Vietconomics

Every once in a while, I take myself out of Ko Kret and experience the world. I’ve traveled to many countries and lived on many continents. I learned not to pick favorites because every place gives me something – a lesson, a memory, a bruise, a joke.

Recently, I traveled to Vietnam. The country that pushed Thailand behind and rose as the true contender for Asia’s “Next Tiger.” Our countries and comrades tend to pitch us against each other, but the truth is: Thais and Vietnamese love each other. Traveling to Vietnam feels less like visiting a neighbor, and more like dropping by your sibling’s house — the one who’s doing slightly better than you, but still feeds you and makes you laugh.

Vietnam didn’t just give me good food, good memories, and good photos. It gave me a crash course in real-life economics. Honestly, I learned more micro and macro in that trip than I did in my four years of university… which says something about both Vietnam and my attention span back then.

Five Economic Lessons Vietnam Taught Me

1) Supply & Demand

I didn’t plan to eat pho twice a day.
But the supply was everywhere, and my demand was embarrassingly high.
Vietnam reminded me that when something is good, abundant, and cheaper than your morning Starbucks… equilibrium is achieved by simply surrendering.

2) Division of Labour

Watching a Vietnamese street kitchen is like watching an optimized production line.
One grills. One chops. One pours. One yells the orders with beautiful precision.
Nobody does everything — but together, they do everything well.
Vietnam taught me this: you don’t need to be a one-woman show.
You just need a team that moves like a synchronized pho orchestra.

3) The Invisible Hand

No traffic police. No lanes. No rules that I could see.
And yet: order. Flow. Harmony. Zero accidents (at least while I was crossing).
Vietnam showed me how beautifully life works when people intuitively adjust to one another – even without anyone loudly telling them what to do.
Sometimes the best guide is the hand you don’t see.

4) Game Theory

Crossing the road in Ho Chi Minh City?
A multiplayer strategy game where everyone predicts everyone else’s next move in real time.
You maintain eye contact. You walk steadily. You pray.
Vietnam taught me that coordination isn’t about speed – it’s about trust, mutual expectation, and the shared fear of becoming street art.

5) Tragedy of the Commons

The Hoai River at night was full of people – couples, aunties, uncles, tourists watching locals release lanterns to honor ancestors and make wishes for the people they love.
And yet, the river stayed clean, calm, respected.
Vietnam taught me that shared spaces avoid tragedy only when people treat them like something worth protecting… not something free to exploit.
Common resources thrive when common sense does too.

So what did Vietnam ultimately teach me?

Economics explains the world.
But Vietnam… Vietnam feels like another world.
Messy.
Loud.
Delicious.
Chaotic.
Alive.

A place where everything makes sense and nothing makes sense —
kind of like life.

Or maybe I’m just a girl raised by a river, who went to Vietnam and realized the best economics lesson is simply this:

Maximize joy.
Minimize nonsense.
And when in doubt — eat.

And everything I learned — I carry back with me…to the river, here in Ko Kret – where I know I belong.