Adopt Me

February’s pet of the month is a wonderful little dog named Lucca, all the more special as he is blind in both eyes. Weighing in at about 10 kilos, Lucca is a male dog approximately 8 years old. He’s a mellow little fellow, affectionate and companionable.  He enjoys short walks around the neighborhood and loves … Read more

Two is Better than One

Why raising bilingual kids will give them a better start in the future “Meet the Australian children fluent in Mandarin” was the recent headline of a BBC story written by Jon Donnison in Melbourne. He visited one of the country’s few bilingual schools, which has a very successful program teaching four- and five year- olds in Mandarin (and also Vietnamese, which it wants … Read more

Saigon Mythbusters

The Myth: Is it true that in Vietnamese culture one should avoid soy sauce after surgery because it will make the scars darker? It’s a prevalent belief that consuming dark soy sauce while recovering from any major surgery or during pregnancy, which involves stretch marks, will result in dark spots or scars. The idea is that the dark pigmentation will somehow seep into one’s skin … Read more

Baby School of Rock

A German-invented method of teaching preschoolers social skills and languages through music I have to admit, when I first heard about the Kindermusik center over at the Crescent, I presumed it was all about musicianship for kids. What I imagined was something more Suzuki-style, a group of three-year-olds with miniature violins, or a cacophony of pretweens going wild on their glockenspiels. Lauralynn … Read more

Let’s talk about blankets and pillows

Salacious or educational, it’s what everyone’s (not) talking about In an era where Miley Cyrus twerks with abandon at a live awards show aimed at a young audience and Fifty Shades of Grey sets records for the fastest-selling paperback of all-time beating out the likes of JK Rowling and Oprah Winfrey, it’s difficult to imagine a time when people weren’t talking … Read more

The Heavy Hand

In Vietnam, teachers and parents still believe kids need to be beaten to behave UNICEF’s report on Vietnam under its Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, released just a few months ago now, was surprisingly conservative. If you follow such things, you tend to expect a barrage of criticism and finger-pointing – but this time, its report conceded … Read more

Adopt Me

Dakota is a beautiful one-year-old female cat with Calico markings.  She is an A.R.C rescue cat having had a bad start in life where it is believed she was intentionally poisoned at a local market.  Although she was spitting blood when she first came to A.R.C, she has made a miraculous recovery and is now … Read more

Circus Folk

A collection of talented performers have ensured that the greatest show on earth will always go on Text by James Pham Images by Quinn Ryan Mattingly Few things are synonymous with pure, unadulterated glee like the circus. For many, memorable ‘first time’ childhood experiences include airplane and carousel rides, losing a tooth, the first day … Read more

School of Thought

Things to consider when choosing a school for your child  Text by Michael Arnold Images by Quinn Ryan Mattingly So imagine you’ve had this fantastic opportunity. An opening has come up in Vietnam, the salary is everything you’ve been waiting for, and your whole family’s invited to go with you – on the company account. … Read more