Hanoi is a multi-faceted city encompassing the new and the old. From cobbled alleyways filled with street sellers to high-rise skyscrapers, it can sometimes feel like you have travelled through five different cities just going from one side to the other.

But is Hanoi cosmopolitan?

This group of Hanoians, both locals and foreigners, share their views on whether or not Hanoi can be considered a cosmopolitan city now.

Ha Min, 23, Fashion Student, Hanoi

“I love my West Lake bubble. Sure it is a bubble, because it is nothing like the rest of this hectic city. But it is also a melting pot of different cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds. When I wake up in the morning I go for a coffee, walk for groceries, then indulge myself in a big luncheon by West Lake. I feel safe. This is the place where I can dress in whatever I like, do whatever I want, become whoever I aspire to be, no judgements, endless possibilities — it is my definition of modern day cosmopolitan.”

Hoàng Minh Châu, 27, Marketing Manager, Hanoi

“Cosmopolitan to me means the ability to embrace the beauty of cultural diversity. Having the curiosity to learn and appreciate human differences and being completely free from any discrimination or prejudices. Hanoi was not cosmopolitan, say, 10 years ago. It is definitely now, thanks to globalization. I believe, in the future, the city will become one of a huge melting ports between the East and the West, a cultural hub of Asia.”

Linh Le, 33, Fashion Designer, Hanoi

“A cosmopolitan city is not only about big buildings, big shopping malls and big streets busy with people, but also about the cultures. And people make cultures. Urban people with a liberal attitude, broad mindedness, who can share their mutual co-existence and adopt foreign cultural practices as their own.”

Patrick MacPherson, 30, Interior Designer, London, UK

“The mentality of many locals is quite far from cosmopolitan as many people express that they see ‘foreigners’ as something different, which possesses both positive and negative traits. However many businesses and commercial institutions are very warm in welcoming people and often open to learn from others’ worldly experiences. The depth and beauty of this place is to seek for the least cosmopolitan aspects of it, and try to go deep into the culture.”

Yuri Kim, 31, Translator, Seoul, Korea

“Cosmopolitanism to me is global living. It is when people from various cultural backgrounds get together and interact as the same people from the same earth, the same universe.

‘Hanoi is not a cosmopolitan city, yet. But a lot of expats come from many different countries and cultures. I also find that Vietnamese people who are a part of the expat community are different to general locals because they are have more links to different cultural backgrounds and global experiences, making them less prejudice towards others.”

So, what’s the verdict?

Whilst there are differing opinions, the consensus seems to be that Hanoi is teetering on the edge of cosmopolitanism. Forward looking, but still rooted in tradition.

However, with the opening of Kosmo Tay Ho there will certainly be a new wave of cosmopolitan living in west Hanoi, with a hub of multiculturalism and an environment where everyone is welcome.

The Kosmo Tay Ho community might be made up of people who fly a lot and want to live 15 minutes away from Noi Bai International Airport. It might be made up of people working in the easy-to-access provinces. Or there could be those simply choosing to live Kosmo Tay Ho for the modern apartment lifestyle atop retail hotspots and a cinema.

The unique community of west Hanoi, where Vietnamese and foreigners live together, is already forging a new face for the future of Hanoian cultural diversity. As this continues to expand, Hanoi can truly become a hub of cosmopolitan living, where the new meets the old and the East meets the West.