charvey in Vietnam

A Time for Choosing

I stumbled across this 43 year old speech from the Gipper today.  Good stuff.

Christmas in Vietnam, Part 2

Yet another wacky Christmas in Vietnam.  The Vietnamese have adopted Christmas and made it their own.  They've also added unique Vietnamese Christmas traditions.  One is dressing up little kids in little Santa Claus outfits.  Another is the Christmas Eve Cruise, where pretty much everyone in Saigon gets on their motorbikes on Christmas eve to take in the spectacle and create magical Christmas traffic jams.  Yet a third is blinking Christmas lights suspended over the street and *everywhere*.  But the absolute weirdest thing I saw took place about two weeks ago.  I was walking to work one morning and saw two tandem bicycles (bicycles built for two people, where one rider sits behind another) sail through a busy intersection piloted by four men and women dressed in full-on Santa suits, pedaling away madly under the tropical sun.  I'm totally bummed I couldn't get my camera phone out in time to snap a pic, because it truly was surreal.

As promised, I snapped some pics that capture a tiny bit of the essence of Christmas in Vietnam.  You can view them here.  Also, check out more Vietnam Christmas goodies in my post from Christmas 2006.

Christmas in Vietnam, Part 1

Christmas is in full swing here in Vietnam.  The office staff have gone nuts decorating their spaces with Christmas stuff -- trees, lights, snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and even a giant stuffed Christmas bear.  The Tech Team even built a walk-through "ice cave" decorated with lights.  Not really sure about the Christmas relevance of the ice cave, but it *is* consistent with the winter theme.  It sorta reminds me of my hometown of Burlington, Vermont USA.  It's cold like Russia there in the winter.  Every few weeks I check out this webcam to see what the weather is doing in Vermont, real time.  Looks freakin' cold.  Funny how I never thought that freezing cold that will kill you in an hour if you are unprotected was unusual when I was growing up.

I am collecting pics that capture the experience of Christmas in Vietnam for a later post.  If any of my readers have good tips for Christmas-y scenes in Saigon, let me know!

Here's a little tidbit to tide you over -- a Christmas tree, Vietnam-style.  Enjoy.

Click To Play

Saigon Driving Range

Just north of downtown across the Saigon River is the nicest driving range I've ever had the pleasure of visiting (fyi I'm not much of a golfer).  A few weekends a month I go there and hit some balls.  There's always a cool breeze blowing off the river and the view of the river and Saigon skyline is quite nice, especially at sunset.

Here's a shot of the range at sunset.  I like the second floor near the river.  My shots travel further from there *heh*.

And here's the facility.  It's pretty sweet.  This woman next to me was excellent.

An Interest in Life

Those of you who know me personally know that I am a fan of quotations.  Here's one that spoke to me recently.  It appeared in my "Daily Literary Quote" application on iGoogle.

"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music -- the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people.  Forget yourself." 
- Henry Miller, American Novelist

Inspirational Story

I read this story today in the Wall Street Journal.   It moved and inspired me.   This man has an incredible passion for living and sharing.

Following a Stroke,
A Japanese Pianist
Reinvents Himself

Izumi Tateno Embraced
A One-Handed Repertoire;
Inspiration in Rehab

By YUKA HAYASHI
November 12, 2007; Page A1

TOKYO -- One evening in January 2002, 65-year-old Izumi Tateno was performing the last piece in his piano recital when his right hand began to wobble. The Japanese pianist, now 71, finished the Edvard Grieg piece with his left hand, and collapsed. He was having a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body.

"In an instant, I lost all the music that I had accumulated inside me for over 60 years," he says.

See a performance by Izumi Tateno, who rebuilt his career as a one-handed piano player after a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body.

Mr. Tateno still hasn't gained command of his right hand. But after a long, soul-searching journey, he is back on stage performing dozens of concerts a year. He plays music composed especially for the left hand, sitting on a custom-made bench that stretches across the length of the piano to give his left hand full sweep of the keyboard. He has appeared in several documentaries and has even played a duet with Empress Michiko.

"Many people have told me I should just take it easy," says the tall, soft-spoken Mr. Tateno. "But I am not interested in taking it easy. I don't even know how to. I want to perform as I have done in the past 50 years, so I can share my music with others."

Mr. Tateno's drive to rebuild his career after a late-life illness has resonated in Japan. In the rapidly aging nation, where 21% of the population is over 65, millions are eager to find ways to make their last decades of life meaningful. Thousands of seniors have applied to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the local equivalent of the Peace Corps, in hopes of serving as volunteers in developing nations. Others are starting up new businesses or signing up to volunteer to help bedridden seniors and working mothers with young children.

TWO COMPOSERS

 

Alexander Scriabin's "Two pieces for Piano Left Hand Op. 9" were included in Mr. Tateno's 2004 album "Piano Works for the Left Hand." Listen: "Prelude" | "Nocturne"

Takashi Yoshimatsu, a Japanese composer, wrote a series called "Three Sacred Songs for Piano Left Hand" that included a variation on Jean Sibelius's "Finlandia Hymn." Mr. Tateno played it on his latest album, "Izumi Tateno Plays Takashi Yoshimatsu." Listen: "Finlandia Hymn"

Hideo Yasuhara, a 71-year-old retiree who had a stroke three years ago, attended one of Mr. Tateno's concerts in September and was inspired. Mr. Yasuhara, a former department-store worker, was already keeping busy taking computer and calligraphy courses at a community center near his house in western Japan. After the concert, he decided to step up his rehab for his left hand, signing up for an intensive, three-week session.

"Mr. Tateno made me think I could do so much more with my life," Mr. Yasuhara says.

Born in 1936 in Tokyo to a pianist mother and a cellist father, Mr. Tateno grew up in a home filled with music. He had his debut as a classical pianist in Tokyo and moved to Helsinki in 1964, lured by the literature and the "pure and slightly sad" atmosphere of Finland. He married Maria Holopainen, a Finnish singer, and they had two children.

Mr. Tateno lived in Finland but regularly performed in Japan, captivating Japanese fans with the romantic music of Grieg and Jean Sibelius. Over the years, he gave 3,000 concerts and made nearly 100 recordings. He had just celebrated his 40th anniversary as a professional pianist when he collapsed on stage in a town north of Helsinki.

During the first few months after his stroke, Mr. Tateno assumed he would be back performing in a matter of months. But once home, he grew frustrated with the lack of progress. He could move his fingers on his right hand, but it was impossible to hit the same key repeatedly.

Sympathetic friends suggested that he play the "Concerto for the Left Hand" by Maurice Ravel -- one of the few widely known piano pieces for the left hand. But the mere mention of Ravel upset him. He wanted to play with two hands. Playing that piece felt like an admission of defeat.

"I thought I would never play Ravel even if I were dead," Mr. Tateno wrote in a collection of essays called "The Sea of Sunflower" published in 2004. "I said, to hell with music for the left hand."

Mr. Tateno spent his time going to rehab sessions and trying different masseurs. In early 2003, Mr. Tateno's son, Janne, visited from Chicago where he was studying violin. Janne Tateno had found a few piano scores written for the left hand in a Chicago music store. But he didn't give them to his father right away, afraid that he might be offended. He left the scores on his father's piano.

Mr. Tateno didn't talk about the scores or attempt to play them while Janne was visiting. But one day, he picked up one called "Three Improvisations for the Left Hand," by British composer Frank Bridge, who had written the music for a friend who had lost his right arm during World War I. Mr. Tateno began to play and got so immersed, he says, that he forgot he was playing with just one hand.

"That's when I came to realize that music was music, whether you play it with one hand, or two hands or three," he says. "That realization changed me completely."

Izumi Tateno playing at a concert.

Actually, quite a few scores for the left hand existed. Many were composed for soldiers injured in wars. The largest collection was written for pianist Paul Wittgenstein, the son of a wealthy Austrian industrialist who lost his right arm during World War I. Mr. Wittgenstein, who later moved to the U.S., commissioned composers, including Ravel, to write music for the left hand. The Ravel piece has also been played by Leon Fleisher, an American pianist who temporarily lost the use of his right hand because of illness, and Gary Graffman, another American pianist performing with the left hand, who also plays several left-hand pieces commissioned for himself.

Still, many left-hand pieces were short and not fit for the concert hall. Mr. Tateno asked a few old friends to help. Among them was Takashi Yoshimatsu, a Japanese composer of contemporary music known for his romantic style. "When he first came to me, he had a lot of anxiety, not sure if he could go back to the stage with just one hand," says Mr. Yoshimatsu. Other composers, including music students, pitched in, creating a library of about 30 pieces.

In the fall of 2003, Mr. Tateno returned to performing with a series of small recitals in Japan. To give his left hand a rest and to make up for his short performance, he talked with the audience. At one event, a woman asked whether he was frustrated that he couldn't play most of the music he knew.

"How can I be dissatisfied when I can express myself fully through music?" Mr. Tateno replied.

Mr. Tateno recorded the first of several CDs of music for the left hand and, in Tokyo in the spring of 2005, he performed Ravel's "Concerto for the Left Hand," the piece he had shunned after his stroke.

During a performance last year, Mr. Tateno suddenly felt an urge to play a simple melody with his right hand. He tried it and it worked. Mr. Tateno saw his wife, Maria, sitting in the audience with tears in her eyes.

"When I play with the right hand, I get a gentle feeling similar to new leaves coming out in the spring," Mr. Tateno wrote in an introduction to his latest tour. "They are still delicate, but maybe in time, they will grow strong."

Write to Yuka Hayashi at yuka.hayashi@wsj.com

Sleepers

The Vietnamese continually amaze me with their capacity to sleep anywhere, anytime.  Whereas people in the USA generally sleep behind closed doors or in a secure environment, Vietnamese sleep pretty much anywhere at the drop of a hat -- kids on mobile motorbikes in heavy traffic, xe om drivers on top of their bikes, people at construction sites grabbing 20 winks, pushcart operators, etc.  It's remarkable.  I've snapped a couple pics and will try to get more.

This worker is catching a snooze around lunch time.  Busting up pavement sure is hard work.

Here's a guy dreaming of sugarplums while perched on his bike.  I snapped this one at about 11pm walking home one night.  It's a bit grainy due to the low light.

Business Wisdom Free of Charge

Lately I've been listening to Jack Welch's podcast from BusinessWeek.  For those of you unfamiliar with podcasts, they are free audio programs available for download all over the internet.  They are called "podcasts" because generally people download them through Apple's iTunes software for play on Apple's iPod.

Podcasts are like the audio version of public access cable.  There are people broadcasting their own shows on diverse topics like classical music, cooking, bee keeping, baseball, whatever.  You can bet that whatever topic you can think of there's a podcast for it.   Professional media uses podcasts too.

Each week, Welch and his wife Suzy pick a different topic on management or business and ruminate on it for 7-10 minutes.  Not only are the topics fantastic -- how to fire someone, qualities of a great leader, how to do performance reviews for maximum effect -- but listening to Welch is like sitting down for a personal chat with him.  The passion, experience and plain-talking wisdom gained from his 41 years of magnificent achievement at GE jumps out of the headphones in New York brogue.  If you are interested in business and management I highly recommend this podcast.

Rainy Season Ending

According to Mel over at "Antidote to Burnout" the wind has shifted direction, thus marking the beginning of the end of the rainy season.  It's still raining a lot though, every afternoon.  I don't mind, it's nice and cool.  Mel oi, when is it gonna stop?

1980s Big Red

I was sitting at my computer tonight when out of nowhere popped the song from that 1980s commercial for Big Red chewing gum.  Remember this?

So kiss a little longer
Stay close a little longer
Hold tight a little longer
Longer with Big Red!
That Big Red freshness lasts right through it
Your fresh breath goes on and on
While you chew it
Say goodbye a little longer
Make it last a little longer
Give your breath long-lasting freshness
With Big Red!!

Just classic.  This ad captures special moments of emotion that everyone has shared, then anchors the product in those emotions.  Brilliant.  So I had to find it on YouTube.  Here it is.

Watching it not only brings back high school memories, but it still just plain makes me feel good.  I don't care that it's selling a product.  The emotions it taps are real. 

[By the way, I think the kid with the tuba is Peter Billingsley, of A Christmas Story fame.]

VietnamWorks TV Ad

After many months, countless meetings, religious wars over the "meaning" of a green bus or white shirt, we finally reached a milestone for VietnamWorks.com -- our very first television commercial.  It was fascinating participate in a process leading from an initial idea to a finished product.  I went on the shoot a month ago, from 7am until 11pm at night.  What you see here is just a tiny fraction of the footage we shot.  And I learned that any film is made or broken in post production -- editing, music, sound effects are so important.  Many thanks to My Linh of VNW Marketing, Saatchi & Saatchi (the ad agency), Star Films (the production house) and Pixel Garden (post-production house) for helping us to make a great ad.

I hope my Public likes it.  If you don't, I don't wanna know!  It goes on the air in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh next Satruday, October 6.

FYI, the first voice over says "Click on a mouse to get a better job fast."  The ending voiceover says "VietnamWorks.com - Seize opportunity!" Funny enough, both sound better in Vietnamese but can't be translated exactly into English.  A more accurate translation for the second voiceover would be "VietnamWorks - grab quickly fleeting opportunities before they pass you by."

Some shoot trivia: The two adorable twins watching our man chase the mouse weren't a planned part of the shoot at all.  They were bystanders.  The producer convinced their mother to let them appear in the shot.  Their expression is perfect.  The dog appearing with the cat also was unplanned.  The cat trainer placed the cat on the pavement, then the dog came along and we were all wondering what was gonna happen.  But the cat remained calm and it worked out great.  It actually was raining during that scene, but you can't tell due to the post-production magic.  The "old office" scene was shot at a real office -- it looked even lousier than what you see here, the shot doesn't do it justice.  The "new office" scene was shot at the VietnamWorks office.  All scenes were shot without sound.  The sound was added in post-production.  We cut a lot of scenes because we just couldn't fit them in. 

Luxury Goods in Vietnam

Vietnam Develops Taste for Luxury Goods

Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:53 PM EDT

vietnam, luxury, world-news

Ben Stocking, AP Writer

Images (showing 1 of 8 photos)

A luxury car is parked on a street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in this May 23, 2007 photo. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

A young Vietnamese girl and her father shop at the Gucci store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in this May 24, 2007 photo. In a country whose peasant army once marched on flip-flops made from old tires, Gucci beach sandals priced at $365 can come as a shock. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Gucci employees sit at a table outside a Gucci shop and other newly opened high-end luxury goods stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on May 24, 2007. In the two decades since Vietnam began implementing its economic reforms, known as doi moi, the nation's poverty rate has been cut in half and per capita income has doubled in the last five years. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Vietnamese women pass by a Gucci store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in this May 24, 2007 photo. In the two decades since Vietnam began implementing its economic reforms, known as doi moi, the nation's poverty rate has been cut in half and per capita income has doubled in the last five years. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Burberry salesperson Vu Thuy Linh poses with a purse at a new store in Hanoi, Vietnam Aug. 30, 2007. Burberry opened their store in front of Opera House, rear, earlier in the month. The Luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

A collection of belts are seen in a Louis Vuitton store in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 31, 2007. The Luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

A Cyclo driver waits for customers in front of a Louis Vuitton store in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 31, 2007. The Luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago.(AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

People walk inside a luxury shopping mall in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 30, 2007. The Luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

In a country whose peasant army once marched on flip-flops cut from old tires, Gucci beach sandals priced at $365 can come as a shock.

But the luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago.

As the country begins to embrace private enterprise, its nouveaux riches are snapping up shoes at Gucci, handbags at Louis Vuitton and watches at Cartier, offering proof of how much the country has changed after decades of war.

"I sold a $4,000 leather jacket recently," said Do Huong Ly, a stylish young saleswoman at the Roberto Cavalli shop in Hanoi. "Our customers want people to know that they are high-class."

Not long ago, displays of wealth were frowned upon in Vietnam. Those tire-sandaled troops who bested the French colonial army and outlasted the Americans embodied frugality and egalitarianism. The revolutionary government snatched up the assets of the wealthy and redistributed them to the poor.

But since the late 1980s, a government that once micromanaged all economic affairs has been introducing free-market reforms and courting foreign investors, and with them have come new western styles and attitudes.

"Members of the new generation want to enjoy life and pamper themselves with luxurious things," said Nguyen Thi Cam Van, 39, who has purchased five $1,000 handbags at Louis Vuitton.

"If I can afford to buy something nice, it makes me feel proud," said Van, who works at Siemens and also consults for a Vietnamese import company. "It lets you show people your taste and style."

One of her friends has 50 Louis Vuitton bags, Van said. "I think five is enough."

Some of Vietnam's shopaholics are young people who work for multinational corporations but still live rent-free with their parents. Others work for powerful state-owned companies and many have made fortunes in Vietnam's small but booming private sector.

They indulge their urge to splurge at Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, Escada, Rolex, Clarins, Shiseido and the like.

In the two decades since Vietnam began implementing its economic reforms, the nation's poverty rate has been cut in half, and per capita income has doubled in the last five years.

Still, most workers in this nation of 84 million people still earn just a dollar or two a day toiling in the farm fields.

Those working low-wage jobs find the new lust for luxury hard to stomach.

"The rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet," said Dao Quang Hung, a Hanoi taxi driver. "The money they spend on a Louis Vuitton bag could buy several cows for a farmer's family and lift them out of poverty."

At the new Gucci shop in Ho Chi Minh City, the flip-flops are among the economy items.

The black-clad sales staff, looking fresh off a fashion show runway in Milan, offer a pair of golden, spike-heeled shoes for $765.

Across the hall at the Milano store, the display last year featured a $54,000 Dolce and Gabbana dress, one of just three in the world, according to marketing director Dang Tu Anh, who represents both stores.

The others, Anh said, were worn by film star Nicole Kidman and Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl.

Milano's best customers, Anh said, think nothing of dropping $5,000 on a handbag and a pair of shoes.

"If they can buy something luxurious, it proves they have money," Anh said. "And that's good."

Vietnam's older generation, shaped by the hardships of war, finds itself at odds with younger Vietnamese over the new consumerism.

"Now the younger generation in Vietnam is racing for materialistic enjoyment," said Huu Ngoc, a 90-year-old scholar and author. "Individualism is destroying our cultural identity. We may become richer but lose our soul."

The war generation wasted nothing and always saved for the future, convinced that catastrophe lurked around every corner. But opinion surveys show that the 60 percent of Vietnamese born after 1975 are very optimistic about the future — and determined to enjoy the here and now.

Van, for example, enjoys pampering herself at the salon with massages and manicures. But she lives in fear that her father, a college professor, will learn about her five Louis Vuitton handbags.

"I can't tell him I have these," she said. "And I would never tell him how much they cost. He would think that I was completely irresponsible."

Van's indulgences are modest compared to those of Vietnam's super elite, who tool around in the ultimate status symbols: a shiny BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

And pay cash.

"In America, you pay in installments," said Nguyen Hoang Trieu, luxury car dealer in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. "Here, you pay all at once, in cash. Sometimes people come in here with $400,000 in a suitcase."

Movin' On Up

When I arrived in Vietnam in May 2006, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of goods in local supermarkets.  I could buy Washington State apples, batteries, my favorite cereals imported from the USA, Tide laundry detergent, shampoo, pots and pans, whatever, in a relatively modern environment without haggling.  The supermarket was small and cramped, and the aisles set haphazardly, but most things were there.  It was similar to the  supermarket where my mom would drag me as a kid in the '70s, although  a slightly smaller and more crowded version.

I was there again last weekend after a 3 or 4 month hiatus (I eat out a lot, plus I'm lazy).  Wow, the place is changing fast.  The store is bigger.  The aisles are taller and more orderly.  The meat section much bigger.  I even saw an elegant wine display rack that could have come from Whole Foods a swanky, high-end grocery chain in the USA.  And construction is still happening in one part of the store.  Disposable incomes are increasing rapidly in Vietnam and a lot of that extra spending is going straight to consumer goods.  Vietnam is a marketer's paradise -- totally virgin territory.  Rising incomes and the fact that choice and cool things to buy are a relatively recent phenomenon recent is fertile ground.  The sense of optimism and, yes, joy, is palpable as the country sheds 30 years of material privation.  It's exciting to see. 

Here is a pic taken from an escalator leading the second floor of the "Co-op Mart".

And here's a shot closer to ground level.  Note the promotional displays and Oral-B toothbrushes.  The woman in the conical hat in the foreground is a nice juxtaposition.  Turns your preconceptions of Vietnam on their ear, doesn't it?

Golf in Vietnam

On Saturday I got up at the ungodly hour of 6am to meet my friend Sohn and his buddy Choi to play golf.  We met at the swankiest golf course I've even been to.  Each of us had our own personal caddies.  My caddy was Phuong.  She is a university student studying accounting and caddies on weekends.  Phuong definitely knew more about golf than I do -- she figured out pretty fast that I couldn't use anything below a 7-iron on the fairway.  Plus she gave good tips on my swing.  "Relax more" and "slower" were commonly heard between sighs of frustration.

Here we are at about 7:30am just before teeing off.  About every third hole featured little oases of snacks, drinks and attentive staff.

A shot of one of the fairways.  Yeah, the bunker is about as big as a football field.  Or maybe it just seemed that way.

A close up of Phuong clad in her anti-sun wear. 

After golf we went out an excellent Korean BBQ place in An Phu.  Damn I love Korean BBQ.

Jailhouse "Thriller"

Holy cow, I was perusing "Street Talk", the blog of a Filipina exapt in Saigon, Cheryl, when I saw one of the funniest videos that ever has been.  It's hundreds of inmates at a Philippines prison doing a rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.  Fantastic find, Cheryl.  Enjoy, my Public, enjoy....

Vietnam Beautification

With increasing speed, the run-down, shabby vestiges of a centrally planned economy are being torn down, repaved and painted over in Vietnam.  I returned from Hanoi today.  The metal chairs in the passenger lounge of the Hanoi airport used to look like they belonged in a Terry Gilliam movie -- all banged up and scratched like a 50 year old bit of retro junkyard kitsch.  But today I arrived to find that they had been painted over with a fresh coat of shiny grey paint.  Still kitschy, but they looked about a million times better.  "Damn," I thought, "I gotta start capturing this stuff on camera before it's gone."

Also, the new international terminal of Ton Son Nhat airport finally opened in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon).  Now domestic flights have moved from the ridiculously cramped quarters of the old domestic terminal (the airport in my home town of Burlington, Vermont is bigger) to what used to be the international section.  When I returned to HCMC today I picked up my bag at the old international arrival baggage claim, then walked right out through the area that used to contain the X-ray machines and customs inpsectors.  Several feelings well up at once -- the excitement of my first visit to Vietnam nearly 4 years ago, stepping out to a nearly empty parking lot full of weeds, to a feeling that I'm smack in the middle of big and historic changes rolling across this country.  I haven't been inside the new terminal yet, but it looks pretty cool and modern from the outside. 

I've also noticed that the crazy, uneven patchwork of broken tile and asphalt is being torn up to and replaced with smart new sidewalk tile in many parts of town.  Ah, Saigon, we barely knew ye....  At least I can say that I was here before McDonald's showed up.  I heard that McDonald's and Starbucks are on the way soon.

Dog Wearing Pearls

Hi Public.  I'm back in Vietnam after a fantastic holiday in the USA.  Always good to stay connected with family and friends.

On Saturday I was walking in my neighborhood doing some errands.  I always enjoy walking around Saigon -- this city is a feast for the senses.  Lo and behold, walking through one alleyway I spied the prettiest little
dog you ever did see.  She was wearing a string of pearls and a most self-satisfied and happy expression.  She was a little frightened of her foreign suitor, however, and her owner helpfully called her over and steadied her while I snapped the pic.  Everyone had a good laugh.  Little moments like these are magic.

 

Grandma Battles Corruption

I found this story in the "Newsvine" feed on the right side of my blog.  It's hilarious.  Despite the humor, corruption is a real problem in Vietnam.  I haven't personally encountered it but I have heard stories.  It reminds me of the adage "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Human nature is the same everywhere.

Vietnamese Grandma Battles Corruption

Wed Jul 4, 2007 1:36 PM EDT

world-news, vietnam, anti, graft, granny, most-vietnamese

Vu Tien Hong, AP Writer

Most Vietnamese cower when a cop squeezes them for a bribe. Le Hien Duc, a gray-haired 75-year-old grandmother, fights back.

Four-foot-nine and weighing just 88 pounds, she'll take on anyone, from lowly bureaucrats to high-level officials. She e-mails, phones, tracks them down at their offices, confronts them at their homes.

"Corruption is definitely an evil, and it is ruining my beloved country," said Duc, a former elementary school teacher who works from dawn until dusk battling graft.

Corruption is perhaps the most vulnerable spot in the country's single-party Communist state — from the traffic cops who pull drivers over for $3 bribes to the Transportation Ministry officials accused last year of gambling $13 million in public money on British soccer matches.

Corruption persists here in part because officials earning $50 official salaries consider it perfectly acceptable to charge kickbacks for virtually any kind of service, large or small.

As a result, the country routinely fares poorly in international corruption rankings. But in Vietnam, where people respect authority, few dare challenge the system. But many turn to Duc.

"Most of us tremble when we have to deal with police," said Doan Van Hung, a delivery man who recently sought Duc's help. "She is incredibly brave."

Hung's ordeal was typical — a policeman stopped him for speeding and threatened to seize his motorbike unless he paid a $3 bribe — more than a day's average wage.

Corruption among "road bullies," as the Vietnamese traffic police are known, is rampant. But most drivers simply pay up and leave.

Duc tracked down the officer who harassed Hung and filed a complaint with the Hanoi chief of police. The officer was promptly demoted.

The grandmother of eight intervened in another recent case involving school officials who had apparently been pocketing school lunch money for years by making cafeteria staff cut back on the kids' portions.

Local government investigators confirmed the scam. But when the evidence was brought before Hanoi education officials, they did nothing.

Frustrated parents had read about Duc in the newspapers and turned to her for help. She took the case straight to the top.

She said she called the office of the education minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, about 30 times.

When her messages went unanswered, Duc managed to discover the minister's cell phone number and called him. He promised to have the department's internal investigator look into the case.

"She always knows whom to call," said Nguyen Tan Tien, chairman of the school parents' association.

In Vietnam, most grandmothers stay home and look after their grandchildren. Duc buries herself in the fight against graft.

"Someone must stop it, for the sake of justice," she said.

Duc has spent a lot of time investigating where government and party leaders live and work. If they won't meet her at their offices, she just shows up at their homes.

"Whenever we see her, we know there is a problem somewhere," said Pham Van Tai, an Education Ministry official. "She has pushed us a little too hard."

Duc runs her crusade from her narrow, three-story home in Hanoi, where her desk is covered with stacks of mail from people seeking help from all corners of Vietnam. She spends about two-thirds of her $80 monthly pension on the Internet, phone calls, photocopying and motorbike taxis.

Her work has made enemies.

Last month, people came to her house and told her to butt out of the school lunch money scam.

"Drop the case or start saving money for your coffin," they shouted.

Her children wish she would give up her work.

"She is too old and weak to protect herself," said Pham Minh Hai, Duc's daughter. "She should stay home and play with the kids."

But Duc has no intention of quitting. She says she is following the example of Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary hero of Vietnam's government.

Like many others of her generation, Duc joined the revolution as a young woman. During Vietnam's war against French colonialists, she spent years in the jungle, decoding messages for the army.

"We gave our blood, sweat and tears," she said. "There is no excuse for anyone to abuse their authority. I cannot stand seeing corrupt officials bully people."

Sunday Walk

A few weeks ago I walked back to my house in district 3 from district 1.  It took about 20 minutes.  Along the way I snapped several photos. 

Here's the "Notre Dame" Catholic church in central Saigon, District 1.  It was right about 5pm and worshippers were streaming in.

Here are some nuns welcoming the crowd.  They looked like a happy bunch.

There are always lots of tourists, Vietnamese and foreigners alike, taking pics near the statue of the Virgin Mary in front of the church.

I passed in front of the Reunification Palace, formerly home of the President of the former Republic of Vietnam, aka South Vietnam.  It's open for tours.  The interior is like a time capsule -- the decor, furniture, everything is preserved in its 1960s-era modern splendor.  While touring with recent visitors Rick and Katie, Rick remarked "My parents' basement rec room still looks like that."

There are patriotic posters scattered throughout the city.  It's ironic to see the hammer and sickle share street space with massive and  gaudy Pepsi and Samsung billboards. 

A few blocks away was what looked like an old French building.  Jon had a good post about the dwindling ranks of old French architecture in Saigon.  Gradually it is being torn down to make way for Saigon's shiny new future.

Near my house there's a pharmacy where you can buy any drug you want, no prescription necessary.  There's a scale there too.  I periodically stop by to check my kilo progress, making sure no one is sneaking a foot on the scale (they are pranksters).  Their uniforms crack me up.

This is co Van, aka the cigarette lady who sets up shop every evening outside my little alley.  We always share a friendly wave.  Sometimes I stop by to chat and practice my Vietnamese.  I must be making progress, because now we can exchange real information.  The last time the power went out I asked her when it would be fixed.  "About an hour," she said. 

Karaoke with the Sales Peeps

Last month I challenged the sales team -- if they hit a new weekly revenue record in the next month I would take them all to Karaoke on my own dime.  Well, they showed me.  The next week they went out and crushed the old record by 33%.  So charvey had to cough up.  How do people here love Karaoke?  Let me count the ways.  Good times, good times....

With part of the gang.  Pictured from left to right are Slim Shady (yes, that's her real name), Lan Huong, Hung, charvey, Phuong1, Thanh Mai and Loan.

Thao and company even wrote new lyrics to an Abba song to commemorate the event.  "Remember time, we run the target/ Remember how manager push us/ Think of all the great things we all do" and "We are number one/ Never give up, we can do anything".  I love it.

Even charvey got in the act with one of my Karaoke faves, "New York, New York".  Ole Blue Eyes himself woulda had a tear in his eye.

Birthday

It was an excellent birthday.  It was good to spend it with old friends and new ones.  Pictured here are charvey and my old friends Rick and Katie.  Given that this was bday number 37, I opted for a more suave, sophisticated look.

Ha Long Bay

Last weekend I took an outstanding overnight tour of Ha Long Bay, near Haiphong in north Vietnam with my friends Rick and Katie from the USA.  Ha Long Bay is packed with thousands of conical limestone formations that soar out of the deep green water.  It's quite spectacular. 

We took a cruise on the "Emeraude," a replica of a French steamer that plied the waters around Haiphong around 70 years ago.  It was charming -- all wood and brass from the 30s but with modern conveniences like A/C.  I highly recommend the experience, especially for a little romantic getaway.

Here's a video I shot with Katie on the boat.  We had some fun with it.

Click To Play

Also, check out some pics from my AOL Pictures album.  I'm pretty impressed with this animated blog embed doohickey that AOL created.  Way cool.  Go AOL, go!  You can see the album here.

Nanjing Street in Shanghai

Here's a video from my recent trip to Shanghai, China.  I'm walking down Nanjing Street, the main shopping drag in Shanghai.  I was solicited to buy luxury goods of dubious origin about 50 times.  I guess I look like an easy mark.  Ya wanna buy a rolex?

Click To Play

It's my birthday!

Hey Public, it's my birthday on Monday, July 16.  Come help me celebrate at Vasco's on Monday night, 8ish.  Only one autograph per person, please.  No paparazzi.

De-luxe Apartments

Vietnam is on the move.  I am here in-country, and let me tell you this is the real deal.  Here's an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Asia from Wednesday, May 30.  Btw, I can totally relate to the "electricians installing sockets upside down" problem.

Vietnam Aims for Image
As a Luxury Destination

By BRUCE STANLEY
May 30, 2007; Page B1

CHINA BEACH, Vietnam -- Paul Chong was searching for paradise on a beach in Vietnam.

Mr. Chong, the head of business development at Singapore's Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, came here on a weeklong mission last August to scout sites for a luxury resort. He had journeyed by car and plane up the coast from Ho Chi Minh City before arriving at a tiny fishing village near the central city of Da Nang. In a remote cove reachable only by rowboat, he and three colleagues explored a two-mile stretch of beachfront.

"We fell so much in love with the site that we didn't leave until it was pitch black," Mr. Chong recalls. In March, Banyan Tree won a license to begin building the Laguna Vietnam, a $270 million complex of hotels, villas and spas.

Each villa at the Nam Hai Resort on the South China Sea has its own pool.

The complex is the latest in a small but growing number of exclusive resorts planned or already open in Vietnam -- a country many Americans still associate more with farmers' huts and a war that ended decades ago than with a luxurious vacation.

Investors from the U.S., Canada, Singapore and Dubai are among those developing posh getaways here. Many of these new resorts are sprouting along the central coast, on or near China Beach, 20 miles of white sand where U.S. troops body-surfed and swigged warm beer on R 'n' R breaks during the Vietnam War.

With its powdery beaches, mountains, rare wildlife, French-inspired cuisine and world-class cultural sites, Vietnam could be the next top-drawer destination in Asia, on a par with Phuket, Thailand, or the Indonesian resort island of Bali, some international tourism industry officials say.

"It's so diverse. In one destination, you can do so much," says John Koldowski of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, a regional travel-industry trade group.

A number of the world's hoteliers seem to agree. For example, China Beach is home to the five-star Furama Resort Da Nang, where guests have included European royalty and Asian heads of state. Among its diversions: scuba diving, cooking classes and slot machines. "I think it matches any resort anyplace in the world," says Furama guest Fred Williams, a globe-trotting security consultant from Davie, Fla.

Mr. Williams, who says he was twice wounded in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine, was making his first trip back to China Beach -- Vietnamese call it My Khe or Non Nuoc -- since a day's respite after the 1968 Tet Offensive. "I remember playing volleyball and eating steak and baked beans on that very spot, over by that stand of pine trees, 40 years ago," he says, wagging a finger southward from his poolside lounge chair.

Then there is the nearby Nam Hai Resort & Villas, which set a new standard for resort opulence in central Vietnam when London-listed investment fund Indochina Capital opened it in December. The Nam Hai is managed by Global Hotel Management Ltd., whose founder Adrian Zecha has made his name operating luxury hotels from Malaysia to Miami. Each of the Nam Hai's 40 residential villas has a butler, a private pool and an ocean view; prices for the seven units still available start at $1 million. Daily room rates for the resort's 60 hotel villas begin at $550.

A three-bedroom villa at the Nam Hai Resort & Villas in central Vietnam

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts of Toronto is completing a full-size model of one of the 80 rental villas it plans to manage on secluded Cham Island, a 25-minute boat ride from Da Nang, beginning in 2009. Dubai's Kingdom Hotel Investments plans a 150-room, $65 million luxury resort called the Raffles Da Nang, to open in 2011. Foreigners' ability to own 100% of a project and to lease property for 50 years were important factors in Kingdom's decision to invest here, says the company's chief executive officer, Sarmad Zok.

The resorts are catering to a swelling tide of foreigners, numbering 3.6 million last year, two-thirds more than in 2000, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Americans were the third-largest nationality among last year's visitors, after Chinese and South Koreans. The Pacific Asia Travel Association forecasts a robust 7.6% average annual growth rate in foreign arrivals through 2009.

But while Vietnam remains popular with backpackers, it is now attracting a more affluent class of traveler. It had the second-fastest GDP growth rate in Asia in 2005 (only China's was faster) according to Thomson Financial. People are coming to Vietnam to do business and returning to take vacations. In addition to the natural and cultural attractions, Vietnam has a deserved reputation for safety and political stability.

There are some inconveniences for the traveler. Getting a visa to Vietnam takes time, and international flights, particularly to Da Nang, are limited.

And some environmentalists worry that uncontrolled beachfront development could degrade Vietnam's environment. Resorts need lots of water for showers and laundry and to sprinkle on lawns and golf greens. If they pump too much fresh water from natural aquifers, seawater can seep in and damage surrounding croplands. Overdevelopment of Vietnam's idyllic beaches poses an additional risk: Discouraging the very guests that a luxury resort is trying to attract.

Banyan Tree was already thinking of building boutique hotels in the former imperial capital Hue, 60 miles north of Da Nang, when it decided that Vietnam was "ripe" for upscale tourism and warranted a larger investment, says Mr. Chong, the head of business development. Now Banyan Tree is drawing up a master plan for what it believes will be Vietnam's first big integrated luxury resort.

Mr. Chong crawled over boulders and waded though mud to find the right site -- a beach called Lang Co, between Hue and Da Nang. The 516-acre property will include a golf course and more than 1,000 hotel rooms and villas.

Banyan Tree is watching closely to see how business fares at the nearby $56 million Nam Hai Resort & Villas. The centerpiece of the Nam Hai is a reflecting pool and three swimming pools that cascade gently toward an 875-yard beachfront. The resort's hotel villas boast sinks with a cracked-eggshell lacquerware finish and fully loaded iPods.

Frenchman Hugues Lamotte, a London fund manager, bought a three-bedroom villa here with his wife in 2005 when the Nam Hai had just broken ground. He wanted to be close to Hong Kong; Bali was too far and Thailand too hot.

"A lot of our friends who do not know Vietnam think we are very courageous. They think of Vietnam as being totally undeveloped," he says, gazing at the vast, empty beach beneath his seawall. The villa "has exceeded my best expectations," he says. He even bought a neighboring villa as an investment and persuaded three of his friends to do the same.

A remote location like China Beach doesn't make a developer's life easy. Building the Nam Hai proved a challenge in part because local craftsmen had limited experience performing up to the required standards, Indochina Capital Chief Executive Officer Peter Ryder says. Electricians occasionally installed sockets upside down. Finding enough staff who could speak English was also a problem. The Nam Hai continues to run English classes for people from nearby communities to ensure it has a pool of potential employees with a minimal competence in the language.

Still, the hurdles to building a luxury resort in Vietnam haven't deterred Indochina Capital from planning additional projects. One is a villa compound on Con Dao island, a protected marine reserve notorious for the "tiger cage" prisons that the former South Vietnamese government once operated there. (The cages are no longer used to hold people, but some have been preserved as historical artifacts.) Elsewhere in the South, near the city of Nha Trang, the Evason Hideaway & Spa at Ana Mandara pampers guests, but in a rustic, Robinson Crusoe-like setting, where they are encouraged to go barefoot.

Some developers, meanwhile, are trying to lessen their environmental impact by recycling bathwater to spray on grass and using renewable construction materials, among other efforts. And local Vietnamese officials say they are controlling the proliferation of hotels on China Beach. Da Nang, for example, has a comprehensive plan for sharing its seafront between resort projects and public beaches, says Le Tran Nguyen Han, the city's head of environmental management.

But Anneke Schenk, a guest-relations manager at the Furama Resort, questions whether any such plan can withstand pressure from developers and authorities eager to cash in on Vietnam's beachfront bonanza. She fears for the distinctive scenery of puttering fishing boats and Vietnamese doing tai chi exercises on the sand.

"Now is the best time to visit China Beach," she says. "In five years, it'll be just like any beach in Thailand."

Uớc Mơ Của Tôi

Hello Public -- it's finally here!  After Herculean effort and countless dead-ends, I have succeeded in editing down my appearance on the VTV3 program "Uớc Mơ Của Tôi" ("My Dream") and uploading onto YouTube.  Special thanks to fellow American and Wisconsiner Brian Cotter, a loyal reader and fellow beer drinker who volunteered to rip and edit the video.  This one's for you, Brian.

The clips below appeared on the first episode of the show.  In it the judges gave the candidates interview-y questions and evaluated them on a number of factors such as poise, confidence, answer quality and, my personal favorite, BS ability.  Most of the candidates answered our questions in Vietnamese per the producer's instruction.  So if you think I'm faking it during those scenes where I'm nodding thoughtfully at the candidate's answer, you're absolutely right.

Oh yeah, I'm a celebrity now.  I've been recognized twice in public as "that white dude from that TV show."  It was impressive because all white guys look alike to the Vietnamese (no kidding, really).  On the way to Tokyo last month the flight attendant asked me "Did I see you on TV last night?"  I answered, 'Ahem, why yes....yes you did."  The second time was in an elevator in Hanoi.  Neither person asked me for my autograph or stalked me, though.  I'm disappointed I haven't had to get any restraining orders yet.  Celebrity can be so fickle.  I might have to check into rehab to get some attention.

Huge in Asia

I found this hugely entertaining "video blog" of three American guys living in Hanoi.  It's called Huge in Asia.  Check out their homemade rap video (below) filmed on the streets of Hanoi, the Hanoi Hustle.  It's brilliant.  Love the guy in the water bubble!

One Year

Tôi ơ Việt Nam một nam roì.  Chính xác mọt nam và nam ngày roì.  Bay giờ tôi nói tiếng việt giỏi hơn một nam trước.  Tôi nói chuyện bang tiếng việt với nhiêù ngươì việt mỡi ngày.  Tối rát thích học tiếng việt -- vui!

Whoa peeps, it's been one year already.  My year anniversary actually was last week, which I spent vainly hunting for galoshes throughout Saigon.  Yes, as Mel's meteorological spidey sense detected, shifting wind direction indicates that the real rainy season has arrived.  That means nearly every afternoon it rains cats and dogs.  "Raining cats and dogs" is an expression the Vietnamese find hysterical.  I was at a loss to explain its etymology.  I couldn't find an authoritative explanation on the internet even though I searched for more than 2 minutes, an eternity in Google time.  I mentioned the expression to some of the office security guys in Vietnamese, but they just blinked at me with polite smiles.  Probably thought I was crazy.

I remembered wearing galoshes as a kid so I ordered some in the States.  My mum is shipping them over, bless her heart.  Now maybe I can clean up that nasty case of trenchfoot.

Tokyo Pics

Hey Public, I've uploaded all my pics to Picasa Web.  You can check out the albums below.

Japan 1

Japan2

Also, here's another video.  This one is of the huge intersection just outside of Shibuya station.  It's kind of like Times Square in Tokyo.

Tokyo 2

Check out the Tsukiji Fish Market.  This is where restaurant buyers come every morning to pick up the freshest fish in town.  It starts around 4:30am.  I got there at 6:30.  More Tokyo pics to come.

Tokyo

Hey My Public, I'm in Tokyo!  You can tell from the sign:

I took a bus into the city, then caught a taxi to the hotel.  The taxi driver was the politest taxi driver I've ever had.  Check out the white gloves.  Wow.  The back door of the cab opened and closed automatically.

Here's the magnificent view from my hotel room at the Park Hotel, looking Southwest over Tokyo Tower from the 29th floor.

The room is a bit small, but plenty big for one person.  It's tastefully furnished.  The main lobby on the 25th floor has a similar but much more expansive view.  It's a pretty cool hotel -- similar to the "W" in the States.

Last night there was a reception for prospective Darden students.  I ran into Takeshi (left) and Ichiro (right), two of my Darden Class of 1999 classmates.  Afterwards, Takeshi took me out on the town.

Street scene in the Ginza district.

Spic and span subway car.

The Tokyo subway is easily the biggest and most comprehensive subway I've even been on.  It seems much bigger and more complex than even New York's.  There are even free public restrooms -- none of that urine smell so familiar in Manhattan. 

My initial impressions of Japan are orderly, quiet and clean.  I knew it was different from Vietnam when everyone formed themselves into neat queues waiting for the terminal shuttle at the airport (orderly). Walking the streets of downtown Tokyo is eerily silent even though it's packed with people and cars (quiet).  This puzzled me until I realized there were no muffler-less motorbikes or constantly bleating horns.  The sidewalks and subway cars are spotless with nary a scrap of paper, cigarette butt or discarded gum (clean).  Although I do love Vietnam, this is a nice change for a few days.  I like Japan.

Good Books Regarding Vietnam

After visiting Vietnam for the first time over three years ago I've read many books about Vietnam, mostly focusing on the history in Vietnam since 1945.  The best are:

• "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam" by Neil Sheehan.  An absolutely outstanding non-fiction account of American involvement in Vietnam.  It follows John Paul Vann, an early US Army adviser to the South, through his nearly 10 years in Vietnam.  Vann was an early critic of US and Southern tactics and strategy.  It reads like a novel, with extraordinarily deft prose.  This book won Sheehan the Pulitzer Prize in 1989.
• "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" by Le Ly Hayslip.  This is the autobiography of a woman caught in the middle of the conflict, quite literally, in the mid-section of Vietnam near Da Nang.  She recounts in harrowing detail she and her family's fight for survival over 20 years of conflict.  A fabulous book written from a perspective I had never heard from before.
• "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.   This book is a mix between fiction and non-fiction autobiography.  O'Brien draws on his experience as a soldier in Vietnam to write stories that illustrate with great power the realities and feelings of his characters.  The imagery and cadence is riveting and poetic.  For example:

"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice.... Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to."

• "Fields of Fire" by James Webb.  Another work of fiction, but drawn on real experiences.  Webb was a young Marine officer in Vietnam and spins a tale of men at war in a conflict that seems pointless and crazy.  Webb spends a lot of time developing his characters, and action unfolds against the backdrop of the color he as given us -- people react to situations and each other according to their personalities.  It's a powerful drama.  Tom Wolfe gave it high praise when he said   “In my opinion, the finest of the Vietnam novels.”  An interesting side note is that Webb was Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration.  Last fall he was elected to the US Senate from Virginia.
• "Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina" by Bernard Fall.  Written shortly after the fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, Fall recounts French frustrations and ultimate defeat in Vietnam in the "First Indochina War."  Fall was a French journalist and academic and often traveled with the troops.  I found the book a bit dull and poorly written, but the historical context is fascinating.  The French experience was eerily prescient of the American one in the "Second Indochina War" 10 years later.  Bernard Fall ultimately was killed by a land mine while accompanying American troops on patrol in 1967.
• "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene.  A classic work of fiction also written in the 1950s.  This is the first and only book I've read by Graham Greene.  His worldview can be quite dark at times, but I found the book ultimately uplifting.  Greene has a lot of things to say about life and the meaning we draw from it.

Conspicuously absent from this list are books written from the Vietnamese soldier's perspective.  I currently have on my nightstand "The Sorrow of War" by Bao Ninh.  It is another fictional account, but written by drawing on Ninh's personal experiences as a Northern soldier during the conflict.

I'd love to hear if My Public has read other books they can recommend about Vietnam and its history.  I'm particularly interested in a book that details Vietnam's history prior to 1945, including the dynasties, history with China and beginning of French involvement.

Charvey Superstar 3

Ok I'm getting lazy.  I haven't downloaded the DVD ripping and video editing software.  It's not likely I will, either.  I decided to do the next best thing and upload the partial video I was able to rip, without editing, to my web storage account at Mediamax.  Those of you interested can watch the first 15 minutes of footage or so in the file.  I'm on at about minute 11 doing my introduction.  Click on this link to download a streaming video file.  I couldn't upload to Youtube because the file is over 100 megabytes of spine-tingling entertainment.

Unfortunately this file doesn't contain some of my best moments later in the program where I engaged in playful and witty banter with some of the contestants.  Alex Trebek, move over!

Charmers

Tonight I was taking a xe om (motorbike taxi) to meet my friend for dinner.  I like to take xe oms instead of driving myself because I can look around and check out all the action.  People watching in Vietnam is always excellent since so much life in Saigon happens on the street.  It's also better than a taxi because I have a 360 degree view.

I was at a stoplight when I hear a friendly "hello!" about 50 cm to my right.  I look over and perched comfortably on a motorbike is a young family -- dad, mom and a little girl not a day over 3 years old.  The dad said "hello" again and smiled.  The girl looked at the foreigner shyly, somewhat intrigued but unsure what to do.  "Chào cháu!" ("Hello, youngster!") I said, but still she just looked at me and blinked.  We all had a good laugh.  I think I was part of an impromptu English lesson.  That actually happens a lot.

There are so many charmers here in Vietnam.  Especially the kids.

In other news, it looks like Vietnam Idol has hit the scene.  You thought I was kidding in my post last month, eh?  Well check it out in all its glory here.   There is no doubt the show will be a huge hit in this karaoke-crazed land.

Charvey Superstar 2

Ok My Public.  I've been working on the Charvery Superstar Project for a couple hours.  First I found and downloaded some DVD ripping software.  But then it turned out that the "free" trial copy only allows me to rip the first 10 minutes of the DVD.  That is a problem for you, My Public, since Charvey Superstar's choicest moments are towards the end of the program.

When I tried to purchase the software to have unlimited ripping ability, the software company's payment server detected that I was in Vietnam and offer only the option to pay by Paypal, not by credit card (Vietnam has some notoriety as a not-so-insignificant source of online credit card fraud).  I forgot my Paypal password and had to have it emailed to me.  Upon logging into Paypal I was informed that they have placed my account on "limited access" for reasons unknown, so I am unable to send money.  I followed the procedure to unlock the account whereby Paypal calls you and you enter a special code they display on your account page.  Unfortunately, Skype chose that moment to wig out on me and I missed the call.  Paypal is an unforgiving disciplinarian and would not let me try to verify by phone again.  They informed me that they have mailed a letter to my USA address with instructions.  Oy.

So then I tried finding some other DVD rip programs.  I downloaded another, only to learn that it's the exact same program as the first save for a slightly different interface and marketing.  "Well, I did capture the first 16 minutes of the program, so maybe I can edit it for a clip where I appear."  No dice here either.  I don't have a proper video-editing software on this computer.  Double oy.

So in a bid to whet your appetites, I'm posting this still frame from my introductory bit on the show.  I think I come off as a bit smarmy and self-satisfied in the clip.  I know my folks will get a kick outta that one.  Maybe there is something to what they've been telling me all these years.....



Later this week I'll see if I can get the right software.  After ripping, editing and upload time on YouTube we'll be ready to go.  In the meantime, I'm all ears if any of My Public knows of some good DVD-ripping and video-editing software.

Saigon Blog Summit 3

Much has been written about the newfangled world of cyberspace* and how it enables new social constructs and connections.  Blogs are a great example of the new medium.  They can be many things -- a soapbox upon which to rant, a place to keep friends and family up to date, a travel diary, a business networking tool.  Who knew there were so many witty and able writers out there?  It's an example of the internet fulfilling its highest promise -- empowering individuals to communicate, share and build communities in ways never before possible. 

There are many Saigon bloggers.  I've gotten to know some of them virtually by virtue of reading their blogs regularly.  Their personalities shine through and jump off the screen.  After a few months of regular reading it feels like you know the person behind the prose.  Well, I got to meet many of these people on Saturday at the Saigon Blog Summit, organized by Kevin, aka SaigonNezumi.  It felt a bit strange meeting people I had never met before, but knowing so much about their lives.  A bit like meeting a TV personality or something, and a little like a voyeur.  AznGamerBoi, aka Pao, looked and spoke every inch the part of young gamer from LA, except that he's from the Philippines.  He endured jokes regarding his status as "boi" and not as "man."  " 'AznGamerMan' just doesn't sound as cool," was his response.  Also in attendance were Cheryl (StreetTalk), Jimmy (ThirstyThong -- don't read if you are offended by salty language or R-rated content), Lisa (Alfaspider), Annie (MeetmeinSaigon) and Jon (Itsthefinalword).

We had the event at the top floor of Diamond Plaza, a big shopping complex in District 1 near Notre Dame.  It's a teenager's (and my) idea of Saturday night paradise -- psychadelic black-light bowling with florescent bowling balls, thumping house music, pool tables, ice cream and video games, all topped off by a KFC and Pizza Hut.  We ate at Pizza Hut after working up an appetite bowling (after a slow start I got my mojo back, hitting a string of spares to land at 127).  It's the nicest and best-staffed Pizza Hut I've ever experienced.  The decor is much more upscale, with chrome and fashionable wooden furniture.  The service is excellent also.  On the way out I counted 22 staff.  Incredible.

Pao/AznGamerBoi has a great post about the event with lots of pics.  You can read it here.

Charvey Superstar

Well My Public, your long wait and suffering are over.  I have in my hands a DVD copy of the first "Uoc Mo Cua Toi" (My Dream) program featuring yours truly.  I watched some of it tonight and now I think I'm gonna have to get an agent.  It's that good.  The star power nearly melted my computer screen!  I'm definitely demanding a bigger trailer next time.

I tried some screen captures to give My Public what those of us in the Industry call "teaser content" but the copied images always turned out black.  I also gotta convert the video file to something I can edit and upload on Youtube.  I'll figure it out when I get more time, probably not until later this week.  I figure My Public has waited this long, a couple more days won't kill you (or will it?  ;-)).

There will come soft rains...

Nam nay, mua mua den som.  Ok, I'm lazy and didn't use the special Vietnamese script software I've got on my computer.  But it reads "This year, rainy season comes early."

It's getting hotter and more humid.  Although it doesn't rain every day (yet), it has rained cats and dogs a couple times already.  Marking the passing seasons of rainy/hot, dry/cooler is not quite the same as the east coast USA rituals of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter but it'll do.  I do kinda miss springtime in the eastern USA though -- the smell of newness and fresh, wet earth, sound of birds singing, being able to go outside without a coat -- it's like being let out of prison.  There's no feeling like it.

Vầng Trăng Khóc (The Moon Cries)

The Vietnamese are a sentimental people.  This is especially apparent in popular music.  Romantic themes in music skew heavily to unrequited love, love lost, or two lovers separated by circumstances beyond their control. 

I learned several Frenchie songs in a college French class and I still remember them.  Music is a powerful way to learn.  "What a golden opportunity," I thought, "I'll learn some Vietnamese classics.  Not only will I learn some new words, but it'll come in handy during the obligatory karaoke sessions with the staff."

Choosing a song dripping with the "love lost" themes above was easy.  I just picked one at random.  It is "Vầng Trăng Khóc" (The Moon Cries).  I plugged the lyrics into an English/Vietnamese machine translator at vdict.com to get the general meaning of the song.  It's sung as a duet by two people who once were lovers.  For a reason I'm unable to determine (the song may not say) they are separated and their love has faded.  They sing achingly for the love they once shared and for what might have been.  Click to listen.

One line in the song I've seen elsewhere is "Em và anh mỗi người một nơi."  Translated literally, it is "Me and you, each person one place."  More figuratively, I translate it as "Everyone has their place, including us."  The idea is that time and circumstances have separated the lovers, but they must accept it because everyone has their own destiny.  It's kinda poetic.

The machine translation yielded some especially excellent lines.  One is "There Will by you love you forsooth giblets."  No idea about that one.  Two others are "Stoutly when new hornbeam retrevial," and "Because aching suffer prestissimo the two of us asteroid separates."  I am not making this up.

I'm listening to this song over and over while reading the lyrics so I can carry the tune and nail the pronunciation.  On Monday I'll review the lyrics with my Vietnamese teacher so I understand the meaning of each line.  Look for me on Vietnam Idol.

Special Feelings from a Man's Heart

Hello, My Public.  I know it's been a while since I rapped at ya, but the waters ain't exactly been calm on Lake Charvey.  Lol, actually things have been going great.  Saigon is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, and work is good.  It looks like VietnamWorks.com is about to cross the 3000 jobs threshold, a historic occasion.  Business is booming.

Vietnam is abuzz because tomorrow, March 8, is "International Women's Day," also known as IWD.  This is a global holiday.  Who knew?  I was intrigued so I Googled it and, lo and behold, found the internationalwomensday.com website.  It's been happening nearly 100 years, since 1910.

The Vietnamese take all their Women's Days very seriously.  So seriously, in fact, that there are two a year -- the IWD and an even more special Vietnam Women's Day.  Already a few women in the office have dropped not-so-subtle hints that they expect something special from the boss tomorrow.  I plan to oblige, and am having enough flowers delivered tomorrow morning so everyone gets one.  Our office is about 70% women, so paying homage is not only a nice thing to do but it's also an exercise in self preservation.

I even composed a special speech for our job seeker newsletter to mark the occasion.  In a burst of sentimentality, I titled it "Special Feelings from a Man's Heart."   

To wit, "On behalf of men, I would like to thank this special day of the year for its giving us the chance to express our deep gratitude, respect and admiration to half of our world - the gentle women who are so charming, confident and successful - with all words and actions that have been brought up and kept in our sincere hearts - the ones of the happy men!"

Happy International Women's Day!

Travel Insurance

Another appropriate title for this post could be "Don't get sick during Tet."

My mother came to visit last Saturday from the USA.  We had a marvelous eight-day trip planned to Myanmar, with a few days in Saigon.  When she arrived at my house she began to feel absolutely terrible with some unusual symptoms.  I took her to the Franco-Vietnamese Hospital immediately. 

Fortunately, there was a good ER doctor on duty that night.  He correctly diagnosed her, did a CT scan and began treatment.  I consulted an ER doctor friend of mine in the States, and he told me the standard protocol for treatment was tests X, Y and Z.  Unfortunately, since this was Tet the hospital was a ghost town -- there were very few technicians and staff on duty.  On Sunday I was told that the tests would have to wait until Thursday.  "Why?" I asked.  "It's Tet" was the response.  "There are no technicians on duty."  I wouldn't take no for an answer and got the tests done the next day.  I don't know whose Tet holiday they had to interrupt to make that happen, and I don't care. 

FV Hospital markets itself heavily as an "international standard" hospital.  Perhaps it is.  The care my mother got after Tet was pretty good.  But not on Tet or the 1-2 days after.  The place was deserted, and no one seemed willing to take responsibility for my mother's care until I persistently intervened with one of the doctors.  Maybe I'm crazy, but that ain't "international standard." 

In my book all's well that ends well.  My mom was OK and the problem, although serious, proved to be relatively minor and she made a quick recovery.  One conclusion I want to share with My Public from this experience is "Don't get sick on Tet."

Another takeaway is "Get travel health insurance whenever you travel," especially outside of North America and Europe.  My mom had purchased $1 million of coverage for about $100 for a 2 week period from HTH Worldwide.  It was a godsend.  HTH was on the problem like white on rice.  Not only did they pay for 100% of the week-long hospital stay, but they sent a doctor to Saigon to escort my mother all the way back to Vermont and arranged and paid for flights back in business class.  It wasn't just the substantial cost that this saved, but they provided invaluable help with the logistics of the situation and medical consultation with the local doctors. 

If you are traveling to Vietnam, I definitely advise that you purchase travel health insurance.  One very knowledgeable and helpful American insurance broker specializing in expat health coverage is InsuranceToGo.  I spoke to them at length and ended up purchasing my health insurance through them, also with HTH. 

Tết, Tết Đến Ròi! (Tết is here!)

Tết, the Lunar New Year, is upon us.  There is a palpable sense of excitement wafting through the air -- even though this is a new holiday for me, I can't but help getting excited myself.  The streets are filled with Tết vendors selling flowers, Tết trees, booze and foodstuffs.  From what I can gather, Tết is like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years rolled into one holiday.  It's just massive.  Check out some great Tết photos and commentary on Jon's blog, "It's the Final Word."  Yeah, I'm cheating a little but he's a better writer than I am.  Enjoy.

By the way, "Tết" is pronounced like "d/t" + "eh" + "t" sounds.  "T" in Vietnamese is pronounced halfway between  the "t" and "d" sounds in English.  The "ê" is the "eh" sound.  The other funny mark above the "e" indicates the upward tone of the word, kind of like the upward tone we use in English to signify a question.  I'm starting to get the hang of this Vietnamese stuff, but people still find my speech unintelligible sometimes.  I get the blank look accompanied by "Tôi không hieủ.  Lâm nói gì?" (I don't understand.  Say what?).

Website Mới Của VietnamWorks

Chào các bạn.  Tuàn trước, công ty VietnamWorks dùng website mơí.  Tật cả mõi nhân viên ơ công ty rất vui.  Tôi muốn khách hàng của công ty cũng rất thích website mới.  Đây là cái này.  Chúng ta tìm dược việc lam nhiều quá ở đó. Đi đi đó bay gìơ rất nhanh!!

Hên gạp lại, Lâm.

Sunday Morning in Saigon

The air in Saigon this morning was fresh, clean and cool (mid 70s).  Gotta take advantage of days like this so I grabbed my camera and hopped on my bike to snap some pics.

There are mobile bicycle vendors galore on Dien Bien Phu Street in District 3.  I bought some grapes from this friendly woman and she let me snap her pic.  There were also bike vendors selling onions, flowers, motorbike rear-view mirrors, handbags, books, etc. 

I've never seen a "fish-in-a-bag" vendor before so I had to get a pic of this one.  Although I didn't buy a fish, the proprietor let me take a pic anyway.  She doesn't look happy though.  Maybe she's thinking "What am I gonna do with all these freaking fish?"  I doubt they can last long in those little bags.

Another of the ubiquitous construction sites and signs around Saigon.  This one is a pretty huge site at the former location of Saigon Square, which until recently boasted the best selection of pirated DVDs in Saigon as well as various other sundries and shops.  This development is being led by a Korean group.  The Koreans are everywhere in Saigon.

Another construction site, somewhere in District 3.  Serviced apartments are going up like mad.  One long time expat friend is convinced there will be a glut of empty inventory on the market in a year or two.  My sense is that it all depends on the demand side of the equation.  Time will tell.

Ok, so I didn't take this pic today but had to include it.  Until recently, I've caught only fleeting glimpses of this dinner boat plying the Saigon waterways.  When we had a company party on another boat a few weeks ago I was able to get up close to admire the sheer artistry of this massive, floating neon piranha.  Our boat was nowhere near as cool.  Vegas, move over.

Office Humor

My old colleague and friend Btam sent me a website containing some pretty elaborate office humor.  Someone went through a lot of trouble to create this gag.  Funny.

VN Markets 30% Overvalued?

My friend Colin sent me this article on the Vietnam stock market from the Financial Times.  Interesting reading.  There certainly is a lot of anecdotal evidence that investing in Vietnam has become the hot new thing. 

Mr. Stewart Comes to Vietnam

Living in Vietnam not only provides the opportunity to learn about Vietnamese culture, but also to share a bit about American culture.  The Vietnamese are eager to learn about all things foreign, particularly what life is like in other countries.

Just before Christmas I was missing the annual American tradition of watching the 1946 holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life"  starring film legends Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.  Not only is it a great film, but it holds particular sentiment for me.  I remember the first time I saw it in December 1988 like it was yesterday.  I was a first year college student at UVA.  A student film club has a tradition of showing the film every year just before exams begin.  I saw it with some of my buddies from my dormitory.  The club president introduced the film with an outstanding Jimmy Stewart impression. 

Watching this film touched me deeply.  As I waxed poetic about the meaning and spirit of the film walking back to the dorm, my buddies began humming "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."  They were having a bit of fun with me, but the tune happened to be perfect accompaniment.  At exactly the same time, it began to snow (snowing is used as a metaphor in the film).  The warm feelings, the holiday season, the camaraderie made it one of those perfect moments you remember forever. 

It simply wouldn't do to watch this classic by myself, so I decided to share a Christmas tradition and showed it at the office with a computer projector.  While turnout was light at only about 6 people, I noticed more than a few watery eyes by the end of the film.  Several people asked me for copies of the film, wanting to share it with their families and friends.  Given that the Vietnamese are crazy about all things Christmas, perhaps the "It's a Wonderful Life" tradition will take root here as well.   

"Booming" Rhetoric

It seems that the foreign investment community has discovered Vietnam.  That's a good thing.  Mildly unsettling, however, is the media's hyperbolic rhetoric about Vietnamese economic growth.  It feels just a bit frothy.  Check out some of the hyped stories that Matt Powell, Hanoi real estate maven, lists in his excellent blog Target: Vietnam.

Business is indeed booming in Vietnam.  But will it live up to all the rhetoric?  Maybe -- weigh the evidence and decide for yourself. 

• Jon Hoff has a great post about office buildings sprouting like mushrooms throughout Saigon in a recent entry of his blog It's the Final Word.  Well, maybe not quite like mushrooms, but there are an awful lot of active construction sites for swanky office towers.

• Dan Harris, international attorney and prolific author of the China Law Blog, has written several posts about Vietnamese growth and its similarities or dissimilarities to China.  Two insightful ones are Vietnam -- Tastes Like China Lite and China is the Next China, Now; Vietnam May Be The Next China Someday.
  
  
• Matt Powell cites the Deputy General Director of Chesterton Petty Vietnam speaking about positive trends in the Vietnam property market in this post.
  
  
• VietnamWorks' quarterly Employment Indicator Report is a meaningful gauge of strong growth in labor demand.  Bear in mind, however, that growth in VietnamWorks job and resume statistics is not only a function of Vietnam's economic growth, but also of VietnamWorks' marketing and overall growth strategy.
  
  
• Check out a post I wrote back in May and the accompanying WSJ article -- Vietnam: Hype or Reality?

New VietnamWorks Office

VietnamWorks kicked off the new year in style with our move-in and opening celebration for our brand new office building, located at 130 Suong Nguyet Anh in District 1.  We had Chinese lions, dragons, a drumming corps, confetti, cake, red champagne, the works. 

Two lions perform.  Each lion had two boys inside.  The kid up front got all the glamour and winked the lion's eyes at the girls.

The Saigon Boys Drum, Lion and Dragon Corps performs.  Actually I have no idea what their name was.  Their outfits were fantastic though.

Members of the Sales Team lining up to assist in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.  The guy in white second from right looks exactly like a Vietnamese version of Chris Klein of "American Pie" fame.  He's one of our designers and a nice kid.

It's raining men!  No, wait, that's just confetti.

"New office, new success!"  Yours truly and Jonah, the company's founder and CEO.  I wish I could take credit for our shiny and spacious new office building, but Jonah did all the work. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, or "Chuc Mung Nam Moi!"  The Vietnamese love a good party and have adopted the Western new year as their own.  Crowds were out in force last night and the streets decked out in holiday finery. 

I tried to capture a bit of the magic in this pic, taken on Le Loi Street at about 12:30am on January 1, 2007.   Those little white lights above the streets are snowflakes.

VietnamWorks is ushering in 2007 with a spanking new office to house our crack team of Tech,  MIS, Sales, Marketing, Customer Care and Product specialists.  Pic taken Friday, December 29.

A few of the advance guard waited impatiently for the movers to deliver the tools of the trade so they could get back to work crushing our competiton.