Many studios have pushed back film release dates yet again due to the uncertainty caused by Covid and to avoid going up against some Hollywood blockbusters. Many cinemas reopened in November, and three local films were scheduled to hit the big screen this month, ‘Bong De’ (The Ancestral) on Dec. …
Read More »Hanoians go out of their way to dine in
Many residents of high risk Hanoi districts are traveling to safer areas to dine in, criticizing a ban on this service as an ineffective response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Two days before her birthday, Lan Huong in Dong Da District was looking for a place to organize a party. Familiar …
Read More »Hanoians try to stay warm as temperature drops to 12 degrees
With the capital experiencing a biting cold spell, Hanoians are depending on fires and layers of warm clothes to keep them warm. The cold spell, which has blanketed the north, has sent the mercury in Hanoi plummeting to 10-12 degrees Celsius in the last few days. In the early mornings …
Read More »Blind Hanoians more than give dancing a whirl
Tripping and stepping on each other’s feet is a definite no-no for dancers but not in To Van Hoa’s class: all his students are blind. “The most difficult thing for them when it comes to dancing is feeling the space,” the trainer at the Hanoi Dance Club for the Blind …
Read More »Giang brothers receive $50,000 on-the-spot reward from Hung Thinh Corp
Two Vietnamese acrobats have received $50,000 from Hung Thinh Corp, a real estate enterprise in Vietnam, after setting a new Guinness record for most consecutive stairs climbed while balancing on the head in Spain. The Giang brothers receive congratulations and their spot reward from the representative of Hung Thinh Corp. …
Read More »House tour: a stacking block-inspired holiday home in Ha Long Bay
Four best friends chipped in to buy a villa built using stacked blocks that allows occupants to enjoy views of Ha Long Bay. The villa is situated on a 500-square-meter plot of land on a hillside on Tuan Chau Island. The four friends bought the property to have fun with …
Read More »Life with Covid through students’ eyes
Swinburne Vietnam’s photography exhibition “The Gala: Swinburne Greats” from Dec. 17 to 19 received numerous submissions with intriguing backstories, drawing attention from students, parents and art lovers in Hanoi. Students’ highly artistic submissions As an opportunity to share stories about the Covid experience, “The Gala: Swinburne Greats”, with the theme …
Read More »Movie review: hits and flops teach some dos and don’ts
While the entire domestic movie industry was hit by the pandemic, hits and failures of 2021 highlighted some dos and don’ts for box office success. Exemplifying the two ends were “Bo Gia” (Dad, I’m Sorry), which shattered box-office records while “Trang Ti Phieu Luu Ky” (The Adventures Of Trang Ti) …
Read More »Covid fears, low finances keep migrants from going home for Tet
Income losses and fears about the Covid-19 stigma they could face in their hometowns, migrant workers are opting to stay put instead of returning for the Lunar New Year. It has been almost two years since Nguyen Thanh Tung, 28, a worker in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 12, visited …
Read More »Children orphaned by Covid grow up in alien environments
Nguyen Thi Huong can no longer be a grandmother to her grandchildren. She has to mother them now, not in the city they are used to, but in her village. She lulls them to sleep and calms them down whenever they get startled or become fearful. Covid-19 has devastated the …
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