3 ms·

The US is nowhere close to the level of corruption in Vietnam. It’s pervasive in every police interaction, every interaction with government officials, to the

by refurb 3y ago

The US is nowhere close to the level of corruption in Vietnam. It’s pervasive in every police interaction, every interaction with government officials, to the point you cant get by day to day without paying bribes. Even in everyday things like getting a passport or registering your residence, let alone major interactions like buying a home or starting a business. And it’s widely accepted by both the people taking bribes and giving them that it’s just “how it is”. It’s upfront, in your face and very few think it’s a big deal. The US (or other Western countries) are nowhere close to that.

latchkey 3y ago
To be 100% honest, I kind of appreciated it when I was there. It definitely reeked of 'white privilege' though. Need something done more quickly (or well)? Just hand someone some cash. I'd much rather just pay for a traffic ticket on the spot rather than deal with local city bureaucracy. In the end, it kind of keeps the wheels turning there. It really is just a different type of corruption. In the US, the bribes just come in the form of political donations, or giving someone's family member some work. I owned a bar/nightclub and we were expected to donate to the fireman's fund. I donated to Mark Leno too, despite not liking the guy at all. I mean, look at the people who got the contracts to build trump's border walls!
- refurb 3y ago
  You’re not the only one. Lots of wealthy Vietnamese like it too since it can get you a business edge and money buys you a lot. But it’s poisonous. The country will never develop beyond something like Malaysia with that level of corruption. One reason why Singapore is so wealthy is the crackdown on corruption. It’s just not tolerated. And if disagree it’s anything like the US. When immigration officials ask for “tips” to do their job it’s beyond anything you’d see in the West. https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i-felt-i-was-held-hostage-singaporean-claims-he-was-asked-tip-hanoi-airport-immigration https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i-felt-i-was-held-hostage-...
  - latchkey 3y ago
    The reason why there is corruption at the govt job level in Vietnam is because a lot of the jobs can only be gotten by family members or buying them. The street police (golden tigers) have to pay to get their job and the only way they can keep it is by taking bribes. US did a pretty good job of preventing that sort of thing with more fair access to jobs. That said, Jared Kushner didn't get the Saudis to give him billions of dollars because he's some magical savant. The corruption is right in front of our faces, yet people just tolerate it differently here.
    - refurb 3y ago
      Jared Kushner wasn’t in the government when he raised money for an investment fund. How is that corruption?
      - latchkey 3y ago
        https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/politics/chris-christie-2024-presidential-candidate.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/politics/chris-christi... “The grift from this family is breathtaking,” Mr. Christie said. “It’s breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis?” “That’s your money he stole,” he continued, adding, “That makes us a banana republic.”

by refurb 3y ago

latchkey 3y ago

To be 100% honest, I kind of appreciated it when I was there. It definitely reeked of 'white privilege' though. Need something done more quickly (or well)? Just hand someone some cash. I'd much rather just pay for a traffic ticket on the spot rather than deal with local city bureaucracy. In the end, it kind of keeps the wheels turning there. It really is just a different type of corruption. In the US, the bribes just come in the form of political donations, or giving someone's family member some work. I owned a bar/nightclub and we were expected to donate to the fireman's fund. I donated to Mark Leno too, despite not liking the guy at all. I mean, look at the people who got the contracts to build trump's border walls!

refurb 3y ago
You’re not the only one. Lots of wealthy Vietnamese like it too since it can get you a business edge and money buys you a lot. But it’s poisonous. The country will never develop beyond something like Malaysia with that level of corruption. One reason why Singapore is so wealthy is the crackdown on corruption. It’s just not tolerated. And if disagree it’s anything like the US. When immigration officials ask for “tips” to do their job it’s beyond anything you’d see in the West. https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i-felt-i-was-held-hostage-singaporean-claims-he-was-asked-tip-hanoi-airport-immigration https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i-felt-i-was-held-hostage-...
- latchkey 3y ago
  The reason why there is corruption at the govt job level in Vietnam is because a lot of the jobs can only be gotten by family members or buying them. The street police (golden tigers) have to pay to get their job and the only way they can keep it is by taking bribes. US did a pretty good job of preventing that sort of thing with more fair access to jobs. That said, Jared Kushner didn't get the Saudis to give him billions of dollars because he's some magical savant. The corruption is right in front of our faces, yet people just tolerate it differently here.
  - refurb 3y ago
    Jared Kushner wasn’t in the government when he raised money for an investment fund. How is that corruption?
    - latchkey 3y ago
      https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/politics/chris-christie-2024-presidential-candidate.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/politics/chris-christi... “The grift from this family is breathtaking,” Mr. Christie said. “It’s breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis?” “That’s your money he stole,” he continued, adding, “That makes us a banana republic.”