They say it always rains in Hue… It was the end of the rainy season in Quang Nam, and a weekend break was needed after seemingly months of cold, damp weather. We were suffering from cabin fever and wondering how on earth it can feel like 10 degrees celsius when it was actually 20? Coming… Read more »
Picking out the best bag for you…. There’s a point in the Confessions of a Shopaholic series where Rebecca Bloomwood has an epiphany in the luggage department. “Luggage! Why have I never thought of luggage?” she screams, gleeful to discover a whole new world of things to buy. As somewhat of a hyper traveler, I’ve… Read more »
Nusa Lembongan, a small island between Bali and Nusa Penida in Badung Strait, is the perfect holiday hideaway with few visitors and pristine unspoilt beaches. In all his wisdom, the Buddha once counseled, “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” Gazing out across the roiling waters of the Bali Sea where the tip… Read more »
Dear Hadrien, I have been offered a contract to work as a project manager in Ho Chi Minh City and I will earn a little over USD2,000 per month. However, I heard that in Vietnam all amounts in contracts should be stated in Vietnamese dong. Is that correct? And is my future employer allowed to… Read more »
Dear Hadrien, Last week my 12-year-old son caused a small accident at his school. While playing football with the other kids in the schoolyard, he accidentally broke a window of one of the classrooms. Now the school is trying to claim USD450 from me and my husband as compensation for replacing the window. Are we… Read more »
foodpanda Vietnam, the leading online food delivery service, has joined forces with yet another major international franchise – Jollibee. From today, foodpanda Vietnam customers can order the full menu from Jollibee online via jollibee.foodpanda.vn. Jollibee is a fast-food restaurant chain originating from the Philippines with over 900 stores in nine countries, including 42 stores in… Read more »
A humorous look at the highs and lows of a multicultural marriage. Marriage is hard. Add to that the strains of a different language, culture and family values, and it becomes downright imposing. Sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. One man who has firmly chosen to laugh is cartoonist David Perry, who… Read more »
An evening of surprises at Lang Viet… Few words have the ability to strike true fear in the hearts of gourmands everywhere like “dinner theater.” That simple phrase conjures up images of overly smiling performers finishing up a scene as one of the Von Trapp children just in time to don an apron and serve… Read more »
Hearty French fare in an alfresco setting in District 2… Tucked away on a side street off Thao Dien in District 2 lies a French restaurant named Le Bacoulos (13 Tong Huu Dinh, D2). Don’t bother to run it through Google translate, for the word itself has no meaning, invented by the owner. To get… Read more »
A message for the hungry. As if she hadn’t done enough already for the hungry of Ho Chi Minh City, bistro queen Noelle Carr-Ellison last month rolled out yet another restaurant – this time right next door to Au Parc, the venue that started it all back in 2002. Propaganda (21 Han Thuyen, D1) is perhaps… Read more »
Travel gear is all about enhancing your travel experiences. With the wrong gear, your entire trip could be jeopardized. On the other hand, the right gear can take your travels to the next level 1. Stashing the Cash Keep your secret stash of bills safe from pickpocket with the Travelon money belt (Nylon USD15, Leather USD60). I’ve worn this while… Read more »
Like many indie shops of its kind, Yim Bader, named after its owner, remains an unknown outside of its avid customer base. Inside of that circle however, it’s something of a cult brand and has been featured twice in a local newspaper and a Japanese interest publication. Yim started making jewelry from wooden beads, stones and metal wires as a… Read more »
The pressures on girls in society and in school. “It’s pretty hard being a girl nowadays. You can’t be too smart, too dumb, too ugly, too friendly, too coy, too aggressive, too defenseless, too individual, or too programmed. If you are too much of anything, then others envy you, or despise you because you intimidate… Read more »
