This article was published in The Business Times. AFTER two months of lockdown to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the Vietnamese capital Hanoi is continuing its cautious reopening and easing more restrictions. In a flurry of government announcements earlier this week, travel permits were done away with… Read More (Paywall)
This article was publish in the Hanoi Times. Short stools have been scattered haphazardly facing a microphone on a stand on what would normally be a step, but tonight will double as a stage. The bar to the side, with its assorted beers and bottled spirits, is brightly lit but the lights at the back … Read more
This article first appeared in the Hanoi Times The blue and yellow logo of the Vietnam Post building basks peacefully in the glow of the slowly lowering Sunday afternoon sun, on the eastern side of Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of Hanoi. On the forecourt, before it, however, energy levels are high. A crowd is … Read more
This article was published in Tuoi Tre On a rooftop in Hanoi’s old quarter a handful of lanterns, strung above a small makeshift dais, burn bright against the dark of a Hanoian summer night. Beneath them, a tender-brown, acoustic guitar sits idle against a small wooden chair. Beside it a chalkboard advertises the night’s headliners, … Read more
This article was published in Tuoi Tre When schools were given the all-clear to reopen at the end of April, it was clear that there would be a supply problem when it came to qualified English teachers. Borders had been closed since the end of March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and would not … Read more
This article first appeared in Tuoi Tre In a cinema in Ho Chi Minh City, on a business trip six months ago, Simon James and Ngan Nguyen’s romantic relationship took its first tiny steps. They had gone to the cinema with a group of their colleagues but, shortly after finding seats, they peeled themselves off … Read more