In the early 2000’s, skateboards began to appear on the streets of Việt Nam. Today, it has grown in popularity, forming its own subculture. But youth are finding it difficult to skate due to a lack of space and public acceptance. Our reporter hit the streets of Việt Nam to learn more.
In this week’s A Look Inside, Loa's Chí-Linh Đinh explores the roots of Hanoi Pride, and how it frames the young - but bright - future of the queer community in Vietnam.
Reporter Kathy Triệu is back with another modern refugee story -- one that chronicles the journey of two strong-willed Vietnamese mothers, Trần Thị Lụa and Trần Thị Thanh Loan. They recount fhow several attempts to flee Việt Nam for Australia led them instead to a detention center in Indonesia.
Walk down any street in Việt Nam or step into any Vietnamese restaurant in the world and you can’t miss the aroma of phở filled with ginger, star anise, and of course that hint of nước mắm - fish sauce. The go-to dish for everything from heartache to hangover, phở is more than just a noodle soup -- it represents the heart and soul of Vietnamese cooking. Loa’s Jenny Lý and Lilly Nguyễn chat about all things phở.
A popular sport on the international scene, but just a seedling in Việt Nam, basketball has picked up momentum in the past few years. With a new, loyal, and energized fanbase, and experience from international players and management, basketball may soon rival soccer as Việt Nam’s number one sport.
In this week’s episode, Brian Lâm takes a look inside the rise of basketball in Việt Nam.
We take a look back on the stories that shaped 2016.
“Vietnamese refugees"...the term brings to mind, boats drifting at sea and helicopters lifting people out of a war-torn country. But it’s now more than 40 years later, and Vietnamese people still seek refuge in other countries. No longer fleeing war, these modern refugees are fleeing violence and oppression. In this week’s episode, Kathy Triệu gives us A Look Inside the story of Thủy Nguyễn--one of Việt Nam’s modern refugees--and his journey from Hà Nội to Houston.
An annual festival connects us with a world beyond the grave as spirits converge in central Việt Nam. And: a tale of escape, loss, and the afterlife.
Việt Nam as a country is very well known for what is called commodity coffee: beans exported in large batches to other countries for use in instant coffee brands and lower quality brews. In the last two years or so, a very small group of people are trying to change that image and usher in the reign of higher quality beans in Việt Nam. Loa’s Chí-Linh Đinh and Brian Lâm got together over a cup of Joe and talk about the third wave coffee movement happening in Việt Nam today.
From assessing the compatibility of a couple using the zodiac calendar, to the way furniture is arranged in your living room, to visiting fortune tellers to determine the most suitable date for a wedding, Vietnamese people attach great importance to a practice that other people regard with skepticism.
What is it that makes receiving advice from a fortune teller a widely accepted custom in Vietnamese culture? Chris Lê explores this idea in this week’s A Look Inside.