admin“Glamour” is not normally a word one would associate with hectic and brash Ho Chi Minh City with her poor quality air, but a recent evening at an awards dinner was a notable exception. All the male recipients of awards as well as the comperes were dressed in black dinner jackets and the women were similarly splendidly attired. There certainly was glamour at The Vinpearl Hotel housed in one of the towers of the newish Landmark Centre on the evening of the 10th of November for the 2023 PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards. As the keynote opening speaker said, this has been a difficult year, perhaps due to the general slowdown in the industry in China. In any event, this generally is a cyclical business and I am sure it will bounce back in future years. What it does mean is that those that have been successful during this time have done so under particularly difficult circumstances.
In keeping with the great traditions of the Oscars and other award ceremonies, dinner was served to our table while we watched the greenish gold statuettes being given out. We did not have to crane our necks to view the proceedings, as a screen had been cleverly provided in front of our very eyes. The British fare was excellently provided by Vinpearl catering and opened with a quinoa salad with apple butter, carrots, cheese and lemon. This South American staple has somehow gained popularity in the West as a super health food. It is not a grain although it may look at least superficially like couscous but is more related to spinach or amaranth while maintaining a rich amount of protein. It nevertheless provided a great opening to the proceedings.
Next up, fresh from the forest, came that classic dish, cream of mushroom soup. This was followed by the piece de resistance, the Grilled Angus Beef Tenderloin with the mashed potatoes and vegetables. As we watched the final winners receive their awards for various kinds of developers, we munched on that most culinary delight of British fare, the sweet course, in the form of sumptuous coconut mousse with pineapple and a cup of coffee.
Many of the statuettes, especially at the beginning of the soiree, were given to more traditional categories such as the best design and development, which include sectors such as a trophy for Best High End Condo Architectural Design or Best Ultra Luxury Condo Development as well as for condos in specific geographical areas like Binh Duong or Hanoi. Towards the end of the evening were more innovative awards such as one for good effect on the community in total.
A second reason for a company to be proud to have a property guru trophy in its company cabinet is the quality of the judges. That evening they had been drawn from many of the senior operators of relevant fields and in the wide array of professions associated with the general ambit of property with a wide geographical spread. A prize from such a panel is a prize indeed.
Thirdly, both the comperes as well as those receiving the prizes for their teams or companies came from a diversity of backgrounds exhibiting exoticism if not glamour. I detected both a Scottish and a London accent. There were various Asian accents in English as well as both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh English; even one young lady accepted her trophy in Hue English, according to my daughter.
As said at the outset, we do not expect glamour here in Ho Chi Minh City. However, that evening I found myself in the presence of a band of folk who have enhanced the appearance and lifted the scope of the profession to encompass more its obvious aspects. It is a reminder that a city is never a static affair. Indeed, nothing is set in stone, if you will. It is these aspects that gave glamour to the gala event.
Pip de Rouvray 11 November 2023