Recent Vietnamese movie releases have surprised viewers with unusually audacious scenes of sex and violence; observers say censors are being more open minded. “I’ve never seen such scenes in Vietnamese movies before,” said Huynh Chau, 25, who lives in HCMC’s Tan Binh District. He was speaking after watching director Dinh …
Read More »Dreame ‘Love story’ contest offers writers $219,000 prize pool
The online literature platform from Singapore announced the start of an unprecedented writing contest, “Love Story”, on Feb. 15. The contest features $219,000 in prizes with the first being $60,000, which marks the highest prize pool for a serial web fiction contest ever. The writing contest accepts submissions of love …
Read More »Vietnamese queue up to buy Samsung’s new Galaxy phone
People queued up outside electronics stores to buy the new Galaxy S22 phone on Thursday night. Stores like FPT Shop, MTSmart and Sam Center began selling at 8 p.m. Thursday but some authorized distributors like Mobile World and CellphoneS rolled out the new model only on Friday. Some customers who …
Read More »Vietnamese in US struggle as inflation hits 40-year high
Vietnamese-Americans are buying groceries at cheaper stores and switching to lower-priced phone plans among others as they try to adapt to the spiraling inflation in their country. Christine Nguyen, who lives in Virginia, has abandoned her usual practice of having lunch at nearby eateries with colleagues and instead carries it …
Read More »Vietnam travel firms fret over demotivating entry restrictions
Travel firms and tourism experts say it would be difficult to welcome back foreign tourists if the health ministry tightens quarantine and testing requirements. They are worried about the Ministry of Health’s response to a draft plan prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on reopening international tourism …
Read More »People self-treating Covid at home lack guidance on medication
Hoang Oanh, on Feb. 23, received dozens of messages about what drugs to buy from her friends who had recovered from Covid-19. She had tested positive a few days earlier and sought their advice about treating herself at home. The 37-year-old in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District says: “But all of …
Read More »Russia recommends Vietnam among safe tourist destinations
The Russian government has listed Vietnam among current safe tourist destinations without any restrictions along with China, Egypt, India, Tunisia, Turkey, and the UAE. The recommendations announced by the Federal Agency for Tourism of Russia on March 2 came as the U.S. and many European countries closed their airspaces to …
Read More »Vietnamese in Ukraine on finding ways to evacuate
Thien hurriedly answers the phone while packing his clothes to prepare to evacuate the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa and leave for Moldova. Thien tells VnExpress by phone on the afternoon of Feb. 28 (night Hanoi time): “Tomorrow I will go to Moldova and stay there for a week. …
Read More »UK visa application center in Hanoi reopens after week’s closure
The British embassy said its visa application center in Hanoi resumed operation on Tuesday after a week of closure due to the Covid-19 situation. “Due to a recent outbreak of Covid affecting staff in Hanoi, it was necessary to close the U.K. visa application center,” it said on its official …
Read More »Vietnamese in Russia worried about economic fallout of western sanctions
Amid the global sanctions against Russia, Khanh An did not know if she should also run to the bank to withdraw money like her friends did. “Many people in Moscow went to the bank to withdraw their money,” the Vietnamese studying for a PhD program in Russia, told VnExpress at …
Read More »