High Society

I walked passed a bia hoi (beer hall) establishment in an alleyway today.  Par for the course.  The place was dominated by men, drinking warm glasses of beer and nibbling salty snacks while their women went to work.

Then it struck me.  Vietnamese people dress very formally. Whereas in the States, there is a tendency to 'dress down' in order to be hip, in Vietnam, dressing up is the standard.  New York sees its fair share of sand blasted denims and screen printed tees in Williamsburg and the East Village; LA goes even further with the pre-requisite flip-flops/obscure tee club attire; Hanoi? Hanoi sees grown unemployed men picking their teeth at local bars in full three piece suits, women in clean cut tuxes heading to the office, and young men and women dressed impeccably before going out.

What counts is the style, of course. And Vietnam, like a younger brother copying his older sibling's coolness, hasn't got it quite together in the style department.  You'll see men in suits -- even if they're taxi drivers or the local convenience store clerk.  But oftentimes, the jackets don't fit quite well, the fabric is coarse wool, and the various pieces don't match in color.  A gray suit jacket will go over a sweater vest of 6 different colors, only to be outmatched by a bright brown pair of slacks, white tennis socks and sandals.

I think this is common across the developing world.  Only America, with its excesses, can afford to show its pretense for formalities by its fondness for casual wear.