Vietnam
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In 2000, I was sitting at Cadillac, a semi-enclosed bar, whose band played Hotel California and I Will Survive. In 2010, I found myself at Rolls Royce, which also played Hotel California and I Will Survive. 2013, at Van’s Cafe, its band plays Bon Jovi’s number lacing with Santana’s classics. Nouveaux riches, yetl good oldies. The expats…
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I am back to the land where people work animals into daily speech: – strong as an ox – wrinkle as a monkey – dumb as a cow. Everything gets used more than once (recycled): plastic bags, banana leaves. In Understanding Vietnam ( through literature) published by Berkeley Press, the author, after surveying many well-known pieces, came to see that…
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It took 20 years for me to reconnect with a childhood friend. The last time we saw each other was near the Bay Bridge. This time, 2 decades have passed, and he picked me up on his motorcycle near Bong Bridge, in the heart of Saigon. You might think that his ability to weave in…
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This guy, Thomas Huang, went searching for a chocolate eclaire in Saigon, and ended up having his article in the Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/thisweek/stories/DN-vietbread_0711tra.ART.State.Edition1.4fb9c7b.html I sat next to a business man from Dallas on my recent trip to Vietnam. He and his partners were into real estate. And the amazing thing was, while his partner…
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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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Two articles on Bloomberg Business Week. One on Clicking with co-workers (productivity increase) and the other, Vietnam is finally ready for foreign investment ( with a question mark at the end). The former article is based on a study that people who work and play together make a great team. The other, since its neighbors…
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China is dreaming up its own Silicon Valley. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127742250&ft=1&f=1017 Its young are flocking NE universities in the summer, learning about American culture and history. While in San Jose, they visit Tech Museum. Are ideas and innovation moving offshore? I was told to “follow the money”. Does anyone know what time it is? Doesn’t anyone even…
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The leadership of World Economic Forum met in Vietnam a few years back. Concerned parties already discussed Green Vietnam. http://www.good.is/post/how-vietnam-is-going-green/ These days, if you are late into the Industrial game, at least you can leap-frog in thought leadership and learned from others’ mistakes (China is overtaking Japan as number 2 economy, but it faces Hon…
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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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Known as the third place (away from home and work), Starbucks did not stop after opening up in Forbidden City, China. It has just opened for business in Vietnam (where the I-phone, our third screen – after TV and desktop – recently made a stirring appearance). Vietnam young consumer segment and older generations with French-cafe…
Thang Nguyen 555 