Stories about Vietnam from March, 2006
Vietnam: Annoying government loudspeaker
Vietnamese God posts a picture of government's loudspeaker that repeats announcements constantly in his home area. He feels that although in some ways it is helpful, but you will wish it gone, especially on weekend when you trying to relax.
Vietnam: The Rest of the Country
Virtual Doug tries to grasp how Việt Nam’s rapid economic growth is affecting its countryside, where 80% of its people live.
Vietnam: Painted Scrolls
Six Months in Hanoi asks for help identifying the imagery in two painted scrolls he brought back with him from Vietnam.
Vietnam: Ban on Overseas Films
Vietnam's Ministry of Culture and Information is considering banning overseas Vietnamese filmmakers from releasing films within Vietnam. Diacritic.org has more here.
Vietnam: Catching Up
R. Streitmatter-Tran comments on how the IMF thinks it will take two centuries for Vietnam to catch up with Singapore.
Buen Provecho!
Greetings from Panama! This week's food blog round-up is extremely scrumptious. Please do not read if you are hungry! #1: From Greece, Wanderlust ShaLadies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce you to Ms. Sha, the empanada queen! Oh,…just take a look at those photos. Just be prepared with...
Vietnam: Home Design
Antidote to Burnout is an architect from San Francisco who now works in construction in Vietnam. He's started a series evaluating the small design touches on Vietnamese homes he sees in Saigon.
Vietnam: Departures
Six Months in Hanoi bids an emotional farewell to Vietnam. “My experience of leaving Hanoi was of suddenly seeing the loss of a whole community. I know I will return, but I will never regain that world.” It took him a week before he could write about it.
Vietnam: Fate of an Expatriate
Our Man in Hanoi worries that he'll end up like many Westerners in Asia: “Am I destined to be the movie ex-pat villain, stuffing my face, sweating profusely and shouting at a befuddled waiter to be quicker with the drinks? I hope not. But you can see it happening over...
China: Watching Hanoi
Michael Anti posts a long article (ZH) analysing the current debate going on ahead of the Vietnamese 10th Communist Party Congress in April, about the direction the country's socialism should now take. Says one commentator: “Basically this is just a pirated version of China.”
Vietnam: Eyeing the Expected
Virtual Doug has a mea culpa: he admits that the pictures he posts of Việt Nam are cliched; what non-Vietnamese expect to see. “This country is changing rapidly. Very rapidly. This is the second fastest growing economy in the world. It is not a “backwards” country. It is a developing...
Vietnam: Cyclo
Virtual Doug chronicles the increasingly rare xích lô (cyclo, or trishaw), which has almost disappeared in Hà Nội and Sài Gòn but “is still hanging on in Huê.”