Un Espresso, Per Favore

Dear Marijn, I used to worked and lived in Hoi An with my family before moving back to Italy where we currently reside. Now that our children have moved out to attend universities, my wife and I often daydream about returning to Hoi An. We would love to open a small Italian coffee shop where

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Bad Neighbors

What to do when your neighbors are a nuisance? Dear Marijn, I’m an Australian engineer and I’ve been living in HCMC with my wife and two kids for about a year now. Our life has been peaceful and happy until we recently moved to a new apartment. It turns out that our new neighbors are

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Safe Eating

Ensuring the quality and safety of street food in Vietnam is easier said than done Dear Marijn, My name is Daniel and I’ve been working in Ho Chi Minh City as a journalist for about three years now. I love eating street food and I have even written a few stories about it. My friends

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Salary, health and fair employment practices

Dear Marijn, I’m Italian and two months ago I opened a wood oven pizza place in HCMC where I currently employ five locals. They are all doing an amazing job, and they even started singing Italian opera when baking pizzas. My ‘pizzaioli’ work long hours six days a week, but I pay them well and

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Is marriage a legal prerequisite to cohabitation?

Dear Marijn, My name is Simon and until very recently I was enjoying Ho Chi Minh City life as a single foreign language teacher. Things have changed since I met this wonderful Vietnamese girl. I think she could be the love of my life! But now that I want her to come live with me

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Protecting intellectual property rights in Vietnam

Dear Hadrien and Marijn, every now and then I stop by Saigon Square to shop for clothes and knickknacks and what strikes me most every time I go there is the huge amount (and the amazing quality) of the counterfeit goods that are on offer. But where does the Vietnamese law stand in this regard?

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Options for setting up a factory in Vietnam

Dear Hadrien and Marijn, My name is Julia and I am a fashion designer from Spain. I often travel to Vietnam to get inspiration for my new creations and recently realized that I want to take my visits to another level. I am now thinking of opening a small factory in Ho Chi Minh City

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Does Vietnam recognise a Vegas wedding?

Is a wedding in Vegas only legal in Vegas? Dear Hadrien and Marijn,  My boyfriend and I just got back from our Tet holiday in the US. We visited Las Vegas and one night we had so much fun winning at the casino that we went to the Little White Chapel and got married – even Elvis

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