THE sign above the door at Cong Caphe, a hip coffee shop in downtown Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, bears a bright-red communist star. Inside, the brick walls are covered in memorabilia from the era of the Vietnam war: rusty canteens, an old transistor radio and snapshots of Viet Cong soldiers trudging off to fight the Americans. Yet the aesthetic is not so much patriotic as a cheeky send-up of communist ideology. The 20- and 30-something Vietnamese who drink here, spending the fruits of an increasingly capitalist economy, feel far removed from the hardships suffered by their parents and grandparents, while they applaud ever-closer ties with America.
With its scooter-driving young and an economy growing at nearly 7% a year, Vietnam seems like a country in a hurry. In many ways, the ruling Communist Party is trying to keep up. Not far from the coffee shop, windows the size of a cathedral’s illuminate the new building housing the National Assembly, Vietnam’s parliament. Sunbeams pour from skylights into the marble foyer. In a one-party state where symbols matter, the building’s airiness suggests that the rulers are trying to project an image of...Continue reading
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