TTLA: Comparative study of quality of life between Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's index

Author name: Do Thi Lien Van

Thesis title: Comparative study of quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer index.

Dissertation field: Oriental studies

Major: Southeast Asian Studies Code: 63 31 06 10

Name of the postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

1.1. Research objectives

- Clarify the theoretical and practical basis of quality of life; quality of urban life.

- Analyze and compare the similarities and differences in the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's 39 indicators. Clarify the achievements as well as the difficulties, limitations and causes of each group of indicators. Thereby, draw lessons of success and failure for Bangkok and Hanoi in the context of the current new situation.

1.2. Research subjects

- Research object: Comparative study of quality of life between Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's Index.

- Research object: Comparative study of the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi through state management of fields and sectors related to the quality of life of the two cities.

2. Research methods used

2.1. Approach

- Approach to learning area:When studying the quality of life, the author applied the regional approach along with the interdisciplinary method and the comparative method as the two main methods of the thesis. The regional approach is also the basic research method of Oriental studies. The regional approach becomes more suitable for the topic of comparative research on the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi through the Mercer Index. Only the regional approach can identify scientific arguments about the quality of life in a comprehensive and profound way, including many fields and sectors: from politics, economics, culture, society, education, health, urban management... under multidimensional impacts and through many different times. In particular, the research object is not only the issues (indexes) of the quality of life of Hanoi but it also goes beyond national boundaries to a city of another country in the Southeast Asian region, which is Bangkok. Through interdisciplinary and comparative methods, the similarities and differences in each quality of life index of Bangkok and Hanoi will be compared and interpreted through 39 indexes in the Mercer Index. A set of indexes assessing the quality of life that is highly prestigious in the world and has many characteristics of North American countries.

In general, area studies is an interdisciplinary science in the field of international studies, it studies territories outside national borders in terms of social, economic, political and cultural aspects in relation to geographical space, to enhance people's awareness of the diversity of the world and for the common good. And the area studies approach will bring to the thesis an overall view of the similarities and differences along with the specific characteristics of the quality of life of two typical, dynamic cities with quite similar development in the Southeast Asian region.

2.2. Specific research methods        

- Theoretical research method:The author used to synthesize research works and articles related to the issue of urban quality of life published both domestically and internationally; the advantages and disadvantages of previous studies, and at the same time clarify the research direction of the topic on the basis of inheriting, developing and supplementing gaps that previous studies did not have.

- Comparison method: Along with the regional approach, the comparative method is used as the main method throughout the research process. Based on the collected data, the author can synthesize, analyze and compare the quality of life of the two cities of Bangkok and Hanoi to draw out the similarities and differences of each index and clarify the achievements, difficulties, limitations; the causes of the difficulties and limitations. On that basis, some successful and unsuccessful lessons can be drawn to contribute to improving the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi at present and in the following years. This method can help the author grasp the advantages and limitations of each index. Which indexes will be the advantages of Bangkok and which indexes will be the advantages of Hanoi. In particular, which indexes are issues that both cities are concerned about. Which indexes do Bangkok residents feel most satisfied with? Similarly, which indicators will Hanoi people feel most satisfied with?

- Qualitative and quantitative methods: Quantitative research methods complement the accuracy of qualitative research and qualitative research clarifies the meaning of quantitative research. In a comprehensive study of quality of life, there must be a combination of these two research methods to bring about maximum results. Only by skillfully combining quantitative and qualitative research in conjunction with new social practices can overall issues of quality of life be considered more comprehensively and effectively in science. Qualitative research methods can support quantitative research by identifying topics suitable for the investigation method. Quantitative research can support qualitative research by generalizing findings to a larger sample or identifying groups that need to be studied in depth. Qualitative research can help explain the relationships between variables discovered in quantitative studies.

-Survey investigation method combined with in-depth interviews: This method is implemented by the author simultaneously in the process of both survey investigation and questionnaire interview to collect data on people's subjective feelings about the current state of the city's quality of life and people's satisfaction with the quality of life. In addition, through the survey, the author will collect opinions from experts and scientists to deepen the research arguments.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

Scientific significance:This is the first independent and representative scientific research project in Vietnam on comparative research on urban quality of life at the city level; Supplementing and clarifying the basic theoretical and practical bases on the quality of life of a city (urban area); Providing practical data from a survey of Bangkok and Hanoi residents on the current status of quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi in 2018 (based on Mercer's Index). The research results will be valuable reference materials for research and teaching.

Practical significance:Providing data and scientific arguments for each specific group of indicators on quality of life such as: economy, politics, culture, society, natural environment, housing and urban services. Drawing out the causes and lessons learned for each city will be important suggestions for the government, experts and managers of the two cities to refer to in building and determining development plans and roadmaps for each specific industry and field; Contributing to determining the level of investment of each city in each field to improve the quality of urban life better and better, improving the higher ranking in Mercer's periodic ranking of quality of life; The research results of the topic will be a good reference document contributing to raising awareness and consciousness to improve the quality of life of the community and people in each city to become better and more sustainable; The research results of the project will increase understanding and solidarity to build good relations between the two cities of Bangkok and Hanoi, between Thailand and Vietnam as well as accelerate the process of realizing the goals of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community by 2020.

3.2. Conclusion

Researching and evaluating the quality of urban life is one of the important goals in each stage of each city, country, region and the world. Urban quality of life is a broad, multidisciplinary content, directly related to many areas such as: security, politics, economy; culture - society and health care; natural environment, infrastructure and urban services, etc. These issues have been built by Mercer into a complete Quality of Life Index consisting of 10 industry groups with 39 component indicators. In this study, Mercer's 39 indicators have been arranged into 3 basic groups of indicators, consistent with the structure of 3 chapters comparing the current status of quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi.

With a completely new approach to quality of life that has not been found in any research work at home and abroad through an interdisciplinary approach and a systemic approach, which are the main approaches of Oriental Studies, the author has created a vivid picture of the current state of quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi. In turn, the 39 component indicators in the Mercer Quality of Life Index have been analyzed, compared, and interpreted quite closely by the author based on both subjective and objective data. On that basis, the author has clarified the results, limitations as well as the causes and lessons learned for improving the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi at present and in the next stages. The comparative research method has been flexibly and thoroughly applied by the author in all aspects of quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi. The thesis on comparative research on the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi can summarize the following main points:

(1) Overall assessment of the quality of life indexes of Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's Index, no index is completely good and no index is completely limited. Each index has similar points and different points between the two cities. In the 3 basic index groups, there are Bangkok indexes with outstanding advantages and Hanoi indexes with outstanding advantages. The Bangkok index group with outstanding advantages includes: Easy immigration; Banking services; Currency exchange regulations; Hospital services; Medical supplies; Number of schools (international standards); Cinemas; Number and types of restaurants; Housing maintenance and repair; Public transportation; Airport. The Hanoi index group with outstanding advantages includes: Stability; Crime; Mass media and censorship; Weather and climate; Natural disasters. The groups of indicators that people in both cities feel most dissatisfied with include: drinking water; air pollution; household waste; traffic congestion... These are also the indicators that most affect the quality of life today and are also topical for the whole country, region and the whole world. In particular, these are also issues that city governments need to develop short-term and long-term plans for themselves.

(2) In addition to subjective factors that affect the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi, the quality of life in cities is also strongly affected by objective indicators (factors) such as: globalization and international integration; natural and social characteristics; scientific and technological revolution; rural migration; climate change, natural disasters, etc. This is also the reason why cities in Southeast Asia in general, Bangkok and Hanoi in particular, are facing five interdependent challenges such as: the need to promote economic growth and employment; the need to develop urban infrastructure and services; the need to reduce urban poverty; the need to protect the environment, mitigate and adapt to climate change; the need to develop a culture that enhances urban living and improves urban sustainability, while maintaining typical indicators and values ​​for the region.

(3) Currently, the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi is not much affected by some of the indicators in the Mercer Index such as: supply of consumer goods; airports; banking services; currency exchange regulations; number of restaurants; theaters, cinemas, etc. Some indicators that have a strong impact and are also pressing issues for the two cities are: drinking water; air pollution; household waste; traffic congestion; public transport; weather; natural disasters. In fact, there are some other important indicators for the quality of life in the city that the Mercer Index has not mentioned, such as: Political institutions; Administrative management apparatus; employment index; unemployment; labor productivity index; tourism service index; population aging index; middle class index, etc.

(4) The quality of life in a city always depends on the overall quality of many groups of indicators. According to the assessment of the people of the two cities today, there are many indicators that have a great impact on the quality of life but people feel dissatisfied such as: water source index; air pollution; wastewater; waste; traffic congestion; climate change; natural disasters; health services; housing, public transportation; ... These are considered pressing issues for many years that the cities have not yet found effective solutions to.

(5) The quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi is directly proportional to the urbanization rate of each city. This is specifically demonstrated by the fact that the urbanization rate of Bangkok is always higher than that of Hanoi, which explains why the ranking of Hanoi's quality of life in recent years has always been lower than that of Bangkok. Similarly, it also explains why developed cities always occupy high rankings in Mercer's rankings because the main reason is that developed cities always have a much higher urbanization rate than cities in developing countries such as Thailand and Vietnam.

(6) Urbanization and economic growth are inevitable processes of cities and they always go hand in hand with improving the quality of city life.If the urbanization rate and economic growth rate increase, it will create conditions for the division of labor, create jobs and increase income, creating conditions for a more complete material life. The number, density and size of the urban population are also more diverse, making it easier for people to access public services and social services such as education and health care. However, the impact of urbanization and economic growth does not only bring positive aspects. Due to the high number and density of the urban population concentrating on economic activities, it can lead to infrastructure overload, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, increasing polarization between the rich and the poor and crime.

Rapid urbanization and high economic growth do not mean high quality of life. Even if the urbanization and economic growth rate develop too fast, too hot will cause many consequences affecting the quality of urban life of cities such as: traffic jams, flooding, environmental pollution, infrastructure overload, ... That explains why Hanoi's economic growth rate in recent years has always been at a high level in the world but the ranking of quality of life is always at a low average level. Similarly, for Bangkok at present, the economic growth rate remains at an average level while the ranking of quality of life is still higher than Hanoi's. And that is also the reason why Hanoi, like many other cities in the world, has a high economic growth rate but is not highly appreciated for the quality of city life.

To improve the quality of life, urbanization and urban development of cities need to be better managed. This requires changes in policy and legal frameworks as well as decentralization to local governments to have autonomy in mobilizing human and financial resources to improve urban infrastructure and services. It requires changes in staffing and improving the capacity of local government apparatus at all levels in urban development and management. At the same time, national governments need to reaffirm their responsibility to ensure coordination and cooperation between local governments in redistributing resources between the richer and poorer localities of the country.

In general, the quality of urban life is a comprehensive issue of many sectors and fields. Therefore, to improve the quality of life of cities today, it is necessary to have the attention of authorities at all levels and also the awareness and responsibility of the people. Without one of the above factors, the implementation of the goal of improving the quality of life will not be able to bring good results. However, depending on the socio-economic development conditions of each locality as well as the challenges from the impact of objective issues, cities of ASEAN countries, including Bangkok and Hanoi, will have to find their own solutions to effectively deal with risks and complexities, thereby ensuring their sustainable development strategy goals. The valuable experiences of cities that have developed before will be very useful for cities that are entering a shortened industrialization and rapid urbanization period like Hanoi today. In the future, with the specific development strategy stated in the goal of forming the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, Bangkok and Hanoi both have the right to hope for the future development of modern, sustainable and unique cities in the region, which are livable places for many people around the world.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name: Do Thi Lien Van

Thesis title: The study compares the quality of life Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's index.

Scientific branch of the thesis: Eastern learning

Major: Southeast Asia studies Code: 63 31 06 10

The name of postgraduate training institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Hanoi National University.

1. Research methods

1.1. Approach

Approach to study area: When studying the quality of life, the author has applied the study area approach with the interdisciplinary method and the comparison method are the two main methods of the thesis. The regional approach is also the basic method of research in the oriental discipline. The study area approach is becoming more relevant to the research topic comparing the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's Index. Only the approach to the study area can identify the scientific evidence of the quality of life in a comprehensive and comprehensive way, including many fields and sectors including: political, economic, cultural, society, education, health, urban management ... under multi-dimensional impact and through many different times. In particular, the object of research is not only issues (indicators) of Hanoi's quality of life but it also surpasses the national boundary to a city of another country in Southeast Asia that is Bangkok. Through interdisciplinary and comparative methods, in turn the similarities and differences in each quality of life index of Bangkok and Hanoi will be collated, disseminating the 39 indicators in Mercer's Index. A set of indicators of high quality of life in the world and many characteristics of North American countries.

In general, the area of ​​study is an interdisciplinary science subject in the field of international research, it studies territories outside the national borders on social, economic, political and cultural dimensions in relations with geospatial space, to enhance people's awareness of the diversity of the world and for the common good. And the study area approach will give the thesis a comprehensive view of the similarities and differences along with its own characteristics of the quality of life of two typical cities, dynamic and with the distribution quite similar in Southeast Asia.

1.2. Specific research methods

- Theoretical research method: used by the author to synthesize research works, articles related to the quality of urban life published both at home and abroad; The positive and negative aspects of previous studies also clarify the research direction of the topic on the basis of inheriting, developing and supplementing the gaps that previous studies do not yet have.

- Comparison method: along with the study area approach, the comparison method used is the main method during the study process. Based on the collected data, the author can synthesize, analyze and compare the quality of life of the two cities of Bangkok and Hanoi to draw the similarities and differences of each indicator and clarify it. achievements, difficulties and limitations; The causes of difficulties and limitations. On that basis, some successful and unsuccessful lessons can be drawn to contribute to improving the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi today and in the following years. This method can help the author capture the advantages and limitations of each indicator. Which indicators will be Bangkok's advantages and which indicators will be the advantage of Hanoi. In particular, the indicators are all issues that both cities are interested in. Which indicators Bangkok's residents feel most satisfied. Likewise, will Hanoi people feel more satisfied about which indicators?

- Qualitative method of combining quantitative: Quantitative research methods complement the accuracy of qualitative research and qualitative research to clarify the meaning of quantitative research. In a comprehensive study of quality of life, there is a need for coordination between these two research methods to yield maximum results. Only the combination of quantitative and qualitative research can be combined with new social realities, the overall issues of quality of life are considered in a more comprehensive and effective way in science. Qualitative research methods can support quantitative research by identifying topics that are consistent with the survey method. Quantitative research can support qualitative research by generalizing the findings of a larger sample or identifying groups that need to be studied in depth. Qualitative research can help explain the relationships between variables discovered in quantitative studies.

- Methods of survey and survey combined with in-depth interviews: This method was performed by the author simultaneously in the process of investigation and surveying and interviewing by questionnaires to obtain subjective sensory data of people on the status of city life quality and people's satisfaction on quality of life. In addition, through the survey, the author will gain the opinions of experts and scientists to deepen the research points.

2. Major results and conclusions

2.1.The major results

Scientific significance: It is the first independent and nature-based scientific research project in Vietnam on the study of comparing the quality of urban life at the city level; Supplement and clarify the basic and practical rationale for the quality of life of a city (urban); Provide practical data from survey of Bangkok and Hanoi residents about the status of the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi in 2018 (built based on the Mercer Index Set). Research results will be valuable reference documents for research and teaching.

Practical significance: Provide data and scientific arguments for each specific indicator group on quality of life such as economy, politics, culture, society, natural environment, housing and urban services. Drawing on the causes, lessons learned for each city will be important suggestions for the government, experts and managers of the two cities to consult in building and defining plans. , development roadmap for each industry, each specific field; Contribute to determine each city's level of investment in each area to improve the quality of urban life, improve the ranking of Mercer's Periodic Ranking of Quality of Life. ; The results of the study will be a good reference to contribute to raising awareness and awareness of improving the quality of life of the community, the people in each city are getting better and more sustainable and more sustainable; Research results of the thesis will increase understanding and solidarity in order to build a good relationship between Bangkok and Hanoi, between Thailand and Vietnam as well as speeding up the process of realizing the goals of ASEAN Cultural and Social Community by 2020.

2.2. Conclusions

Researching and evaluating the quality of city life (urban) is one of the important objectives through each stage of each city, country, region and the world. The quality of urban life is a wide and multidisciplinary content, directly related to many areas such as security, politics and economy; culture - society and health care; Natural environment, infrastructure and urban services, etc. These issues have been developed by Mercer into a complete set of life quality measurement indicators including 10 industry groups with 39 component indexes. In this study, Mercer's 39 indicators were grouped together into three basic index groups, consistent with the three-chapter structure comparing the status of life quality of Bangkok and Hanoi.

With a completely new approach to quality of life that is not yet available in any study both at home and abroad through an interdisciplinary approach and systematic approach, are the main approaches of the Oriental Studies specialties, the author has created a vivid picture of the current status of the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi. In turn, the 39 component indexes of Mercer's Quality of Life Index were analyzed, compared, and interpreted by the author based on data both subjective and objective. On that basis, the author clarifies the results, limitations as well as the causes and lessons learned to improve the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi today and in the next step. The comparative research method has been applied flexibly and thoroughly by the author in all aspects of the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi. The thesis compares the quality of life in Bangkok and Hanoi to summarize the following main points:

(1) Overall assessment of the quality of life indicators of Bangkok and Hanoi through Mercer's Index, no indicators are completely good and no indicators are limited. Each indicator has the same common points and different points between two cities. Among the three basic indicator groups, there are Bangkok indicators that have outstanding advantages and have the Hanoi index with outstanding advantages. Bangkok index group has the advantages of: Easy entry and exit; Banking services; Currency exchange regulations; Hospital services; Medical supplies; Number of schools (international standards); Cinema; Number and type of restaurants; Maintenance and repair of houses; public transport; airport. airport. The Hanoi index group has superior advantages including: Stability; Crime; Mass media and censorship; Weather climate; Natural disasters. The group of indicators that people in both cities feel most unhappy with include: drinking water; air pollution; domestic waste; Traffic congestion ... These are also indicators affecting the quality of life today and it is also topical for both national, regional and worldwide. In particular, these are also issues that city governments need to build for both short-term and long-term plans.

(2) In addition to the subjective factors affecting the quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi, the quality of life of cities is strongly influenced by the indicators (factors) of customers. such as: globalization and international integration; natural and social characteristics; revolutionary science and technology; migrate from the countryside; Climate change, natural disasters ... This is also the reason why cities in Southeast Asia in general, Bangkok and Hanoi in particular are facing five interdependent challenges such as: promoting growth economics and employment; need to develop urban infrastructure and services; need to reduce urban poverty; need to protect the environment, mitigate and adapt to climate change; It is necessary to develop a culture that enhances urban living and improves urban sustainability, while maintaining typical regional targets and values.

(3) Currently, the quality of life Bangkok and Hanoi is not much affected by some of the indicators in Mercer's Index, such as: supply of consumer goods; airport; banking services; currency exchange regulations; number of restaurants; Theaters, cinemas ... Some of the indicators have a strong impact and are also pressing issues for the two cities: drinking water; air pollution; domestic waste; traffic congestion; public transport; Weather climate; Natural disasters. In fact, there are some other important indicators of the quality of city life that Mercer's Ministry of Indicators has not mentioned yet: Political institutions; Administrative management apparatus; employment index; unemployment; labor productivity index; indicators of tourism services; indicators of population aging; index of middle class ...

(4) The quality of city life always depends on the overall quality level of many indicator groups. According to the people of the two cities today, there are many indicators that are having great impacts on the quality of life, but people feel dissatisfied such as: water resources index; air pollution; wastewater; trash; trash; traffic congestion; Climate Change; natural disasters; health services; housing, public transportation, etc. This is said to be pressing issues for many years but cities still have no effective solutions.

(5) The quality of life of Bangkok and Hanoi is directly proportional to the urbanization rate of each city. This is expressed in detail through the urbanization rate of Bangkok is always higher than the rate of Hanoi urbanization, which explains the ranking of Hanoi's quality of life in recent years is always low. more rankings on Bangkok's quality of life. Similarly, it also explains why developed cities have always occupied high rankings in Mercer's Ranking because the main reason is that developed cities always have a higher rate of urbanization than cities. developing countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

(6) Urbanization and economic growth is an inevitable process of cities and it always happens in parallel with improving the quality of city life. If the rate of urbanization and high economic growth rate will facilitate the division of labor, create jobs and increase income, create conditions for material life to be more complete. The number, density and population of urban areas are also more diverse, making it easier for people to access public services and social services such as education and health care. However, the impact of urbanization and economic growth does not only bring positive things. As the number and density of highly concentrated urban populations in economic activities can lead to overcrowding in infrastructure, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, diversification of rich and poor and increasing crime. increase. increase.

Speed ​​of rapid urbanization and high economic growth does not mean high quality of life. Even if the speed of urbanization and the economic growth rate is too fast, too hot will cause many consequences affecting the quality of urban life of cities such as traffic congestion, flooding. , environmental pollution, overload of infrastructure, etc. That explains why Hanoi's economic growth in recent years has always been at a high level of the world but the quality of life standards is always low average. Similar to Bangkok at the present time, the economic growth rate remains at a moderate level while the ranking of quality of life is still higher than that of Hanoi. And that is why Hanoi and many other cities in the world have high economic growth but are not appreciated for the quality of city life.

In order to improve the quality of life, urbanization and urban development of the city need to be better managed. This requires changing policies and legal frameworks as well as decentralizing the rights of local governments to decide on the mobilization of human and financial resources to improve infrastructure and urban services. Marketing. It requires changes in personnel work and enhances the capacity of the local government apparatus at all levels in urban development and management. At the same time, national governments need to reaffirm their responsibility to ensure coordination and cooperation between local governments in redistributing resources between richer and poorer localities. country. country.

In general, the quality of city life (urban) is an overall problem of many sectors and schools. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life of cities today, it is necessary to have the attention of the authorities at the same time, and also the awareness and responsibility of the people. Without one of the above factors, implementing the goal of improving the quality of life will not bring good results. However, depending on the socio-economic development conditions of each locality as well as the challenges from the impact of objective issues, the cities of ASEAN countries including Bangkok and Hanoi will have to find your own solutions to effectively deal with risks and complications, thereby ensuring the goals of your sustainable development strategy. The valuable experiences of cities that have developed in the past will be very helpful for cities that are entering a period of shortening industrialization and rapid urbanization like Hanoi today. In the future, with the specific development strategy stated in the goal of forming the Socio-Cultural Community of ASEAN, Bangkok and Hanoi, there is a right to hope for the future development of modern cities. sustainable and regional identity, is a place worth living for many people around the world.