If you have been to Vietnam, you'd most likely see a large disparity in income among the Vietnamese population. It is a common complain that "the rich are too rich, and the poor are too poor". In my latest chat with a recent Vietnamese immigrant, this person confirmed the complain with her own experience and further added that equality is getting worse by the year. That … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Are Richer Than You Think
Top Markets of Saigon: Parkson Hung Vuong
Today on our tour of Saigon markets, we venture out into District 5. Frenzied, bustling District 5 has historically been the Chinatown of Saigon and full of wonderfully exotic and incredible traditional markets. We've covered some of them, such as An Dong 1, previously, and will cover even more in the weeks to come. Today, however, we round up our tour of the modern malls of … [Read more...] about Top Markets of Saigon: Parkson Hung Vuong
Looking Vietnamese?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been randomly approached and asked, “Are you Korean?” or “Are you Japanese?” Each question followed immediately by, “You look (insert Asian ethnicity here).” First thing that comes out of my mouth, “No.” First thing that comes to my head, “What the…?” Constantly being asked these questions made me wonder, “What are the distinguishing … [Read more...] about Looking Vietnamese?
Vietnamese Women Marry Foreigners
Co-written with Nga Vu – Second year candidate for Master of Science in Energy System Engineering program at University of Michigan. Roughly 40,000 Vietnamese citizens married foreigners, including overseas Vietnamese or Viet Kieu, between 2005-2008 according to the statistics provided by the justice department of Ho Chi Minh City. Furthermore, about 92 percent of these … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Women Marry Foreigners
Bed Bugs
"Good-night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite!" I heard that phrase a lot growing up, but I didn't know bed bugs existed until one summer living in an apartment in Boston. As an economically challenged college student, my friend decided to save money and bought a mattress on Craiglist for $80. To his sad surprise, he woke up every day with tons of bites on his body. … [Read more...] about Bed Bugs