Why is Le Thanh Ton called "The Ghetto"?

Hi,

My friend just talked with me about this area yesterday. This area gathers a lot of Japanese who has lived in VN for 5-6 years and Ghetto means a crowded area which has a significant peoples living in.

Ah, so it's called that just because there are many Japanese living there?  Webster's dictionary defines a ghetto as "a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups."  That area doesn't seem like a slum area to me.  Do people think of it as a slum?

(slum -- noun -- a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.)

It isn't a slum.

There are many nice restaurants there.

Yeah, I agree.  In California, we would call that area Japantown, just like we have Chinatown, and Little Saigon.

Actually I am confused somehow about those places. Like Phu My Hung.. it gathers a lot of Korean but there are also a lot of korean living near the Tan Son Nhat airport. Seems there are 2 places for Korean in HcM.

Ghetto doesn't mean a crowded area with a significant amount of people living in it. If that was the case, every financial district in the world that have a lot of people living in it such as Toyko or Melbourne or Singapore would be considered "ghetto". Although I'm sure you could apply that term to the outskirts,  that definition is incorrect.

Dan, I your definition is correct. Although I have never heard of LTT being called ghetto. I would think that the backpacker area would be called ghetto

JVo18 wrote:

Dan, I your definition is correct. Although I have never heard of LTT being called ghetto. I would think that the backpacker area would be called ghetto

Yeah, I agree with you there.  LTT is a much nicer area than Pham Ngu Lao, to my eyes at least.  But I think the difference is saying an area is "ghetto" (an adjective) versus "The Ghetto" (a noun).  I think perhaps LTT got the name "The Ghetto" years ago and it stuck.  That doesn't mean it's "ghetto" (i.e., low class), but that's just what people call it.  That's my best guess.

Screw it.  I'm going to call it Japantown.

Woo hoo.  300th post. 



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JVo18 wrote:

Ghetto doesn't mean a crowded area with a significant amount of people living in it. If that was the case, every financial district in the world that have a lot of people living in it such as Toyko or Melbourne or Singapore would be considered "ghetto". Although I'm sure you could apply that term to the outskirts,  that definition is incorrect.

I meant different. Since there are a lot of Vietnamese here so everywhere is Vietnamese.. just some places have a lot of Japanese or Korea... and they are call Ghetto.

By the way. I see vietnamese doesn't use English in a correct meaning. Just a half of the meaning.

Dejavu.dot wrote:

JVo18 wrote:

Ghetto doesn't mean a crowded area with a significant amount of people living in it. If that was the case, every financial district in the world that have a lot of people living in it such as Toyko or Melbourne or Singapore would be considered "ghetto". Although I'm sure you could apply that term to the outskirts,  that definition is incorrect.

I meant different. Since there are a lot of Vietnamese here so everywhere is Vietnamese.. just some places have a lot of Japanese or Korea... and they are call Ghetto.

By the way. I see vietnamese doesn't use English in a correct meaning. Just a half of definition.

JVo18 wrote:

I would think that the backpacker area would be called ghetto

Travellers do themselves short staying in PNL (Pham Ngu Lao), it's not VietNam. It's more like the traditional derogatory meaning of 'ghetto'. In fact, most Travellers wouldn't be seen dead in an area like PNL if it was a different country.

Even the City Fathers think it is bad, too bad even for Vietnamese to live in. About half of the area has frozen User Certificates - this means homes cannot be sold except to the government - especially in the area nearest Cong Quyinh, running along Bui Vien and as far as Tran Hung Dao. If you look carefully you will see houses that are empty - even a hotel that, on occasion over the past few years, opens up to take in Travellers.

Much of the area is a high fire risk with illegal extensions and houses even built across some of the 'Hiems'.

It's a high crime area with pimps from South Asia running their businesses as well as a fraud artist from a notorious African country scamming credit cards.

A lot of Vietnamese have become very rich from Travellers, several dollar millionaires. Two have investments in spa resorts in Mui Ne and another further north.

Marine workers who have jumped ship will be found in some poor quality hotels on De Tham at the Vo Van Kiet end.

Over at Le Thanh Ton, in the area bounded by LTT, Thai Van Lung, Tin Duc Tan and Ngo Van Nam (a street with some very interesting restaurants and night clubs) is filled with all manner of homes. One person I know resides there is an executive of an international leasing company. You can't judge the houses by their outside appearance.