The Promised Land Complex

The city of San Francisco is shrouded in fog. Photo: M.Đ

San Francisco - the city of mist by the bay.

When I think of San Francisco – the misty city of rolling hills along the bay – my memory rewinds to a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Hovering above the clouds, the plane suddenly made a sharp turn, swerving toward the bay and circling around the Golden Gate Bridge for a while. Looking out the window at the vast expanse of blue, I chuckled to myself, thinking: I've finally arrived in San Francisco – a place I've always dreamed of.

Leaving the airport, I took another taxi back to the city center, admiring the streets. As I passed the stylish buildings, like miniature castles, blending Gothic and contemporary architecture, admiring the ornate slanted windows, the winding pathways hidden behind wooden railings and green canopies… I felt like I was stepping into the movies I often watch at the cinema.

During my stay there, I stayed at the Touchstone – an old hotel on Geary Road, about a two-minute walk from Union Square. It's unclear exactly how old the hotel is, but you could smell its vintage charm the moment you stepped inside.

The elevator was rickety and cramped, only big enough for about four people, and it would shake slightly each time it was about to open. The surrounding area also had a similarly old-fashioned and mysterious feel.

Red, yellow, or brown brick buildings sit peacefully on streets that crisscross in a grid pattern. All the streets have a similar color, making it easy to get lost while strolling around, but also not necessarily to get lost.

The author and his fellow Hoi An native living in the US. Photo: M.D.

I find myself wandering like on full moon nights, immersed in the atmosphere of Hoi An's old town, strolling leisurely without knowing where I'm going, suddenly turning sideways, suddenly looking back, suddenly sitting down at random.

Suddenly, I noticed many similarities in urban planning, following the "traditional inside, modern outside" style. No matter how much development occurs, the core area remains unchanged. Even with accelerated progress, there is a deliberate intention to preserve and protect timeless beauty.

Lost in reverie at the unfamiliar scenery, my phone vibrated slightly; a message arrived: "Is this my friend in America? We just crossed paths, would you like to meet up?"

This is Sy Phu, a native of Hoi An, a friend I haven't seen in a long time. Phu left his hometown a few years ago and is building a new life here. Just as I was thinking about Hoi An, I happened to pass by Phu. What a strange and precious coincidence.

The Promised Land

I met Phu, and we strolled around the city center. The characteristic architecture here consists of old apartment buildings with exposed iron staircases on the facades, sometimes zigzagging and curving close to the building's structure. In some places, I came across half-closed windows hidden beneath a trellis of climbing vines.

I pointed, "Look, that cinema looks so nostalgic!" No wonder so many movies were filmed in this city. You said, "Those old studios might look like that, but they're worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Right beneath those expensive apartments, homeless people stand, lie, and sit... scattered haphazardly on the sidewalk. Some lay down on newspapers, others have nothing at all. Some of them hold out their hands begging for loose change from passersby. Others just sit there, staring blankly at the stream of people walking by, seemingly without a care in the world.

San Francisco has historically been a "promised land" welcoming diverse waves of immigration, not just in recent times.
Around the mid-19th century, people from all over the world flocked here to search for gold. Therefore, San Francisco acquired a special nickname within the Asian community: "Old Gold Mountain."

Driven by the gold rush, these waves of immigration created a city with diverse cultures and languages. Each individual, family, or small community group is like a mosaic, contributing to the city's vibrant tapestry of colors, from its past to its present.

Walking through these cinematic streets dotted with homeless people, I was reminded of the film "The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006), which was set here.

A realistic film depicting the life of a homeless person, from despair and trembling in the face of successive failures and tragedies to the overwhelming joy of achieving success. Among the people I just passed by, who will one day rise to a better life like the father and son characters Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith), and who will remain perpetually impoverished?

Dreaming about happiness

I asked Phu, "Now that you're here, will you miss Hoi An? Are you happy with this decision?" Phu pondered, finding it difficult to answer with a simple yes or no.

A city with many film settings. Photo: M.Đ

Nothing is absolute in this world. Phu left his hometown, abandoning the old town by the Hoai River, leaving behind a comfortable life in Saigon, and putting aside an exciting and promising career.

You came here, lived in an old house by the bay, enrolled in Computer Science at the University of California - Berkeley, started learning to code in your early 30s, and began a new path.

"Oh my God, who doesn't miss their hometown? But life here also has its own unique charm. Like the roads we've just traveled, nestled among the dreamlike streets, are unpredictable lives..."

The scenes that just flashed by, and the answers from my compatriot in a foreign land, also sparked in me a few seemingly philosophical questions: So, for those who are born more fortunate than others, what is true happiness in their lives? And what about me? Am I truly happy with what I have?

But what is true happiness? Is it the desire to strive and constantly conquer new heights, or is happiness the feeling of ease, acceptance, and appreciation for everything that happens? Or is happiness forever an abstract concept that no one can clearly define or grasp?

I had to leave my rambling questions unanswered when Phu offered to drive me to visit his school, the University of California–Berkeley (UC Berkeley) – one of the six most prestigious universities in the world (according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings).

“Here, we have an outdoor music club meeting with members from many countries and of different ages. At this age, being able to wear a student uniform, to start from scratch and then begin again, taking the first steps on a journey to conquer a completely new field of study, is the greatest happiness of my life,” Phu shared.

I nodded, feeling a joyful exclamation in my heart. Why dwell on happiness when, if you just slow down for a second, look around, and reflect on yourself, you'll see how many blessings you've already received? Meeting a fellow countryman in this distant, misty city, by chance, is already a blessing in itself.
The next day, Phu drove me through long, winding slopes, so long and steep that from one end you couldn't tell what was at the other.

Driving along those winding, undulating roads is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience; it feels like riding a roller coaster. The winding, sinusoidal Lompard section is especially enjoyable whether you drive or walk.

After wandering around the tedious slopes, we reached the harbor area and crossed the legendary orange bridge. Running up to an unnamed hilltop, looking down at the city center, all I could see were ethereal, blurry specks of light like bokeh, and I suddenly felt a vague sense of nostalgia for my own city...

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