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nesses there would have lasted had we
gone on for a longer time, but young
people do need places to go and things
to do in Hanoi. X-98, a new version of
Zone 9, promises to be the new cool
place,” he said.
Duc thinks that the real reason
Zone 9 closed has nothing to do with
the fire. “I believe the bank (Ocean)
was afraid to lose its license to develop
the area, and it was afraid of Zone
9 becoming popular with the people,
the press, the diplomatic and cultural
community etc. The bank didn’t have
enough money, according to our
sources, to develop the area into a
high-rise complex, but they also didn’t
want anyone settling in. “
He continued: “Zone 9 should not
have been shut down in such a ter-
ribly damaging manner; electricity and
water was cut off and tenants forced
to move, destroying all their dreams,
efforts and resources within a week. It
actually shows the weakness of those
with power. They never dared sit down
with the business owners of Zone 9 to
have a proper discussion. It just used
power and force. It is authoritarian,
pro-big business, and was not an en-
couragement to small businesses.”
Mauro Gasparotti, a 32 year old
businessman and former patron of
Zone 9, also believes the closure was
handled badly: “I think there was a lot of
unreasonable fear and control involved.
The authorities were worried about the
free expression and cultural revolution
that was happening. It wasn’t against
them, or anything in particular, but it
was different to anything we had seen
in Hanoi before. And people are often
afraid of what they don’t understand.
Moreover, there is a trend in Vietnam of
authorities immediately clamping down
on trends they view as threatening to
traditional culture. This stunts innova-
tion and creativity in general,” he said.
Since the closure of Zone 9, other
cities have attempted to create their
own versions, such as Haiphong’s
Area 21, and Ho Chi Minh City’s A3
station. Dang Thuy Trang, a lawyer liv-
ing in Hanoi, hopes that these places
follow the same principles as Zone
9 and focus on expression, art and
culture. “Many people seem to think
Zone 9 was about the bars, but it
wasn’t. They were just a small part of
the scene,” she said, adding: “People
looking to build similar areas should
do so out of a desire to promote, ex-
press and explore culture and art. If
they don’t, these places will likely lack
the same energy and excitement that
Zone 9 had.”
Trang thinks Hanoi, and Vietnam
more broadly need places like Zone 9.
“This is a fascinating time for Vietnam-
ese people who are engaging with the
world and integrating global cultural
phenomenons into their own culture.
This kind of development has numer-
ous benefits and should be respected,”
she said.
SOCIETY AT LARGE