Hanoi’s typical dishes with many variants always cause nostalgia for children who live far from their homeland. As famous as pho (rice noodles soup with beef), spring rolls are also a dish imbued with the “Vietnamese national spirit”: if you see spring rolls somewhere, people from the S-shaped country must be around the corner. A familiar food on a Bangui Street The typical Hanoi's dishes are prepared by Helen Green, a housewife who lives in Ho Chi Minh City The fateful meeting happened when the soldiers realized that a dish they ate on the street was so similar to the Vietnamese fried spring rolls. They weren’t wrong: it was real fried spring rolls, made by an old woman who came from Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.Many years back in time, Vietnamese soldiers in the United Nations’ Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic happened to meet an old woman, she was the only one from Vietnam to live in the capital, Bangui. Seventy years before, she … [Read more...] about [Quintessence of Hanoi’s cuisine] Quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine: Hanoi spring rolls
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Police probing suspected alcohol poisoning that killed two in Ho Chi Minh City
Police in Ho Chi Minh City have launched an investigation into a suspected case of methanol poisoning that occurred at a local restaurant, affecting eight young people, of whom two died, officers said on Saturday. Among the eight victims, six are employees of Mr Bao Restaurant in Thu Duc City, including a woman, while the other two are outsiders, both female, local police said. These victims, aged 19 to 24, opened a party at the restaurant late on Wednesday evening, after the facility closed, N.D.B., the owner, reported on Saturday. They ate food bought from outside and drank a can of five liters of alcohol available at the restaurant during the feast which ended at 4:00 am the next morning. B. said his restaurant, which started operations on June 1, recently bought five 5-liter cans of bottled water from a supplier but one of them was later found containing alcohol. This can had been kept in the eatery’s storage until it was consumed at the party, B. said, adding that the … [Read more...] about Police probing suspected alcohol poisoning that killed two in Ho Chi Minh City
From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite
From five grams of toothpaste to 10 millilitres of cooking oil, many Nigerians struggling with soaring prices now buy their basic necessities in small quantities packed in tiny plastic bags to be consumed on the same day. Consumer brands behind this "sachetisation of the economy" see it as a creative innovation, allowing consumption for all Nigerians, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day. But critics see the development as an economic and ecological aberration, even as Africa's largest economy struggles with the inflationary fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. In the streets of Lagos, the vibrant economic capital of Africa's most populous country, small sachets are now part of the decor: they colour its streets, packing the wood and tin shops found on the corner of most streets. Sitting on a stool, Ibrahim Atahire has been running his small grocery store for 30 years in a busy area of Obalende, a popular district of the megalopolis. "At my place, you can buy … [Read more...] about From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite
Cambodian PM scraps development project threatening wildlife sanctuary
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday cancelled a controversial satellite-city development around a wildlife sanctuary and zoo near the capital following growing online appeals to halt the project. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday cancelled a controversial satellite-city development around a wildlife sanctuary and zoo near the capital following growing online appeals to halt the project. - AFP pic Conservationists and locals began voicing their concerns and objections when the development plan around the Phnom Tamao zoo and wildlife rescue centre came to light several months ago. Developers last week started razing privatised areas around the more than 2,000-hectare Phnom Tamao forest area, an hour drive from capital Phnom Penh, and home to many rare and endangered wildlife including sambar deer at the zoo. Officials defended the development saying the area's land was too sandy for trees and wild pigs destroyed farmers' crops. But on Sunday … [Read more...] about Cambodian PM scraps development project threatening wildlife sanctuary
Covid lockdown turns Chinese tourist hotspot Sanya into nightmare for stranded tourists
The island in the South China Sea recorded just two positive symptomatic Covid-19 cases in the whole of last year. Fast forward to this month, however, and the number of cases has suddenly soared, prompting a lockdown in the city of Sanya and leaving tens of thousands of tourists like Yang stuck on the island. Sanya, the island's main tourist hub, imposed a lockdown on Saturday and restricted transport links to try to stem the outbreak, even as some 80,000 visitors were enjoying its beaches at peak season. Many are now stuck inside hotels until next Saturday, if not longer. Yang, along with her husband and child, are staying at a four-star hotel paid out of their own pocket. The family is eating pot noodles every day to avoid spending more on food. "This is the worst holiday of my life," Yang, who is in her 40s and lives in Jiangxi province in southern China, told Reuters on Sunday. Sanya reported 689 symptomatic and 282 asymptomatic cases between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7. Other … [Read more...] about Covid lockdown turns Chinese tourist hotspot Sanya into nightmare for stranded tourists
Vietnam’s manufacturing output continues to rise
The Vietnamese manufacturing sector remained in growth territory at the start of the third quarter of the year, but there were some signs of demand softening, according to a survey released on August 8 by S&P Global. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) S&P Global said the Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) remained above the 50.0 no-change mark for the tenth successive month in July, signalling a further strengthening of business conditions. That said, at 51.2, down from 54.0 in June, the index signalled a softer improvement. As such, output, new orders and employment all increased at weaker rates than in June. New orders increased for the 10th month running, but the rate of expansion eased to the weakest since April. New export business rose solidly, meanwhile, and at a faster pace than total new orders. The continued growth of new orders encouraged manufacturers to keep expanding production in July. Output rose for the … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s manufacturing output continues to rise