D9 (Thu Duc city), Hoa Lac, Mississauga, Saigon, or Hanoi. What do they have one thing in common? They are all nice places, crowded with people and beautiful in their own way; they are all charming and have distinct features that make people want to come. Cities like Thu Duc or Hoa Lac are not yet fully developed, but they have infrastructure in place: roads and bridges, and apartment buildings. Hoa Lac can be a little bit underdeveloped, but it’s on its way to becoming a promising city in the years to come. I’m not sure when, but the trend of suburban development or smaller cities is certainly a futuristic vision for any city planner. My 2 cents, wherever you stay, it doesn’t matter, as long as you find the meaning of your stay: whether it’s your job or your loved one. For me, for now, it’s all about getting my jobs done. Of course, I’m bored on certain occasions. The only reason we find ourselves alive is when we truly invest our time in things that matter, which is your hobby, it could be video games or singing, playing music or sports, or doing our own personal knowledge, or reading a book you like. But it’s also about connection: that’s what I deeply care about. I have been having a childhood where I have friends all around, and we just find it really fun to hang out together. We don’t necessarily talk a lot, just staying together is enough, and feeling connected. Until an older age, I started to realize that friends are good, but you start getting busier as you have more priorities: like making money, building a career, and expanding your knowledge. That’s not about friends anymore, it’s about yourself. So I started to realize that it matters more to have just a few close friends to talk with whenever you need: a girlfriend would be able to satisfy it all, she would not just make me feel cared for or listened to, but also satisfy my sexual desires that every human needs. Of course, a partner or a girlfriend is not required for my survival, but more likely to make my life perfect. I also feel satisfied with whatever I’m having right now. But I try to be better and to obtain certain achievements in life, whether it’s financially or it’s a meaningful works being done that help people.
The reason I came to Thu Duc City is because of my job. I want to be able to contribute more efficiently. I will stay here for a year. But I’m not sure if I have enough enthusiasm to stay, since Thu Duc city isn’t a fully developed city: roads are still being built, and we need a lot more roads and better public transport to provide more convenient ways of traveling. For most people, I try to contact them with they are all in Saigon: Binh Thach, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, D3, D10, etc. Not many people live close to me, so it’s really hard to stay connected easily. Moreover, the traffic is always jammed, and the weather in the morning is extremely hot. I don’t feel like I really want to move around in this kind of weather, especially when I cannot move fast. It just costs time, money, and effort. If I were to choose a place to stay, I would probably stay in D2, the Global City area, which is just balanced between the city center (Saigon) and my company in Thu Duc city. But the point is, this is definitely a disadvantage of my company, as it’s located too far from the city center. But it does bring people out. If people tend to stay long-term in one company, then people would move out of Saigon and completely relocate and permanently stay in D9. The question is, are people willing to stay here for the long term, or it getting less traction over time? If the salary is competitive, and the company does not necessarily provide more benefits for the people, then why would we go?
To be frank, the company is better off lowering its profit margins, and the government should provide a tax deduction for those who work in a distant location. People working in locations where the population is less dense should be able to get more support economically. But overall, I will prefer to work from home if I have to travel further than 5 km every day, it just doesn’t make sense to go to the office just to talk with no one and do work with my computer. What is the point of going to the office anyway? I understand it perspective of management and productivity, office presence and availability are important, but only if people don’t have to travel 1-2 hours every day to get to the office, especially with polluted traffic jams like in Hanoi or HCMC. Moreover, the weather is too extreme: either it’s too hot or too rainy, and that would definitely put a strain on people’s bodies. If some people have to rent a closer living location that is near company, that put an extra straint on my budget and also reduce my life’s convenient, my apartment right now only 2km away from company but then, it doesn’t have a kitchen and a supermarket nearby, it doesn’t even have a gym and a good coffee shop. I have been here for 5 months I keep asking myself why I am staying here. My plan is that this could be my last month, I would return to Hanoi and find my life there, of course, it’s not necessarily better, but at least, if I live in Hanoi I don’t have to pay rent and I’m more accessible to facilities like the gym, coffee shop and still relatively close to my office.