The streets of these cities, as described by Trinh Cong Son, are "a bustle of shops and restaurants at night" (Do you still remember or have you forgotten). There are shops and restaurants selling local specialties for people and tourists to stop by for dinner. There are a few wine bars here and there, serving wine connoisseurs, listening to music and nothing else.
But working as a night restaurant and food is part of business activities, but not the night economy.
The night economy must be understood as an industry that sells products and services at night, lasting from 6:00 p.m. the previous day to 6:00 a.m. the next morning, making the most of tourists' pockets 24/7. Many world-famous tourist cities have successfully exploited the "night resources" given by God to get rich, with many products and services from dining to entertainment, from luxury theaters. to street music, from indigenous culture to multicultural festivals, from canoeing to yachting.
Every year, travel sites vote and name night cities with impressive slogans, such as Shanghai "never sleeps", Tokyo "the town that never sleeps", New York "where money never sleeps". , Chicago "shopping paradise"... Exploiting the night economy has one more product, which is "beauty". Many cities are desired by tourists to visit because they are famous for their beautiful nightlife such as Sydney, Hong Kong, Dubai, Prague, Vienna...
Just wondering, has any Vietnamese city been mentioned with a slogan "night" on famous travel sites? The immediate answer is no, because we are still struggling with small retail models, pho shops, vermicelli shops, and porridge shops. People and tourists stop by at night to eat and that's it, there's nothing to keep them going all night long.
Regarding beauty criteria, Vietnamese cities have not been highlighted, there is still the "hidden beauty" mindset. If you want to be beautiful, you must first be clean, but Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have too much trash, it cannot be beautiful. Garbage is not only on the ground, but also in the sky, including electrical wires and telecommunications waste. Colorful garbage is all kinds of flashy and eye-catching signs.
The night economy turns out to be not just food or entertainment, but a cultural space with many values including deliciousness, goodness, and beauty for people and tourists to access and enjoy.
