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.

Tag: Vietnam

  • Saigon vs Little Saigon

    Burger King near the heart of Little Saigon, Westminster, CA is now closed. Burger King at Tan Son Nhut Airport is now opened. Just one of the many striking contrasts e.g. scooters vs wheels nation. Skin coffee vs alley coffee, homeless folks vs lottery-ticket sellers. On and on. People in Saigon have a vague notion of…

  • Social dynamics

    Like aerodynamics,  social dynamics involve working with conflicts, not avoiding them. Since we are all made differently, we accept change at various speed. That’s why some ideas are voted down immediately. Others might take some arm-twisting. For instance, it took a while for some emerging countries to introduce the condoms. Used to be a cultural taboo to mention…

  • Saigon siesta

    We used to lie on the floor (absorbing the coolness from the tiles) and listen to “Y0ur Song” , theme of that time’s radio broadcast. That’s my siesta as I can recall. Older brother used Hit Parade, with Elvis Presley  on the cover. My friend, meanwhile, laminated his vinyl album (James Taylor). We have just met over…

  • Joy of randomness

    We move between chaos and control. For those who experience Saigon traffic, the dance takes it to another level: randomness. A tour bus made its final stop in front of a hotel. Tourists stepped down, immediately, with cameras (little did they know, traffic like this is all too common). Rain and randomness. Control and chaos, coexist. That’s just one aspect…

  • Feminism Vietnamese way

    I have seen them in Ao Dai, on scooters. I have seen them in Ao Dai, holding child, on scooters (perhaps on the way to childcare) before work. I have seen them with child canvassing the street selling lottery tickets. Perhaps I used to be that very child my teacher mom in Ao Dai used…

  • Saigon’s nearest beach

    From Saigon, with Russian-made fast boat, you can be in Vung Tau (literally Ship Harbor) in an hour and a half. I made that trip yesterday. Poor man’s vacation. Peace-time R&R. The neighborhood used to be a hang-out place for GI’s, Australian, and every major news agents and double agents. Now the fight has moved on to…

  • toss-up

    Theme from Mahogany has a line “so many dreams just slipped through our hands”. Then “do you know where you’re goin to, do you like the things life is showin you”. I first heard that while drifting on Wake Island  summer 75. Back then, I had one thing in mind: departure for the US. Now, the table…

  • Saigon alley

    I left W Palm Beach where some called “paradise” for Saigon alley. Going from beach to bunker, I got a bump up in  the Happiness index. Costa Rica for example has led this chart for quite sometime. Vietnam, according to latest survey, ranked behind Costa Rica. In fact, having moved up on the Happiness  Index, it is de-listed…

  • My edu-tour to Vietnam

    When you are on a tourist visa, you have to keep renewing it every three months. Each stamp was like a certificate of completion of my self-education. I learned that: – my friend’s music students, blind or bright, respected and adored their dead teacher – dead people, in casket, still get his/her last chance to bow…

  • Son Tinh Thuy Tinh

    According to Vietnamese legend, the Mountain God showed up early to ask for the Princess’ hand.  The Sea God was half a step late.  Hence, anger turned tsunami, Katrina, Fukushima etc…. Vietnam Central region always stands in the way of major storms. To endure and overcome natural disasters, people fabricated tales to assuage their own pain. Kids,…