While in Ho Chi Minh City two years ago on New Year's Eve, I was hugely taken in by how Bùi Viện Walking Street—the city’s iconic backpacker hub—transformed into a high-energy, chaotic party zone through the night, filled with loud thumping electronic dance music blasting from bars, crowds spilling into the pedestrian-only street, dancers on tabletops, neon lights flashing everywhere, and an overall infectious, free-for-all vibe that lasted until dawn. What my Indian eyes also noticed were the numerous Indian restaurants lining just one street. One called Spice India, run by an Indian Muslim, matter-of-factly offered halal food for those who seek it, Jain cuisine for those who avoid onions and garlic, and the usual Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian spread for everyone else. Many South Asians, including families across the religious divide, visiting as tourists and seemingly unable or uninterested in enjoying the uninhibited hedonism on the street, made a beeline for these Indian eateries—a comfort zone within a familiar cultural bubble, serving the familiar curries, naan, biryani, and halal food.
Bùi Viện Street is a study in contrasts: electronic dance music outside and curries inside—I watched from the street. What looks like a fleeting street scene—the revelry outside and the quiet coexistence inside—is not the cause of Vietnam’s success but a telling microcosm of its ethos. These everyday realities, replicated across countless spaces in the city, are parables of economic and social cohesion. They help explain how a nation governed by one party yet open to global capital has built resilience through pragmatic pluralism. This pluralism in social practice, though Vietnam is communist and governed by one party, reflects pragmatic tolerance in everyday life—especially around religion, commerce, and foreign investment—and creates predictability and trust that underpin growth.
That image from Vietnam, one of Asia’s most dynamic economies and among the top three most promising manufacturing hubs according to the Asia Manufacturing Index 2026 by Dezan Shira & Associates, has stayed with me because it carries a big idea—pluralism as pragmatism. India ranks sixth in the Index.
As 2026 begins in a grim, unsettled world, India has reason to pay attention. India enters 2026 amid unprecedented geopolitical turmoil. Pluralism as an organising principle matters more than ever, for in a world junking universal norms, societal cohesiveness is leverage. The Ho Chi Minh City vignette is a micro reality feeding Vietnam’s meta narrative. India has strengths, but fussing over personal choices—food, faith, and lifestyle—at the expense of expanding inclusive spaces risks an increasingly steeper price. Yet, even as the world grows more precarious, Indian headlines remain cluttered with disputes over vegetarian versus non-vegetarian food, halal versus non-halal, interfaith marriages ending in honour killings, and existing regulations and even active proposals in some states to usher in laws that bar families from selling property across religious lines—domestic tensions that keep boiling even as the outside world grows more precarious.
Vietnam turns street-level ethos into national advantage. Its openness is operational, not performative: foreigners own restaurants, set up factories, and plug into supply chains with predictable, non-politicised rules. Its pragmatic avatar embraces a statue of Ho Chi Minh and Cartier stores next to each other. Paired with competitive costs and deep trade agreements, this pragmatism helps draw investment. Samsung, Intel, and Foxconn have made it a global supply-chain node. Vietnam's economy grew by 8% in 2025, accelerating from the previous year's pace due to robust exports despite US tariffs, according to Reuters. Google has signalled plans to expand high-end Pixel phone production in Vietnam this year—like Apple’s India plans—as firms build supply chains beyond China.
I learnt a lot also from recent travels through Malaysia, now ranked second in the Asia Manufacturing Index 2026 (among 11 major Asian economies). In Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, pork sells openly in markets; Muslims abstain, others do not. No drama.
India is more diverse than any of these countries and does not need to copy anyone. But in a turbulent and uncertain world, it helps to pay attention to toolkits of successful dynamic nations. India treats pluralism as a calling card but has often dragged it into crossfire. Its culinary map is unmatched; electronics manufacturing is rising; and services and pharma remain strong. Yet, food, faith, and even housing proxy identity politics. Apple’s story shows promise. Its largest iPhone facility, run by Foxconn, is in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu—among the best-governed states in the country with industrial policy, infrastructure, and skilled talent—run by the opposition DMK. Investors prioritise predictability and pragmatism over ideological fights. India’s progress is not denied: Production-linked incentives attract electronics giants; Apple and Samsung expand in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Combined goods and services exports reached about US $825.25 billion in 2024-2025, with electronics joining IT, pharma, and textiles. The task is protecting momentum from avoidable friction.
Successful countries in Southeast Asia, which are coping with the global turmoil, show inclusiveness is part of the survival kit—an operating system, not just optics. The practical imperative is clear: treat diversity as strategic capital, not a domestic battleground. If everyday personal choices can coexist without judgement or coercion, India widens its appeal to global standards and markets. In a world of rising blocs and eroded norms, a society that manages its pluralism with discipline gains quiet but decisive leverage—economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical. For years, India’s pluralism has been lived; it must not be litigated.
Patralekha Chatterjee is a writer and columnist who spends her time in South and Southeast Asia, and looks at modern-day connects between the two adjacent regions. X: @Patralekha2011
