Why is East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) so much more developed than South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka)? Is it because the governments there are efficient or the people are hard-working?
It is supposed that different cultures lead to different results.
China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam belong to the Sinosphere cultural circle and are influenced by Confucian culture; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka belong to the Indosphere and are influenced by Hindu culture.
Indian culture advocates “withdraw from the world” and emphasizes personal cultivation, while Confucian culture advocates “entering the world” and emphasizes social responsibility.
Hindu culture: Advocating reincarnation and Asceticism, abstinence from worldly pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. typically adopt a frugal lifestyle, characterised by the renunciation of material possessions and physical pleasures. Indian culture is passionate about prayer and more concerned about the afterlife.
Confucian culture: “For heaven and earth, for the people, for the saints of the past to continue learning, for all ages to safeguard world peace / 為天地立心，為生民立命，為往聖繼絕學，為萬世開太平”, “To cultivate the moral self, regulate the family, maintain the state rightly and make all peaceful / 修生齊家治國平天下”. Confucian culture does not seek God and worship Buddha, and emphasizes the importance of obtaining everything one wants through self-struggle, and of living in the present moment.
I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn.
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I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC.
I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters.
I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law.
I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam.
In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship.
Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam.
I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN.
I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism.
In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net).
I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries.
I have written these books, published by Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi:
"Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống) (Oct. 2011)
"10 Core Values for Success" (10 Giá trị cốt lõi của thành công) (Dec. 2013)
"Live a Life Worth Living" (Sống Một Cuộc Đời Đáng Sống) (Oct. 2023)
I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.
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CVD 