Hoi An and Da Nang are only an hour flight from Hanoi, but the appearance and development are very different. The deviating ideals of the government in Hanoi and Da Nang are huge reasons for this and have made these areas more modern. The government is not only focused on attracting more tourists and businesses, but also becoming aware of the environment and sustainability.
As I was riding the bus into Da Nang, I didn’t expect the architecture to be so contemporary and the business buildings to be so tall and modern. This city has sprung up in the last couple of decades and has a couple of prominent bridges that are spectacular. One of them has a golden dragon “flying” through it. The direction of the dragon is facing the sea and around 9pm the mouth spouts fire. This bridge holds a lot of significance because it represents the thirty eighth year of liberation for Da Nang. The construction for the bridge started in 2009 and only opened last year. The government spent over eighty million dollars on this bridge and worked with architects from Japan to help build it. Also as I was driving around I noticed a lot of land by the water that was under construction with pictures in front of what the resorts were going to look like. The pictures were of perfect pools and beaches, not a single chair or tree out of place. It was miles of paradise resorts after another. The government wants to build places where foreigners can come to relax and enjoy their vacation. Vietnam in general is consistently on the top of lists for places to visit. The government in Da Nang gives the money back to the city and pours it into the tourist sector, trying to build an economy on tourism. The government wants the resorts companies to come here so badly that they are willing to give good deals to them. They think the more they invest in resorts the more tourists will come. I find it interesting that the government is so willing to make the city and all the buildings so nice when in Hanoi the corruption is a lot worse and not much of the money makes it out to help the city. The government has made this city come a long way in such a short period of time.
In Hoi An the government supports the farming industry as well, not just building and tourist development. The organic farm that is in Hoi An is one of nine that has been started by an NGO. They employ around one hundred fifty people for these farms. Before the farm was up and running last year, people from other countries and areas we’re brought in for their experience and insight. I was surprised that there were so many different strategies to growing organic crops besides crop rotation and using no pesticides. The farmers also planted flowers to distract from the crops, grew tall grass around the farm to keep out outside factors, and filtered the water a couple of times before watering the plants. Unfortunately, a majority of the farmers are in their fifties and sixties and none of the young people want to farm. They want to go into the city to work and build their companies. The government recognizes that organic farming is more time consuming and expensive, so to get more farmers to switch to organic farming they are offering to pay the loss. This now gives many farmers the incentive to switch methods and it helps the environment as well.
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