Thang Nguyen 555
Cultures on Collision Course
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Tag: Hanoi
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Retailers in Europe figured out a way to push merchandise in this time of austerity: shop in your underwear, leave fully clothed. Meanwhile, a reporter from the BBC went to Hanoi to learn about another way of shopping: buying paper clothing for the dead (old Hanoi, pho “hang ma”). http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00h35lv That’s how different East and West…
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I read today about 10 jobs that did not exist a decade ago. http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111973/jobs-that-didnt-exist-10-years-ago It quickly came to mind jobs that are now gone, for good: Telephone switchboard operators Gas station attendants (who used to wipe our windshields and check the oil) One-hour photo clerk (Remember Robin Williams?) Milkman, mailman, newspaper boy (fewer jobs) Typist…
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I often interact with nephews, one in particular is even older than I, but all call me Uncle. To them, I belong to the previous batch. Last of the line. In the old Vietnam, once you made past 50, you are moved up to the “elder” circle (“chieu tren”) when feasting. I had an occasion to do…
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Every year, flooding in SE Asia killed people and took away their livelihood. And every year, people rush out to give materials and their time for reconstruction. So the mishaps were occasions for the best in humanity, and turn a flood of misery into a flood of love. Nobody wants to be on the receiving…
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Adjust your lens or change it, then you will see all kinds of things. Even the same things, but much clearer. The power of reframing. Organization or organism all need to self-examine at one time or another. For instance, after taking your shirts back from the cleaners, you might notice that even though they are…
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I attended Quyen Thien Dac and the Nilsson Trio (Jazz) performance a while ago. Cultural exchange. But “fant” or on-the-dime invention is not new here. Saigon traffic has already been jazzy, zigzagging at every turn. I was with friends. He himself brought an ensemble of jazz men to Vietnam a while back. Mighty proud of my friend…
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Vietnamese soccer fans are eager to get their hands on the instrument. It’s not surprising to see Vietnamese hot for soccer. I was there when Vietnam scored at the last-minute to win over Thailand. But it is quite amusing to hear how vuvuzela is also making its way from South Africa to South Vietnam. Isn’t…
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Carl Jr, Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe, KFC, BK, MacDonald, Circle K, Domino, Pizza Hut. The age of franchise bull run. When I said I had been to 40+ cities in N America, I actually meant, I have been to only one. The one with MacDonald, Starbucks, Walmart, Target etc… You got the idea. The funny…
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When at Indian Town Gap in 1975, I was busy helping out at the Bureau of Child Welfare so time passed rather quickly. But not for my fellow countrymen. Many sat there worried: how were they going to make it in America, that winter was coming. Many hurried weddings took place at the camp chapel. …
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April 27th Newshour featured Viet entrepreneurs coming back to Vietnam : a. to set up shop b. start an NGO and c. work for the Clinton’s Initiatives. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june10/vietnam_04-27.html We found in it our own Victor Luu (Software), Andrew Lam (writer), a coffee-house artist and an NGO dedicate. The piece provided balanced perspectives to the extent…
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