LIFESTYLE

The front façade of the post office building is richly ornate, and the entrance doorway is elegant and stylish with intricate iron grillwork on folding doors, with a large clock prominently featured above. Wooden benches at the far end of the post office are a unique feature that provide visitors with space to write letters or send postcards back home, adding a warmth to the place. A large portrait of Vietnam’s revered leader Ho Chi Minh, at the rear end of the hallway, is perhaps the only modern day addition to this enchanting colonial building. The interior of the post office with vaulted ceiling and antique patterned tiles is impressive. However, another surprise awaits travelers to Saigon inside this imposing post office building in the form of a local icon, an 89-year-old octogenarian, named Duong Van Ngo. Ngo can be found seated at the end of one of the wooden benches, writing a postcard for his visitors or just plain chatting about his life, now having been a … [Read more...] about Saigon’s last living ‘Public Writer’

  Vienna, Austria is known for its convenient public transport, refreshing Alpine tap water and varied cultural life. — AFP Photo VIENNA — The Austrian capital Vienna has retained its ranking as the world's most liveable city, according to an annual report from The Economist. Vienna once again came ahead of Melbourne – which had held the top ranking for seven years until losing it to Vienna in 2018 – according to a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released Wednesday. The top two were followed by Sydney, Osaka and Calgary. Each year the EIU gives 140 cities scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as living standards, crime, transport infrastructure, access to education and healthcare, as well as political and economic stability. Vienna – known for its convenient public transport, refreshing Alpine tap water and varied cultural life – scored 99.1 points out of 100, as it did last year. "Western Europe and North America … [Read more...] about Report crowns Vienna ‘most liveable city’ for second year

  Illustration by Trịnh Lập By Phương Hà After getting married recently, a young couple in the southern province of Kiên Giang led a life of Japanese-style minimalism, refusing all furniture presented by their parents and friends. “We don’t use a wardrobe, TV set, cupboard, unnecessary kitchen kits or furniture in the living room,” the wife Nguyễn Thị Hân says. They spent VNĐ150 million (US$6,500) on adapting their house to minimalism. The husband Võ Hoàng Bắc made a bed-plank, several wooden shelves, a table and wooden toys for his nine-month-old boy by himself. One of the two bedrooms in their 100sq.m house has been dismantled to make the living room more spacious and airy. Hân, who is a full-time mother, has three sets of pyjamas, three shirts and two pairs of jeans for going out while her husband, working for a rice exporting company, has even fewer … [Read more...] about Is minimalism the answer to a complicated life?

Designer Đỗ Trịnh Hoài Nam introduces his S Vietnam collection at a recent show in Hà Nội. Photos dantri.vn HÀ NỘI — Renowned Vietnamese fashion designer Đỗ Trịnh Hoài Nam will present his collection on the first day of the New York Couture Fashion Week 2019 held between September 6 and 8. Attending the event for the second time, Nam will show off 'S Vietnam'. The collection feature dresses and áo dài (traditional long dress) on various soft cloth materials with printed background of flowers, leaves and various cultural symbols of Hà Nội like the One-Pillar Pagoda, Thăng Long Citadel, Hoàn Kiếm Lake as well as famous landscapes of the country like Hạ Long Bay, Hội An ancient town and Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary. A long dress inspired from Vietnamese tradtional áo dài. On its website, the event announced that it will gather various famous … [Read more...] about VN designer to exhibit at NY Couture Fashion Week 2019

Ant-seeking journey As we were nearing the Me Linh town junction, a group armed with machetes and sacks rushed through on their motorbikes. They explained that they were on the hunt for weaver ants, but before we could ask for the purpose of that, they quickly rushed off. We had been recommended to Mr. Nay Mo, a local of Ngom village, Chu Drang commune, and an expert weaver ant seeker, who was then letting us come along on his hunting trip. He began to open up to us on the way, saying how he started catching and eating weaver ants 30 years ago. “The best time to catch these things are from December to March as they will be carrying eggs, which enhance the taste”, he said. We stopped at the edge of an orchard right beside Uar stream, where Mr. Mo pointed out a treeline beyond the stream as our destination and told us to follow him on foot. We did not venture far before he suddenly exclaimed: “There’s a nest”, and before we knew it he was halfway up a medium … [Read more...] about Weaver ant – A delicacy in Gia Lai