At OneVietnam and VTP, we love social media, philanthropy, and having fun. When any two of the three interersect (as in our iStory initiative), we’re ecstatic. When all three combine, we’re over the moon. That’s why we’re so excited to see what Nick Kristof and Games for Change have in store with what’s being touted as the humanitarian Farmville.

In an interview with FastCompany, Kristof, a New York Times columnist who seems to have an infinite capacity for compassion, spoke of the need to adapt to changing media platforms for social good.

“I think gaming might be the next big platform for news organizations and causes. There’s some snobbery about games. Some people think games are just ‘what teenagers do’ or that they are too fun to be worthy of our attention. But there are a lot of people who spend a lot of time playing games online, so we in the news business would do well to think about how we can use games to attract eyeballs. My wife [Sheryl WuDunn] and I are doing a TV documentary of our book Half the Sky, but we’re also creating a Facebook game as part of it,” he said.

On the game itself, Kristof explained, “It will be vaguely analogous to FarmVille. You’ll have a village, and in order to nurture this village, you’ll have to look after the women and girls in the village. Actions in the game will also have real-world effects. In other words, there will be schools and refugee camps that will benefit if you do well in the game. It will go live when the documentary debuts at the end of this year.”

We love how Kristof is merging social media and humanitarian aid, but we’re also particularly invested in what Asi Burak, the co-president of Games for Change, had to say to Mashable:

“Nick and Sheryl’s ideas are perfectly aligned with what we want to see moving forward—breaking the perception that games are only entertainment… Most of the people who pick up his book or turn on PBS or even read The New York Times are already converted. What he’s hoping to do with social media and gaming is to go to the people who aren’t converted and engage them in a very sensible way.”

Preaching to the choir is an obstacle many nonprofits have to overcome when they try to garner new interest in their organization’s mission, so developing a product that can concurrently engage a disinterested audience and raise funds is quite a feat. It’s usually only after you’ve effectively engaged an audience that you can begin turning casual observers into changemakers.  We’re glad to see this happening.

And just think, if your boss catches you playing the game after it comes out, you can quietly point out that you weren’t wasting time, you were taking a moment of your day to do some good for the developing world.*

*Obviously we’re joking. We’re totally not liable if you get reprimanded for trying to pull a stunt like that.

Fandoms collide at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that opened yesterday and runs until January 13th  this year.

While CES is usually known for being tech mecca and made a name for itself for being the choice debut stage for gadgets like the Microsoft Xbox and the plasma TV, this year’s show will also feature the polarizing pop star/teenage heart throb Justin Bieber enticing fans to check out robots at the show. And what robot company is Bieber playing spokesman for in particular? Why, none other than TOSY Robotics, Vietnam’s premier robotics firm.

How on earth did Bieber get involved with a Vietnamese robotics firm? (Or rather, how much are they paying him to be there?) The world–except for a select few, including Bieber, his agent, and those at TOSY–may never know. One thing’s for sure, the event’s going to be like baby, baby, baby oh!

The surreality of “Justin Bieber” and “Vietnamese robot firms” being in the same sentence aside, who’s excited to see what Vietnam has to offer in the latest robotics technology?

We’ve confirmed with a first-hand source that Facebook will be unblocked in Vietnam, likely in early 2012.  The source reported that Facebook sent high level managers, including a Vietnamese American, to Vietnam last October to negotiate with Vietnamese internet service providers (ISP).  Since then, both sides have come to an agreement.

Last April, PC World Vietnam reported that FPT, Vietnam’s largest ISP, had signed a partnership agreement with Facebook and the site was to be unblocked.  We kept a close eye on the ground to gauge if this was actually true.  We received conflicting reports from readers living in Vietnam. Some reported unrestricted access while others claimed a DNS work around was still required.

We were not able to obtain the details of terms, nor the exact date of when Facebook will be widely accessible.  However, the source is highly reliable and has a first-hand knowledge of the deal.

As with last time, if you live in Vietnam, let us know if your Facebook access changed in the comments.

Uncovered photo from a Vietnamese American’s cell phone

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The trouble for Richie Hoang begins every time he prepares to return to his homeland.

The required visa from the Vietnamese embassy is never an issue. The “second visa” can be problematic, especially if the relationship is already on shaky ground, but it’s that “third visa” – from his older brother, worried, that he will stray over there – that required the most diplomatic of skills.

“My older brother, Anh, is always lecturey every time I go,” said Richie, a store clerk at a local San Jose liquor store, who visits Vietnam twice a year to check up on his small outsourced e-commerce staff. “In reality, we buy and sell FarmVille seeds, but I tell Anh my small team photoshops MMA promotional materials. It’s a second stream of revenue and pre-emptive macho-pout reduction.”

Ever since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, it took a while but the Communist government officials welcomed back Vietnamese-Americans and all Vietnamese living abroad, even those who had opposed it.

But another Civil War has risen, this one thrusting Vietnamese-American older brothers against their younger brothers who want to return to the Southeast Asian country to do business.

“Business?!” postulates Anh, an older brother. “Man, my little Richie thinks I’m stupid, huh? I know all the MMA promotional materials are being outsourced to Thailand and Indonesia – their graphic designers had a head-start and are leagues above the current Vietnamese wave of talent.”

“I know the real reason Richie goes to Vietnam,” leads Anh.

“He wants to be a Vietnamese Teenie Bopper.”

The 70s Babies are worried

“All the teenagers in Vietnam are aggressive. They street sashay!” said Vinh Truong, 39, who owns a food truck serving primarily Banh Mi in San Jose. He said he lost his younger brother to, what he calls, the Saigon River of hormones.

The tension over this issue has reached epic proportions in the Bay Area Vietnamese community and elsewhere–so much so, that a coalition has been formed: Viet B4B – Viet Bros 4 Bros. “No, you have to use the number 4!” says Anh.

“I just came home, ending my day at the food trunk, bringing home some left over banh mi for my baby brother. His room’s door is ajar and what do I see, little Mark sashaying to the Wonder Girls. Who the fuck are the Wonder Girls and what the fuck have they done to my baby brother?!” Vinh’s eyes begin tearing.

The issue is so prevalent, Vietnamese pop performers are starting to address it. “Yeah, I’m writing a rap about it, it’ll be a remix to an old song of mine” proclaims Suboi, a reknowned Rap artist based in Ho Chi Minh City. “It’s about when you know, you go out, and you get wet when you don’t have an umbrella – you know – that umbrella is your bigger brother. It’s called ‘Rainbro.”

Overheard at the last coalition meeting: “Any time our younger brothers, our ems, travel back alone, Anh added, it’s assumed he’s not just going to visit Uncle Toan or Cousin Tien but to play in a country with an abundance of faux-Korean pseudo-mullets and Doraemon posters.”

“There is not a Vietnamese family in the world that doesn’t know a young man who has gone through this behind-closed-doors transformation,” Anh said.

Hao Tran, who owns the Goat Bar in the central part of electric Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnamese-American older brothers are just as much responsible for the quietly loud epidemic and do have reason to fret.

It’s a hip thing

“The problem is, Vietnamese Teenie Boppers are getting hipper and hipper,” said Hao, composed on a sturdy wooden stool at his warm dig which serves all the sin you could wish for, along with Korean food. “Look, the Teenie Boppers in America have out-ironied themselves, alright? But here, the Teenie Boppers are ironically un-ironic. Plus, they wear higher-quality cosmetics like Shiseido, they eat better, they’re better educated, and they even exercise more. Most importantly, they are fearless when it comes to having a good time. They just want to be themselves, unapologetically. Teenie Boppers in America get bored, but Teenie Boppers in Vietnam get fun.”

“Look, I just want to be me, alright?” said Richie as he moves his bang over his left eye, gelling his orange hair into the right amount of spikiness. “My older brother Anh likes to listen to Drake and watch Official World Series of Poker, good for him. “I just want to see and be seen. I got my Vans on but they look like sneakers. Let me get some air, can I get some air in this world dammit?”

Those who get a third visa often have strict limits placed on them, said San Diego’s Hai “Beezy” Phan, who until recently was Teenie Bopping it up in Ho Chi Minh City. “Not long ago, a buddy of his overstayed a two-week third visa issued by his older brother. When he came back, he tossed all his stuff out onto the street,” he said. “There was a Backstreet Boys concert!” exclaimed the younger brother in self defense.

“He was having so much fun,” Hai added. “He just doesn’t know the feeling yet, when he’s my age, looking back at old photographs of himself on Instagram. I mean, oh dear god.”

A friskiness permeates the culture in Vietnam that many men visiting from other countries find irresistible.

“There’s a certain charm here that you don’t see in Singapore or China,” let alone the United States, said Chung Hoang Chuong, a faculty member in the Asian American Studies department at City College of San Francisco, who spends about half his time in Vietnam. “If you have the right colored frame eyeglasses, you will become one with the movement.”

Suspicions unfounded

Still, some men say the suspicion that a lot of Vietnamese-American males come here just to Teenie Bop is overblown — plenty of Viet Kieu come back only for business or family visits.

“We love fun, but we are not stupid,” said Ted Le, a retired Vietnamese Teenie Bopper who lives in Los Angeles and works at an online furniture retailer. “I am still healthy, but I am not going to (misbehave in Vietnam) at the expense of my job and my professional reputation. My LinkedIn profile is at stake.”

Nonetheless, his older brother, taking no chances, refuses to issue the former Vietnamese Teenie Bopper “a third visa.” “Between you and me, I would love to go back,” Ted says whispering wistfully.

Viet Kieu younger brothers receive little sympathy from Viet Kieu older brothers for their dalliances, whether they lead to fun or hipness. “We blame our younger brothers for their weakness, for not being responsible,” said Christian Ngo, a 31-year-old Houston resident.

Returning to Vietnam holds little appeal for older brothers like him: “There’s a saying, ‘If a younger bro goes back to Vietnam, “he’ll see nothing but rainbros.”

Inspired by cuisines from Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, ShopHouse serves up bánh mì, noodle bowls, and rice bowls using the “Chipotle model,” where customers move along a cafeteria-style line and customize their meals according to flavor preference and diet.

Protein options include grilled chicken satay, pork & chicken meatballs, grilled steak, and organic tofu.  Bánh mì meals cost about $6.50 and are garnished with a green papaya slaw, herbs (cilantro, basil, and mint), and peanuts.  Noodle and rice bowls cost about $7 and come with the choice of one vegetable (Chinese broccoli, eggplant & Thai basil, long bean, and spicy charred corn), one sauce (spicy red curry, green curry, and tamarind vinaigrette), and one garnish (green papaya slaw, pickles, and herb salad).

Like Chipotle, ShopHouse only uses natural ingredients that
are sustainably grown and naturally raised.

In creating the menu, Chipotle enlisted the help of Nate Appleton, 2009 James Beard Foundation Award Rising Star Chef winner, and Kyle Connaughton, formerly of Fat Duck, a Michelin three-star restaurant.

ShopHouse’s sparse interior was designed to evoke the ubiquitous shophouse – a ground-level shop with living quarters upstairs – present throughout Southeast Asia.

Thaddeus Briner, ShopHouse’s architect, considered “lining the walls with rice paper and installing bamboo floors before deciding both were too cliché” according to Bloomberg.

“You want to bring something that is kind of memorable without relying on a sort of caricature of Southeast Asian food,” he said.

Among local foodies, ShopHouse has attracted quite a buzz despite the restaurant’s attempt to maintain a low profile.  Yelp diners gave ShopHouse three out of five stars based on 78 reviews.

Investors bought into the hype by sending Chipotle’s stock to a record high one day after ShopHouse’s opening.  While many Wall Street analysts are optimistic about ShopHouse’s potential, Chipotle CEO Steve Elis has indicated that there are no plans to open other locations.

If there are any readers who have eaten at ShopHouse, please share your experience.  I am dying to know what goi du du tastes like on a bánh mì – not.

According to Macworld, iPhone 4S’s sold by Sprint will come GSM-unlocked.  Verizon’s version can be unlocked after 60 days. What that means is on your next trip to Vietnam, there will be no need to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone, a process that can be complicated and could void your warranty.  This feature is huge for the thousands of Vietnamese Americans making the pilgrimage home to Vietnam every year.  In fact, it’s huge for any of the 60 million Americans who are 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.

As for AT&T iPhone 4S owner, you’re out of luck. AT&T runs on a GSM network here in the US so they are well intent on locking the SIM to keep themselves the exclusive GSM carrier.

The iPhone 4S, though debuting as a disappointment to diehard fans due to lack of significant feature updates, is becoming the fastest selling iPhone to date. Apple has already reported 1 million units sold since the phone was announced last week.

Hey, psh! Stuck with the iPhone 3GS or 4 for another year? Don’t live in envy, follow our guide on how to unlock your iPhone/iPad for international travel here.

Update: Looks like Sprint is playing take backs, saying the phone will be locked after all.  However, Verizon phones can still be unlocked after 60 days.

Next up: Gap Inc.

And the corporations keep on coming in.

A couple of weeks ago, VTP posted news about foreign and multinational companies trying to carve a spot for themselves in Vietnam. There was Starbucks hoping to wedge its way into the coffee consumption market; Nestle expanding its factories; and KFC hoping to go from fast fried chicken joint to classy poulet  spot. The newest addition in this globalization rush to Vietnam? Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. recently announced that it would be opening up two Gap shops in Saigon in October and additional stores in 2012. A Banana Republic shop, also operated by Gap Inc., will soon follow. Gap Inc. manufactures much of its products in Vietnam, so now that Gap Inc. will begin selling its products to the local market, could we see change to the wages of Gap Inc. workers in Vietnam?

Capitalistic Perks to Communism? What now?

On a different note, with consumption becoming the new norm in Vietnam, it seems like the government is getting a little worried that Vietnamese youngsters might forget that Vietnam is still a communist state. To keep youth in tow, Ben Bland of the Financial Times writes that Vinaphone, a state-owned mobile phone operator, is offering free minutes and discounted downloads to patriotic ringtones to all those who are registered with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Organization. Calls made between communist cadres also get a fifty percent discount.

Ironic that they’re using an economic  incentive–a very capitalistic economic incentive–to keep the communist spirit afloat among consumption-minded youngsters.

There is a severe shortage of hospital beds in Vietnam, said Happy Hospital CEO Allan Yeo, seen here speaking with analysts and fund managers after his presentation last week.

For many years, healthcare in Vietnam was closely regulated by the Vietnamese government. However, ever since the country opened up to privatization, the health care industry has become an area of interest to foreign investors. Demand for better healthcare services from a Vietnamese population of increased wealth is driving this foreign health investment, and there are many challenges to Vietnam’s healthcare sector that foreign investors hope to address through their involvement.

Vietnam has a growing population of approximately 86 million which makes it the 13^th most populous country in the world. A million babies are delivered each year in Vietnam, and with this increase in population, hospital and health system development becomes a necessity. Thomson Medical, a Singaporean health group, has set up its first overseas venture half an hour from Saigon (HCMC) called the Hanh Phuc International Woman and Children Hospital. It has 250 beds (compared to the original 190 at Thomson Medical Center in Singapore) and will be opened in cycles.

As reported on Vietnamplus.vn, Allan Yeo, Chief Executive of the Happy Hospital under Singapore’s Thomson Medical Centre commented, “With its large population, Vietnam is recognized as a potential market offering many opportunities for foreign investors in medicine and health care.” He believes that among the foreign investors involved in Vietnam’s health service, “Singapore is considered the country with the greatest potential.”

Unlike many other fields in Vietnam, like finance, real estate, tourism, the health service was paid less attention to in the world of foreign investment in the past, but this has changed.

On August 8, an investment newspaper in Vietnam reported that the flow of foreign investment into Vietnam’s health sector had increased dramatically with news that Indian group Fortis Healthcare intends to purchase 50 percent of the share in HCMC’s Hoan My Medical group. This investment would in turn benefit both Vietnam and India. The transaction would assist Fortis Healthcare in increasing its presence in Southeast Asia.

Parkways Health of Singapore, Asia’s top private medical group, entered the Vietnam market by taking on the role of manager at the HCMC high-tech health center. This investment was done through the Hoa-Lam-Shangri-La joint venture.

So why has Vietnam’s healthy industry grown in interest to foreign investors?

According to Damien Duhamel, Managing Director of Solidance’s Asia Pacific offices, when looking into investing or opening a medical device plant, one takes a look at two factors: the cost of manufacturing and the quality output. Vietnam is highly attractive due to its low cost of labor and manufacturing. Vietnam has a very industrious population keen on developing their technical skills.

Additionally, foreign companies with experience venturing into China and successful with medical devices manufacturing and distribution will have an advantage in Vietnam. Going forward, investing in Vietnam may be more beneficial than in China due to its cheaper labor and competitive operating expenses

From ForeignPolicy.com

Case in point: Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). KFC has been sprouting up across Southeast Asia and succeeded in reversing its image from a greasy chicken joint to a symbol of affluence. A new post on Foreign Policy Magazine, describes it like so:

This fast-food giant’s American franchises are commonly found in drab strip malls, where they dish out buckets of starchy, guilt-inducing Southern comfort food. In Asia, however, KFC stands for something far different. For emerging economies such as Vietnam, the restaurant is a harbinger of affluence: It’s often the first international chain to set up shop, and it signals a country’s arrival on the global consumer stage.

In formerly war-torn Cambodia, one of the latest frontier markets to welcome KFC, the restaurant’s silk lamps, mod furniture, and plasma TV screens evoke boutique elegance, not fast-food functionality. A 15-piece bucket of chicken costs $16.50, nearly 10 times the daily per capita income. Exclusivity is the point: The country’s tiny emerging middle class goes to KFC to see and be seen, and on most days the parking spaces outside are jammed with Lexuses and Range Rovers.

Take it as you will. KFC–a sign of global consumerism? The advent of clogged arteries? Or just some finger lickin’ good chicken?

Hold up Starbucks, the Swiss want in too. Familiar food and drink maker Nestle just announced that it’s pouring $270 million into building another coffee factory in Vietnam.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the factory will be built in Dong Nai province, in southeast Vietnam. Nestle plans to source most of its beans from local farmers in a measure to cut cost, engage the local community and support sustainable farming. Additionally, the new factory, which Nestle hopes to be fully operational by 2013 (the same year that Starbucks wants a visible presence in Vietnam), would create around 200 immediate jobs and continue to contract with local farmers in the long run. Nestle currently operates four factories in Vietnam and employs 1500 people nationwide.

You might say Starbucks and Nestle aren’t exact competition in Vietnam–Starbucks wants to build demand in the Vietnamese consumer market, while Nestle is tapping into Vietnamese resources—but there’s bound to be overlap as Nestle rolls out its products too.

Regardless, with more multinationals investing in Vietnam, that’s +2 for capitalism?