Views From My Helmet

Here's a little video of some of the fun stuff I see daily from my motorbike: 

A Ride to the Store

Enjoy!

Three Weeks In, Three Weeks To Go

Time is flying. While here, I have been building great relationships, getting to know a unique and beautiful culture, and getting to represent my background as an American. Of course, there’s been some work thrown in for good measure.

Where to begin…

Certain cities and municipalities throughout Vietnam have tinkered with the idea of changing their governance structure to provide better public service delivery. For the better part of my first three weeks here, I have been reading literature on the current government structure of Vietnamese cities and combing through research reports on a few of its shortcomings.

The one large dilemma that stands out is that there is one model of governance for all of Vietnam. Basically, whatever formal government structure is in place to facilitate public service delivery in the rural highlands, is also the government structure in place for cities like Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Da Nang, the three largest cities in Vietnam. There are no differences in the model of government to account for population size, financial needs, or level of urban/rural development. All cities and municipalities receive funding from the Central Government and that is the money they use to operate their jurisdiction. Municipalities are limited in ways they can generate revenue in order to develop their infrastructure as they see fit, and many public servants do not fully understand the roles and responsibilities within their agency. This can lead to duplication of efforts across government agencies and overall government inefficiency. 

The Central Government has become more open to the idea of decentralizing administrative policies at the various levels of government (from largest to smallest: province, city, district, and ward). Decentralization would allow the various levels of government in different regions to create a customized model of governance that would promote regional advantages. This process will assist urban and rural development in a more efficient and effective way. At least, potentially more so than the present system. 

Da Nang city and its six districts

Having this blessing from the top is a good first step. However, as you can imagine, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. In my role with DESID, I will be working with staff to create an initial project design for piloting a new governance model in Da Nang city.  Over the last week, my colleagues and I have discussed breaking this project into three phases.

Phase One will be the research design and research facilitation stage. In this phase, DISED will conduct surveys, focus groups, and facilitate public outreach to not only understand the current governance structure and its limitations, but to also collect data from local political leaders, administrative staff, and community business leaders on what a new governance model may entail.

The methodology of our research utilizes the Feasibility Framework. This framework is being taught at PSU in a class titled: Sustainable Development Implementation. The framework is a tool used to assess the current situation of a topic, find where it is lacking in certain key areas, and then create solutions based on the current need. It moves through these steps while staying grounded in the practice of doing what is actually feasible. The Feasibility Framework is broken down into seven dimensions of feasibility that include technical feasibility, legal feasibility, fiscal feasibility, administrative feasibility, political feasibility, ethical feasibility, and cultural feasibility. For our research, DISED will be focusing on the first five.

Part of the presentation I gave the Director of DISED on Friday

We have estimated phase one to take between 8-12 months. This involves further developing the research design by: specifying questions to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data, identifying who to ask, choosing who will facilitate the surveys/focus groups/advisory committee, choosing who will record the data, setting dates for these meetings, and ensuring the public has enough notice to participate where necessary. The designing and implementation of a research project are no small tasks!

Phase Two will involve analyzing the data collected in phase one, and from it, producing a new governance model that can be piloted in Da Nang city. Phase two will be an iterative process where DISED will draft ideas and concepts within a new governance model, take these ideas to Da Nang’s political leaders and other community stakeholders to get their feedback, and then redraft as necessary. The deliverable at the end of phase two will be a new governance model.

An employee at DISED asked me, “what if we create this new model, implement it, and people aren’t happy with it after a few years? Won’t they blame us for coming up with this model?” I said that’s exactly why it is imperative throughout the first two stages that stakeholders are identified and consistently solicited for their thoughts and feedback. This new model will be built from those discussions. The people of Da Nang will have ownership of this new model; it won’t just be DISED’s idea or the idea of an intern from the US. This new model will grow from the people who will be affected by it on a daily basis. We are estimating phase two to take between 8-12 months.

Phase Three entails implementing this new model and moving forward with the pilot. We are estimating phase three to take between 2-5 years to reach sustainability.  We are imagining it will take one fiscal year to implement and to go through the initial major hurdles. The second fiscal year will be where major adjustments are finished, but minor problems still persist, and the third fiscal year will hopefully see a standardization of procedures and practices moving forward.

I have three weeks left. What can I feasibly accomplish to help this process move forward? Well, for one, I can help get phases one and two funded. There are a few international organizations interested in researching decentralization of the governance system in Vietnam. My plan is to have a letter of inquiry/concept paper completed and ready for submission by August 1^st. Though writing these papers won’t be the most exciting part of my work, it is definitely necessary to get the ball moving on our project plan stated above. Without a doubt, creating a rough draft of a project plan has been an invaluable experience. It’s been even more fulfilling since I have used a few nuggets of knowledge acquired at PSU.

So, that’s work… 

Oh – and I am also teaching one English class per week. It’s a great way to interact with other DISED staff with whom I do not directly work and also learn about the Vietnamese culture. Their English is already pretty good, so we’re mostly working on pronunciation.  It’s a small part of my work here, but one that I really enjoy.

Thanks for checking in and staying up to date with my life in Vietnam. If you have any comments/suggestions/recommendations on my work and the path we are taking, please do not hesitate to direct message me at pravin.mallavaram@gmail.com. I am open to feedback that has the potential to have a positive impact on our projects. 

Thanks, also, for making it through the long post. Your reward: a video of our dance performance from Saturday night. This a government agency dance competition, and when asked to participate, I brought my Peace Corps thinking to the table: say yes to every invitation. Thankfully, I am hidden in the back left. 

Until next time,

-P-

What I've Been Told, and What I've Observed

Below are a few things I have observed/been told about the Vietnamese culture since I arrived 12 days ago:

• I grossly underestimated the heat and humidity here. Maybe I don’t remember the weather situation in Fiji as well as I should, but Vietnam is definitely winning in the sweat index, in my opinion.
• Local people are interested in my Indian background. One of the first questions I am always asked is where am I from? “USA”, I answer. “How about your family, where are they from?” is the eventual follow up question.
• My friends at DISED, and the Vietnamese people are tremendously nice. Example: I have joined up on the DISED soccer team. These guys are solid in an intramural-all men’s league. They have won the championship in this league, so their skills are definitely legit. Mine are not. I know this. We had a game yesterday and I was the only one that didn’t score. I missed two open nets (seriously, ooooopen) and was generally bad. After the game, my teammates were saying how good I am at soccer. These guys are just way too nice.

I am actually running away from the action.  

• Related to soccer - I live by the newer soccer field in the city. When out and about on three different occasions, I have been asked by local shopkeepers if I am an international player, playing for the Da Nang squad. "You play soccer?" making a kicking motion, they ask. Yeah, definitely. you should come check out one of my games with DISED.
•  I am riding a motorbike around town. Riding a bicycle would be suicide via heat exhaustion (see observation #1) and places are just far enough that necessitate my own transportation. Driving here is very different from Portland (Understatement of the year. Ha!). Going through smaller intersections is like a game of chicken: who is going to stop first and let the other person go? It can be quite nerve wraking, but also satisfying when one comes out unscathed.  Don’t worry mom – I am wearing a helmet and taking it slow! 
• The video here is my usual morning commute. All in all, it takes about 15 minutes, including a stop at the local bahn mi cart. I pull up to the office, which has a coffee shop next door where I find colleagues having coffee and breakfast. I've obviously sped up the video here; so no, no one is actually driving as fast as shown. 

That video quality is pretty bad. Here's a link to a (hopefully) better video: Ride to Work

• As mentioned, from a western's perspective, there is neither rhyme nor reason to “right of way” here. You honk your horn, go forward confidently, or stop and let the other person go. I have been spending time with an old friend who just happened to be traveling through Asia, and he made a stop over in Da Nang to catch up. He made the astute observation that even though everyone is honking at each other, there’s very little to any road rage. Everyone understands what’s happening and goes with the flow. Think about how much road rage there is in the States; and how much more there would be if everyone were honking at each other all the time.

• Vietnamese do not go to the beach during the day. Here’s a picture from Saturday at 1:00pm in the afternoon. No one. On a weekend. On this glorious, amazing, wide stretch of fine, white sand beach. The locals do not want to have any semblance of a tan, therefore they do not spend much time outside during the hottest hours of the day.

• Speaking of not wanting a tan; this is how many of the local women ride their scooters/motorbikes around town. I usually have a decent sweat just wearing a helmet and my pollution mask. These women aren’t breaking any kind of sweat once they take off their sun shields. Pretty amazing.
  

  

  This is one of my friends/colleagues, Ha. Looking good and fully protected, Ha! 

•  Locals take a two-hour lunch break from 11:30am – 1:30pm. Something I could easily get used to; but probably shouldn’t!
• Small chairs and tables – this is the norm in Da nang. In fact, I am sitting at one such arrangement as I post this. The first time I saw it was at my hotel and I just thought that was all the owner had. Then, as I got around town, I noticed these small seating arrangements were everywhere.

Friends, colleagues, and soccer teammates

Well, I hope you enjoyed a few of my thoughts and observations, and also learned a little something about the beautiful culture in Vietnam. I hope to have a little update regarding my work for the next post. Until then, take care!

-P-

Touching Down

It’s been a busy three days here in Da Nang. I landed, found out my home stay wasn’t going to work, went around to two hotels before settling on a third, unpacked and relaxed for a moment, dinner with colleagues, and then home and passed out by 9pm. I was met at the airport by two colleagues who are absolutely great. Tram is the woman with whom I was supposed to do a home stay; but unfortunately, her brother is not feeling well and moved back into the family house where I was going to stay. Tram has been my liaison at DISED, has helped me get situated, and is an all around great person. Our desks are next to each other and it is fun to talk with her and learn about the Vietnamese culture.  

On day two, I hit the ground running with Dr. Ingle. I was in and out of meetings with him and high-ranking Da Nang political officials, meeting my colleagues at DISED, and eating amazing food at every turn. I sat in on an all-staff meeting at DISED that was conducted entirely in Vietnamese. I was introduced, I stood, and people applauded. It was Peace Corps 2014 in Vietnam. Over the last two days, Dr. Ingle and I have met with the equivalent of the deputy mayor of Da Nang and a few other Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) officials. These have been great initial discussions that have demonstrated the desire of Da Nang’s political representatives to change their governance system for the better. Another perspective I am very interested to learn about is that of the Da Nang residents. DISED has research on this topic, and I look forward to the opportunity to review it.

All staff meeting at DISED

I have a meeting tomorrow with the director of DISED, Dr. Thai and the manager of the department in which I work, Ms. Hoa. We will discuss a timeline for my work, set feasible milestones, and I will be assigned a counterpart with whom I will collaborate during my time at DESID. Dr. Thai has wanted to set up a timeline for my deliverables and activities at DISED, and I appreciate this since my time here is short. Outside of meetings over the last two days, I’ve been keeping myself busy conducting a literature review of what research/action has already been done in the realm of better governance in Vietnam. I am finding studies done by the Asia Foundation, the World Bank, and ideas suggested by the Vietnamese government. Concurrently with this review, I have been working to build an elementary understanding of the municipal city government structure in Da Nang. To put it mildly, it’s complex. It’s clear to see why the CPV, local government officials, and the general public would want to change some of the system to become more efficient. More on the political system at a later time; let’s talk about food.

It’s amazing. Delicious chicken, amazing pork, vegetables drenched in garlic, and tasty fish. The coffee is black, thick, and strong, and the bahn mi sandwiches are great breakfast treats. I was looking for dinner last night when I approached what seemed to be a popular outdoor venue. Popular for the locals, that is. Neither the cook nor any other employees spoke English and I asked if they had any chicken on the menu. The cook pointed at something and I nodded in agreement. I sat down with many eyes fixed on me and friendly locals nodding in my direction. When my plate came, it smelled delicious, but it was definitely not chicken. I asked an employee what I had in front of me and he answered back in Vietnamese. Normally it’s not that big of a deal, but I am trying to cut out red meat from my diet, and if I can avoid it, then I will. At the very least I would like to know what I am eating. My new friend and I were getting nowhere with the language barrier until technology swooped in. He broke out his iphone and went straight to Google translator. “This is barbeque pork. Is that ok? Can you eat it?” I had a huge smile on my face with two thumbs up. I wrapped the barbeque in lettuce leaves with sprouts, smothered it in some kind of delicious sauce and thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Afterwards, I shared a beer with a table full of locals, explaining to them that I am indeed Indian and American (Peace Corps 2014: Vietnam!), and that I was currently studying in Da Nang city.

Barbeque pork, which I now know is called heol (pronounced like 'hell')

My experience thus far has been filled with gracious hosts, mouth-watering meals, and productive professional interactions. I am looking forward to the next week as I continue to learn how I will be able to contribute to my host agency and to the city of Da Nang.

-P-

In Preparation

Hello Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

In 72 hours, two colleagues and myself will be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on our way to Vietnam. This work assignment, which is sponsored through my Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program at Portland State University (PSU) has been close to 20 months in the making. In fact, an international opportunity such as this is what pulled my family and I to study, live, and work in Portland, OR.

I am fortunate to have the support, guidance, and resources available to make this work opportunity a reality. The support begins with my wife and baby boy, Vaishali and Sahas; continues with my colleagues at Peace Corps; and the resources and guidance carry on through Dr. Marcus Ingle, the head of the Global Management and Leadership specialization at PSU. The opportunity to obtain a short-term work assignment in Vietnam was something Dr. Ingle and I have discussed since the Fall term of 2012. In a few short days, those discussions will transform into reality.

A few notes:

I am still working and employed by the Peace Corps. I am using pretty much all of my vacation, some additional ‘over time’ hours, and continuing to work on recruitment activities a few hours a week while in Vietnam. But to be clear, my work in Vietnam has nothing to do with my official role as a Peace Corps employee. I am working in Vietnam as a representative of PSU and an American citizen. The views expressed here are solely my own. Undoubtedly though, my experience as an Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) will assist me in many ways throughout my experience.

My scope of work is still general, but the generalities are concrete enough to detail here. I will be living and working in central Vietnam in Da Nang city. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has given the city of Da Nang direction to build a municipal city government model that will decentralize the administrative decision-making process within the city. The decentralization of this process has the potential to lead to less bureaucracy and increased economic and public service activity. The task of building this model has been assigned to a local ‘think tank’ in Da Nang named the Da Nang Institute for Socio-Economic Development (DISED). I have been matched with DISED to assist them in developing this model for an innovative municipal city government.

Time is limited. I depart Portland (PDX) on June 21, arrive in Da Nang on June 23, begin work the next day, and finish my internship on August 1. There is a lot to accomplish, relationships to be built, and fun to be had. I will contribute to this space with progress on my work assignment, my perspective and experience in the Vietnamese culture, and little adventures I get into along the way. I would love and appreciate your input, suggestions, and insights as I embark on this journey. Your perspective is appreciated as we all live, learn, and grow. Now, let’s rinse, and repeat.

-P-