COVID-19 was really a sting in 2020 but some people said, “It still looks quite normal in Vietnam". Along the streets, you can still see people hanging out at the “pavement” restaurants, freely enjoying their food and enjoying the weather together with friends or drinking buddies. On weekdays, the streets are busy with people coming back from work, so packed that they always cause hours of traffic jam. At weekends, the supermarket is cramped with people floating to prepare for Tet, so crowded that we can even touch each other's elbows. At the airport, you wouldn't see such deserted space as it is expected.
Vietnam remains its positive economic acceleration in 2020 with 2.91% higher than last year, making Vietnam belong to the group of 2020 highest economic growth countries in the world and become the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia, valued at 343 billion USD (after the Philippines with 367.4 billion USD, Thailand with 509.2 billion USD, and Indonesia with 1,088.8 billion USD).
But seriously, has COVID-19 skipped Vietnam in its globally tremendous impact?
I believe it hasn't. COVID-19 is a little push for us to see more clearly how Vietnamese culture is changing. These changes could be intangible and even invisible to some eyes, as cultural movement usually happens in silence.
Why silence? It is just like the way we grow up, we never actually see it until it's finally revealed. The continuous process of gradual subtle changes make themselves go unnoticed. Cultural movements are such silent process. The people within it hardly feel it, and those who are outside it hardly understand it.
COVID-19 has given us a legitimate pause.
As a young country which aspires to be the new star on the rise, our young workforce has been working so hard around the clock. The marriage rate slows down, time for work increases and work-life balance has become an itchy question. Especially for the young urban progressive folks. Nevertheless, in our own cycle of achieving fast and more, no matter how much we are concerned about our next steps, we just keep going. Because we fear that if we stop, we might be late to the race.
I can't even count how many discussions I have been through with my friends when they shared their concern about their next steps and purpose in life and even considered quitting their job, only to brush it off as a frivolous dilemma of the 20s. The question remains, but everything needs moving.
Until COVID-19 gave all of us a pause. For the first time in many years, if you take a pause, it’s ok. What surprised me is that many of my friends quitted their jobs after the most intense period of COVID-19. For your information, they are the high performers and could even be considered as outstanding performers in their roles and positions. They weren't the ones to be laid off because of COVID-19, however, they left their jobs to pursue their dream, to study further, to spend more time with their family, to take care of their children, to travel, or simply to take a break...
COVID-19 has forced us to realize the fragility of life.
During the intense times of COVID-19, when the number of death cases was rising, it made us realize how sudden death could come, and we don't have all the time in the world, as we often like to think and believe. A serious question was posed to us: What truly matters?
What truly matters if we live another day? This question has the power to slow down the rat race that we're caught in. In a society where the pursuit of success, wealth, and status can sometimes overshadow our own health and happiness, it forces us to consider why we live, and what aspects of our life are truly meaningful.
Spend more time to slowly enjoy a meal?
Have a peaceful evening with your cat?
Chitchat with your parents without checking the clock?
Reconnect with an old friend?
Have a joyful conversation without an agenda?
Resolve a misunderstanding?
Enjoy watching the rain fall?
Write your unfinished book?
Explore another country?
Start your dream business?
The birth of a slow-down culture
A cultural shift has been quietly but profoundly taking shape—one that behaves as the counterpoint to the fast-paced, productivity-driven and the constant rush of modern life. This emerging movement, the slowdown culture, advocates for a deliberate deceleration of daily life in order to prioritize quality over quantity, peace over speed, connections over competition and purpose over mere achievement.
This culture would be translated into Food, Fashion, Transportation, Philosophical Influences and eventually become an indispensable part of a new lifestyle and a new economy.
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