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Online Ranking Places Hanoi, Saigon Among Cities With Lowest Quality of Life

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VnExpress reports that Numbeo, a website which analyzes user contributions to determine quality of life in cities around the world, has ranked Hanoi as a better city to live in than Saigon in its 2021 index.

Numbeo scored 251 cities globally, with a higher score equating to better quality of life. The index took into account eight categories: purchasing power, pollution, house price to income ration, cost of living, safety, health care, traffic commute time, and climate. The list features 86 cities from the Americas, 90 from Europe, 59 from Asia, eight from Oceania, and eight from Africa.

Among cities in Vietnam, Hanoi reached an index of 96.3, while Saigon hit 75. Hanoi placed 219th globally, while the southern city came in 242nd. Adelaide, Australia topped the ranking with 204.12 points, followed by Canberra in the same country and Wellington, New Zealand. Of the top 100 cities, only three are in Asia: Muscat (No. 32), Abu Dhabi (No. 52) and Mangalore (No. 86).

Interestingly, given the recent air pollution situation in Hanoi, Saigon ranked worse in the pollution index, coming in fifth-to-last. The capital is also among cities with "high" safety index, whereas Saigon's was "moderate," with the threat of theft noted as a serious concern. Both cities received "moderate" scores for health care.

The site also said that housing prices in both cities are "very high," though rents were listed as considerably higher in Saigon, while traffic quality is 'low' given commute times, traffic efficiency and the presence of vehicle emissions.

According to the information on the website, Numbeo was founded by a former Google engineer and is based in Serbia. The data in its rankings is compiled from user input and is not independently verified.

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