Young camp coordinators from different countries have found endless joy and satisfaction with their job at Vietnam's first "American-style" summer camp. American Paradise Camp (APC), based in Phan Thiet City in central Vietnam's Binh Thuan Province - some 180km (a 4-hour bus ride) from Ho Chi Minh City - to work as camp coordinators. The camp is the Southeast Asian country's first "American-style" summer camp intended for local and international children between the ages of 8 and 16. It attracted many campers from June to August this year. Luke Smith, 31, from the UK, is among the young camp coordinators. "Enjoying my life," he replied when asked what his current job is. In November last year, Smith quit his sales managing job to travel around Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. He then applied for a coordinating job with APC to bring joy to young campers with his photography, guitar playing and camping skills. His wife, Amy Lythgoe, who works as a nurse, also … [Read more...] about Foreign summer camp coordinators enjoy life to the full in Vietnam
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Vietnamese’s bad habits: Never sticking to the plan
Editor's Note: Stivi Cooke is an Australian expat based in Hoi An Ancient Town in central Vietnam. He is working as an English language and hospitality teacher in the town. Bad habits in Vietnam huh? We could be here all day talking about this one! Hmm… Picking your nose in public? Especially if you work in a restaurant? Nah - that's being covered. Men peeing in the street in full view of the public? Ha! Must have been mentioned before! Loud music? Throwing stuff on the floor in a Vietnamese restaurant? I really don't know where to start… Oh, yes I do! Sticking to a plan! Time is a good example. I used to tell people to come to my office at 10:00 am, only to find myself waiting in total confusion for up to an hour and sometimes more. If I said 10:00 am - Vietnamese will leave their houses around 10-'ish' and turn up with ten minutes before lunch which starts at 11:30 am, depending on the road conditions, whether they've read and replied to all their … [Read more...] about Vietnamese’s bad habits: Never sticking to the plan
The student that ran to the exam school
We arrived at Vo Thi Thanh Truc's house (Village 7, An Ninh Dong commune, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province), at that time Truc was preparing for the imminent university entrance exam after receiving the information of her exceptional case of high school graduation. The road along Ngan Son river from Chi Thanh toward Da Dia Reef landscape is one of the most beautiful countryside roads in the Central South coastal region. However, it suddenly became an obsession during several the last weeks to the pitiful student Vo Thi ThanhTruc (Vo Thi Sau School of grade II-III, Tuy An district), when she ran too fast on this road to breathe, she was also 30-minute late for the test due to her damaged bike. On the first day of the high school graduation exam, with Literature in the morning and Chemistry in the afternoon, while many other candidates were taken to contest venue and picked up by their parents or relatives with accommodations close to the exam venue, Thanh Truc had to hurriedly cycle … [Read more...] about The student that ran to the exam school
A flight to the north
Short Story (04-03-2007) A flight to the north by Phan Hon Nhien The memories still gave Vinh a lingering taste of their early days together, two years before. The excitement of the first conversations, the first moments of intense emotion, occasionally came back to him with powerful clarity. Vinh, 32, designed auto MCUs (multipoint control units), a task that demanded a clear mind, focused on the present. The job suited him perfectly: he was self-confident and saw the world as controllable, according to need or whim. He met San at a social function. He approached her, a young woman sitting alone in the corner of the room, holding a cocktail and a handful of fried shrimps in her slender fingers. When San raised her large ash-grey eyes to peer up at him, Vinh knew she was the girl for him. He tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she responded shortly, shy until the cocktail loosened her tongue. She was a senior cartoon designer for a film company, she told him, and he … [Read more...] about A flight to the north
Are offerings to the dearly departed getting out of hand?
Ryu Hashimoto, Japanese, HCM City I saw big size paper motorcycles, cars, mobile phones and houses burnt as offerings when I came to Viet Nam. After my Vietnamese wife explained things, I realised comparisons could be made with the Bon festival in the middle of August. Next week Over the past few years, privately-owned apartments have been traded illegally in Viet Nam, especially in big cities like Ha Noi. This business is likely to be made legal following the decree that recognises these mini-apartments and has since caused prices for them to skyrocket. These apartments are in high demand as many people, especially those with middle-incomes, can afford them when most of the land and houses in Ha Noi are very expensive. The demand for mini-apartments has almost doubled that of normal apartments, which only wealthy people can afford. Clients who buy these apartments are usually newly married couples, migrants and students. Most of the apartments are located in crowed residential … [Read more...] about Are offerings to the dearly departed getting out of hand?