Japan and Asia: Vietnam Lures Japanese Women with Its Clothing and Boutiques

Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Young Japanese women have discovered a new hot travel destination: Vietnam. Blessed by an increased number of flights, cheaper package tours and a blizzard of gushing articles in women's magazines, Vietnam has suddenly become one of the trendiest vacation spots among Japanese women in their 20s and 30s. "Cute, Tasty, Cheap in Vietnam," declares the title of a recently published Japanese travel guide for women. Currently on the newsstands: a special edition of the Crea fashion magazine titled "L'esprit de Vietnam," which is filled with glossy photographs of beaded handbags and light blue teacups sold in Ho Chi Minh City. In 1999, the latest figures available, 8,739 Japanese women aged 25 to 29 visited Vietnam, more than double the figure in 1995. Among men aged 25 to 29, the increase during the period was just 26% to 4,508 in 1999 from 3,577 in 1995. More recent figures aren't out yet, but travel agents say they've been increasing the number of packaged tours to Vietnam over the past year and are focusing their marketing on young women.

It's not so much Vietnam's complex history or the scenic countryside that lure young Japanese women. Rather, the attraction lies in the wide array of colorful and surprisingly inexpensive accessories, home-furnishings and custom-made silk dresses that are sold in Ho Chi Minh City's increasingly sophisticated boutiques.

Ao Dai Fans

"There's so much pottery and interior goods in Vietnam that it tickles a girl's heart," says Akiko Kato, a 28-year-old accounting clerk who went on a five-day vacation to Ho Chi Minh City last November with three girlfriends. Among her purchases: a summer dress, loads of handbags, pottery and an aluminum coffee filter.

What's fueling the boom is an increase in the number of flights between Japan and Vietnam. A code-sharing agreement between Vietnam Airlines and Japan Airlines signed last year, and between Vietnam Airlines and All Nippon Airways earlier this week have launched direct flights between Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City. Previously, direct flights from Japan originated only from Osaka. The growing number of flights has in turn brought down the price of packaged tours. Travel agents now offer four-day trips to Ho Chi Minh City, including hotel accommodations, for as low as 69,800 yen (US$571) -- prices that are competitive with tours to Hong Kong or Singapore.

But Vietnam's popularity has also risen because Japanese women have become much more experienced travelers in recent years. With prices of goods rising in other popular Asian destinations such as Hong Kong, many are eager to find better bargains and are willing to venture to more exotic locations. Ms. Kato, for instance, already has toured all around the U.S., Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines. She chose Vietnam in part because she felt ahead of the curve in spotting a travel trend.

War Wounds

For Miyuki Nambu, a 34-year-old sales attendant at a clothing boutique, it was the tasty food and national dress called ao dai -- a long close-fitting blouse worn over loose pants made of silk -- that got her hooked on Vietnam. During her vacation to Ho Chi Minh City in May last year, she was astonished that she could buy a custom-made ao dai for just $30, when a similar ao dai off the rack in Japan cost about $137. She wore one to a party back in Japan recently and was mobbed by friends who were eager to find out exactly where she got the costume. Soon after, two friends went on their own ao dai-ordering tours, Ms. Nambu says.

The new, cute image of Vietnam comes as a shock to male Japanese travelers such as 22-year-old Akitoshi Shirai. He toured Vietnam last August because, as a college history major, he was particularly interested in visiting the DMZ -- the former demilitarized zone that separated North from South Vietnam until 1975 -- and the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which displays mainly photographs and weapons used during the war with the U.S. "Vietnam is cute?" marvels Mr. Shirai. "I didn't see any of that."

Still, even those who start out with limited interest in Vietnam end up becoming more educated during their travels. "For me, the interior goods were just a starting point," says Ms. Nambu, the ao dai fan. She soon noticed people bearing old war wounds on the street and started wondering about the effects of the war. Now, she is curious to know more about the people, and in particular, about Ho Chi Minh, the nation's revolutionary leader. "After all," says Ms. Nambu, "you don't become interested in a country solely because there are cute things to buy."

Hello everyone--

I don't know if you all similarly had strong reactions to this article, but let me just get my two cents in hopes that someone else will chime in with their own thoughts.

So, our homeland is now the new hip destination for young Japanese women who are on a mission to buy more for less. They're on the cutting edge of souvenir shopping in Southeast Asia! Yeah!

Am I the only one who finds this repulsive?

Ono does a great disservice not only to Vietnam but also to her fellow Japanese sisters. First, as we all know, Vietnam is more than the wars (internal and external) of the twentieth century (or any other century). Does Vietnam need to begin and end with war? Aside from war and HCM, couldn't something just as meaningful or more so about Vietnam be highlighted, such as arts, culture, and society.... Is Africa one big safari? Is Spain nothing but Pamplona (running of the bulls?)? It just gets old and tired reading nothing but war, war, war when Vietnam is in question.

Secondly, the women travelers are presented as dim wit conspicuous consumers who have Indochinese/Vietnam/American war amnesia ("She soon noticed people bearing old war wounds on the street and started wondering about the effects of the war. Now, she is curious to know more about the people, and in particular, about Ho Chi Minh, the nation's revolutionary leader"). It took folks with severed limbs for Ms. Ao Dai fan to get the picture? I previously complained that discussions on Vietnam need not begin and end with the war, but how can ANYONE traveling to Vietnam not know it's revolutionary history? Vietnamese people are not to be pitied.

If Ms. Nambu (who I highly doubt is because she's already encouraged two of her friends to go on their own ao dai tours...), Ono, or any other tourist is truly interested in finding out about the effects of the war, then she/he should buy a map, wear comfortable shoes, bring a handily Vietnamese dictionary, and start walking and talking to locals. Refrain from the inanimate bargains as the first, second or third stop, and especially ONLY stop. Traveling should be an educational experience and not simply a crash course in exchange rates.

Vietnam is not garage sale, thrift store, Ross "dress for less" haven. Despite whatever efforts are being made for economic renewal and investment Vietnam is not a disposable commodity to be bought, consumed, and then discarded. This article perpetuates the idea that Vietnam is cheap, trendy, and may possibly be worth getting to know at a deeper level if the war wounds catch your eye in the midst of the shopping frenzy.

Hi Tuyen and everyone:

I have traveled to (and lived in) VN since 1990 and believe me, the article brings some sense of relief. As a poverty specialist/consultant (so many ways to interpret this title), I am glad that VN has something to sell to women of the world.

A few years back, there were articles pointing out how only men went because child prostitution is up in Thailand and might have expanded into VN. Those really gnawed at me, not this one.

Vietnam desperately needs foreign currency (the need has yet to be abated) and if there is anything of the cultural fabric on display for tourism, let it flourish. The colonial influence on VN by the French -- worldly masters of style -- is unique for Southeast Asia. Saigon is capitalizing on this big time, meshing/merging it with cultural elements of VN. Products are getting to be gorgeous there.

Japanese young women are avid shoppers internationally and if they find things to their taste in VN, that is really a huge big stamp of approval for other international big money shoppers. If Singapore and Hong Kong can be a haven for shoppers and build their successful economies on that, Vietnam should really consider ways to promote the fashion industry wisely. At least that was what I thought should be big during the francophone convention a few years back.

[now on to something more provocative]Vietnam is much more than the war, even the cutesy Japanese young women realize that! I wish more of us Vietnamese born residents inside and outside VN would not hold the history (tattered and continuously reinterpreted) to be the only thing to be proud of and let the country search out new paths that may seem to be paved by dollars from "cutesy air headed young misses".

If there are signs of the war left (and there are plenty of them if one ever glances up from the shopping at hand), if there is still rampant poverty, let the tourist enjoy the beach still! They are on vacation for heaven's sake. Without their shallow curiosity, the Vietnamese embassies around the world may have to shut down because they don't have enough foreign currency garnered through visa stamping.

With regards to the shoppers, the Japanese young women are renowned for their legendary style of shopping for high quality products. Ono may portray them as air headed; I as someone who is prone to look at indicators of the economy, see them as harbingers of solid currency earning industries of the future.

Welcome to both new ladies on the forum. Tuyen, how about you introducing yourself?

Both of you have the points on the article. I wish that all tourists would visit VN for its unique people, culture, history and landscape. My first visit to VN was for those qualities.

However, the reality is that people do visit VN because it is inexpensive to travel and to buy things there. I confessed that I do ask my relatives traveling to VN to buy tailored clothes for me. This can only be good for the economy for the Vietnamese people, unless if you are totally anti-communist government so you don't want any currency to pour in.

Well, I rather have tourists go shopping on legitimate souvenirs than going there for prostitution or other underground things that make me so mad.

Hi D, T, C and all

I agree so much with Diep & with the other women in that it's definitely better to have female shoppers than male sex tourists, and if Japanese women like to shop, then their currency is as valid as anyone else. There are plenty of tourists in Vietnam from America and France who comment on the 'quaintness' of Hanoi and sound quite ignorant. I was given a book designed by Japanese artist for children that raised money for children affected by land minds in Cambodia. Articles generalizing females who shop as airheads makes me so angry. What about all the males trying to barter down cyclo drivers over a dollar, and buying up souvenirs resembling Vietnam Veteran zippo lighters and gun shells. I fear what kind of "Vietnam" experience they're buying into.

It seemed harsh on the intelligence and general knowledge of the Japanese women, most who would have grandmothers who may have suffered heavily from World War 2. The atomic bombs had severe damage on that generation and birth defects following. Is Nagoya or Hiroshima cute? Yes it is and it also has beauty and of course, a very tragic history combined with a hopeful present.

The article written wasn't really about any environmental or cultural damage the increase of tourism may have in general on Vietnam (for fear it could be another Bali etc) which is far more harmful than buying from the Vietnamese tailors and artists...I'm sorry, I'm venting late at night here.

Ladies -

So post-dam hoi I've had some time on my hands and am researching Vietnamese and Korean weddings like mad for a web page. I ran across this page of a Vietnamese/Filipina wedding and was really weird out by the photo album. I know it's popular to go to photography studios but I don't get why they're dressed in kimonos. It's a shock given colonial histories but maybe someone can explain? Is it hip to dress in kimonos?

Also, there's a restaurant in Michigan called Annam which caters to uppity Caucasians, the local VN-American community avoids the place because of the terrible food and the way the staff treats them. The place is run by VN-French but VN-Americans have been made to understand that they're not welcome, they don't really enhance the floofy atmosphere. My Mother's itching to organize a protest, saying the name is an affront to all Vietnamese. Now, I know there are plenty of VN-French colonial themed restaurants in the US (Le Colonial in Chicago, etc.) but have there been any criticisms or protests? We're getting ready to write the local papers and magazines, which gave the place glowing reviews. One article cites that Annam means "peaceful self" in Vietnamese. This is news to me. (Can you feel the sarcasm?)

http://detnews.com/2000/food/0921/lead/lead.htm

http://www.observer-eccentric.com/arts/dineout/archive/dine297.html
I've had it up to here with Vietnamese culture being interpreted along colonial themes, as if having French or Japanese influences (versus domination and massacres) makes it more palatable for consumption. I'd appreciate your thoughts and any names of VN-French colonial restaurants, am putting together a list to post online. Hopefully patrons and owners will feel some VWF wrath (and my Mother's).

Hi L,

Good for you!

First one that comes to my mind: Le Cheval in Oakland, CA. I avoid that place like the plague -- and tell my friends not to eat there-- when asked why, I tell them it's because of the name and then go into a lengthy explanation of French colonialism etc... and actually posted a review for the Thai restaurant next door (great food, great service) urging people to walk right by it. Having never been there, I can't say much about the food -- though have been told that they do have a "few" good dishes -- coming from a bunch of white people -- that leaves a lot to be desired. I was told by a VERY reliable source that if you do eat there, to give the tip -- in cash -- to the server (covertly)-- otherwise, management takes it and then divvies it up (I wonder if it's the kind of system where your hourly wage is taken from the cumulative tips) they also own Le Petit Cheval (fast food in Berkeley)

Slanted Door in San Francisco (never been there either -- probably will never go)

For a listing of Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area
(LE COLONIAL, La Vie, Le Jardin, Le Soleil)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/search/rest_srch_wrap.cgi?q=&ty=Vietnamese&ar=&cy=&t=restaurants.tmpl&a=search&r=&v=1%202%203%204%205%206%207%20&wdb=/web/wais-indexes/eguide/food&rs=/tmp/waisgate_pGeYWK&st=21

Speaking of translations -- there's also Ana Mandara at Ghirardelli Square (the write-up says it means beautiful refuge, but neglects to say that it is not a Vietnamese term)

http://www.anamandara.com/thelovestory.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/reviews/restaurants/4157716800.DTL&type=food
http://bayarea.citysearch.com/profile/885987/

Local review: Ana Mandara v. Slanted Door Posted by An Anonymous User on May. 25, 2001 Regarding the review that said Ana Mandara did not live up to Slanted Door. It should be read with this in mind: Asian restaurants don't serve bread. (Insert appropriate ignorant-Marina-dot-com-trend-chaser insult here.)

As a reply to this local review: They Could Learn From Slanted Door Posted by An Anonymous User on May. 09, 2001 Dark, barely audible and creepy music, and devoid of charm, this restaurant won't last without changes, regardless of the movie star connections. The food was good, but the portions are tiny. Three of us were steered toward the nearly $30 lobster entree which left us reaching for some bread or something...but there was no bread! I had to order a side of vegetables just to get a complete course. The waiter was inattentive and slow. I ordered wine and he came back nearly 15 minutes later and said "I am sorry, what did you order?" The other patrons looked like they belonged in Las Vegas. I adore Slanted Door. The service is impeccable, the food is the best, and while the decor isn't as elaborate as Ana Mandara, the place is electric. Ana Mandara is lots of flash, but doesn't stand up to high restaurant standards.

In a message dated 7/27/01 10:45:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time, K:

re: le cheval:

I was told by a VERY reliable source that if you do eat there, to give the tip -- in cash -- to the server (covertly)-- otherwise, management takes it and then divvies it up (I wonder if it's the kind of system where your hourly wage is taken from the cumulative tips)

I'm not sure if you give it covertly it would be a good thing. The workers are watched like HAWKS there, and you would be putting their jobs at risk if they tried to take it. Secondly, while I was working there, management does not divvy it up from cumulative tips. Workers get what they get and despite the over-rated food. Le cheval has a die-hard loyal following they make their customers feel "known" and many (esp. non-Asian people of color) are just thankful to be treated well at a restaurant.

Let me add a gross one to the list: pho republique. As of two years ago, they had already opened two in Boston (w-h-i-t-e) and from what I heard, white chef teaches Vietnamese cooking classes. Ultra colonial decor, and tacky have no idea how the food is. Despite the name, pho pasteur in several locations in Boston has best pho in Boston (all relative, right?), and decor ranges, depending on location, though for the most part tasteful. Their friendly service had been rather consistent with both Vietnamese, black and Latino friends. The location with the least ambience, but best pho (Chinatown) burned down a few years ago.

There aren't any good VN banquet places in Oakland/East Bay (maybe the new May Hong on webster/14th would be okay, but haven't checked it out yet). I've eaten at Le Cheval for a banquet once with the Huong Viet folks. We all vowed never to eat there again. Other than some of the staff, we were the only Vietnamese people in there. The service was bad, bad, bad. Waiter was a white guy who spoke no Vietnamese and got our order wrong several times and we ordered in ENGLISH! (why they would give us a white waiter when there were several other VN ones is beyond me). Basically we had to send the VN busboy to go fix our order. They gave us a scoop of mango ice cream as free service since he messed up our order so much when we should have gotten the courses themselves free. The food was binh thuong. Not very special. It reminded me of fast food generic Asian/Chinese food rather than being VN; Cam Huong the VN deli on Webster is better by comparison. The vegetables weren't very gio`n, and everything was drowning in corn starchy sauce (oyster or soy). ;oP Le petit Cheval is better and cheaper too (more Asian clientele since it’s right by UC Berkeley campus), but it's still very fast food like.

Crustacean's is another bourgie colonialist "Eurasian" restaurant in SF and Beverly Hills. Don't have anything to say about the one in SF, never having been there, but the one in Beverly Hills is a trip. My bro used to wait at the one in BH, which was very trendy for Mr. & Mrs. Melanie Griffith, FranDrescher and the hollywoodites to dine. It has very beautiful decorated. French colonial style fans, mosquito nets, bamboo/wicker. The biggest draw was the glass covered koi pond that ran through the entire restaurant. It is admittedly very beautiful, but most definitely not Vietnamese style or authentic Vietnamese food. The snooty An family who run the restaurants claim to be the glorified hereditary chefs to the emperor. Or as my mom says, that just means they were lowly servants to an insufferable, petty, in-bred monarchy. She can't figure out why people love to claim connections to the Nguyen dynasty since they sold out Viet Nam to the French colonizers in the first place. Anyways, so they have a "secret kitchen" where the An's prepare their special secret family recipes. But their head chef down in BH isn't even a member of the family; he's a very nice Vietnamese guy who got hired after he immigrated from VN and they keep him locked in this little kitchen. And they use frozen seafood, because they know their white clientele can't Taste the difference when the food is fresh or not... and they treat the Latino & Asian staff like crap.

Thanks ladies for the tips, it's interesting to hear how Vietnamese restaurant owners play out this colonial theme. Why hasn't anyone protested or written about this in larger publications? What does the Vietnamese-American population at large think about these restaurants? Do they just ignore them?

I don't understand the romanticism behind French colonialism; it's like eating the movie "indochine." My mother recently told me how the French plantation owners would butcher Vietnamese workers who accidentally killed rubber trees. She said that it's a delicate process, cutting the trees just right so that the rubber drips down but if you cut too deep it kills the tree. She ended saying the worker would be buried under the dead tree as punishment.... we should send photos of this to the restaurants, complete the décor.

I agree with you about Cam Huong deli...I haven't been to Crustacean, but did venture out to Thanh Long (the original restaurant) -- with the secret recipes and such... white clientele, over priced, though admittedly the food and service was good.
--
If you like skinny tall white girls in modified a'o tu+' tha^n and food dripping and sitting in butter (very French)... will never go there again either ... though there has been a few good reviews for Thang Long in Petaluma and I'm hoping to try that soon.

Three seasons is a newest restaurant out in the marina -- only had time for a quick meal though admittedly the fusion Vietnamese/Japanese go?i cuo^'n are quite inventive and good (imagine spider go?i cuo^'n) once again, mostly white clientele, and few Vietnamese waiters.