Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

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  • Rain and rhythm

    Chewing gum jingle, and it seems to work:  “looking for a brand new start”. Each day, we woke up to a start. Just like that first day out of our mother’s womb. Not knowing what to expect. Not knowing who to trust. Not knowing the future. Will it rain today? Or same ole sticky heat? Rain and tears…

  • My Saigon

    Like Trinh Cong Son‘s Diem Xua, I got my own imprints of what  Saigon was like. Especially on Sundays, like today. Shaded streets, short strolls and sweet smiles. Who needs all the executive shirt with designers’ emblem on it. Instead of shirt, just smile even when you are not on camera. “Cuoi len di em oi” Just…

  • Twitter and Twister

    The later brought destruction to the Mid_West, but its impact is immediate, albeit regional. The former more dangerous, simmering and long-tailed. 140 characters are more than enough to assassinate a character, his/her reputation which is built up over a life time. Be careful. Social malaise not social media in the wrong hands. Not enough post,…

  • Unbundled incense

    In his year-end Opinion, David Brooks of the NYTimes recited a story about people in Louisiana who had lighted a candle for neighbor’s graves. This year-end here in Vietnam, I saw just that and more…incense, flowers and fruit. People are either already home or on the way. They cook, clean and cater to many needs,…

  • Pre-Karaoke childhood

    We always rushed through dinner to claim our living room space, or call it a stage. Daddy’s mandolin, brother’s violin, and my guitar. But we never played with one another, being from three different generations. So “Du Am”, “Em Toi” and “Le Da” in mandolin. Then “Serenade”, “Guitare D’Amour” either by violin or guitar. Finally…

  • Vietnam goes “social”

    Mark Zuckerberg is here for Christmas vacation. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/science-technology/16933/facebook-s-ceo-visits-vietnam.html Perhaps he would find a striking difference between the way people celebrate the Holidays here as opposed to Northern California. In the US, the joke is “if you got tired of the Turkey, you can always order Chinese”. McDonald’ s and KFC‘s are closed. One culture withdraws…

  • Customarily Bad Luck

    It’s known urban legend here in Vietnam that you do not take a photo with three people. Someone will need to stand in to defy the odds (of bad luck). It is also bad luck that a person in the photo but was cut out. I once saw a family picture which had a missing member.…

  • Something to learn

    IT workshops and seminars are happening on a weekly basis here in Saigon. Monsoon season is almost over. Except for some cigarette vendors, the Sheraton  downtown could trick you into thinking you were somewhere else, like San Francisco.  Lunch was ready for a group of  CSO‘s and Software testers, uniformed attendants mingled with pony-tailed guests. Something…

  • Art expressions in most unlikely places

    You would have never thought of running into people ballroom-dancing in the park. But here in GoVap new park, where the young trees are still being nursed, and the lights barely lit up, people came out and did just that. Young and old, male and female, they came out when the heat started to ease.…

  • Modernity and memory

    A “xe om” (scooter taxi) guy mentioned a city (Lai Thieu?) where one can find all the abandoned carriages (horse or cow). Hearing that, I flashed back to those early days when I accompanied my grandmother on her monthly trip to receive pension. We took a bus, and Lambretta . I always got treated to a good lunch, a special…