June 2024 UPDATE FROM VIETNAM (Mark A. Ashwill)

20 Articles of Interest

High school graduation exam starts (27.6.24) More than one million candidates across the country on Thursday morning started the high school graduation exam with a literature test, which lasted two hours.

US to focus on deepening ties with Vietnam after Putin’s Hanoi visit (20.6.24) The U.S. responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Vietnam on Thursday by saying Washington would stay focused on deepening ties with Hanoi, with which it has sought strong relations to counter rivalry with China.

Navigating rush hour: Foreigners grapple with HCMC traffic nightmares (18.6.24) Gazing out the window at the pouring rain, Zach Moffat sighs, knowing he’s about to embark on a daunting commute from work. “My colleague and I often joke that rain and traffic jams are the deadly duo during rush hour in Ho Chi Minh City,” said Moffat, an American teacher in Phu Nhuan District. MAA: Needless to say, this is also a problem for Vietnamese. 

Hanoi university Vietnam’s first to train GenAI engineers​ (17.6.24) Hanoi University of Science and Technology announced last weekend that it is going to launch a specialized engineering program in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

Vietnam needs to try new ideas to attract talent​ (17.6.24) Vietnam, which aims to become a developed country with high income by 2045, needs to attract talent from all over the world. 

Foreigners find world of difference in Vietnam office culture​ (16.6.24) Englishman James Brown, 33, resigned from a media company in Thu Duc City after just two months, unable to endure the “unfathomable silence” that characterized the office. “I liked the job there and the salary was good, but I couldn’t adapt to the office culture,” Brown, who now lives in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District, says.

Vietnamese business quadruples since Covid for US online learning platform​ (16.6.24) The number of people in Vietnam taking its courses has quadrupled since 2020 to over 1.4 million, Coursera, one of the world’s largest online learning platforms said. The average age of the learners is 29, a spokesperson for the American company said last Saturday.

Caltech PhD and Math Olympiad gold medalist returns home to inspire Vietnam’s future​ (16.6.24) After graduating with a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the U.S., a Vietnamese man who won gold medal of the 2013 International Math Olympiad has chosen to return to his country to work.

Yen’s Triumph Against The Odds And The Doubters​ (14.6.24) From a childhood spent juggling school and helping her mother at the market, Yen persevered to lift her family out of poverty. (MAA: This is one of my favorite Vietnam NGOs.) 

Young Vietnamese walk into blind dating scene with eyes open​ (14.6.24) Despite more than 10 failed matchmaking attempts, Anh Thu remains hopeful and continues to go on blind dates in the hope of finally meeting her perfect match. Every weekend during the past year the 27-year-old from Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District has been going to a local café that organizes blind dating events for VND300,000-1,000,000 ($11.8-$39.3)

Vietnam War-affected Dong Nai transforms into economic hub​ (12.6.24) Province near Ho Chi Minh City bets on new airport and plans 11 more industrial parks.

​Saltwater intrusion threatens to wipe durian, rambutan off Vietnam’s Mekong Delta​ (8.6.24) Rising saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta threatens the survival of its signature crops, like the king of fruits durian, jeopardizing the region’s agricultural heritage and livelihoods, experts have said.

Vietnam’s heavy air pollution needs stronger action​ (4.6.24) On March 22 this year, as IQAir’s annual survey named Vietnam the 2nd most polluted country in the ASEAN region, and the 22nd worst air quality globally. Hanoi was ranked the 8th most polluted city in the world.

Young people increasingly willing to incur debts to buy ho​mes (30.5.24) Thuy Linh, 29, bought an apartment in Hanoi valued at VND2.7 billion (US$106,000) with a VND200 million down payment. Linh, who is finishing her undergraduate degree in Germany, bought the 54-square-meter apartment in Nam Tu Liem District at the end of March. She obtained a bank loan using her elder sister’s salary documents. Though not planning to move in immediately, she was persuaded by her sister who said apartment prices would rise significantly soon.

80% of Vietnamese students in Germany on vocational training ​(29.5.24) About 4,000 people, mainly from Vietnam’s central provinces, went to Germany to study vocational courses last year, accounting for 80% of the total number of Vietnamese students there. There are nearly 7,400 Vietnamese students in Germany, an increase of about 30% compared to before Covid-19, said Steffen Kaupp, Deputy Director of the Vietnamese office of the Goethe-Institut.

Vietnam’s water usage is wasteful: report​ (2.6.24) Vietnam’s water use efficiency is currently $2.37 per m3, while the global average is $19.42 per m3, meaning the country is generating little value by using its water resources.

Anthony Bourdain in Vietnam: Retrospective & Review (June 2024) This week marks 6 years since Anthony Bourdain took his own life at Le Chambard Hotel Restaurant Alsace in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France, on June 8, 2018. Following Bourdain’s death, there were many retrospectives of his life and work, but none that were dedicated solely to his coverage of Vietnam, a country for which he felt a special attachment. 

Nguyen Hoang Group wants to sell stakes in Hoa Sen, Hong Bang universities​ (26.5.24) Nguyen Hoang Group is considering selling stakes in Hoa Sen University and Hong Bang International University to raise US$150-200 million from each.

Premium international brands eye Vietnam’s growing middle class​ (21.5.24) Several premium toy, baby product and fashion brands have entered Vietnam or expanded their business in the country this year, lured by its burgeoning middle class. 

Viet Nam’s budding food forests​ (13.5.24) One hectare at a time, farmers are switching to a new chemical-free way of growing food while regenerating degraded soil​.