First underwater bomb destroyed
MAG has helped to destroy a 500-pound bomb that local fishermen found embedded in a coral reef at the seaside resort of Da Nhay in Quang Binh province, central Vietnam.
Thirty families from the surrounding area were temporarily evacuated and road traffic was stopped on the Ly Hoa mountain pass section of National Highway Number 1 ahead of the demolition, which created a huge explosion spreading pieces of the bomb over hundreds of metres.
Vietnam's Wine Industry Uncorked
I wrote this article a while ago, had it lying around gathering computer mites and whatnot, so I thought I might as well stick it up here. Even though it’s quite old, most, if not all of it, is still relevant to the country today. I’m especially a fan of Jim Cawood’s philosophy on wine and the trends in the market. He has a regular column in AsiaLife, and his wine boutique Vino stocks a small but exclusive range.
A Weekend in Ben Tre
Walk into any tour operator in Saigon & ask for a 1 or 2-day Mekong Delta trip, & chances are they’ll all propose exactly the same itinerary, involving My Tho, Vinh Long, a couple of ersatz ‘tourist villages’ (a term that fills me with horror!), an unsatisfying lunch, and back to Saigon before you’ve even caught your breath.
Best Wines Under Fifteen Dollars
Drunk in moderation, wine, medical research tells us, is good for the heart. So, Saigon’s unofficial, self-anointed panel of wine experts decided to follow the advice and tasted their way through 50 white and red wines to give you the best eight of each. All the tasting was blind and the event was conducted at Cepage.
Tasting 50 wines in two hours is no mean feat, and when considering the various palates of five unique wine tasters, it makes for some zesty and spirited conversation.
Espressamente Illy Cafe Phu My Hung
Now we have our own Espressamente Illy Coffee shop in Phu My hung. It opened last Saturday. A quick review.
What I like:
The design is awesome. It's a modern and clean design, mandatory for all Illy Coffee shops all over the world with just adjustment to the local shop sizes. The armchairs are real leather and comfortable, the lightning is not to bright, and the close the curtains when too much sunlight comes in.
K9 Tales of Horror
In Vietnam, the phrase “man’s best friend” has little value and dogs are seen as valuable currency and dinner.
In Ho Chi Minh City on Le Hong Phong Street in District 5, between Hung Vuong and Tran Phu, and on the corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai are the two main locations that display dogs for sale.
Along the stretch of Le Hong Phong are shops crammed with cages displaying various dogs and cats. The animals, for the most part look healthy, but living conditions are grim, with several living in one cage.
Queuing in Vietnam
People queue. British people are famous for queuing. We queue just to get into another queue. We queue to ask about where we should queue. We separate queuing people with ropes and guide them with signs. We spilt queues when they get too big and start them again on somewhere else. We zig-zag queues to accommodate all the queuing people. Personally I had forgotten about this phenomena. However frustrating a queue may be, I prefer it to total and utter disorganization - i.e. Viet Nam. Not to say Vietnamese are disorganized, it is all for a reason...
Xin Chao!
Xin Chao! is a production that tells the amazing stories and brings to life the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam. The show will promote the culture and talent of Vietnam and present it in a world class setting in the form of a long running (365 days a year) live production.
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A Week in Cambodia
Last week I was back in Cambodia to do a couple more channel management/social media seminars in conjunction with e-Hotel Alliance, so I decided to stay on afterwards for a few days to explore some of the more far-flung temples around Siem Reap.
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The Spot Opens on Hang Be
With framed Propaganda Art hanging on the walls out front and photographic images of Vietnam in the lounge bar area out back, The Spot is a welcome mid-range addition to Hanoi’s eating and drinking scene. It also marks a departure from the typical, grungier restobars so prevalent in the tourist friendly Old Quarter.
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