■祖国で起業、マック誘致
クラクションが響き、無数のバイクが行き交う商都ホーチミン。その一角に昨年２月、ベトナムで初めてマクドナルドができた。
「想像を超える売り上げだ。１０年で１００店舗を目指す」。オーナーのヘンリー・グエンさん（４１）は軽やかな英語で言った。マクドナルドのベトナム進出は１２０カ国・地域目。旧敵国の巨大資本への警戒感から誘致が遅れた。だが、米国育ちのヘンリーさんにとっては「豊かさの象徴」。１０年以上かけて開店にこぎ着けた。
* Promoting an enterprise in a home land, attraction of McDonald's
Ho Chi Minh, a city with noisy car horns and traffic of countles bikes. In a corner of this city, a first ever Vietnamese McDonald's was opened last February.
"The sales are better than expected. We're aiming to open another 100 stores over the next 10 years," said the owner Henry Nguyen (41) in fluent English. Vietnam joined other 120 countries that have McDonald's.
It was because of wariness towards an old enemy's huge capital, that introduction was delayed. However, it is a "symbol of wealth" to Henry, who was raised in America. It took more than 10 year for the store to finally open.
ヘンリーさんは０４年にベトナムで投資会社を立ち上げ、成功して事業を拡大。０８年にはグエン・タン・ズン首相の長女と結婚し、政界とのパイプも築いた実業家だ。「米越の不幸な歴史は終わった。二つの祖国を結びつけるのは僕の宿命だ」。そう切り出し、自らの半生を語り始めた。
７５年４月２５日夕、サイゴン。南ベトナム政府側の技師だった父に米国関係者から電話が入った。「３０分で荷物をまとめろ」。数日中に南が降伏し、安全が保証できないとの連絡だった。ヘンリーさんは当時１歳１０カ月。
Mr. Henry launched an investment company in Vietnam in 2004, became successful, and expanded his business. In 2008, he married Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's eldest daughter and became a businessman having built a pipe connecting to the world. "The sorrowful history of America and Vietnam has ended. To connect my two homelands is my destiny." He began to talk about half his own life like that.
It was the evening of April 25, 1975 in Saigon. There was a call from a US concerned party to the father who was an engineer of South Vietnam's government. "Pack your things in 30 minutes." It was a contact to tell that the South would surrender in a few days and that safety can't be guaranteed. Then, Mr. Henry was a year and 10 months old.
同夜、両親に連れられ、３人の兄弟と米軍輸送機に乗ったという。
一家はワシントン近郊の知人宅の一室に身を寄せた。父は雑貨店や給油所で働き、子供たちを学校に通わせた。
一方、ベトナムは７８年のカンボジア侵攻で国際社会で孤立、計画経済で人々の生活は困窮した。数十万人がボートで国を脱出した。９５年の国交回復まで、故郷の親戚との連絡でさえ、困難を極めた。祖国は両親を惨めな生活に追いやった国だった。
ハーバード大の学生時代の９５年、旅行雑誌のアルバイトで祖国を訪れ、記事を書く機会を得た。
On the same night, he boarded the US army aircraft with his 3 siblings.
The family stayed at a house of their acquaintance in the suburb of Washington. His father worked at variety stores and gasoline stands to send his children to school.
In the meantime, Vietnam was isolated from the international community for invasion into Cambodia, and the citizens went through hardships in daily life due to the Planned Economy policy. Several hundred thousand people evaded the country on boats. They had extreme difficulties making contacts with their relatives until Vietnam restored relations with the US in 1995. His homeland put him in deep misery.
In 1995 when he was a student at Harvard University, he had the chance to visit his homeland to write an article, as a part time job.
湖や街路樹の美しさや言葉の響きに「故郷だ」と感じだ。将来、ベトナムで起業すると心に決めた。
ベトナムは８６年のドイモイ（刷新）政策で市場経済化を進めていた。ヘンリーさんら「越僑」は敵ではなく、商機と外貨を呼び込む存在に変わりつつあった。
祖国への進出を果たした今、ヘンリーさんは言う。「ベトナムは平和になった。成長のチャンスにあふれている」
With lakes, beautiful roadside trees and sound of dialect it felt like home. He decided he would start a business in Vietnam in the future.
Vietnam had been promoting the market economy since Doi Moi in 86'. Henry and other "overseas Vietnamese" are not the enemies, but a presence that brought in a business opportunity and foreign exchange.
Henry, who managed to advance his homeland, says: "There is a peace in Vietnam. It is overflowing with opportunities to grow."
