La Petite Ecole’s French Curriculum Benefits Families Well Beyond Saigon’s French Community
“When you learn a language, you don’t just learn the language, you learn new attitudes, ways of thinking, culture and history,” explains Aline Nguyen, the Principal of La Petite Ecole Ho Chi Minh.
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.
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Decree: Foreign Workers Without Work Permits to be Deported
Following in the footsteps of other ASEAN nations like Malaysia, a new government decree, set to go into effect on November 1st, includes provisions for deporting foreign workers in Vietnam who d...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
5 Arrested in Massive Saigon Nike Theft
Vietnam may be the land of Nike but the company’s pricey shoes make them a prime target for thievery. Earlier this week, A Ho Chi Minh City court sentenced five men to up to 15 years in prison for ste...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Unfinished Billion Dollar Casino Projects
- Shiseido Vietnam builds US$30 million plant in Dong Nai [VoV] - Bulgarians held for stealing money using fake ATM cards [Tuoi Tre] - PM flags off work on 2.9km cable...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
American Teacher Killed by Truck in District 7
An American English teacher was hit by a truck and died this morning on Luu Trong Lu st. in District 7.
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- State firms pay highest wages [VietnamNet] - Tony Blair strikes new deals to advise Vietnam and Peru [The Telegraph] - Authorities revoke license of clinic with Chin...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Vietnam, Neighbors Pledge to End Dog Meat Trade
At a recent meeting in Hanoi, the four governments agreed in principle on a strategy to end the trafficking of dogs between Vietnam and its neighbors, which is estimated at 5 million animals annually....
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Saigon From Above
Photographer Gian Thanh Son is completing a book and preparing a special exhibition, "Discovering Saigon from the air." With the help of special forces helicopter Regiment 917 (Air Division 370), Son...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Vietnam: The Land of Nike
According to AmCham Vietnam, 98% of Nike footwear is produced in Asia with Vietnam leading the pack followed by China and Indonesia. In the 2013 fiscal year, Vietnam, which houses at least 10 Nike fa...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Six Suffocate in Fish Oil Tank
Well this is a sad story. Yesterday morning, six employees of the IDI Fisheries Factory in Binh Thanh Commun, Dong Thap Province suffocated from catfish oil fumes while taking samples.
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Two Drunken Foreigners to be Expelled for Disturbing Acts
- Vietnam expects 6 pct GDP growth in two years [xinhuanet] - Foreign firms in Vietnam complain about deteriorating business climate, consider quitting [Thanh Nien] - ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Has Da Nang’s Bubble Burst?
After a decade of breakneck development, Da Nang’s luster is starting to wear off. Overly reliant on a once-booming real estate sector, the city’s coffers are drying up as investments slow and large-s...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: $2 Million Weasel Coffee Farm in Da Lat
- Cambodian import turns a Saigon staple [Thanh Nien] - Journalist jailed for fatal road accident [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam Stocks to Climb 12% by Year-End on Valuations,...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- The secrets of Saigon’s night clubs [VietnamNet Bridge] - Vietnam urged to boost retirement age to save pension fund [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam Says New Internet Decree Good ...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam Battles with Poor Quality Education
- FDI bottlenecks in Mekong Delta [VOV] - Vietnam anticipates US$2,300 GDP per capita in 2015 [VOV] - Bad debts fall from previous month [SGGP]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
How Much Does Vietnam's Prime Minister Make? Less Than You Might Think.
With the news that some state officials are making outrageous salaries, the Vietnamese press has started to probe a bit deeper into exactly how much the country’s officials make.
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: School Mulls Banning Female Teachers From Donning Short Skirts
- Dried shredded squid as elastic as plastic seized [Tuoi Tre] - School mulls banning female teachers from donning short skirts [Tuoi Tre] - Promoting e-government model in ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
‘Flat-Chested’ People May Face Driving Ban
Another week, another interesting law - a 2008 decision which proposed to ban drivers based on height, weight and chest size due to safety issues is gaining steam again.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Crazy Buffalo Up in Flames. Again.
For the second time in two years, Pham Ngu Lao hotspot, The Crazy Buffalo, saw its neon sign go up in flames. At 4pm yesterday afternoon, passersby warned the restaurant that smoke was rising from th...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: The Last Farmers in Saigon
- Land subsidence creates hole that swallows bed, woman [Tuoi Tre] - Abusing wage fund, directors pocket $123,000 as yearly salary [Tuoi Tre] - Japanese investors eye Vietna...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Saigon's Old Bridges in Danger of Collapse
Saigon is a city of bridges. They criss-cross the city's rivers and canals, allowing for the flow of goods and people. But time, wars and poor maintenance have not been kind to many of the city's old...
