Vietnam Reports First-Ever Test-Taker Attaining 9.0 for All 4 IELTS Skills
As more institutions and enterprises in Vietnam adopt IELTS results as an official assessment of students' and employees’ grasp of the English language, high IELTS scores have gradually become a sought-after mark of prestige.
Pride Fest, Cambodia's Most Ambitious LGBT Event to Date, Is Coming This Week
On a steamy evening in downtown Phnom Penh, Rebecca Chan takes the stage. The crowd — mostly Cambodian millennials and Gen Z's — is riled up from previous performances, but Chan’s composure tames their energy. She prowls around the raised platform in knee-high boots. Her skin-thin dress flaunts the contours of her body. She circles calmly and seductively to tantalize the hushed audience below. They track her every move in anticipation of what’s to come.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Simple Pleasures of Kite-Flying in Thủ Thiêm
One of the most elegant means to observe the textured heft and untethered strength of otherwise-invisible wind — there is plenty one could say about the poetry of flying kites.
Summer 2023 Is the Hottest on Record in Vietnam Due to El Niño
While the past weeks have felt like living in a sauna for Saigoneers, north-central Vietnam provinces experienced even hotter temperatures this summer.
On Finding Flavors of Home in Takadanobaba, Tokyo's 'Vietnam Town'
A bánh mì stand to the left, signs for Bích Karaoke above an alley across the street, an open shopfront lined with bottles of Chin-Su chili sauce and G7 coffee sachets, a laid back restaurant where waiters dish out steaming bowls of noodles to customers perched on plastic stools.
Plan to Put Canopy Over Treeless Lê Lợi Pavement Sparks Debate
Late last week, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture unveiled a proposal to install canopies across Lê Lợi Boulevard’s pavement.
In the Mekong Delta, Ferries Are Childhood Friends and Daily Companions
The Mekong Delta is called Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long in Vietnamese — the Nine Dragons River, for the way the mighty Mekong splits into multiple strands as it nears its final destination, the East Sea.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
Vignette: For Cafe 81 and the '404 Not Found' Places of Our Lives
We all have them.
A Look into the World of HCMC Sex Shops
Even though sex toys and unregistered aphrodisiacs are awesome illegal in HCMC, many sex shops stock these items and are seeing their profits soar. After all, it’s hard to run a business selling condo...
Video: iPhone Thievery
Crime is on the rise in HCMC. The city may be installing video cameras and increasing the number of security personnel, but these won't solve the problem on their own. Thieves are conniving and thrive...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnamese Manufacture Unmanned Aircraft, Submarines, Battleships
Railway planned to link Vietnam metro with new airport [Thanh Nien] Vietnam-Japan trade turnover at US$16.3 billion in first 8 months [SGGP] Foreign banks lend $100 mln to Vingroup&n...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam Seizes Nearly 2 Tons of Elephant Tusks Smuggled From Malaysia, Labeled as Sea Shells
General Vo Nguyen Giap to be laid to rest at Dragon Cap [SGGP] A new phase of poverty reduction [VoV] Two hospitals violate regulations, suffer great losses [Tuoi Tre]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
98-Year-Old to Continue his Hunt for $100 Billion Treasure
98-year-old Tran Van Tiep of Ho Chi Minh City has been given permission to continue his hunt for Japanese treasure he believes is buried at Tau Mountain in Binh Thuan Province.
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: EVN Posts Massive Losses Over Non-Core Investments
Vietnam Government Clarifies its 'Buy-Local' Policy [FutureGov] Toxic waste continues to flood into Viet Nam [Vietnam Net] Refinery investment to double [VNS] City prepares supply of...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
South Korean Man Found Dead in HCMC Apartment
In what's becoming a seemingly weekly occurrence, another foreign national has died in Saigon. Korean Kim Tea Sik was found dead in his HCMC apartment yesterday morning. Sik's naked body was discover...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Foreign Ship Spills Oil into Reef Off Vietnam
Vietnam, Myanmar agree upon visa exemption [VoV] Vietnam workers indifferent to minimum wage hike, employers fret [Thanh Nien] Thousands pay respects to Vietnam's General Giap [France...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Hero, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Dead at 102
It's been all over the news this weekend but in case you missed it, General Vo Nguyen Giap, who ousted both the French and Americans from Vietnam died in Hanoi last Friday at the age of 102. Late...
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap dies [Tuoi Tre] Efficiency Needs to Play a Bigger Role in Vietnam’s Fast-Growing Cities [GreenTechMedia] MetLife Expands Asian Growth Ambitions To Vietnam...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam’s Coffee Industry Rumored to be Collapsing
Vietnam’s New Crop Coffee Premium Seen 58% Below 2012-13 Beans [Bloomberg] Vietnam considers selling a bank to foreigners [Vietnam Net] Vietnam state firm chief cops golfing ban for whacki...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam Builds First Power Plant Fueled by Rice Husks
Vietnam builds first power plant fueled by rice husks [Vietnam Net] Vietnam reports 124 mln USD trade deficit in 9 months [Global Times] Big test for ageing economic system [Vietnam N...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Japanese National Killed at Ben Thanh Bus Station
In what seems to be a worrying trend, another foreigner has died in Saigon, this time a Japanese lecturer on her way home from school. The 50-year-old victim was a teacher of Oriental Studies at ...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam Cop Arrested for Shooting Boss Dead
Tropical storm Wutip brings rain and winds to Vietnamese coast, leaves 75 fishermen missing [Washington Post] Vietnam ranks 7th worldwide for economic growth potential [Thanh Nien] V...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Central Vietnam Braces for Superstorm Wutip
Superstorm Wutip, currently around 200km off Vietnam’s central coast, is expected to make landfall at 4pm this afternoon. With maximum winds of 149kph, local authorities in Ha Tinh are in the process...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- Hanoi hosts first street performance festival [Nhan Dan] - 40 years on: When Fidel Castro came to town [VNS] - “White gold” plants encroach on forest’s territory [Vie...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam has More Than 300,000 Obese Children
- Nok Air has Vietnam in sights [Bangkok Post] - Vietnam man arrested for car accident that drowned 5, including 2 kids [Thanh Nien] - HIV/AIDS transmission rate in Vi...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Gender Inequality in Vietnam at Alarming Rate: Official
- Economic growth at 5.14 percent in first nine months [SGGP] - Vietnam's VietJet seen close to major Airbus order [Reuters] - Vietnam city to apply new English language te...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Traffic Cop Allegedly Shoots Colleagues in Vietnam
- Vietnam’s bad debt attractive to some investors, but regulations still unclear [Washington Post] - Typhoon Usagi kills 24 in Vietnam [IOL News] - Little good news as Vietn...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Exec Beats Caddy Unconscious. Keeps Golf Club Membership.
Even with its slow pace, golf can bring out your competitive side. A missed putt or journey to a sand trap can boil the blood of even the most patient player. But that’s no excuse to beat your caddy w...
