Since Vietnam opened itself up to international investment, more multinational companies have begun setting up franchise branches in Vietnam. For many of these long established multinationals, venturing into new markets doesn't just mean opening up more shops--it also presents an opportunity to revitalize an old brand or re-envision a new legacy under a familiar name. Case … [Read more...] about Food Iconography: KFC, A Sign of Affluence in Vietnam?
An Artists’s Perspective: The Stories We Share, The Lessons We Learn
As noted in last Thursday's post, VAALA will soon be hosting a new exhibition titled "Marvelous Metaphors: Art as Visual Poetry" to encourage audiences to experience art as they would poetry. One of the artists to be featured at the exhibition, Trinh Mai, has kindly shared with VTP her artist's statement. The final art product is itself a matter of contemplation, but knowing an … [Read more...] about An Artists’s Perspective: The Stories We Share, The Lessons We Learn
VTP Quickie: Vietnamese Story Featured on This Weekend’s This American Life
Why? Because banh mi and bubble tea are a million idea, that's why. This weekend's episode of This American Life (which originally aired July 16, 2010) features the story of dueling banh mi shops in Brooklyn. Hanco runs a successful banh mi shop on Bergen Street when suddenly a banh mi shop with an identical menu to his own opens up four blocks down. Who opened it? A trio of … [Read more...] about VTP Quickie: Vietnamese Story Featured on This Weekend’s This American Life
The Oppressor from Within
[The characters and incidences in this story are fictional, drawing from stories based on real occurrences in the Vietnamese community. However, the phenomena illustrated by the story are very real. More on that later.] It happened again. Lan’s breath shortened as that old familiar feeling of imagined prison walls closing in crept up on her. Here we go again, she thought. … [Read more...] about The Oppressor from Within
Marvelous Metaphors: Art as Visual Poetry [Event]
Attention all art lovers, the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) will soon be launching Marvelous Metaphors: Art as Visual Poetry, an exhibit guest curated by Thuy N. D. Tran and showcasing recent works by artists Trinh Mai, Christine Nguyen, Tammy Nguyen, Trinh Ponce, Dao Strom and Van Tran. Marvelous Metaphors marks an important milestone for the VAALA … [Read more...] about Marvelous Metaphors: Art as Visual Poetry [Event]