This April, over 40 Amerasians are returning to Saigon for the first time since they left at the end of the conflict in Vietnam 35 years ago. For many of them, the departure was dramatic—part of the hastily-assembled Operation Babylift that successfully evacuated over ,3000 Vietnamese orphans from war-torn Vietnam to the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe. Now, with … [Read more...] about Operation Reunite Returns Amerasians to Vietnam
The New Year Isn’t Over Yet in Vietnam!
This may come as a surprise to Westerners, but it’s still New Year’s Day in Vietnam, and much of the rest of Asia for that matter. While the Western New Year tends to involve massive celebration on New Year’s Eve, it’s business as usual on January 2nd at the latest in many places. Not so in Vietnam, where Tet celebrations go on for at least a full week. Flights, buses and … [Read more...] about The New Year Isn’t Over Yet in Vietnam!
A Foreigner’s Guide to New Year’s in Saigon
I ride my Honda 67 through the empty streets of Saigon in the week before Tet in 2009. Most foreigners expect the lead-up to the Vietnamese New Year to be full of excitement and energy. They expect the streets to be bustling with people and vendors hawking their wares—like some sort of giant country-wide version of Ben Thanh market. I used to be like them, but after a … [Read more...] about A Foreigner’s Guide to New Year’s in Saigon
SIM Card Registration Now Required in Vietnam
Until now, it's always been easy to get a mobile phone number in Vietnam. You can just go into any one of countless retail stores and pick up a SIM card. You even have the chance to browse and pick out a "pretty number." The more repeating numbers you have, the better! This is all starting to come to an end however, as the Ministry of Information and Communication's deadline … [Read more...] about SIM Card Registration Now Required in Vietnam
Why Doesn’t Anybody Have a Work Permit?
VietNamNet Bridge reports that, according to the conference on overseas-funded training centres held by the Hanoi Education and Training Department on November 5, only 30% of foreign English teachers at language centers in Vietnam have work permits. This doesn’t come as a surprise to anybody who’s spent time as an English teacher in Vietnam. Kim, an American English teacher … [Read more...] about Why Doesn’t Anybody Have a Work Permit?