A walk on 29th Tet

Ninh Kieu port in the early morning

2nd conceptual design for Ca Mau administrative centre

This is something I did at SIUP in 2011-2012: an urban design  for Ca Mau administrative centre. We corporated with a Japanese firm and the final outcome was something combined from the two firms' proposal (which I don't think is a good one but a compromise).

National Mourning is not a nice day at all

All cafes, restaurants, shops and malls and especially bars around the Independence Palace are closed.

Bac Lieu citysquare

Seeing this political square in the administrative centre of Bac Lieu city, I had a few thoughts about planning new squares and generally public space in the Southern provinces of Vietnam:

• It's very hot, very sunny and rainy here. Would a vast empty and un-sheltered space attractive and useful for daily life?
• If yes, would it serve as a playground (like in one the photos below), which is not really its original purposed function ?
• Go back further: is a political square more important than a park with a lot of trees here? Who truly enjoy the space?

My Thuan bridge

My Thuan bridge at Vinh Long province, on my work trip to Bac Lieu. So inspirational to me.

You haven't known about the bridge yet? Have a look at this Wiki link.

Goodbye Sydney, Hi Vietnam!

This is it, the end of a journey that I had dreamed of for years and got what I wanted. This is it, the moment my eyes got wet when queuing up at the Custom desk in Kingsford Smith Airport, which I haven't done for years. One would understand this if one understands that all things change. Once I thought inner-peace would be found at the end of my life. Now I know I saw it a few times and it was over.
I'm not coming back home. I'm starting another journey. It's a new life in a more familiar-but-strange place.
"I could be tough during hard time", I told myself, "then just be tough and face this as a new challenge".
And as I still noted in my "Oz Diary" Facebook album: "I don't know where my dreams would lead me to"

I'd never forget all the good people I met in Australia and all the good things I had there.
Thank you and goodbye, Australia!

What if this was in Vietnam?

For you if you have seen the trees, the new village houses, the suburb houses, the countrysides in Vietnam.

What if this was in Vietnam?

Cafe in brick

It's a cafe restaurant designed/built in different types of brick. Besides the function as a decorative material, the bricks here with holes work well as an acoustical material for the audiophile space of the cafe', where retrospective romantic Vietnamese songs are played. The designer also tried to maintain an existing big tree in the middle of the site. He said it was inconvenient for the construction but the outcome was the livelihood of the environment. It's no surprise this cafe belongs to an architect.

Location: Cafe Lo Gach
95 Tran Thien Chanh St.
District 10, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Read more about "Lo Gach" (in Vietnamese):

http://www.kientrucinfo.vn/2198-cafe-bar-lo-gach.html

Designer's website : http://hiq.com.vn/

the S-shaped country

Many people now are surely waiting for the English sub-title of this infographic video clip:

This a part of Duong To Dao's graduation thesis for her bachelor degree in Graphic Design, Saigon Technology University. The content of the video clip is about the history of shaping a Vietnam today from two thousands year ago. The info-graphy reveals an amazing fact that more than half of Vietnam's history was about war. At the end of the clip, Dao express young people's dream of bring Vietnam to the world with the new impression: "Vietnam does not has only war"

Introducing Nomadic Notes by James

I found this blog from a facebook friend of mind.
Nomadic Notes by James, a Melbournizen, has quite a good amount of entries about my country and specifically about my hometown Saigon among which I like this one below most:

The incredible cafe scene of Ho Chi Minh city - Vietnam

image source: nomadicnotes.com

Generally I agree with his observation and selection. His entries would be helpful for potential travelers to the city. I'm thinking about my OZ classmates now, longing for the day they come and I can host take them around the city sometime.

It won't be about shopping nor clubbing. It will be street food and cafe'.

Redemption song, covered by Nguyen Le

FYI, Nguyen Le is the lead guitarist.

Life in the Fast lane

Hoi An Time Lapse: Life in the Fast Lane from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.

I found this video thanx to my friends Gin and Tonic

Chill out with Viet music

"Ngồi tựa mạn thuyền"

performed by Hương Thanh

(playing this song in the computer lab of FBE, Red Centre UNSW, Australia)

"Cò lả"

performed by Hương Thanh

"Chiếc khăn piêu"

performed by Hương Thanh - Nguyên Lê

Where is Vietnam?

I did an image search with Google.

The third image I got after the national flag and the map is this one: Ha Long Bay.

Is this the image of my country? I've never been there :))

source: Myvietnam.

I came here in Australia with the support of a development scholarship.
Yes, I'm proud of that. But the word  'development' always reminds me that my country is a developing country, in plain word: a poor country.
Some of my Chinese mates know about my good luck of having such a financial support. But they don't know I would feel better if Vietnamese students can study abroad as easily as they do. I would feel better if the professors and authors mention more frequently about my country as a phenomenon of new development just as they mention China or Singapore.

My country and China have many similarities, specifically in urban planning about which I and my Chinese mates discuss many times. I'm not shy in class, I can speak out my ideas when lecturers say something about "Communist world" unless they stop and look around asking "My Chinese students, do you have any idea about this". I feel invisible sometimes.

I could make my professor remember my name just after 2 classes. But he still couldn't remember whether I was from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh after 2 months. I see he likes to put some academic term on the blackboard in Chinese to make his lecture more interesting. I tried once to raise a Vietnamese cultural term ("Tren ben duoi thuyen") in my presentation and gained the class's attention. But I know on the point of view consideriing all students as clients of the school, Chinese words are sold better.

Where is Vietnam?

Be careful, tourists ;-)

An interesting television program named "Camera Giau Kin" (Hidden camera) shows some examples of how foreign (in fact also national) tourists may be cheated by taxi drivers or "xe ôm" (rental motobiker) in Ha Noi, Vietnam.

You might not understand Vietnamese, but watching this video you can still understand the situations with their clear graphic illustration. The 'foreigners' in the video in fact are very fluent at Vietnamese but they pretend as new comers. All of the random taxi drivers and 'xe ôm' riders in this video took them around further than the actually necessary distance.

At the end of the video, they suggest tourists using Xich Lô (Cyclo) for affordable rates and convenience while sightseeing the city. In reality, I don't trust either. There are always good and bad drivers in every type of vehicles. So tourists should always need to watch out.

C'mon, it's not that bad. We do 'watch out' everytime we travel, rite?

the Pride comes to town

Quite surprising. I think it would not come until 2015 or later.
More surprising: it starts in Ha Noi, not Sai Gon where gay culture is more open.
Well, it's good and it's 2012 already.
This country needs to open more.

My suggestion:
People who tend to join the parade should look better, especially in physical
Beautiful people undoubtedly are more sympathized.
I think it's only "pride" when these people are good in many ways: successful, nice-looking, and truely happy.
I don't think it's pride when a group of minority who look un-attractive noisily yell out how they are proud of themselves.

or, if they don't agree with me, this song is my second suggestion:

:))

Vietpride
on Tuoitre News: click here
"With the slogan "Difference, but no discrimination," many young people are excited about participating in the activities of Viet Pride 2012"

photos: Tuoitre

Introducing "Uncle and Son"

Hung is an orphan. His parents abandoned him long time ago. He has lived with his uncle Ba since he was a child. Uncle Ba is a clever tailor and he's always kind to others. However, he is discriminated on the grounds of sex because he's gay. People they always tease him and speak against him and Hung family behind his back. Hung feels so lonely. The film was staged in Mekong, it's so simple, gentle and quite upset just like a Vong Co lyric about some specific people who have been isolated and discriminated.

A town house in Vietnam

a photograph by Naoto Ohike

A hot-pot

A group of Vietnamese scholars living in Sydney decided to simply celebrate a good time with a hot-pot party. Some of them have taken Ph.D or even Post Doc., others are pursuing a Master degree. Their accommodation now is a 2-storey house in Kingsford, New South Wale, just 3 minute-walk to The University of New South Wales and 20 minute by bus to Sydney CBD. While some try/want to stay in OZ as long as possible, a few others still want/have to come back to their hometown as an obligation in the scholarship that brings them here. A well-mixed hot pot!