In this late 2020 blog, the author praised Vietnam for its record of remarkable success against COVID-19. The following year, the situation reversed itself dramatically.
Tag Archives: travel
15. Kindergarten Pop
English teaching is big business in Vietnam, where it seems everyone wants to learn the world’s most widely spoken language. But it can be a challenge for a novice instructor.
14. The Sacred and the Profane
A celebration of the Tet holiday, in a Mekong Delta village, is a magical mystery tour of Buddhist spirituality, drinking games, unthinkable foods and cockfights.
13. Journey to the Mekong
Nearly 80 percent of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is covered with rice. The region is always wet and green. But a visit to a tiny riverside village is a cultural adventure as well as a geographic one.
12. No Thanksgiving? No Problem
Where does an expatriate eat Thanksgiving dinner when it’s being served half a world away? There is a plethora of international restaurant options in Ho Chi Minh City.
6. Stacking the Dominoes
New challenges: Finding a job, negotiating money and visa crises, and making new and old friends to help ease the transition to a new life. …
5. Uncle Ho
Hô Chí Minh may be a villain in the Western world, but in Vietnam, he’s the greatest patriot in the nation’s history.
4. Learning the City
A brief tour introduces some of the sights of Ho Chi MInh City, including the Bitexco Tower, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the Jade Emperor Pagoda.
3. The Invisible Man
Ho Chi Minh City, especially the Go Vap district, made John’s first month in Vietnam a cultural challenge. And he was going back to school.
2. Making the Move
It wasn’t easy to make a major life change at 69. Perseverence, inspiration and the knowledge of Asian expats helped to make possible the jump to Vietnam.
1. A New Beginning
What in the world inspired this stunning, late-in-life adventure? The blog’s first installment explains what brought John to Vietnam.
Travels in Vietnam 