Thang Nguyen 555
Cultures on Collision Course
recent posts
about
Tag: Vietnam
-
When I saw a Vietnamese woman on motor bike with helmet, mask, sunglasses, messenger pouch, gloves and Ao-Dai steering her scooter while holding a baby on their way to the sitter, it brought back memories of Mom’s dress. She was a schoolteacher, deeply committed to and consistent in her multiple roles: mother, teacher, wife, daughter-in-law…
-
Actually this is about the redemptive aspect of literature. Set in 1843, Flaubert‘s character rode the psycho-somatic roller-coaster. The result: Madame Bovary set him apart from his Romantic contemporaries. He started the school of Realism even though he never admitted it. Bovary got married, Bovary got bored, Bovary had an affair and a brush with death but…
-
Time heals all wounds. It also ushers in a generation, now in high school and college. Here in Vietnam, students have classes on Saturdays and even Sundays. Kids of all ages, in uniforms or out of, but always with a backpack, riding on wheels of all types: bikes, electric bikes, scooters, sedans, and buses. They…
-
I saw a funeral pouring out onto the sidewalk one day, and on the same block, a wedding the day after. Meanwhile, the street sweeper just went about his business of sweeping, regardless. Even if they could use some industrial-grade sweepers, people prefer man to machine. This solves labor problems. Scavengers make their daily routes by offering…
-
David Brooks of the NYTimes had a piece about the US economy which he coined as “mid-life-crisis economy that needs to be rejuvenated”. That’s oil. Here in Vietnam, I found quite a contrast. Young demographic, young economy that goes no where but up. Community Colleges, Trade and Vocational schools, English classes. One by one, they…
-
In Vietnam, don’t be surprised when you are placed next to a complete stranger, who knows someone who knows your host. It happened to me at Christmas party this year. Next to me was a Vietnamese-American returning from multiple tours in Iraq. He was here to fly his wife out. She had flown in as…
-
My friend had a square jaw. When he laughed, his features became more pronounced. Already taller than most, he carried himself above the fold. Not all kids in my school went to the Conservatory. You had to have talent. For that brief year in 7th grade, he joined us at music practice. “Can you play…
-
Coconut, sugar cane and other tropical blend to your liking. http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/2011/12/99081/ POM(agrenade) has made a blast as new entry into the American juice shelves. Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me got around to make a movie about brands. His VIP sponsor: POM juice. Branding is both mystical and magical. It helps institutions and companies thrive…
-
Instead of “I woke up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me…” like Paul McCartney, I woke up to strange sounds these days: peddlers who use “low tech” au parleur (bull horn) mounted on bicycles or tri-cycles (selling boot-legged CD‘s). In fact, it was my first time got chased by pleasant sound from…
-
It’s a norm here in Vietnam that a certain market, after being moved to a new location, still has its old location called “cho Cu” (Old Market). My Dad and I used to go for breakfast in Cho Cu, which no longer does brisk business despite its prime location near the harbor (people are shopping at SuperMarkets,…
Thang Nguyen 555 