Your New “Hem”: the Hidden Compromises of Gentrification

Written By Katy Phan

For generations of Vietnamese families, intermingled communal relations sustained their livelihoods. Yet today, self-contained micro-neighbourhoods have steadily been converted into hubs of better earning potential, obscuring the humble stories, the ultimate fates of preceding tenants. Square metres once stacked with personal fragments are being swept out to make room for high-end display shelves and cafe tables, and intrigued are we to witness the chic rebranding of an area that used to be ignorable. Gentrification can simply be a sign of economic progression or an absolute power trip where the affluent view lower-income neighbourhoods only as opportunities for expansion. 

Since the urbanisation boom instigated by the government’s “Đổi Mới” program (directly translated as “renovation”) in the 1990s, market transitions had been carving out desirable operating zones, shifting most of the population to dense districts that promise a broadened world of possibilities. Eventually, Ho Chi Minh City rose to be the epicentre of emerging enterprises, property development, and rural migration. This marks a process of long-term market-orientated transformation which later extends to a second phase: state-led redevelopment planning blended with heavy private business integration.

As pressure accrues on certain areas to perform on-par with escalated consumer demand, small family stores and street vendors alike face formidable competition from significantly wealthier counterparts. Moreover, authorities are directly responsible for urban renewal, as they dictate how land is used, usually leaving nearby property to consequentially increase in value. Affordability tends to pose an issue for communities that thrived on interdependence instead of self-sustenance. Gradually, time-honoured social networks within these close quarters get disposed of, causing severe financial insecurity from abrupt relocation, not to mention a distinctive grief among those who have based their entire lives there. 

Whilst gentrification yields improved infrastructure and attractive investment opportunities, our city has overlooked a vulnerable socioeconomic demographic particularly impacted by this phenomenon. By prioritising immediately visible growth over underlying human stability, the displacement of the very communities that foundationally characterised these spaces has been normalised. Overwhelming numbers of our population have been abandoned to navigate a profound fracture and soaring living costs in isolation, completely excluded from the flourishing prosperity on their old doorstep. If we are to applaud HCMC economic evolution, it is irresponsible to do so while simultaneously treating its local residents as collateral damage.

Urban progress is not assessed using a superficial observation of an alleyway’s inviting appearance or even how much it is appraised. Rather, a true indicator of a developed region should be whether its original residents can still reliably self-support after restructuring.