Choosing family
Mekong Review, February 2023
The ‘white saviour’ narrative is a common trope in transnational adoptions. In Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family, Erika Hayasaki tells the story of three Vietnamese adoptees, and unpacks dominant assumptions about power, privilege and the meaning of family.
U.S. and European markets are “very hard to please”: VinFast’s CEO on its global ambitions
Rest of World, January 2023
Lê Thị Thu Thủy on why Vietnam’s Vingroup went from making instant noodles to EVs.
Battery errors, software glitches: some VinFast EV customers are having a rough time
Rest of World, January 2023
VinFast wants to be Vietnam’s Tesla. Its drivers can feel like product testers.
Vietnam is luring tech giants out of China with flashy infrastructure projects
Rest of World, November 2022
Even as Apple and others move suppliers in, the boom has its skeptics.
Rising gas prices hit Vietnam’s LNG plans
Mekong Eye, July 2022
As conflict pushes gas prices higher, Hanoi is having second thoughts on how to address its energy shortages.
How to buy baby formula in Quang Binh
Rest of World, May 2022
Many Vietnamese mothers don’t trust local suppliers of baby formula, so they turn to Facebook’s “carry on” stores, which import from abroad.
After renewables frenzy, Vietnam’s solar energy goes to waste
Al Jazeera, May 2022
Solar and wind farms forced to limit operations due to infrastructure limitations following the renewables boom.
China fortifies its border with a ‘Southern Great Wall,’ citing Covid-19
The Wall Street Journal, Feb 2022
Barbed wire, lights and cameras spring up, changing life for locals and making trade cumbersome.
China’s zero-Covid policies cause a traffic jam in Vietnam as farmers suffer
The Wall Street Journal, Jan 2022
Trucks laden with Vietnamese produce are backed up at border crossings as China endeavors to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Revealed: the secret ‘forced labour’ migration route from Vietnam to the UK
The Guardian, Dec 2021
Observer investigation uncovers new trafficking gateway to the west after 500 migrants found in shocking conditions in Serbia.
Vung Ang and Suralaya: So Far yet so Close in Experience
Newstapa/Earth Journalism Network, Nov 2021
The plight of two communities in Indonesia and Vietnam are connected to the political and economic calculations of a player thousands of kilometers away: South Korea.
Workers in Vietnam lived inside factories to keep Samsung’s products on shelves during the pandemic
Rest of World, Nov 2021
As Covid-19 threatened the tech supply chain, some companies, including Apple suppliers, went to extreme lengths to keep their products flowing.
Under-Protected Abroad, Domestic Workers Find Ways to Resist
New Naratif, Nov 2021
Southeast Asian domestic labourers often migrate to wealthier countries where they are excluded from labour protections and left vulnerable to abuse. While COVID-19 has made labour conditions worse, some migrant workers have found their own ways to resist.
A Woman’s Quest for Motherhood. A Cross-Border Trade in Babies.
Sixth Tone, Sep 2021
Millions of Chinese have trouble conceiving. In Vietnam, a black market for surrogacy delivers a solution.
Delta Variant Outbreaks in Sparsely Vaccinated Asian Countries Disrupt Production
The Wall Street Journal, Aug 2021
Vietnam has shut down factories and imposed strict new measures to fight a rising wave of Covid-19 after escaping largely unscathed from the first 14 months of the pandemic.
How a ‘green pillow’ is helping to save Hoi An from climate change floods
The Sydney Morning Herald, May 2021
The mangrove forest planted along this shrinking village’s riverbank is like a pillow that doesn’t stop but slows down the forces of nature.
Bittersweet
Mekong Review, Feb 2021
Thanks to the pandemic, Tet in Vietnam won’t be quite the same this year.
Migrant workers need better protection at home and abroad
VnExpress International, Dec 2020
A new ban on brokers’ fees is a small step toward protecting Vietnam’s migrant workers from unfair exploitation at home and overseas, experts said.
Vietnam Was Crushing the Coronavirus—Now It’s Got a New Outbreak
The Wall Street Journal, Jul 2020
Nearly three dozen recently-detected cases have stirred fears in the country, leading many to ask: How did the virus come back?
British Covid-19 patient in Vietnam could have lung transplant
The Guardian, May 2020
Vietnam Airlines pilot one of only two serious cases in country with mass testing regime.
Hanoi’s chef to the stars shares secrets for preparing delicious traditional Vietnamese cuisine
The South China Morning Post, May 2020
The late Anthony Bourdain once described chef Anh Tuyet’s roasted honey chicken as the best he’d ever had.
Some Countries Are Squashing the Coronavirus Curve. Vietnam Is One.
The Wall Street Journal, Apr 2020
The developing country of more than 95 million people has less than 300 cases and no deaths.
For Thailand’s female land rights defenders, activism is a dangerous and daunting necessity
The South China Morning Post, Feb 2020
The country’s 2014 forest reclamation policy was meant to target businesses, but smaller farmers have been disproportionately threatened with eviction.
The Expendable Female Workers of Vietnam’s Growing Economy
New Naratif, Dec 2019
Female labour force participation has consistently been high in Vietnam. But behind this promising percentage lies a more sober reality about the experiences of working women in the country.
The Essex Lorry Tragedy and the Narrative of Migration
New Naratif, Nov 2019
The reporting on the Essex lorry tragedy where 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in the back of a lorry has shown how the narrative of poverty only reinforce prejudices against migrants. So long as migrants continue to be marginalised and criminalised, it’s important to be mindful of how little we still understand about the push-and-pull factors of migration.
Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear for missing loved ones
The Guardian, Oct 2019
Relatives in Nghe An province, where 35 of the 39 dead are believed to be from, await worst news of all.
Prayers for the dead in Vietnam for the families left in limbo
The Guardian, Oct 2019
Relatives of those thought to have perished in Essex face a terrible wait for news.
#MeToo in Vietnam: One Year On
New Naratif, Aug 2019
For a while, #MeToo stories popped up in Vietnam. Yet the movement failed to take off. A year later, though, more discussion of sexual assault and harassment is taking place, after two cases that took place in residential lifts drove home the message that it can happen to anyone.
Owner of top pho restaurant in Hanoi share his secret to success
The South China Morning Post, Apr 2019
Pho is perhaps Vietnam’s most famous dish. Rice noodles served in a light but tasty broth, topped with beef or chicken and fresh herbs seems simple, but getting that right balance of flavours requires skill and precision.
How greedy brokers force thousands of Vietnamese workers to seek illegal work in Taiwan
The South China Morning Post, Apr 2019
Thousands of Vietnamese migrant workers are being lured to Taiwan by unscrupulous brokers peddling false promises of high wages and good living conditions.
Who says there’s no agreement in Hanoi? Trump and Kim made little progress at the summit, but locals are delighted
The South China Morning Post, Mar 2019
The summit between the US and North Korean leaders ended in disarray, but locals agree they want the tidy streets and new-found sense of order to stay.
Trump-Kim summit 2019: Hanoi puts its best food forward for culinary diplomacy
The South China Morning Post, Feb 2019
Journalists from around the world are in the Vietnamese capital to watch the US and North Korean leaders break bread and tackle denuclearisation, as the city serves up culinary specials to highlight its tourism potential.
Can North Korea copy Vietnam’s economic miracle?
The South China Morning Post, Feb 2019
Hanoi’s series of reforms, known as doi moi, turned it into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Vietnam’s Fledgling #MeToo Movement
New Naratif, Jun 2018
Recent testimonies of sexual assault and harassment have brought discussions surrounding #MeToo to Vietnam, but entrenched bias and mindsets have proven difficult to shift.
The US Christmas bombings that failed to crush Hanoi’s spirit
VnExpress International, Dec 2017
In late December, 1972, the U.S. tried to bomb North Vietnam into submission, but that word had no place in the Vietnamese’s hearts and minds.
Patients risk being left behind as foreign donors pull the plug on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam
VnExpress International, Oct 2017
Vietnam is racing against the clock to provide free drugs under health insurance but around half of HIV patients are uninsured.
Generational clash? Demystifying Vietnamese millennials’ ‘obsession’ with bubble tea
VnExpress International, Oct 2017
Over the past month, Vietnamese netizens have been eagerly discussing the ‘paradox’ of low wages and ‘wasteful spending’. We’re here to dissect it.
Vietnam’s drug rehab riots: what went wrong
VnExpress International, Dec 2016
Headline-grabbing riots raised questions about who gets sent to drug detention centers.
Doctors remain rare in Vietnam’s drug detention centers
VnExpress International, Dec 2016
How a dearth of doctors has helped fuel disease and discontent at Vietnam’s drug detention centers.
Lam Le 