of news in the story is that an independent think tank in Vietnam has opted to close down in response to an unreasonable quest to circumscribe the areas of independent research. The Institute of Development Studies has made a difficult and even arguably bad decision by opting to close down but it is understandable that independent thinkers are distressed by this appalling decree.

It is clear that the government of Vietnam is making a very serious mistake in placing restrictions on the matters that may be made the subject of research in that country. to start with, the most palpable purpose of research is to discover the unknown and clarify knowledge. It is therefore presumptuous for a government to insist that there are only 317 issues that should be subjected to research. I am most impressed with the statement by the IDS in asserting that banning independent thought is the antithesis of scientific endeavour and that open discussion is useful for policy creation.

As a previous visitor to Hanoi, I am disappointed because my assessment was that the country would continue to open up over time. I hope that Vietnam's savvy politicians can justify their reputation for pragmatism and regain my confidence by taking seriously the implications of this decision by a body of scholars to close down the thought factory. As I often quoted from Anthony Fisher before, ideas have consequences.