Are you more likely to be happy living in Vietnam than in Switzerland, Norway, the U.S. and even Bhutan (the only country to measure “gross national happiness“)?
That’s what the results of this year’s Happy Planet Index (HPI) suggest. Designed by the New Economics Foundation (motto: “economics as if people and the planet mattered”), the HPI sets forth to be the “leading global measure of sustainable, well-being.” It ranks countries on how well they create the conditions for citizens to live long, happy, sustainable lives using three primary indicators: life expectancy, experienced well-being and Ecological footprint.
Based on these metrics, Vietnam came in at a perplexing 2nd out of 151 countries. In other words, Vietnam is the second happiest country in the world, according to the HPI.
Rounding out the top 10 are Costa Rica (at number 1), Colombia, Belize, El Savador, Jamaica, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Guatemala. Bangladesh just misses the top slots at number 11.
Why are we more perplexed than impressed? While the top 11 countries have all been lauded as models of development at some point, and while most are heavyweight tourist magnets, they are not exactly known as glowing bastions of happiness. Many of them suffer from high levels of inequality. Gang violence, though much improved, has been a major concern for many of the Latin American countries. Colombia is still dealing with decades of a protracted armed conflict, and Bangladesh has entered into another stage of political turmoil. Meanwhile, countries that ranked highly in the World Happiness Report by Columbia University’s Earth Institute did relatively poorly in the Happy Planet Index. See below:
Note: While the Happy Planet Index includes 151 countries, the World Happiness Report includes 156.
We’re not saying that one ranking system is better than the other; both rankings base their data from similar sources, including the UN and Gallup Polls. But it does give us pause to see Vietnam ranked so highly in the HPI when we know worries of inflation, underemployment and sluggish economic growth weigh heavy on the minds of many. Perhaps the HPI is better considered a reflection of the overall level of optimism of Vietnamese people and their belief in their ability to advance their lives, rather than an expression of contentment with their current living situations. If anything, the HPI does well to subvert expectations and make us question what “model happiness” is, if such a thing exists. Is it a Scandinavian climate and a GDP per capita of $40,200? Or is it sunny beaches along a 1290 km coastline and a life expectancy of 79.1 years?
Note: Bhutan, sometimes dubbed the happiest country in the world, is not included in either rankings due to a lack of available data. A case study on Bhutan, however, is presented in the World Happiness Report.
Cross-posted at VNHELP‘s blog. To see the original post, click here. VNHELP is nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian and development assistance to Vietnam, focusing on individual and community building by tackling the key education and health needs of Vietnam’s poor.
Image by GijsBudel via Flickr (Creative Commons)
living with commies must be the easiest thing in the world. my dad was in re-education camp for 7 years… and i believe he was one of the ones who had the worse because he was Vietnamese but an american soldier… if you’re an american with money, maybe it’s not so bad… because you’re spending money in their country… my grandfather was also in re-education camp… he didn’t spend as much time there, but it was the same thing… he was also one of the ones who got it the worse because he worked with Americans. And I completely understand why they never set foot in Vietnam again… because their homeland is long again.
what kind of survey is this? because I’m damn sure it’s the commies who are answering these surveys, and I really believe that people are still oppressed there, so anyone who can’t answer surveys like the commies want… they can’t and they won’t.
Kimberly Truong
We Vietnamese don’t need cunts like you. Nobody gives a fuck about your traitorous old man. He got what he deserved.
Stay the fuck out of Vietnam!
I’m a vietnamese born in the netherlands and I’ve traveled quite a lot. I go to vietnam regularly and i’ve been to denmark the number one on the whr list. And I can tell you that the WHR list is definitely more accurate. For me to be honest, if my grandparents die, there would be nothing for me anymore in vietnam. My family is the only reason for me to visit vietnam. Even though I’m young and liberal and not at all conservative. To me vietnamese society is rotten to the core. There’s no common values and principles, if I had a child I would so find a way to leave vietnam. I mean even the commies themselves who are saying that vietnam is the no. 1 country are trying to find ways to send their children abroad. That must be saying something right?
“To me Vietnamese society is rotten to the core. There’s no commom values and principles”. I’m sure you’re not “real” Vietnamese, just a person visting VN several times, seeing some bad guys and finally judging it by ignorant and nasty comments. If a “VIETNAMESE” like you don’t do anything to contribute to its growth, please Shut up and Go away!!
CHUYEN GIA BUT CHIEN!
Trollololol
Danny is probally the reason as to why Vietnam is 2nd on the HPI rankings. He’s an angry commy byproduct who was probally sent abroad by his commy parents for education (read: holiday) in a liberal and democratic western counry who has since returned to his beloved commy state and has since realized how depressed it all really is.
But hey, in the end, i guess everyone is happy right? its communism after all and everyone is equal (supposedly).
I an expat and have been living in Vietnam for close to a decade. I am an education consultant for a number of universities in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. It is easy for folks commenting on this thread to get carried away by the political ‘state’ of Vietnam. Making statements like “there’s no common values and principles” and implying the Vietnamese as a whole are rotten to the core, is a gross generelisation.
Whilst there are certainly issues within the country, the average ‘Joe’ on the street is positive about Vietnam, the university students are in general very open minded and well aware of the challenges Vietnam faces. Regardless of the upheavals, the Vietnamese as nation keep looking forward, innovating, reforming (consider that there is to be an unprecedented vote of no cofidence underway http://vietnam.vn/vote-of-confidence-to-senior-personnel-approved-by-national-assembly-c1069n20121210153712185.htm).
Many of the students I work with return from abroad with Ph.Ds and are actively contributing to Vietnam in various fields. Changes are underway, some slow and some at full throttle, it would be a good reminder to people commenting here to consider how deep in trouble the country was pre Doi Moi (http://epress.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ch0611.pdf) and where the country finds itself today.