The city planners in Hanoi are acting like concrete is a cure for history — tearing down every old lane to build another glass tower that nobody will afford. Meanwhile the fishermen off the East Sea are still getting chased by foreign coast guards while our officials trade polite statements like they’re playing chess. They forget the war wasn’t fought so the young could flee to Malaysia for factory work while the rich buy waterfront estates. My son asked me yesterday why I don’t just sell the shop and “go digital” — that’s the peace they’ve sold us. Real betrayal isn’t tanks in the streets, it’s calling slumlords “developers” and calling phở chains “culture.” They should come taste my broth at five a.m. before they draft another five-year plan.
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