Life in Hanoi begins early. Over the two weeks I have been here, I have been able to see the city at night, in the morning, and in the heat of the day: for sheer energy the morning takes the cake. The mornings in Hanoi are cool, at least relative to the rest of the day, and people come out in response. Six in the morning begins a veritable invasion of park space by Hanoians of all walks of life, though some demographics make a particular show of it.
I have never seen so many old women dancing. Not on YouTube, not in flash mobs, and certainly nowhere in my own country. Decked out in brightly colored spandex, dancing in synch, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups by the dozen, these older women swing their hips, shake their arms, twist, jump, and move through exercises I will probably never witness again (and certainly could not do myself).
Of course, there are others. The parks belong to the young at night, but in the morning they are few and far between. But badminton players abound, I’ve seen older men – typically alone – doing everything from push-ups to tricep squats to martial arts with long spears and other assorted weapons. Younger men show up as well, and at places like Reunification Park take advantage of the weight facilities and exercise equipment scattered throughout the park.
But there are some who see more than personal health emerging from these kinds of activities. Indeed, the argument could be made that in these kinds of dynamics there are the essences of a democratic citizenship and a healthy society. Coe (2014) describes an effort by the city government to take park space for use with a private hotel, and the widespread opposition that found a voice through a journal published by architects and urban planners. They became a sort of democratic voice through which their own concerns, and those of the broader populace, could reach the government. Though not directly oppositional to the Communist party line (Communist philosophy and ideals informed the language they used in their opposition, couching their arguments within approved party notions). And the critical role of urban design in civic engagement is often taken as a given in academic circles (Ho 2008), which comes as no surprise to a post-Arab Spring, Occupy Movement, public-squares-taken-over-all-over-the-world-in-the-name-of-civil-disobedience world.
Indeed, in many ways the parks in Hanoi do seem to contribute to a sort of civic development. Here you have people assembling from all walks of life, developing a sense of ownership over a space that, as history shows, they are willing to fight for. From a community development angle they are engaging in shared ritual (exercises and activities) that can build a shared sense of camaraderie. People are together, sharing space and action in a lively way that could certainly cultivate health and a sense of belonging to one another. Do parks contribute to a healthy society? Absolutely. Can the shared space and ownership cultivate citizenship? From a community development stance, it seems likely.
But whether this contributes to democracy is a different question entirely.
While I have no doubt that civic spaces can be excellent staging grounds for shows of populist force, as in Occupy or the Arab Spring, and while the value of opportunities for assembly and collective expression certainly have a role to play in a civic society, from what I’ve seen (admittedly little) it’s a bold move to suggest that parks are playing a vital role in Vietnam’s developing democracy. While opportunities for peaceful assembly, interaction (and the resulting discussion), and cultivation of group identity are perhaps necessary for democratic change, it is not entirely clear they are sufficient to ensure that occurs. There are ample historical examples of similar conditions being used by autocratic states to further their own ambitions: happy, well-fed, people with rewarding social conditions are not, I suspect, the first the take up revolutionary sentiments.
But perhaps it is reform, and not revolution, that is necessary. And there, at least, I think parks offer a glimmer of hope. You see, dancing in the parks also occurs in the night, and the demographics there are far younger. As I was passing by one of the gates to the park I saw such a young crowd (though not without an older scattering) trying to set up a speaker and begin their dance class. One young women, about my age, was in front of the crowd and arguing with a police officer. I do not know what they said, but from what I saw it seemed that there was a disagreement about permitting, or at least some piece of paper being passed back and forth. As far as I could tell from gestures, the officer was trying to shoo the group away, and the instructor was vehemently asserting her rights to be doing what she wanted to do exactly where she was.
How this debate resolved I do not know. But the fact there was a debate at all says something. After all, if people have something good you can’t take it away without a fight. That’s as true for dance class spaces as it is for hotel projects. And in those little debates and disagreements, perhaps the seeds of resistance to the broader state are born.
The below short-film has more information about ballroom dancing in parks in Hanoi:
The following video – not my own – shows some exercises in a third park in Hanoi, Lenin park: