The mega cities of Vietnam are sprawling with up and coming industry. There seems to be renovations or buildings gaining levels every night. Even with all of the growth in industry, these cities are able to keep numerous parks that perform many duties for the public and appearance of the cities. This observation will look at a couple of famous in-city parks inside the capital of Vietnam, Hà Nội. The two parks this observation looks at are the Hoan Kiem Park and the Reunification Park. The citizens’ of Hanoi do a good job at keeping their government aware of the importance of these parks as shown inthe resentment of giving up land from Reunification Park to build a four star hotel. “The VUPDA campaign to preserve Reunification Park clearly engaged the three frames of collectivism, modernity and nationalism stressed in the city’s civilized city campaign” (Coe, 2014). The citizens used government propaganda to collectively demonstrate how the campaign to build a hotel was against the mission of cleaning the streets and creating a city for all peoples.
This consistent attitude in resenting foreign investment companies encroaching and attempting to construct hotels on the property of Reunification Park. This defensive approach to the parks left me to wonder what makes these parks so important to the citizens of Hanoi, Vietnam. I decided to observe the actions of different groups, genders, and ages of the people using the park at the time where the park seems the busiest. This time is between 5:30 – 8:00 a.m.
The Vietnamese people in general wake up very early to start their day. Markets are open early, and middle-aged women get their as soon as they open in order to get the freshest produce. Likewise, the Hoan Kiem Park and Reunification Park work the same way. The earlier you arrive, the better bench of area of pavement you get. You can get the better courts for badminton in the park, the best bench to stretch your back/ do core exercises, the perfect spot by the lake to meditate, or even the softest tree to work on your punches. The parks in the morning supply for locals, who I assume are of working or lower middle class, a place to exercise, interact with friends, relax with a love one, or express themselves however they see fit.
I categorized the different activities by first gender then age.
Gender | Adolescents- young adults | Middle-aged | Elderly |
Male | -Lifting weights (brought from elsewhere)
-running -Chatting with women trying to stretch/run -core exercises on benches -badminton – leading a dance group of middle-aged women. – Foot badminton, |
– meditating
– running (slowly like dragging their feet) – intense stretching – “The Helicopter” (flailing of arms and legs while twisting your torsoe) – stretching of hands/fingers – ballroom dancing with the ladies. -chatting with loved ones/friends. – stretching back on benches. -Punching a tree – Sparring with son (training son to box) – biking |
– with loved ones either sitting or walking.
– stretching on benches. – meditating – |
Female | -Occasionally running
– Chatting with boys – stretching – badminton |
– Ballroom dancing
– group stretching – group tai chi – group first step Ujam (dancing in place for exercise) – power walking with gossip group/friends. – meditating facing the river. – chatting it up with friends. – very unique stretching routines. – walking their do |
– sitting with loved ones.
– stretching while gazing upon the lake. – Group stretching. – Group in place dancing. – walking – meditating |
Men brought workout equipment to Hoan Kiem Park to lift.
Then took it away before 8 a.m
Strike a Pose. Two middle-aged women stretching and practicing Tai Chi at Reunification Park.
As you can see, the lakes in the morning are used by many people of different ages and for both genders. The middle-aged group definitely used the parks’ space more than the other two age groups. The biggest difference between genders was the group dynamic versus the individual working out. Women tend to use the space with other women of their age. While men tended to work out by themselves with the exception of weightlifting.
These parks are widely used by the public for many exercise and social reasons. They’re a brief escape from the city life as well as a beauty which helps the appearance of the city. It would be a shame if the government allowed for property of these parks to be privatized.