VietNamNet Bridge – There are areas in the central area of Hanoi where many Korean and Japanese expats who work here live.

Park, from Seoul, has spent two Lunar New Year Days in Vietnam. He said he does not feel lonely on Tet days, because he celebrates the Tet season in Hanoi, his second homeland, with a Vietnamese wife and many other Koreans, who live in the same residential quarter, the Korean town in Hanoi.

Korean Town comprises Tran Duy Hung, Nguyen Thi Dinh, Nguyen Thi Thap and Hoang Ngan streets in the western part of the city.

The supermarkets, restaurants and groceries in the town bear signboards with Korean words and distribute goods imported from South Korea.

While Trung Hoa – Nhan Chinh residential quarter is the area for ordinary people, My Dinh residential quarter is the place for the rich who live in high-end apartments and villas. The restaurants, beauty salons, and supermarkets on the roadside linking to The Manor urban area are more luxurious and the services more expensive.

Keangnam building, the tallest building in Vietnam, is also a “Korean hub”. South Korean companies set up offices there, while their Korean workers live in the apartment blocks of the same building.

Meanwhile, Kim Ma, Linh Lang and Dao Tan streets in Ba Dinh district have become Japanese town. The Vietnam-Japan Culture Exchange Center is located on Nui Truc street, while the Japanese Embassy is located on Lieu Giai street in the same area.

The shops, beauty salons and supermarkets in the area mostly serve Japanese customers. On a small section of Kim Ma street, from the Voi Phuc Temple to the Nui Truc Crossroads alone, there are up to 20 Japanese styled restaurants.

Kim and his wife have been in Hanoi for three years, time long enough for them to understand Hanoi and set up a Korean restaurant. The business has gone well, while their kids go to an international school in My Dinh urban area.

Kim said customers call to place orders via cellphone numbers, one for Vietnamese and the other for Korean customers. Most of his customers are from South Korea.

There are many other restaurants and real estate service centers developed by Koreans to serve their community.

Ninomiya, an information technology engineer, said the pay is good enough for him to live in Vietnam. “I have many friends in Hanoi and they all have good lives in Vietnam,” he said.

Duy Anh