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.
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...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: English Teaching: Is White Right?
- Vietnam ministries pass the buck on controversial driving regulations [Thanh Nien] - Phishing increasing in Vietnam [VietnamNet Bridge]
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Experts Reject Plan for New Saigon Airport
As plans move forward for Saigon’s new Long Thanh airport, a pair of former aviation officials are questioning the need for such an investment. Associate Prof. Dr Nguyen Thien Tong, former chairman o...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- Coffee bean price continues to plummet [SGGP] - Taxis scheme offers hope for the handicapped [VietnamNet Bridge] - Invaluable fossils in Vietnam [VietnamNet Bri...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Ministry: Shops Must Use Vietnamese Signs
Following last year’s passage of the Vietnamese Advertisement law which requires that advertising content, spoken or written must be in Vietnamese, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Plastic Food Wrappers Found Contaminated with Toxic Substances
- Banks warned not to hide debt [VNS] - Tears at Smile restaurant [VietnamNet Bridge] - Many famous discotheques in Saigon raided [VietnamNet Bridge]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Large Bomb Uncovered in Dak Ru
A massive, 300kg bomb was discovered by a resident of Dak Ru Commune, Dak R'lap District in the central highlands province of Dak Nong.
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam Plans Over 110 Television Channels by 2015
- Vietnam police deny recent memo banning people from filming cops [Thanh Nien] - Bus carrying Vietnamese robbed in Moscow [Tuoi Tre] - Century-old temple inside bodhi...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
How Much Do You Make? New Report Finds Growing Salaries in HCMC
Ever wonder what you're worth? The recently released 2013 Robert Walters Global Salary Survey shows moderate growth in salaries for workers in the financial, supply chain, engineering, HR, IT, s...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Fire Rages Next to HCMC Backpackers’ Quarter
- Vietnam Sends Plan for Relaxing Foreign Ownership Limits to Dung [Bloomberg] - Vietnam court sentences Nigerian man to death for drug trafficking [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam to...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Casinos to be Fined up to $10,000 if Serving Vietnamese Players
- Ministry backs new airport plan [VNS] - Viet Nam's first female film director dies [VNS] - Overseas students’ series on life in US stirs Internet [Tuoi Tre]
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Harley-Davidson Finally Opening Shop in Saigon?
For a country with a motorbike obsession, this counts as huge news - iconic American motorcycle maker, Harley-Davidson, is finally opening a showroom in Vietnam according to a set of job postings on V...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
[Updated] 2 ‘Jungle Men’ Found Living in Vietnam Forest for 40 Years
[Update Below] You may have heard the stories of Japanese troops, hiding on on small, secluded Pacific islands, unaware that World War II had ended. A similar situation played out this month in Quang ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- Reporter charged for taking bribe from bar owner [Tuoi Tre] - VN pearls have the world as their oyster [VNS] - Vietnam cops arrested for receiving bribes from criminal [Thanh N...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnamese Man Pays Russian Boy $12,000 for Smashing Teeth with Golf Club
Over USD6 billion suggested for five PPP projects [dangcongsan] Vietnamese forest devastated by Agent Orange restored to health [ajw.asahi] Vietnam bid to stop traffic police bribes [Bangk...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Thai Villagers Detain Google Maps Car Believing Driver is a Spy
While many wish that Google Street View were available everywhere, a Village in northern Thailand does not share this opinion. Yesterday morning, A Google Maps car, mounted camera and all, was stopped...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnamese and the “$1billion Business Ambition”
- Binh Chau shipwreck: discovery area to be expanded [Quanhnai] - Price hike to ensure electricity supply [VEN] - Violence, capitalism and dodgy cops... [Thanh Ni...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Massive Fire Drill at Diamond Plaza this Morning
If you're wondering why emergency crews, including 2 helicopters are running around Dimond Plaza this morning, fear not, for it's only a drill! The city fire, police and health departments along with...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Civilization Fails to Lure Vietnam Men From 40-year Jungle Home
- Thirty Russian Firms to take part in Tourism Expo in HCMC [SGGP] - Vietnamese school children are 'years ahead' of Indian pupils [phys.org] - Vietnam to cover costs of bri...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: ‘Ba Tung’ Closes Facebook Page After Nationwide Ban
- Can Vietnam become a gambling getaway? [Thanh Nien] - Land for industrial parks lies abandoned in Mekong Delta [SGGP] - Foreigners with over-3 month visas can buy houses i...
