When we planned our visit to Vietnam, I admit that I didn’t know much about this culturally rich country other than they make great Pho (noodle soup) and were part of a massive thorn in America’s political-historical side: the Vietnam War. My only impressions came from the many Hollywood movies that I’d seen about that war. [Read more…]
Traffic Before and After Tet in Hanoi
If you follow this blog, you might have figured out that I’m a little fascinated with the traffic in Southeast Asia. I’ve already written about how to cross the street in Bangkok. In this post I want to show what traffic is like in front of the popular flower market in Hanoi just before the big Vietnamese Tet holiday vs. what it’s like the day OF the Tet holiday [Read more…]
So Your Child Breaks the Motorbike in Vietnam
On the still-peacefully-idyllic-but-on-the-cusp-of-being-the-next-big-time-resort island of Phu Quoc in southern Vietnam, we rented a motorbike. Except in the capital town of Duong Dong, the island population is spread out enough that we felt comfortable negotiating the streets on motorbike, and even doing it Vietnamese style, which is to say: [Read more…]
Celebrating the Tet Vietnamese Holiday in Hanoi
The Tet Lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam is like our American Thanksgiving, Christmas/ Hanukkah, and New Year holidays all wrapped into one—a perfect collision of tradition, culture, and celebration. [Read more…]
Le Thi My Huong: Putting Orphaned Kids First in Vietnam
Le Thi My Huong has a searing memory of leaving Vietnam when she was five. “I remember a white car and looking out the back window and watching my mother cry hysterically as we drove away.” [Read more…]