KFC
-
In 2000, after 25 years of being away, I made a short trip back to Vietnam. What a culture shock (especially when I landed in Hanoi, where I had only heard about). Twelve years. A dozen trips later. A little deeper into the alleys and byways. I think I have touched on different parts of the proverbial…
-
It’s kind of redundancy. Fast foods in Saigon? The place has already been fast. I don’t know if fast foods will help. At Saigon Central (train depot), I was told to take a number and wait (the way Carl Jr would do in the US) for my fries. Saigon is not used to mono-chronistic tempo…
-
Not the Seine in Paris. But Rach Nhieu Loc in Saigon. She wore a cone hat. Baby tanning in the morning sun, resting in her bosom. The other hand, she checked her messages from a mobile phone. It’s Thanksgiving in Vietnam. People have a lot to be thankful for. It’s now ranked second on Happy Country…
-
Hard work is a given, a prereq for success. But that necessary spark, the 10% inspiration, must be there. Two candidates, with equal experience, the one with a great attitude wins. You must have the mojo. It shows up in conversation, in off-hand moments (kicking the dog on the way out or giving the finger in…
-
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…
-
In the three months that I was in Vietnam, I have seen more rain and tears than 3 years in the US. When it rains, it pours. Then, it all of a sudden clears up. Branches and trees start to breathe and “branch out”. The tears’ part came from funerals that have a way to…
-
Last night, when I got back to my alley, I thought they had turned on extra lighting. Turned out I did not notice that it was full moon. No wonder people were going to the Temple, buying and selling fake dollars for the dead. It was supposed to be the second important date on the…
-
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…
-
On my first trip to Hong Kong summer 1981, I was taken in by the energy and entrepreneurial spirit there. A camera shop (pre-Iphone era) next to a watch shop (again, pre-Ipad era) next to an electronics store. Shoppers from India, Europe, Australia were all there, bustling about. Double-deck buses (still under British colonial rule) moved…
Thang Nguyen 555 