Sunny Days: Hà Nội provides some of the best sunsets the world has to offer, all over town. Photo courtesy of Alex Reeves

By Alex Reeves - @afreeves23

I would be a liar if I said I hadn’t cast my gaze across a Tây Hồ sunset or its many impressive digital uploads and felt a tinge of jealousy. There is something undeniably wonderful about living with the view of such a lake just yards away on your balcony. Chemically enhanced or otherwise, it’s a thing of beauty. The colours melt, the sun develops a personality of its own, sometimes the moon comes out to play, flair or flare, take your pic.

With that said, I exist in what I am unofficially coining the ‘love you short time’ paradox, or at least until a better name for such a non unique social phenomena comes to pass. Guilty again of simultaneously pressing my Tây Hồ dwelling friends into pushing the boundaries of the city and perhaps venturing beyond the old quarter and into the leafy avenues of Ba Đình while also tutting in discontent at the increasing number of new expat faces ‘taking over’ my neighbourhood.

Reading my own words back here fills me with a deep sense of ‘get a life’. People surely have their own reasons for largely residing in the areas they do so. Convenience, though, is such a mighty force in our modern existence, I can’t help but wonder if it stifles such love affairs as the one I have with Hà Nội. Or is the ‘Full Tefl Jacket’ protecting me from the harsh realities of Hà Nội life?

I might like to think the bún chả lady in my little pocket of Hà Nội cares more about me than Albert who lives in Quảng An who is just popping by to see his pals but the cold, harsh reality is that it’s unlikely. A saving grace however is being armed with the knowledge that we can and do make an effort, or at least most of us would like to.

Being, niceties and privileged pronouns aside, a migrant is heaped with its own set of hurdles regardless of economic status. The desire to be accepted in a place you hope to call home is deep and inherent. On some tables in Việt Nam it doesn’t matter if you’re part of the dedicated team keeping our streets clean or a bitcoin billionaire, your word is of equal value. A refreshing aspect of society that money truly can’t buy.

Truth be told, I enjoy the well natured jousts between those who prefer the comforts of home and the slightly detached among us. Comparisons between downtown Baghdad and Xuân Diệu after its latest round of road construction are as valid as the comments on the reverse snobbery that non Tayhoers like to bask in.

That said, I miss being the only Tây in the village. There was a sense of peace in not having to say hello every day, being a minority and the open ears that come with it. Although anyone north of Trúc Bạch is welcome, there’s a lot to find down here and we’d be happy to show you around. For a weekend or so anyway. VNS