Korean streets amid Hanoi VietNamNet Bridge – Being surprised is probably the feeling of most people when they come to "Korean streets," because the advertising boards of stores along the roads are in Korean language. They can mistakenly believe that they are in Korea. Since 2006, the Korean community living in Hanoi has developed strongly, mainly in the areas of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Trung Kinh, My Dinh - Song Da and Dao Tan. Therefore, dedicated services for Korean people have developed at astonishing speed. Unlike the "Korea street" Pham Van Hai in HCM City, where shops are mainly owned by Korean, most restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and stores on the “Korean streets” in Hanoi are ran by Vietnamese. Korea everywhere Perhaps the largest community of Koreans living in Hanoi is in the area of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh. Just looking at the posters, advertising signs there one can realize it clearly. Going along the streets of Nguyen Thi Thap, Nguyen Thi Dinh and Hoang Ngan, it is very normal to see Koreans and hear Korean language as if it is the official language of communication of people in this area. If you just wear Korean-style outfit (long sweater, tights, curly and lightly-died hair) and enter into any restaurant or shop in this area, the staff will immediately use Korean to talk to you. Ms. Nguyen Linh, neighbor of a Korean family in the apartment building 17T10 Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, said: "Although there are many Koreans here but I do not see big changes because in apartment blocks, households do not contact with each other much. They only say hello when they see each other on the stairs, the hallway or the basement parking lot. The biggest change is a lot of shops for Korean have been set up." In the "Korean street," there are all services for Koreans, from restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, hospitals, schools to Internet cafes. Pedestrians can easily find numerous stores with bilingual plates. However, the Korean letters are often bigger and more eye-catching while the Vietnamese text is small and difficult to see. Integration in foreign land Besides entertainment services such as billiards, karaoke, spa, etc., social services for Koreans in Vietnam are also available such as schools, hospitals and cultural centers. The International Korea-Hanoi School, located on Le Van Luong road is one of the schools for Korean kids in Hanoi. Oh Ju Young, the school's fourth grader said that the school teaches Vietnamese but most of them still communicate in Korean language because most of the students are Vietnamese-Korean or Korean. Most Koreans in Vietnam still maintain their eating habits and favor Korean food, so in addition to Korean restaurants, there are many supermarkets selling Korean food in this area. Ace Mart on Nguyen Thi Thap Street is a fairly typical shopping destination. Stepping into the supermarket, Vietnamese customers probably feel overwhelmed because the staff  here communicate fluently as native Korean and all the products do not have a single word in Vietnamese. All products are imported from South Korea, to fully serve daily needs of Korean, from Soju wine, kimchi, rice cakes, fish-shaped ice cream, fish sauce to books and clothes. Even the popular products available in Vietnam as Xilytol chewing gum, snacks, Colgate toothbrush, etc. are also imported from Korea because a majority of Korean people prefer to use products from their country. Mr. Jeon Jeong Seok, 26, an employee of a wallpaper trading company, said: "I’ve lived in Vietnam for a year and a half but I still mainly use Korean utensils purchased at a supermarket near my apartment.” It is interesting that outside the supermarket there is a small campus with several sets of wooden tables and chairs. "In Vietnam, it seems strange but in Korea, all supermarkets have wooden tables and chairs to serve customers," the supermarket’s manager said. The number of Koreans living in Hanoi is on the rise. According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Son, head of the administration board of 17T10 apartment building in Trung Hoa - Nhan Chinh, said: "This apartment building has about 200 households, including more than 30 Korean households. Korean always have good attitude. They say hello when seeing us but the relations only stop at the courtesy greeting." Closed way of life  "The majority of Koreans in Hanoi make the initial impression of being friendly, open, but only at a social level. In fact, they mainly make contact with the Korean community living here," said Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh, a longtime employee at Pan Medical, a Korean firm in Hanoi. Four years after the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, since 1992 the number of Korean to Vietnam has increased rapidly, forming the second largest group of immigrants, second only to the Taiwanese community in Vietnam.  It is estimated that in 2011, the number of Koreans in Vietnam was nearly 90,000, of whom almost half reside in Hanoi. However, Vietnamese do not really understand about their lifestyle and personalities. Most Korean people living in Hanoi, no matter how long they have been here, from several months to several years, always keep their eating habits. They only choose Korean food for their everyday meals.  Although Vietnamese food is diverse, cheap, and easy to buy but the Koreans in Hanoi only eat Korean food like rice roll, kimchi, etc.  Mr. Park Chang Eun, manager at a Korean firm that manufactures fire extinguishers and steel structures, said: "The Vietnamese cuisines are slightly salty. Especially I hate eating spinach. In Korea, no one eats water spinach but it Vietnam it is very popular." To find the ingredients of Korean cuisines, they go to K-mart, the supermarkets selling Korean products in Hanoi. For men, who do not know cooking, often eat in Korean restaurants around their workplaces or hire Vietnamese charladies who can cook Korean food. In addition to food, Koreans only use things from Korea, from the smallest things like toothpaste, dishes, napkin, etc.  "It is a habit to use Korean products. Moreover, they are better in design and quality while the prices are not much more expensive than Vietnamese products," said Mr. Bok Yo Han, a tour guide.  He said he bought these things from Korean marts or brought them from his country to Vietnam. Coming to Hanoi, Koreans only want to live in places where there are many Koreans living and working, such as Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Dao Tan, My Dinh - Song Da, forming a separate community. Mr. Yoon Jae Min, who works at a Korean IT company, said: "Though I cannot speak Vietnamese but I can still live here very conveniently." Koreans do not have many Vietnamese friends. They mainly still communicate with the Korean community here. Companies in which they work are also branches of Korean companies in Vietnam, of which only a few employees are Vietnamese and they all communicate with each other in Korean. Korean people rarely talk to local people unless it is necessary, because as Mr. Jeon Jeong-seok, who has lived in Vietnam for a year and a half said: "I’m afraid to meet Vietnamese because I do not really know that they are talking about me." Yet there are some Koreans like Mr. Bok Yo Han, characterized by his job as a tour guide, has a lot of Vietnamese friends but they are the ones who he truly know for a long time and know how to speak Korean. Hong Loan-Van Anh