Before I did any work for Will’s story, I got the impression that his involvement in these protests were merely coincidental. That he was just some Vietnamese American who just so happened to stumble his way into the protests. I wanted to know what his motivations were.
Human rights activist Nguyễn Văn Oai is on trial again, after having previously served four years in prison on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. Oai became a father while in prison awaiting trial. His wife Hồ Thị Linh Châu posted a letter to him on her Facebook page, just before he was originally due to appear in court.
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.
In Episode 14, we take "A Look Inside" the rising gay pride movement in Việt Nam and how its increasing acceptance in the country juxtaposes with its human rights record.
In our "Things to Know" segment, Loa’s resident foodie Natalie Nguyễn dishes out several popular Vietnamese herbs you can use to freshen up your own dishes.
Giang Nguyễn takes "A Look Inside" Việt Nam's #zombie uprising and the arrest of one of its members, rapper Nguyễn Phi. Heads up: this segment contains profanity.
In Part 2 of Loa's series on Bitcoin, we examine how the digital currency is disrupting traditional methods to transfer money and the potential at helping Vietnam’s unbanked get access to cash.
Lê Quốc Quân, a prominent human rights lawyer recently freed after 30 months of arbitrary detention goes "On the Record" with Loa's Lilly Nguyễn about his time behind bars and his future plans.
In "Solitary Envoi", we return to works of art by the politically repressed. Mây Trần brings us the story behind a song written from within Việt Nam's prison jail cells: Trả Lại Cho Dân (Return to the People).