AsiaLIFE HCMC June edition

ISHCMC students are

graduating

IB Diploma Early Acceptance to University Great ISHCMC Memories!

AsiaLIFE volume 63

www.asialifemagazine.com

22 front

06 News & Events 12 Dispatches

food

Sky-high dining

16 Q&A with Michael Waibel

42 Evita Cafe

Editor of Ho Chi Minh MEGA City

Comfort food and molecular gastronomy

18 Photo Essay: The Bold and the Beautiful 22 Stepping Up: Empowering Vietnam's Disabled

Cold beer in a warm time capsule

41 Cirrus

13 Street Smart: Pham The Hien

on the cover

40 Sterling's Saigon

43 Cajun Cua Cajun seafood

style & design

44 Room to Move Luxury regional hotels

46 Fashion: Modern Prep

storyboard

28 The Fighter A former UFC champion

30 The Fairest of Them all

back

50 The List 74 Spotlight

Vietnamese and a classic economics experiment

76 Street Guide

32 Dancing For The Dead

84 Odd One Out

Performing transgender groups

34 The Filipino Diaspora

Embracing your inner tourist

85 This Country Life Countryside healing

getaways

36 Less is More

86 Pub Quiz

A low-key journery through southern Laos

38 Forest in the City Nature in Vancouver

18

41 Cover Art Direction Johnny Murphy Photography Fred Wissink Model Nguyen Thanh Duoc

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note from the editor Group Director Sales & Marketing / Director Vietnam: Jonny Edbrooke jonny@asialife.asia Managing Editor: Chris Mueller chris@asialifemagazine.com Deputy Editor: Lien Hoang lien@asialife.asia

Editor-at-Large: Brett Davis brett@asialifehcmc.com

I’ve never been too good on my feet. Maybe it’s my short legs or my tendency to get distracted easily, but walking down the street has always been a chore. Add a few beers and some flip-flops into the mix and it’s a recipe for disaster.

So the first time I saw a disabled Vietnamese person as I sat drinking fake whisky early one evening at the cesspool that is Lily Bar on De Tham Street, I felt nothing but admiration. The one-legged beggar made his way effortlessly through rush-hour traffic, with a crutch in one hand and a hat in the other. He simultaneously dodged motorbikes while hopping over potholes and asking tourists for money. I’ve since forgotten this man’s name, and haven’t seen him in a couple years, but his image sticks with me.

It seems like every day in Saigon I see a disabled person, either limping around motorbikes on the sidewalk, bombing down the road in one of those hand-powered wheelchairs that look more like an exercise machine, or crawling on the ground with sandals on their hands. I have also noticed that I don’t often have pity for them. Not because I’m heartless, but because they don’t seem to bring it out in me. Usually they are just going about their business, getting on with life as we all do. They don’t expect sympathy and seem content with tackling the challenges their lives have thrown at them.

This same mentality is what impressed me most about our cover story this month, which looks at people with disabilities in Vietnam.

When our contributing editor, Michael, pitched the idea, I expected to receive a depressing story about downtrodden unexploded ordnance victims or children deformed by Agent Orange. You know, the only things in Vietnam that attract international media. Instead he found some inspiring folks who have risen above their disadvantages to not only live fulfilling lives but to also help others live theirs.

As a happy accident, this story will be coming out on the same day that AsiaLIFE is helping to put on the Bourbon Street Jazz Festival. All proceeds from the event will go to the Kids First Enterprise, which will use the money for the factory it developed in Dong Ha. The factory manufactures wheelchairs and other mobility products for people with disabilities in Vietnam. I’m going to assume the event was a resounding success.

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Photo Editor: Fred Wissink fred@asialife.asia Photographer: Linh Phanroy Editorial Intern: Ruben Luong

Contributing Editor: Michael Tatarski michael@asialife.asia

Chris Mueller

Regional Creative Director: Johnny Murphy johnny@asialife.asia

Production Manager: Nguyen Kim Hoa nguyenhoa@asialifehcmc.com

For advertising and marketing enquiries please contact: +84 938 298395 / +84 8 6680 6105 or adsales@asialifehcmc.com

AsiaLIFE Group Group Editor / Director Cambodia: Mark Bibby Jackson mark@asialife.asia Managing Editor Cambodia: Ellie Dyer Art Director Cambodia: Steve Tierney Sales Cambodia: Sorn Chantha Chantha@asialife.asia

Director Thailand: Nattamon Limthanachai (Oh) oh@asialife.asia Associate Editor Thailand: Yvonne Liang Photo Editor Thailand: Nick McGrath Sales Thailand: Piyalai Tandhnan (Ming) Ming@asialife.asia

Next time you're in Cambodia or Thailand check out the latest content from AsiaLIFE or download it at:

www.asialifemagazine.com Find AsiaLIFE articles on

NEWS Inaugural Aust-Viet Junior Chef Challenge

Ho Chi Minh City will host the first Aust-Viet Junior Chef Challenge from 17-21 June as part of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam. Vietnamese children aged 10-12 years old will have the chance to present samples of their cooking to the judges, and the top 14 participants will compete in teams to determine a winner.

Children can register for the competition until 10 June via Hcmc.vietnam.embassy.gov.au.

There are 300 places available.

The challenge is sponsored by SOS International healthcare and KOTO.

Saigon Dodgeball Tournament

The classic schoolyard game of dodgeball has taken Saigon by storm, with expats and locals alike convening every Monday and Wednesday evening to throw rubber balls at each other. This month

6 asialife HCMC

EVENTS Saigon Dodgeball is hosting its third annual tournament.

Player registration has closed, but spectators are welcome to watch as eight teams duke it out for bragging rights and ultimate glory. The fun begins at 4pm on 8 June inside Rach Mieu Stadium, 1 Hoa Phuong St, Phu Nhuan District. Food and drinks will be available.

Celebrate Canada Day with CanCham

Cooking Classes at Park Hyatt

The Park Hyatt Saigon is offering three intimate cooking classes on how to make authentic Italian dishes, grill a perfect steak and bake the best desserts with three of its top chefs. The classes include sous chef Marco Torre’s rustic Italian for VND 1,800,000 per person; chef de cuisine at Square One Soren Lascelles’ premium cuts for VND 3,300,000 per person; and pastry chef Bertrand Sommereux’s Bakery for VND 3,700,000 per person. Classes require 48-hour advance notice and take place from 2.30pm –5.30pm with a minimum of

CanCham Vietnam is throwing a full-day party for Canada’s national day on 22 June. The Canada Day Stampede will provide fun and games for the whole family, including live music, a full buffet featuring Canadian steak and free flow beverages, and even a mechanical bull riding competition. The festivities begin at 2pm at Crescent Mall in D7. Contact hcmc@canchamvietnam.org for tickets.

five people and a maximum of eight. Contact 08 38 24 12 34 for more information.

Buddha-Bar XV Album Party

On 29 June the Park Hyatt Saigon, along with George V Records and Buddha-Bar Music Label and Distribution Group, will host Buddha-Bar XV, A Chill Wind from Russia album release party. Paris-based DJ Ravin will spin during the event, which will be his first appearance in Vietnam. A Chill Wind from

Russia is an eclectic double album with performances from numerous artists, and listeners will be captivated. The party starts at 9pm at 2 Lam Son Bar with a VND 1 million entrance fee, which includes one drink.

Escape Party

The summer’s hottest dance party is on 15 June at Diamond Island in District 2. The all-day Escape Party will feature 30 DJs and two international guest DJs providing 12 hours of music.

Registration is required for this

Little Barrie at Q4

After the success of its Frank Turner show in March, Loud Minority is bringing more international acts to Cargo Bar at Q4. On 7 June indie-rock band Little Barrie, the brainchild of British guitarist and Primal Scream member Barrie Cadogan, hits the stage with co-headliner Dengue Fever. Advance tickets are available at the Q4 box office, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, and Asian Kitchen, 185/22 Pham Ngu Lao, D1. You can also email q4.info@saigonsoundsystem.com for reservations. Tickets are VND 150,000 for students with an ID, VND 250,000 for earlybird, and VND 300,000 at the door.

2013 SUMMER CAMP

exclusive party, and groups of five people can book packages, including bottle service, now. The Escape New Year Party was a smash hit, and you won’t want to miss this. For more details contact 09 75 15 01 51.

AirAsia Departs from Da Nang

Effective 10 June, regional budget carrier AirAsia will disengage its four-time-a-week flights from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang as part of a network realignment. Guests who had a ticket booked on the route after the effective date can move their flight between the cities to an earlier date at no extra charge, get credit for the value that the paid with a validity of six months, or get a full refund.

Brigitte Bardot at Sofitel

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CAMP HAPPENS AT THE MONTESSORI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF VIETNAM THAO DIEN CAMPUS 42/1 Ngo Quang Huy, Thao Dien, District 2, HCMC.

The Sofitel Saigon Plaza is hosting a photo exhibition called BB Forever — Brigitte Bardot, la legende through the end of July. The collection features nearly 30 rare, candid snapshots of the legendary French icon. Successful versions of the exhibition were held at Sofitel properties in the US last year, and now Ho Chi Minh City residents have a chance to join in the excitement. In connection with the exhibition, the hotel’s Boudoir Lounge will serve a special ‘Baby Doll’ cocktail, along with a Saint-Tropez Menu at L’Olivier restaurant.

For more information visit Sofitel.com.

Metropole Hanoi Named one of the World’s Top Hotels

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is once again proving some things only get better with age. The May issue of international luxury magazine The Robb Report lauded the 112-year-old Metropole as one of the world’s top 100 hotels in its annual rankings of the best urban properties in 100 cities worldwide. The award is the latest in a string of accolades for the historic 364-room hotel. The Metropole garnered 21 awards in the past year

alone, and was listed in the Travel + Leisure 500 Best Hotels in December 2012, and on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List for 2013. Selection of the top 100 hotels in The Robb Report’s travel guide was based on consultations from the magazine’s editors and correspondents, as well as travel associates and experts in the luxury hospitality industry.

Maestro Jan Stulen

Celebrated Dutch conductor Jan Stulen will lead an evening of world-class music at the Opera House on 9 June. The performance by the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will feature classical music from Mozart, Brahms, and more.

Tickets range from VND 80,000 for students to VND 400,000 and are available at the HBSO box office, 7 Lam Son Square, D1. For more information visit Hbso.org.vn.

The show begins at 8pm.

ABCIS Students Help Kids With Cancer

Students from the ABC International School have raised over VND 15 million for the Kids With Cancer Foundation, Vietnam.

Throughout the year, the early-childhood students held several events and raised money by selling event tickets, handmade cards, accessories and secondhand clothing. The Kids With Cancer Foundation aims to help children and adults in Ho Chi Minh City who are suffering from the disease.

Aussie Indigenous Art Exhibit

The Australian Consulate-General will run the ‘Message Stick: Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia’ art exhibition until 13 June at the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum. The display features a selection of 21 artworks from the Australian Government’s Artbank collection, which has been displayed in throughout the world and is currently undertaking a tour in the Asia region.

‘Message Stick’ underlines the vitality, energy and innovation of indigenous communities and artists in Australia while taking audiences beyond the popular contemporary indigenous art movement of the Western Desert to the personal experiences of life in urbanised Australia. The Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum is located at 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1.

Inspiration with Dancenter

In Dancenter’s next performance, called 'Inspiration', the choreographers have taken cues from a myriad of sources, including nature, mythology, art and stories. The show is set to take place at 7.30pm on 8 June at Nha Van Hoa Thanh Nien, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach, D1. For more details visit Dancenter.vn or contact 35 19 44 90.

Cambodia & Thailand News Download AsiaLIFE Cambodia and AsiaLIFE Thailand online at: www.asialifemagazine.com.

Thailand New Craft Beer for Bangkok

Beervana is bringing one of America’s legendary craft brewers to Thailand this month.

Deschutes Brewery beer will be released during a twopart event on 8 June. From 4pm to 7pm diners can join Deschutes founder Gary Fish for an intimate pairing dinner at Oyster Bar. Tickets are THB 800. Then, from 7pm until late, Hemingway’s will host the official Deschutes Beer release party, which will involve endless supply of beer, games, and live music. Admission is free. To reserve tickets for the dinner, contact sip@seekbeervana. com.

INsight at Neilson Hays Library

An exhibition by Simona Ambrosini and Ingrid Van der Heyden opens at Rotunda & Garden Café Galleries, Neilson Hays Library, on 4 June. Insight is a journey to understand the essence of the relation between Human and Nature. Ambrosini develops the theme of light, while Van der Heyden takes a more intimate approach to juxtapose the suffering of Nature with the suffering of the flesh and soul. The exhibition will run until 30 June, with an opening reception with a chance to meet the artists at 6pm on 8 June.

Freedom to Walk 2013

The DREAM Project Foundation will once again stage Freedom to Walk this November. The 15day, 300km event, from 9-24 November, aims to raise at least US$100,000 for five beneficiary 10 asialife HCMC

organisations and to educate a corps of walkers about human trafficking. Walkers will spend the upcoming months fundraising before departing Bangkok on 9 November. Once the walk begins, participants will walk for around six hours during the morning, and spend the afternoon learning about human trafficking. The walk will end at the Thai-Burmese border. Visit freedomtowalk.org for more.

Thasnai Sethaseree Exhibition at 338 OIDA Gallery

Trans-structurity, an exhibition

by Chiang Mai-based artist Thasnai Sethaseree, opens at the 338 Oida Gallery on 7 June.

The exhibition deals with the politics of fear and suppression in multiple perspectives.

Sethaseree has had previous exhibitions in Thailand, Belgium, Australia and Brazil. The event will run through 6 August, with an opening night on 6 June from 6pm to 9pm. The gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 5pm, and by appointment.

Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner

Twenty-six executive chefs from 25 leading hotels in Thailand and Thai Airways International will contest the 2013 Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner on 17 July in the Royal Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental from 6pm. The gala will be presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, with proceeds going towards Border Patrol Police Schools and underprivileged children in remote Amphur Omkoy. Siam Winery will pair each dish from the 10-course

dinner. Tickets are THB 12,500 per seat for tables of ten.

Contact +66 (0) 81 732 10 18.

Cambodia

Nao Thuok, director general of Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration. “This is a treasure trove of biodiversity and natural resources for Cambodia.”

Homeless Football Squad Picked

Cider Season

Flooded Forest Protection

New Roof Bears Fruit

Happy Football Cambodia Australia has announced the Cambodian squad for the Homeless World Cup, to be held in Poland in September.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of the success of the Credit Bureau team at the Cambodia Charity Cup in April. Chhun Malivy Lek, Bun Lao Chhunn, Neasa Huon, Chun Ly Prum, Makra Chey and Daneth Nut were selected to play for their country out of a strong field of 22 players, after four months of trials. A charity auction will be held at The Exchange on 4 June at 7.30pm. Hfcaustralia.org

A remote section of the Mekong river, known as the flooded forest, has been designated a management and conservation site for biodiversity and fisheries resources. Located between Kratie and Stung Treng towns, in northeastern Cambodia, the area is a mix of diverse habitats, including tall forests, waterways and islands, supporting species that have virtually disappeared.

Fauna include the criticallyendangered Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin and the rare Cantor’s giant soft-shell turtle, which was once thought to be extinct in the region. “Current efforts to protect this important area will be strengthened,” said

Cider drinkers have a new opportunity to enjoy their tipple of choice following the launch of Bruntys premium cider in Phnom Penh. British-owned group Asia Pacific Cider Company has set up Southeast Asia’s only traditional cider brewery in the Cambodian capital. “I realised Asia was missing something — cider on demand at a reasonable price,” said Peter Gilks, managing director of Asia Pacific Cider Company. The brand has launched three flavours — apple, pear and strawberry.

The drinks are set to be widely available at restaurants, bars and grocery stores in June.

The open-air Cambodian Living Arts’ performances at the National Museum gardens have become year-round, after a $9,000 roof was built at the site to provide shelter during rainy season. The shows, grouped under the name ‘Plae Pakaa’ or 'fruitful', offer visitors the opportunity to see a range of art forms, while creating long-term employment for 120 emerging and established arts professionals. A new season began on 10 May, with dance and theatre pieces shown at the venue every Friday and Saturday at 7pm. From October, when rainy season is on the wane, performances will be staged six nights a week.

For more information, visit Cambodianlivingarts.org.

dispatches

Travel news from around the region and beyond

Fortress Opulence Set to open in winter 2013, the Alila Fort Bishangarh hopes to become one of Asia’s most unique resorts. Located inside a heritage fortress on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, visitors will be treated to a mix of history and modern luxury. The all-suite resort features 59 rooms, each of which was created to capture the stunning views from the fortress. Suites include large bay windows, expansive bathrooms, and luxury bedding that can accommodate a family of four. The grounds feature a pool, fitness centre, and two speciality theme restaurants, among other amenities. Easily accessible from both New Delhi and Jaipur.

Alilahotels.com/fortbishangarh.

Island Bliss The Le Meridien Koh Samui Resort and Spa has made a splash since opening last year, and was named ‘Asia’s Leading New Resort 2012’ at the World Travel Awards.

Located right on the sparkling Gulf of Thailand, the Le Meridien is home to a selection of luxurious suites and villas with easy access to the infinity pool or the ocean. The resort offers a wide range of activities, from kayaking and snorkeling to Thai language lessons. Until 30 June enjoy up to 50 percent off when you book a stay at Le Meridien for dates before 24 December. The special offer includes daily breakfast at Latest Recipe and free WiFi throughout the resort. Lemeridienkohsamui.com.

Sky-high Luxury Set between floors 74 and 98 of the Guangzhou IFC tower, the Four Seasons Guangzhou is one of the world’s highest hotels. The 344 guest rooms and 42 suites all offer unparalleled views of the Pearl River delta and Guangzhou, one of China’s most important economic cities. The well-appointed rooms include custom designed beds, marble bathrooms and high-end entertainment technology.

Guest amenities include a 24-hour business centre, four restaurants and two lounges, an indoor pool, and a spa with private treatment rooms. Four Seasons is now running a promotion in which customers receive a complimentary fourth night with every three consecutive paid nights. Fourseasons.com/guangzhou/

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Pham The Hien Dana Filek-Gibson explores this winding waterfront avenue in District 8.

Photos by Christian Berg.

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On paper, Saigon is small.

Despite the 40-minute drive separating the airport from the southernmost reaches of District 1, or chaotic Cho Lon from the quiet neighbourhoods of District 2, the distance is, in reality, no greater than a hand print on a map.

Many of us carry out our lives in a tiny fraction of Saigon's actual area, but beyond the comfort of these well-trod routes are an abundance of streets and alleys waiting to be explored.

District 8 is another world altogether. Relegated to the edge of the map, this oftignored area boasts some of the city's most impressive street life. At once, it is both Saigon and not, a genuine mix of city chaos and countryside hospitality. From the jumble of shops boasting every manner of goods imaginable to a cluster of rickety, warped fishing boats docked beside the odd bridge, Pham The Hien embodies much of District 8's half-step from friendly, laidback community to fast-paced urban environment.

To get to this area, take Tran Hung Dao Street from District 1 to District 5. Make a left on Nguyen Bieu, about two kilometres down, and go over the bridge, bearing left. Once you descend into the bustle of Nguyen Thi Tan, turn left again at Da Nam, the street directly off the bridge, and follow this road around to Pham The Hien.

Minh Hoang Bike Shop 324 Pham The Hien The jam-packed storefront of Minh Hoang is one of a few 14 asialife HCMC

bicycle businesses lining this stretch of Pham The Hien. In addition to purchasing used vehicles, Minh Hoang also sells bicycles of all shapes, sizes, and quality. There are brand-new knock-off Martin 107s, as well as used Giants and other two-wheeled vehicles from foreign brands.

The staff speaks some English and a bicycle will set you back around VND 2-4 million, though it is possible for you to bargain at these shops, as there are so many close together.

While these businesses might be a nice place to pick up some new wheels on the cheap, you should look elsewhere for any bicycle maintenance or repair needs. since these shops seem less equipped to handle proper bike care.

Tuong Vy Furniture Shop 459 Pham The Hien Farther down Pham The Hien is a series of shops offering all manner of household furniture, from desks and dressers to headboards, bed frames and even mattresses. This particular shop, Tuong Vy, has English-speaking staff as well as affordable items. A sturdy desk, for instance, runs just over VND 1 million, as does a medium-sized dresser. Best of all, these pieces come in neutral wood-coloured tones as well as brighter colours, giving you a range of designs from which to choose.

Pham The Hien Market For a true collision of city and country life, pay a visit to Pham The Hien Market. This bustling centre of activity is half indoor market, half open-

air bazaar, with vendors lining a thin, well-worn path around the back of the building to hawk fruits and vegetables, meat, rice, and all manner of local goods. In addition to produce, the interior of the building houses vendors selling clothing, accessories, and household items. It appears this market does not often see foreigners, making it a refreshing departure from the local marketplaces of downtown.

Chao Ca Lady 2 Lo 24 Pham The Hien Directly across from the entrance to Pham The Hien Market is a street cart selling banh canh cua, or thick, ropelike rice noodles with crab, an excellent morning meal. This vendor also serves up a tasty version of chao ca, the savoury fish-and-rice-porridge dish.

You can find these local meals in the morning for around VND 30,000 a bowl, but make sure

you come early, as the day's food goes fast.

Hu Tiu Chay 594/21 Tran Xuan Soan If you cross the bridge separating District 8 from District 7, you'll find a small vegetarian food stall on your right boasting hu tiu chay in bright orange letters.

This famously eclectic concoction of thin noodles, vegetables, dumplings, pork, prawns, and whatever else happens to be

lying around is served up meatfree, replacing protein with things like mushrooms and potato dumplings, all of which make for a hearty meal. The shop is small, easily missed if you're zipping past like most of the traffic that goes by, but if you make a stop here you can try a bowl for just VND Get directions 20,000.

Tantalize the New Zealand feast this June at Corso Steakhouse & Bar for your lunch and dinner. Specialties range from Seared Pepper Salmon Salad, New Zealand Striploin Steak to Spicy Lamb Shank with Wild Mushroom Risotto.

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Mention this code at Corso to get 10% discount on our F&B services. Conditions apply. Valid until: June 30, 2013

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In an interview from Hamburg, the editor of the new book Ho Chi Minh MEGA City talks about how urban development here could surpass Singapore and how things like Saigon Pearl are getting in the way. By Lien Hoang.

Could you start with a summary of the book?

The book has been developed in the context of a research project funded by the German government. … The background of this initiative is to support city governments in their urban development in a more sustainable way before they become a mega city. And the threshold for a mega city is usually 10 million inhabitants.

Mega city?

It’s a very common term in the scientific community dealing with urban development and architecture. We’ve perceived a sharp increase in the development emergence of mega cities in the past decade, and this is mainly happening in Asia.

Why is this significant?

There are two opposing views related to mega urban development. Some say it is going along with disaster, ungovernability, environmental problems, poverty, social fragmentation, social polarisation. Others see it more as a chance, the coming together of different stratas of society, as an incubator of innovation, as a chance to live a better life than in the countryside and get a better education, healthcare, access to cultural opportunities.

One chapter talks about a mega village, what is that?

This mega village approach is focusing on neighbourhood life in the hem, alley areas.

There you have low-rise neighbourhoods but high population density, and you have — from our perspective from the west — a quite high quality of life. You have interaction between people, you have a mixed-use neighbourhood.

These are all things which we lost a little bit in the past 40 years in American or western European city development but which we try to revitalise now in Europe again.

People here live their lives out on the street, but as Vietnam becomes richer, aren’t they spending more time in private?

It’s going in the same direction as in the US. Many of the chapters [in the book] highlight the quality of that neighbourhood life, the quality of the public space and social interaction between the people and the social ties. We want to say to policymakers that these areas are not slums, these areas have their qualities.

Is the city moving in the opposite direction, though?

Policymakers follow the example of Singapore, and we say, don’t do it 100 percent. You can do it a bit but please also acknowledge the inherent values of the neighbourhood.

You’ve said people don’t realise there’s this private and public living.

Living in public place is often a sign of poverty, because people don’t have enough space inside their houses so they have to live part of their lives outside.

It’s a bit dangerous to romanticise this kind of small alley life in the hem.

What do you think is a good balance between the modern city versus these hem?

Something in between the hem alleys and Nam Saigon, Phu My Hung area maybe. I was very critical of Phu My Hung 10 years ago. But it has developed better than expected because you have some smallscale structures, quite a lot of trade in the street, quite a high quality of urban green environment. But 10 million inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh cannot live the life people have in Phu My Hung for ecological reasons because this is generating too many emissions.

Right, there’s a chapter talking about the urban heat island?

We have the phenomenon that in the city centre the temperature is up to 10 degrees higher than in the suburb areas like Phu My Hung. So if you want to make sustainable urban development you have to keep in mind there are natural ventilation corridors you have to keep open. And Saigon Pearl is doing exactly the opposite, blocking one of the most important ventilation corridors along the Saigon River.

Ho Chi Minh MEGA City Book Series of the Association of Pacific Studies, Volume 14 Regiospectra Publishing House, Berlin Photos courtesy of Michael Waibel

What challenges in the city stand out?

Of course traffic is a tremendous challenge. If I were a policymaker I would make car possession as expensive as possible because cars take a lot of space. So we should stick to two-wheel traffic but make it more climate-friendly.

Try to promote [electronic] bikes, for example, make them more fancy. E-bikes should not only be used by teenage girls who want to avoid wearing a helmet. You should give economic incentives for e-bikes.

You should install some kind of filters for the exhaust of the motorbikes.

How important is flooding here?

We will see increasing sea levels as a consequence of climate change. [But] up to now, the increasing number of flooding events has almost nothing to do with climate change but with deficiencies of urban planning. We have a loss of retention areas, we have very high groundwater levels, and we do not have enough spaces where rain can be absorbed.

What surprised you in working on this book?

The city is consisting of so many different districts and neighbourhoods. People live a very different life in the big city, old people live another life than young people, rich people live another life than poor people. I was not aware about the degree of diversity, which is really, very high, which makes Ho Chi Minh City a fascinating city. And I know almost all of the cities in Asia, I know Shanghai, I know Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Phnom Penh of course, and other cities. And I would say Ho Chi Minh City, in spite of environmental pollution, in spite of traffic jam, it has still really a very high quality of life. asialife HCMC 17

Roaming, resting, stalking, sleeping. The cycle of life in the African plains is one of endless repetition as well as moments of striking and often unexpected beauty. While fulfilling a lifelong dream to visit South Africa and Tanzania, Hilary Fastier found that it’s true what they say: Africa gets into your blood and a single visit will never be enough. Just like the elephant, one never forgets.

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empowering vietnam's disabled

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Outdated social views, lack of awareness and poor infrastructure create an even more difficult life for people with disabilities in Vietnam. But progress is being made thanks to the work of experts in the field and determined disabled people.

By Michael Tatarski. Photos by Fred Wissink.

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W

hen Nguyen Thanh Duoc, a warm, smiling man who looks younger than his 31 years, was only two, his parents abandoned him at the door of an orphanage for disabled children in District 3. He has no memory of his father or mother, and he doesn’t know why he lacks the ability to use his legs. “My parents may have left me for a combination of reasons, because of the disability, perhaps because they were poor,” Duoc says. He lived in the orphanage from 1985, when he was found, until it closed in 1998. Stories like this describe the lives of countless other disabled people in Vietnam.

The challenge There are no concrete statistics on how many people with disabilities (PWD) live in Vietnam. According to the 2009 census, more than 6 million people over the age of 5, or 7.8 percent of the population, have a physical disability. However, in 2010 the World Health Organisation put the number at 15.3 percent, a figure the government disputes. It is important to point out that these figures don’t only count people with mobility disabilities, but also the blind, deaf, mute and disfigured.

Though there is little agreement on how many disabled live in Vietnam, one indisputable fact is that this group is at a huge disadvantage compared to the non-disabled.

Data from the United Nations Population 24 asialife HCMC

Fund shows that the literacy rate for disabled adults is 76.3 percent, compared to 95.2 percent for other adults. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 14 percent, while it is just 4.3 percent for the rest of the population.

These figures tie into one of the biggest problems facing the disabled population: access to education. Duoc is out of the or-

Nguyen Thanh Duoc, 31, was abandoned as a child and never had the use of his legs.

dinary because he graduated from university and has a white-collared job.

“Very few of the disabled orphans I grew up with went to university,” he says. “They stopped schooling very early, and most of them are now lottery ticket sellers or menial workers.”

In Ho Chi Minh City, someone with no legs crawling along the side of a busy road trying to peddle tickets, or a blind person approaching tables at a roadside eatery is a common sight. Sadly, this is far as many with disabilities get here.

Of course, the challenges they face begin long before they reach university or working age. A widespread lack of understanding of disabilities leaves many people unsure of how to deal with the disabled.

Shannon Hopkins, director of Operations at Kids First Enterprise, says “Some people believe that a disabled child is punishment for a past sin, so there is still an issue with families hiding them out of shame.” Sometimes this prevents disabled children from getting even a basic education.

Duoc says, “Many friends have told me that their parents didn’t send them to school because they thought it was a waste of time to send a disabled child to school. They saw no future for them."

School is one area where the perception that people with disabilities are different is particularly strong. The disabled are often socially ostracised or ignored.

“When I went to secondary and high

-Vo Thi Hoang Yen, director of the Disability and Resource Development centre school most of my classmates didn’t really like to play with me … I didn’t really have any friends,” Duoc says.

I meet Vo Thi Hoang Yen down a quiet sidestreet in District 10 at the Disability Resource and Development centre, where she is the founder and director. She tells me about how she contracted polio when she was only two and a half years old and lost the ability to walk normally. When she went to junior high school she was teased, and the other students made it clear that she was different from them. It didn’t help that many of her classes were on the third or fourth floors, and there was no other option but to use the stairs.

Such treatment has a major impact on the psychology of the disabled, leaving many with low confidence and a belief that they are worthless. “It’s the way people treat them,” Yen says. “When you are disabled and you show confidence people say, ‘Oh, you don’t need any help.’ As a result many PWD act helpless so that they can receive aid. It’s a role to play.”

Then, on a more basic level, there are the struggles of everyday life beyond work and school. For example, while in university Duoc used buses to get around. However, if he was waiting at a stop on his own, the drivers would cruise right past him. Only if other people were waiting for the same bus would it stop, and even then there were problems.

“Every time I got on it was scary because

the drivers didn’t stop long enough for me.

It takes time when you can’t use your legs,” he says.

A fairly common mode of transportation for people with disabilities here are motorbikes with three rear wheels. Though they may look comfortable, Yen says that they are actually extremely difficult to use. “Those bikes are unstable. When you drive you have to use your strength to keep balance and it’s very easy to fall over if the surface is uneven, which it usually is. As a result a lot of people who use these bikes have shoulder problems.” Modifying a standard

motorbike into one that a disabled person can use is also very expensive.

Given these myriad challenges, how does a disabled person forge an independent life in Vietnam?

Perseverance It takes a stubborn, determined person to fight through their physical impairment and society’s prejudices to become successful. Yen admits she is such an individual.

Growing up in a remote village in Dong Nai province, she taught herself English after realising she could make money by tutorasialife HCMC 25

-Shannon Hopkins, operations director at Kids First Enterprise

ing. Thanks to her language skills and a voracious appetite for reading, Yen learned about the global disabled movement.

As she moved on to university Yen began participating in some of the first large-scale activities aimed at raising awareness on the disability issue here. In 2000 she formed a group with 12 other people and set up a photography exhibition on the everyday lives of people with disabilities in Ho Chi Minh City. The project received funding from Save the Children UK and attracted more than 2,000 visitors, as well as media attention.

Thanks to the prominent role she played 26 asialife HCMC

in the exhibition, Yen was invited to a conference on independent living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here, for the first time, Yen saw what was possible.

“I was surprised to see people with severe disabilities who were directors and managers and living active lives. I decided then that this was something I wanted to bring to Vietnam,” Yen says.

She received a Ford Foundation scholarship which she used to get a master’s degree from Kansas University. Upon graduating she returned to Vietnam, received a $95,000 grant from the Ford Foundation,

and opened the Disability Resource and Development centre. Yen hasn’t looked back since. Today her centre plays a prominent role in the disabled community, and is currently organising a fundraising campaign called One for Change that Yen hopes will pay off in the construction of a large, handicapped-friendly centre somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City.

Yen has seen a noticable improvement for Vietnam's disabled, but believes not enough has been done. “Many students tell me that when they try to find a room to stay in they are turned down because of their disability.

Applying for jobs is not easy. People say if I hire a normal person I can ask them to do anything, but PWD can only stay in one place,” she says.

Duoc agrees that things are better than they used to be, but there are still major problems, including housing. “Usually cheap places are down a small alley so it’s hard to access on a wheelchair or a motorbike, and the interiors are not handicapped friendly,” he says.

The future Despite these remaining issues, the future does look brighter for Vietnam’s disabled.

Several recent government initiatives will help, if they are fully implemented. The National Action Plan to Support People with Disabilities for 2012-20, crafted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, will provide vocational training and jobs for

250,000 working-age disabled. The Inclusive Education by 2015 plan aims to provide education for all disabled children.

Kids First Enterprise, which manufactures mobility devices for distribution to poor people in Vietnam, is working on a major awareness campaign that will target every level of society. Roger Ferrell, the enterprise’s president, says a big focus of the campaign will be on people with disabilities as individuals. “They have been raised believing that they have no value, that they can’t make a contribution to society,” he says The campaign will also reach out to employers. A few years ago Ferrell took a group of Vietnamese managers to the US to show them how the disabled can be included in the workforce. One point the trip underscored is that disabled employees are more reliable, more dependable, value their job more, and are more valuable employee.

Hopkins, the operations director at Kids First, emphasises the importance of helping business owners recognise the usefulness of disabled people.

“Companies here don’t even know how they can employ PWD. So it’s not about rearranging furniture, people need to see that PWD are capable of being in the workplace in the first place,” she says.

Yen’s centre is focusing much of its energy on employment as well. “Most of the organisations that work with PWD focus on charity, and we don’t do that. We provide workshops, training and values,” Yen says,

Gemma Thompson, project manager at Kids First and an expert on disability issues who spent five years with United Response, a major charity for the disabled in the UK, believes this is exactly where people need to focus. “There are lots of great organisations and charity projects in Vietnam, but the problem, as far as I see it, is most of the time they are crisis management rather than

Vo Thi Hoang Yen, founder and director of the Disability Resource and Development centre, an organisation that tries to find work for people with disabilities in Vietnam.

preventative services,” she wrote in an email.

Another crucial part of the disability issue is access. Thompson explains that an important thing to realise is that access doesn’t simply mean wheelchair ramps or handicapped-friendly lifts. “Less than 5 percent of PWD worldwide are wheelchair users, but it is the first image that pops into the public mind when they hear the word disabled,” she says. “Access may be changes to buildings, or support provisions such as loop aids for people who are deaf, easy-read information for people with learning disabilities, or audio support for people who are blind, but it also has to be changes to the norm, changes to business attitudes.”

In a country where a potent mix of causes, from traffic accidents and malnutrition to unexploded ordnance and a poor healthcare system, means Vietnam will always have a large number of people with disabilities, these societal changes will be a huge factor in determining how well they can integrate into the rest of the population in the future. Certain foreign and domestic organisations are a huge help, but it will ultimately come down to the attitude of the average person on the street.

“Disabilities are not going to fade out, in fact the numbers are growing. They are not the barrier to inclusion, society is. We must change environments, attitudes and organisations, and everyone is included in this,” Thompson says. asialife HCMC 27

28 asialife HCMC

The

fighter

Former UFC champion Dave Menne talks about his journey from the Octagon to Saigon, where he hopes to help introduce mixed martial arts to the country.

By Chris Mueller. Photos by Fred Wissink.

It’s been a long road for Dave Menne since taking a win at his first official mixed martial arts fight in April 1997. It also hasn’t always been an easy one.

Over his 16-year career, the now 38-year-old American from Minnesota has garnered an impressive official record of 45 wins and 17 losses. And in 2001, he brought his career to new heights when he became the first middleweight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — the largest and most popular MMA promoter in the world.

Now Menne has come to Vietnam, where the new Saigon Sports Club has hired him as a full-time trainer as he prepares for his next fight in South Korea. The sprawling club off of Huynh Tan Phat Street in District 7 opened last month and is an ambitious endeavour to bring a number of martial arts to Vietnam. The 7,000-squaremetre facility has an open-air training area with wrestling mats and punching bags, as well as two boxing rings and a fullyequipped gym and CrossFit training area. There is also a swimming pool, football pitch and several yoga studios.

The club isn’t only focused on MMA, though. In addition to Menne, they also have on staff Andy Thrasher, a Muay Thai world champion from the UK, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor David Phillips, as well as two of Vietnam’s champion fighters, one for boxing and the other Muay Thai.

Jonathan Haucourt, the cofounder and managing director, says he hopes that bringing in world-class fighters like these will not only attract and introduce martial arts to Vietnamese, but will also bring in people from around the region.

Despite an impressive roster of trainers, Menne still stands out. He may not be the most

well-known MMA fighter, but he very well could be one of the most underrated.

Menne held the UFC title for a mere four months before losing it to Murilo Bustamante in a second round technical knockout. Bustamante clearly won, knocking Menne to the ground and delivering a barrage of punches that caused the referee to stop the fight. But what wasn’t so apparent to most, at least not until a Sports Illustrated article came out 10 years later, was that Menne was severely ill during the bout.

On the day before the Friday evening fight in September 2001, a virus took hold of the fighters set to compete. Some suspected food poisoning, others thought it could have been contaminated water, but no one ever figured out exactly what it was.

Luckily for most of the fighters, the virus hit them quickly and early. That gave them enough time to get plugged into IVs at a nearby hospital, allowing them to recover at least some of their strength.

But Menne wasn’t so lucky.

He didn’t start showing symp-

toms until the day of the fight, and when the time came to get in the ring, he was weak. In a fuzzy YouTube video of the fight, he looks visibly worn out before the first round.

"I remember my hearing was off," Menne told Sports Illustrated in the 2012 article. "I felt like I was picking up on people talking on the side of the ring, when usually you're concentrating on the fight. I was watching and hearing stuff around me. I wasn't focused. It was a surreal experience."

Surprisingly, though, he put up a strong fight for the first round before succumbing in the second. The fact that Menne was willing to step into the ring at all in this condition is not only a testament to his will, but also emblematic of his whole career.

“I’ve always fought no matter what,” he tells me after a training session at the Saigon Sports Club. “It wasn’t the first time I fought sick or injured and it wouldn’t be the last time.

I never looked at it as a choice of not fighting, I was going to fight.”

That choice may have cost Menne the belt, but it didn’t end his career. Two fights later, he was brutally knocked out by Phil Baroni after only 18 seconds in the first round. Baroni was later suspended for six months after he tested positive for steroids.

But those two crushing losses didn’t slow Menne down. He went on to have 20 more official fights in the US, England, Brazil and Japan, winning 13. His last fight was a rematch against Bustamante. Menne narrowly lost by decision.

Although Vietnam already has a long history of martial arts, from the more recent founding of Vovinam to the ancient forms that came from China, none have really become widely popular here. And while MMA is the fastest growing sport in most of the world, Vietnamese seem to be ambivalent towards it, or flat out don’t like it, finding it too violent.

But whether the sport catches on in Vietnam or not, Menne will compete until he no longer can. “I’ll fight until my body falls apart,” he says.

Dave Menne may not be the most well-known mixed martial arts fighter, but he very well could be one of the most underrated.

asialife HCMC 29

The fairest of them all

When do people reject free money? A classic experiment in behavioural economics comes to Vietnam and the results suggest Vietnamese may be more generous than other nationalities.

By David Hardy. Photo by Fred Wissink.

Can you imagine a young person saying ‘No’ to a free VND 20,000? Well, it’s happening. In recent months a student and I have been researching a curious situation in which college students routinely reject such money. Our results suggest Vietnamese are fairer than other nationalities.

The experiment is nothing new in economic studies. In the ultimatum game, a researcher tells two participants they will get a sum of money if they can agree on how to split it between themselves. The first person, the Proposer, must offer some fraction of the money to the second player and will keep the remainder for himself. If the second person, known as the

30 asialife HCMC

Responder, accepts the offer, then they both get the money as agreed. But if the Responder rejects it, both people get nothing.

They cannot collaborate and the game ends with the second player’s decision.

Traditional economics predicts that the Responder would take any positive offer — who would turn down free money?

The Proposer should anticipate this reaction, and therefore offer only a tiny share to the second person. After all, people want to walk away with the most money for themselves, right?

The experiment This classic exercise has been performed countless times in

North America, Europe and elsewhere. Now we have tried it out in Ho Chi Minh City.

In our experiment with the ultimatum game, we tested whether anonymity between the Proposer and the Responder would change the offers.

We hypothesised that it would lower the offers because the Proposer would not fear retaliation and could not empathise with the Responder. With the help of 166 students at both the University of Economics and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, we ran 83 trials, divided between 42 face-to-face tests and 41 anonymous ones. The students were tasked with splitting VND 100,000. Everyone received

an additional VND 20,000 for participating.

The face-to-face trials were our control group. Two students sat at a table and made their decisions in writing. They could not talk to each other.

We conducted the anonymous trials with a large group of students. Proposers made their offers, then we shuffled the papers and handed them out to Responders. The students knew who was in the other group, but didn't know whom exactly they were playing against.

Results Contrary to expectations, we found no significant difference in the average offers when comparing the face-to-face and

anonymous groups. This suggests that students' generosity comes from a true belief in fairness or strategic thinking, rather than fear of retaliation.

In other words, participants behaved the same whether they knew their partner or not.

One flaw in our setup is that our presence as researchers could have incidentally influenced the students. They might have been reluctant to give low offers when third parties were watching them.

As with many experiments, it is hard to observe without affecting.

Across all 83 trials, Proposers offered on average 46 percent of the money to Responders. About half of the offers were evenly split 50/50. The outliers include one man offering a woman 100 percent — they were classmates. Two Responders anonymously rejected 60 and 50 percent, meaning they strangely wanted the majority of the sum. There were 15 offers of 30 percent or less, and nine of

those were rejected.

These findings show that Vietnamese appear to be more generous than most other nationalities. The average offer from similar games in the United States is 41 percent, according to a 2003 comparison study out of the Netherlands.

In France it’s 40 percent, in the United Kingdom 34 percent.

should be happy with any free money, how do we explain why Responders usually reject low offers? One theory is that they want to punish Proposers for being unfair. A second theory is pride: someone who accepts a low offer may be considered desperate for money.

Another puzzle is, why do

In a game about splitting money, why do people offer more than they have to?

Vietnam is about on par with Indonesia (47 percent) and Japan (45 percent). On the low end are Peruvians, who offered just 26 percent, unlike Paraguayans, who offered 51 percent.

Conclusions If logic declares that people

Proposers offer more than the minimum? Don't they want to maximize their payoff?

Some have guessed that they see small offers as greedy and unethical. Others wonder if they fear retaliation from Responders after the game, such as through Facebook comments. A third explanation is

that Proposers are thinking strategically. If they expect Responders to reject low offers, then high offers increase their chances of walking away with at least some money.

Behavioural economics is new to Vietnam. Traditionally, Vietnamese economists have researched business practices and industrial policy. Unlike in most western countries, local academia views economics as part of buisness education rather than a social science.

So my research partner and I were encouraged by the positive response from students and university staff. Word-ofmouth was our most effective recruiting tool to carry out our ultimatum game. Many expressed interest in the purpose of the experiment. We plan to build on these trials and explore how ideas of fairness and reputation affect people’s decisions with money.

David Hardy is a lecturer at the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City.

asialife HCMC 31

DANCING FOR Gay rights in Vietnam are making strides, but are troupes of performing transgenders holding the movement back?

By Vu Thi Quynh Giao.

It’s nearly midnight and Van, a male-to-female transgender, is performing with her usual group of Saigonese transgender women. Today, the group is booked for a funeral in District 7. Funerals, along with weddings and birthday parties, are the troupe's most common stages.

“VND 300,000 for me to strip.

Anyone?” Van, in her zebrastripe bikini, announces as she raises a steel table with her teeth.

The audience, including the deceased person’s family, neighbours, and friends, becomes more animated. This is a big change from the more docile reaction to the previous performers, who mainly sang about motherhood, life and death, much too conventional and context-appropriate to be appealing.

32 asialife HCMC

Only when Van, who asked for her family name not to be used, goes on stage, performs her stunt in exchange for a cash tip, does the funeral become livelier.

It’s hard for Vietnamese society — or any society for that matter — to understand why such an exchange exists at funerals, many of which are entertained by Ho Chi Minh City-based transgender groups, now totalling about 100.

“I believe they are pressured into relying on their sexuality’s mystery to arouse the audience and earn extra money,” says Dinh Hong Hanh, a project officer at Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS), an organisation that has worked to promote gay and transgender rights in the Vietnamese community since 2008.

Many of these transgender troupes agree with Hanh, and find it difficult to make money in other ways. A group of 10 or more transgender women can get VND 1,500,000 for a fourhour show, sometimes longer.

But if they don’t receive any tips, the performers won't make any money off the show.

When asked whether inviting men to make sexual advances is merely a technique for earning more, Linh Trang, a 51-year-old transgender and the group's manager, says it is.

“A lot of people think transgenders are high when we perform,” she says. “But there’s no sex drive here. How can there be sex drive when you’ve got to do it every day to entertain strangers, even rude men?”

Trang has been managing shows like this since 1995 and is fully aware of society’s

THE DEAD entrenched stigma against transgenders, but is still defensive of her profession and fellow performers. “When we gather for practice or rehearsal, there’s no gambling or drinking,” she says.

“And at funerals especially, we don’t just do dance music.”

More often than not, though, if they forgo dancing and try to pay respect to the deceased, they lose their audience’s attention, and with it their tips.

Back at the funeral in District 7, a middle-aged transgender in a formal white dress who sings more typical funeral songs instead of the more exciting performances her contemporaries put on, doesn’t receive any money from the audience.

It’s well past midnight at this point and many guests, most of them women, have left. But the yard in front of two linked houses, also the stage for Trang’s group, is still packed with about 50 men who sit across five tables covered in fresh food and wine. The men become more anxious as they wait for the performers, whom

they refer to as “half male and half female”, to begin.

When a singer in a jumpsuit comes on stage and sings an erotic song while dancing seductively from table to table, the funeral becomes lively once again.

Some of the men start to touch the singers. Lan, 39, is

one of the few women remaining at the funeral. As she sees this, she buries her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

“My husband is still here,” she explains.

Lan says she has seen quite a few male-to-female transgenders perform at funerals, and almost all of them were

" I believe they

[transgender performers] are pressured into relying on their sexuality’s mystery to arouse the audience and earn extra money."

-Dinh Hong Hanh, project officer for Vietnam LGBT-rights group ICS

touched by guests. “This humiliates us women,” she says.

But Lan continues to watch enthusiastically. Like everyone in this neighbourhood, she’s curious. “People are curious, you know,” she says.

LBGT rights in Vietnam have been in the headlines recently after the deputy minister of health came out in support of same-sex marriage and with the country’s first-ever gay sitcom, My Best Gay Friends, becoming an online viral hit. But Vietnamese are still largely conservative, and are groups like Trang’s standing in the way of LGBT rights?

“No,” says Hanh from ICS, “It sounds intuitively right to advise transgenders like Linh Trang to find a different job and stop selling their supposedly sexual strangeness. But it’s because we haven’t been in their situation, where employers in Vietnam can’t accept their sexual orientation, where they have a livelihood to keep every night, and where joy is simply found in mixing with people like themselves.” asialife HCMC 33

The Filipino Diaspora Judy Afluen 34 asialife HCMC

As thousands of Filipinos leave their homeland each year to work in foreign countries, a growing number of them are now choosing to come to Vietnam.

By Chris Mueller. Photo by Linh Phanroy.

At first, Judy Afluen has a pretty typical expat story. She first came to Vietnam as a tourist in 2000, before deciding to move here permanently.

But this is where her story starts to differ from most expats: she is in Vietnam as a means of survival. Afluen was working as a public school teacher in her native Philippines, making about $300 a month, not nearly enough to support herself and her three children in a town about three hours outside of Manila.

On her visit to Vietnam she thought, perhaps, she could make more money here and decided, despite a more expensive cost of living, her chances of getting a well-paying job would be greater than back home.

At first it was difficult for Afluen, and she could only find work as a housekeeper for an Indian family in Phu My Hung, making VND 100,000 a week.

After slaving away behind an iron for some time, a Filipina friend who owned a restaurant heard that a Vietnamese customer was looking for a tutor.

Afluen applied and got the job.

Based on her teaching credentials from the Philippines, she was later hired as a middle school math teacher at an international school in District 2, where she still works. Between her work at the school and private tutoring, the 43 year old now makes nearly $3,000 a month, 10 times what she made back home.

Afluen’s case is indicative of a larger trend in the Philippines. Some call it the ‘Brain Drain’, or the migration of skilled and educated Filipino workers to foreign countries.

According to a report by the Philippines Department of Science and Technology, in the last 15 years the number of Filipino science and technology workers leaving their country has

jumped by over 150 percent. In 2009, about 25,000 science and technology professionals left the Philippines to work elsewhere. So many Filipinos are choosing to move abroad that the Philippines immigration department has started to limit the amount allowed to leave.

In Vietnam, it’s common to see Filipino maids and nannies advertising their services on expat forums since most can make up to several times more here compared to back home.

Go to any quality hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, and you’re also likely to be treated

by Filipino nurses. Filipino English teachers and tutors are also common, with the Vietnamese government even recruiting them directly from the Philippines. Right now the Philippines Embassy in Hanoi estimates that there are over

Afluen, whose three children are now in Vietnam with her.

“I’m only in Vietnam for a job.”

Mario Bagtong is also in Vietnam for the money. He first started working abroad in 1994 in Sri Lanka. Since then he has worked in China and Malaysia, and has been in Vietnam for the last four years working in technical support for the PUMA sportswear company.

Despite spending 18 years abroad, Bagtong says he longs for the Philippines, where his four children live and his wife runs a small shop out of their home.“If I could find a good job, I would go back to the Philippines,” he says.

But the chances of that happening seem to be diminishing further. According to a recent report, unemployment is one of the Philippines’s biggest problems. And this is in a place

Unlike most western expats, many Filipinos come to Vietnam to create better lives for their families, which they often leave behind.

5,000 Filipinos working in Vietnam, and most of them now are educated professionals.

“Most Filipinos in Vietnam occupy or hold high-level managerial and executive positions in leading local and international companies, restaurants, food industry, garments/manufacturing sector, and infrastructure projects and educational institutions,” Philippines Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Santos wrote me in an email.

But unlike most western expats, many Filipinos come to Vietnam to create better lives for their families, which they often leave behind.

“I have to stay here to make money for my kids,” says

where many incidences of sectarian violence, both political and religious, occur. Despite the country’s impressive economic growth, the official unemployment rate rose to 7.1 percent in January, with some unofficial estimates putting it closer to 11 percent, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Although most associate living and working abroad for a better life with immigrant populations, Batong says he still sees himself and most Filipinos as expats. “Some Filipinos in Vietnam are defined by their jobs,” he says. “If you are not a supervisor or manager, then many won’t call you an expat. But I can’t assimilate, so I consider myself an expat.” asialife HCMC 35

Apart from the backpacker nirvana of the 4,000 islands, most bypass southern Laos. They may be missing out on the beauty of nothing.

Words and photos by Mark Bibby Jackson.

The more I travel, the more I come to appreciate the beauty of less. It is many years now since the Lonely Planet books helped to achieve precisely the opposite, with majestic temples becoming virtual ‘no-go’ zones as tour groups drown out the silence that used to welcome visitors, and previously deserted beaches are overrun with tourists seeking a solitude that has long since elapsed. This is why we should value the tranquility we do encounter all the more.

A boat trip along the Mekong River in southern Laos is one such experience. Nothing much has changed here in centuries.

Lie on a deck lounger, pick up a paperback and watch the banks drift past, interrupted by occasional settlements and water buffaloes dousing themselves to escape the midday heat.

36 asialife HCMC

Our trip started with a two-hour drive from Pakse through some pretty uninspiring countryside. Here farmers grow only one rice crop a year, and by the end of dry season everything is scorched. This is not a word to apply to our first port of call.

The Pha Pheng waterfalls are the biggest in Southeast Asia.

A kilometre wide in the wet season and 15 metres high, it is not without reason that they are dubbed the ‘Niagara of the East’ in travel literature. Even at the tail end of dry season they make an impressive sight.

From here it is a short boat ride to the 4,000 or so islands that nestle in the Mekong’s waters, just north of the Cambodian border. The islands are popular with backpackers following the river through Cambodia and up to Luang

Prabang, and are full of bareshirted travellers cycling along paths through the tiny villages scattered throughout the area.

In colonial times, boats would dock at the small island of Don Det and transfer their loads to the railway that linked it with the main island of Don Khone. Abandoned once the French left the country, the only sign of the line is a locomotive left stranded on the island and now enshrined as one of the archipelago’s main tourist attractions.

It takes some two-and-a-half hours to motor up-river to the Vat Phou Cruises boat that will be our home for the next two nights. As the small boat snakes its way across rapids and through a series of inlets, fishermen stand waist high in the shallow waters. Young boys sit perched on top of the navi-

gation poles constructed by the French to guide vessels through the hazardous waters.

Part of the draw of the Vat Phou Cruise is sleeping on board. As we slowly chug our way against the current we have ample time to take in the small villages spilling down into the water, groups of water buffaloes crowded around sandbanks, and small children swimming in the river. It also allows us to settle into the timeless pace of life on the river.

Visiting the village of Deua Tia, we enter a time warp that does not belong in the 21st century. A primary school, occasional vegetable patches and a solitary pig vie for our attention. Back on the boat for some more Laos-time acclimatisation, we pull into harbour at the village of Tomo — home of the ancient ruins of Oum

Muong that date back to the 9th century.

Those familiar with Hindu sites from India to Vietnam will recognise the hallmarks — piles of rubble that used to be a temple, ornate carvings of divinities etched in sandstone, occasional linga. Wandering back through the protected forests that surround the ruins, you realise not much, if anything, has changed in the 1,000 or so years since people started to worship gods here. As the sun sets we don our bathers and join the local villagers taking a swim in the Mekong’s cooling waters — the perfect end to a day of doing nothing.

A few kilometres upstream from Oum Moung lies Vat Phou. The historic site dates back to the 5th century, although the structures standing now belong to the Angkor era

of the 11th to 13th centuries. It is our final destination and the highlight of the trip.

Passing between the complex’s two reservoirs, or baray, it is easy to see why Vat Phou literally means ‘mountain temple’. The 77 steps up to the main sanctuary prove quite a hike. Like at Angkor, restoration work is being carried out to preserve the temples.

Blocks of stone are numbered and reinstated in their former positions. Carvings of Shiva, Vishnu and Apsara dancers abound, but in nothing like the detail or scale of the temple’s more famous Khmer cousin.

What Vat Phou does have, and is most likely the reason why a sanctuary to Shiva was founded here in the first place, is an eternal spring. Even in this barren terrain, water trickles down from the moun-

tain into a waiting trough for modern day pilgrims to purify themselves.

Human sacrifices are said — though not proven —to have been carried out on a rock shaped like an inverted crocodile. But far above disputed legend, Vat Phou’s main draw is the magnificent view from the top, something that makes the ascent worthwhile.

Back on the river, we decamp to a smaller boat that is waiting to take us back along the shallow waters to the town of Pakse. We play tag with the next group of travellers who have already taken up occupation aboard. Nothing happens on our final voyage, but that, after all, is the beauty of southern Laos.

For more information about Vat Phou Cruises, visit Vatphou.com. asialife HCMC 37

Forest in the city Healthy green trees and glassy lakes live alongside skyscrapers in Vancouver.

Text and photos by Lien Hoang.

Vancouverites are outdoorsy people who like to hike, ski, or hit the water. So perhaps that’s why they’ve done such a unique job here of mixing the natural with the urban, despite being the densest big city in Canada.

The highlight of a jaunt to Vancouver is the massive Stanley Park, which is more like a forest occupying the peninsula west of downtown. The park’s proximity to the city centre benefits the 2.3 million living across greater Vancouver. Where else can one work from a 20th-floor office overlooking the city’s glass-balcony high-rises and monorail lines, then take a stroll through the woods during a lunch break, and return in time for a conference call?

Lost Lagoon welcomes visitors to Stanley Park with an easy trail and a small fountain on the water that lights up with colours. Birds abound here, from cranes to mallards — not that wildlife are limited to the lakes and woods. Canadian geese, for example, roam the roads all over Vancouver.

Deeper into the forest, Beaver Lake is a fraction of the size of 38 asialife HCMC

the lagoon but no less impressive. Where the water is clear, it evenly reflects the rows of evergreens and deciduous rising up behind it. Elsewhere, lily pads coat the lake surface and hide a secret: they are killing the lake. Usually, forest lakes take several millennia to succumb to the surrounding vegetation.

But planners brought lilies in to pretty up the water in 1937, and as they die, they remove oxygen and speed up the lake’s decline. A plaque on the shore estimates Beaver Lake will be no more within our lifetime.

No shortage of nature lovers fill the popular lanes cutting through the trees and around the waters of Stanley Park. In addition to them, parking signs, an aquarium, stone bridges, manicured gardens, and decapitated trees remind you that civilisation is not far away. But move farther west, and you’ll have no trouble escaping the humans in favour of unpaved paths, fields of daisies, and murmuring brooks.

I then traded the smell of pines for the smell of the sea.

Beaches where fallen trees and driftwood are decaying encircle

the park, leading you past the high and green Lions Gate Bridge. People rest at benches set on an outcrop over the sand, or continue on to English Bay around the south side of Vancouver. There, moss and seaweed compete to paint the stones in black, yellow, and green, while a Stonehengelike figure of public art called the Inukshuk pays tribute to Canada’s indigenous peoples.

Vancouver has some of the more temperate weather in the country, but the waters here are less for swimming and more for sailing. Along Coal Harbour to the north, well-heeled Canadians park their nautical playthings or meet for rowing clubs. Travellers without the convenience of their own yachts can rent boats in Granville to the south, or take a ride on the Aquabus, a rainbow-coloured ferry shaped like a tugboat. The promenade along the harbour testifies in favour of planners’ intentions. They laid out not only a pedestrian-friendly area on the waterfront, but also a plethora of drinking fountains and public bathrooms inviting guests to stay a while.

Bike rentals attract plenty of visitors, and even rollerblades are so popular that the city has painted pictures of them on the asphalt to designate their own path.

The forests and oceans work so well because they come with all the comforts and wonders of cities. Vancouver has eschewed the urban sprawl and highways blighting many a downtown.

Instead, it boasts a grid system,

timely buses where passengers thank drivers and tickers remind residents to vote, as well as trains that get to the airport in 20 minutes.

This is a cosmopolitan metropole, from the gay scene on Davie Street to the posh stores along Robson Street. It’s an epicentre that lures filmmakers out of Hollywood and attracts immigrants, from the Eastern Europeans in the west, to the Asians in Richmond and the Eastside. It’s not uncommon to hear three different languages as you walk down a city block.

Vancouver has its architectural feats, such as the Lookout, a tower that tops out similar to the Seattle Space Needle.

But my undisputed favourite is the public library, brilliantly modelled after the Colosseum in Rome. Builders did well in executing a circular structure with a curved annex, connected under a glass roof. Residents get in line more than a half hour before this public space opens, or grab lunch from the indoor shops lining the library.

The real outdoorsmen, of course, prefer to leave Vancouver proper so they can swim in the rivers and climb the snowy slopes viewed in the distance from downtown. But the city goes as far as any in bringing nature to the people. Instead of the putrid Lake Merritt of Oakland, California, or the gray, dirty beach on Chicago’s portion of Lake Michigan, Vancouver allows you to enjoy clean waters and green trees without stepping outside of the city.

The highlight of a jaunt to Vancouver is the massive Stanley Park, which is more like a forest occupying the peninsula west of downtown.

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Cold Beer in a Warm Time Capsule I emerged from a fine dinner at Black Cat late one recent night. And following its little side street of Phan Van Dat, I was delivered straight onto Mac Thi Buoi. An ancient xe om puttered by and took a left onto Dong Khoi, heading toward the river. Xe oms and the Saigon River are constants, but our city’s nightscape is otherwise highly changeable.

The trends they come and the trends they go. Fashion is ever in flux. Last year’s hot new club is this year’s memory.

The foo-foo drinks it served are now shunned for sparkling wine, or some frothy coffee concoction. Maybe next year it will be kava. The must-go-to “restobar” is closed for remodeling, again. A new, simply faaabulous menu will be created and executed by a rising local chef and some of the brightest creative consultants in the biz, darling. Tofu will be edged out by tall food, which in turn will yield to tapas.

Maybe next year we’ll all have mushroom mania. Maybe we’ll all just have mania.

The constants are few. And the old reliables, the steady ever-dependables, seem to diminish in number with the passing of years and the unabated pace of development. And those that remain are often very humble. But being humble they are trend-proof. No one is surprised or dismayed that the place doesn’t change for decades. They get no grief from critics for not being innovative. Instead they get loyalty from their regular patrons, a constant stream of customers that makes them proof against the vicissitudes of fashion, fad, or recession. They become beacons in the night to those who hunger for familiarity, for certitude. They are a North 40 asialife HCMC

Star to guide you to a friendly nod, an unpretentious smile, a cold beer and a small tab.

I turned right on Mac Thi Buoi, took a left at Hai Ba Trung and walked the one block to Dong Du where warm yellow light spilled out from a corner space and enveloped the sidewalk. I stepped into one of those beacons: Hien and Bob’s Place, at 43 Hai Ba Trung. Its ever-present owner, Hien, has been presiding here since 1993.

Hien and her late husband, Bob, opened the place in that year. And you’ll still find her, elegantly dressed, at her perch

ends, and the little wooden tower of sticks comes crashing down to everyone’s shrieks of, “Oh, Hell!”

This is more than just a bar.

This is a cocoon, a refuge.

Outside life passes in full view through tall windows. Traffic snarls and tourists stumble. But all is safe and sound within.

Hien and her staff, all of them pleasant young women, are clad in ao dai and providing attentive yet undemanding service.

Pods of regulars, both men and women, occupy the bar while visitors cluster at the tables.

We’re all in a time capsule here.

The constants are few. And the old reliables, the steady ever-dependables, seem to diminish in number with the passing of years and the unabated pace of development. And those that remain are often very humble. behind the bar from 4pm till “late”, seven nights a week. A fixed star in the firmament of the city’s night.

It’s not very large within. You could park three cars in it with a little room left over for a few boxes of miscellany. The decor might be described as stripped down Tiki bar. The walls are panelled with stained bamboo, and the ceiling with woven mat.

Colourful Vietnamese lanterns hang over the L-shaped bar, and there is a brass bell you can ring should you decide to buy a round for all. And it’s rather soothing and calm in here.

There is music in the background, but it never competes with conversation. There are other patrons, all having a good time, but never shouting. That is, except, when a Jenga game

Nothing has changed in 20 years. And nothing needs to, nor should, change. The formula is flawless. Many bars, pubs, clubs and such have come and gone in this little corner of town.

But Hien’s remains, beckoning in the night.

You can get a sandwich here.

Nothing fancy, but a decent snack, along with what patrons have long said is the coldest beer in town. There are all the usual bar suspects on the shelves before the mirror behind the bar. And an extensive collection of vintage music. If they know you and your taste, they’ll put it on without your asking.

That’s why you’ll hear Elvis if you see me at the bar. So if you do, say hello. We’ll play a game of Jenga. Loser rings the brass bell.

Cirrus Cirrus restaurant seems illusory on the 51st floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower.

Five-metre, floor-to-ceiling windows reveal breathtaking, unobstructed panoramas of the cityscape within a sophisticated, circular floor plan.

Sleek dining tables surround the perimeter or perch on wooden mezzanines, ensuring every guest a direct view of the wonderland below. An opentheatre kitchen, where guests can witness executive chef Gabriel Boyer and his team in action, provides an additional spectacle.

Cirrus' menu parallels in intrigue, offering a solid selection of modern and eclectic, yet non-intimidating dishes.

Starter entrees range from

This sky-high restaurant in the Bitexco Financial Tower takes fine dining to a new level. By Ruben Luong. Photos by Fred Wissink.

VND 225,000-VND 450,000, while mains range from VND 345,000-VND 845,000.

We began with the tuna carpaccio (VND 280,000), a lovely starter. Fresh and refined, the thinly-smeared slab of sashimi-grade tuna was mild and a perfect hue of light pink.

A succulent layer of black olive emulsion was a welcomed and savoured acquaintance. Parmesan crisps, lodged in vines of watercress greens and cherry tomatoes, formed a crispy, colourful canopy, adding complexities to the dish.

Perhaps the highlight of our meal was the pan-roasted pigeon breast (VND 250,000).

Resting on a cluster of wilted arugula, round chunks of game glazed in a Phu Quoc pepper

puree were enticing. A dollop of warm cauliflower puree proved a comforting side dip.

The overall dish was demure, yet decidedly unique and palatable.

Likewise, the main course, braised beef cheeks (VND 495,000), didn't disappoint.

Beef can be typical and tired, but this lean tower of braised beef cheeks was different. Each portion was gently shredded into morsels of smoky beef, reminding us of classic barbeque.

Saturated in a red-wine glaze, each parcel was decadent, and so were the roasted shallots and garlic swimming in a pool of carrot puree that accompanied them.

With a slice of tres leches sponge cake (VND 120,000),

dessert was served. Combining three types of milk and soaked in Kahlua espresso overnight, the cake oozed a satisfying opulence. A procession of ripe strawberries was inviting beside the cake, as well as carefully spread mascarpone creme frosting.

Opened for a mere two months, Cirrus is simply euphoric. Don't be surprised by a strong desire to linger around longer — Cirrus is also below Bitexco's similarly renowned helipad bar, Alto — an ideal spot for follow-up drinks.

2 Hai Trieu, D1, 51st Floor, Bitexco Financial Tower +84 62 91 87 51 Open from 6pm Cirrussaigon.com asialife HCMC 41

Evita Cafe Located just down the street from the British International School, Evita Cafe has one of the warmest, most inviting interiors in town. Comfortable, colourful sofas and chairs abound, there is plenty of natural light, stacks of magazines await your perusal, and both a foosball and pool table are available.

The café’s extensive, wideranging menu features favourites from around the world.

Everything from breakfast to sandwiches to pizza to pasta and rice dishes are available, and at very reasonable prices.

A few examples include quiche, Greek salad, Mexican pizza, and apple strudel for dessert.

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A welcoming restaurant with an eclectic menu of comfort food and a new cooking concept. By Michael Tatarski.

Photos by Fred Wissink.

Prices in all categories range from VND 70,000 to around VND 150,000.

More exciting than the standard menu, though, is the arrival of Belgian chef Nic Vanderbeeken, who is bringing a concept called bistronomy to Vietnam for the first time.

Popular in Europe, bistronomy features dishes similar to those found in molecular gastronomy, but at more affordable prices. Vanderbeeken has created his own special menu for Evita, and it will become available this month.

We tried dishes from both menus, starting off with roasted salmon with potato gratin and vegetables (VND 160,000).

The fresh salmon was perfectly cooked, with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. I particularly enjoyed the flavourful potato gratin, which offered a heavy contrast to the light salmon.

Then, we moved onto the bistronomy menu, which doesn’t have set prices yet.

First was the sea bass tartar with broccoli and olive couscous and black olive crumble. Vanderbeeken used a device to pour smoke from hazelnuts over the dish, which isn’t something I had seen before. The delicate sea bass was incredibly fresh and had a delightfully smooth taste. Having never heard of bistronomy before this meal I had no idea

what to expect, but this was a good start.

Finally, for dessert we had the crème brulee, served in two small cups and lit on fire.

We were told to let the flames burn for at least 30 seconds before digging in. This gave it a crunchy top layer that hid the creamy goodness below. By the time I finished, I already wanted to try more from the new menu. If you are looking for something that no other restaurant in the city has, plan a visit to Evita.

230 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 08 35 12 38 88 7am-11pm, seven days Vascosgroup.com

Cajun Cua It doesn’t take long for the spices to get to work. We’re dripping sweat, trying not to wipe the perspiration from our brows with our sauce-covered fingers.

But eating seafood — especially Cajun style — should be messy, and this lives up to expectations.

The Cajun Cua (cua means crab) started when Viet Kieu owner Danny Tran had a craving for some good Californiastyle Cajun seafood. While Cajun food originates from Louisiana and Tran says he is emulating Californian seafood joints, this combination is one of the few western food imports that seems likey to be a sure-fire success with all types of locals and expats.

Cajun-inspired seafood turns up the heat in Saigon.

By Chris Mueller. Photos by Jonny Edbrooke.

The menu is simple and small, with the highlight being the Cajun Combo Bag, which comes in two sizes: one kilo (VND 500,000) and half kilo (VND 300,000). The kilo bag includes two blue swimmer crabs and the half kilo has one. The rest of the weight is made up of tiger prawns and clams. Each bag is also filled with sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, and sausages, none of which count against the total weight. The whole thing is seasoned with one of three choices of sauces: Cajun, butter garlic or steamed with beer. We opt for the Cajun and take it medium-spicy, which was just enough to get us

sweating without becoming painful. I like spicy food, but I imagine hot would be too much for many.

In true Cajun fashion, the bag is poured over a white paper table cover and we eat with our hands, washing everything down with cold Tigers (VND 30,000).

If the seafood isn’t enough, there are also some simple yet tasty sides, including a plate of six Fine de Claire oysters (VND 90,000) and Cajun french fries (VND 40,000). The typical fries were livened up by the imported spices, while the oysters — fresh and raw — were a perfect way to cool the mouth. Or if you want

something truly special, they have live Canadian lobsters (VND 1,250,000 each).

Right now there is only one location, a Vietnamesestyle quan on Ly Tu Trong that tends to get rowdy as the night goes on. A second location in either District 2 or Phu My Hung is also in the works.

Cajun Cua isn't designed for fine dining, but what it lacks in décor it more than makes up for with food. After all, what could be better than seafood and beer?

267 Ly Tu Trong, D1 (11am-1am, seven days) 09 02 94 95 48 Thecajuncua.com asialife HCMC 43

ROOM TO MOVE

A roundup of some of the more interesting hotels in Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, including some old masters and a couple of modern classics. By Mark Bibby Jackson.

As Time Goes By Though engulfed by the 393-room hotel that succeeded it, touches of Bangkok’s original 137-year-old Mandarin Oriental remain, thanks to its wonderful conservatory — ideal for afternoon tea — and four very exclusive suites. You can imagine Joseph Conrad crafting Heart of Darkness in the suite that now bears his name before popping down to the reading room.

The seafood restaurant in the main building also has a Conradian reference, and is called Lord Jim, although I doubt the character would approve of the Japanese slant to the menu. In keeping with the nostalgia oozing through every pore of this Thai classic, each room has its own butler. For those wishing for more modern luxury, a short boat hop across the Chao Phraya River is the spa and leisure annex, which includes a running track and squash court.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok +66 (0) 2659 900 Mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/

Burmese Nostalgia Early 20th century travellers described the 1901-built Strand Yangon as “the finest hostelry East of Suez”. Graced by the likes of Somerset Maugham, George Orwell, Sir Noel Coward and Rudyard Kipling, the hotel still has a sense of the Raj, despite the state of disrepair it fell into before being rescued by hotelier Adrian Zecha. From the colonnaded exterior, the white-washed façade and teak-framed windows, to the four-poster beds, the Strand exudes a timeless elegance that has somehow survived the economic embargo of the country. The lobby, with its cane furniture, soaring ceilings and jasmine-scented air, transports guests to a bygone era. Like the country itself, the Strand sits somewhat uneasily in the 21st century, but it is head and shoulders above the other hotels in the former Burmese capital.

The Strand, Yangon +95 (0) 1 243 377 Hotelthestrand.com

Where Eagles Dare It speaks volumes for the commercialisation of Koh Samui that the Conrad Koh Samui was built at all. Reminiscent of the Italian coastline around Sorrento, the resort’s 80 villas cling to the cliffs as if they were creatures trying to escape the sea’s emerald waters. Denied the beauty of the beaches farther north — guests need to take a shuttle boat to a deserted beach on a nearby islet — the Conrad has gone overboard in the quality of its accommodation. Each villa has its own 10-metre-long infinity pool where guests can gaze across the bay to the mainland. Inside, original works of art rest beside modern amenities such as an espresso machine and Apple TV. The bathrooms, with their large stoneware oval tubs, are works of art in their own right.

Conrad Koh Samui +66 (0) 77 915 888 Conradhotels3.hilton.com

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Locked Up in Laos If all prisons in Laos were like the Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang, there would be a massive increase in the crime rate. It’s hard to imagine as you enter the perfectly manicured gardens that the property was a jail before being converted into a luxury resort four years ago. Don’t worry, there is no chance of bunking down with a serial offender here. Even the smallest suite is 52 square metres, with a private garden at the rear. The rooms are arranged around the gardens and communal swimming pool in a manner more resembling a Spanish compound than a northern Laos jail.

The hotel retains a tranquility that is fast evaporating downtown, where hordes of backpackers tread the once peaceful streets of the Mekong’s most beautiful city.

Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang +85 6 71 260 777 Hoteldelapaixlp.com

Changing the Landscape Spread over 16 acres, the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin is set in landscaped gardens replete with exotic plants. Apparently, 99 trees, many of which are labelled more like a botanical garden than the grounds of a hotel, were preserved during construction. Away from the gardens, McFarland House is a two-storey beachfront Thai pavilion built in the 19th century. It is the original vacation house for George Bradley McFarland, a doctor who was given the land by Rama VI for his contribution to Thai medicine. The building has been restored and transformed into an airy beachfront bar and casual dining area. The Hyatt Regency also has the ultimate offering. The Barai Residential Spa is a self-contained spa resort, and walking along the narrow corridor leading to its 18 treatment rooms is like travelling to Marrakesh.

Hyatt Regency Hua Hin +66 3 252 1234 Huahin.regency.hyatt.com / Thebarai.com

Contemporary Thai Icon The Hotel de la Paix Cha Am is like a futuristic film set. Spartan, brutal and austere, Thai architect and designer Duangrit Bunnag has produced “a contemporary Thai icon for the ages”. The hotel’s design consists of a series of straight lines that invite you step-by-step towards its secluded beach and the horizon beyond. The foyer leads on to a pond, which then yields to the Clouds Loft bar where customers wait patiently for the sun to set, seemingly oblivious to the easterly-facing direction of the hotel. The hard marble floors and lava-rock walls confined behind steel meshing create natural barriers that provide the privacy that guests crave. Beneath the minimalist façade are a series of secluded spaces, such as the aquamarine pool and adjoining, chic Red Bar and Spa Indochine, ensuring that visitors can find their own karma.

Hotel de la Paix Cha Am Beach +66 (0) 32 709 555 Hoteldelapaixhh.com

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Modern Prep Model: nico greeve Photography: Fred Wissink

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ANNA VO

23 Dong Khoi Street, District 1 White-linen vest and pants: VND 4,320,000 Linen shirt with Mao collar: VND 1,450,000 Crocodile leather shoes: VND 5,304,000 Colour blocking button shirt: VND 1,680,000

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Massimo Ferrari 42A1 Tran Quoc Thao Street, District 3

Left: Eyewear: VND 2,100,000 Blue motif shirt: VND 3,675,000 Navy double-breasted jacket: VND 9,000,000 Pink MF pants: VND 4,095,000 Pocket wear: VND 945,000 Red driving shoes: VND 3,885,000 Scarf: VND 1,050,000 Below: Black Ray-Ban sunglasses: VND 6,800,000 Turquoise double-breasted jacket: VND 8,400,000 Blue motif shirt: VND 3,675,000 White short pants: VND 1,785,000 Red driving shoes: VND 3,885,000 Pocket wear: VND 945,000

48 asialife HCMC

SANTO NERO 23 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1 Santonero.com

Both shirts: VND 1,800,000 Right: summer 2013 collection Below: spring/summer 2013 collection

asialife HCMC 49

CON DAO

listings

Six Senses Con Dao Dat Doc Beach, Con Dao Dist, Ba Ria Tel: 064 3831 222 www.sixsenses.com/SixSensesConDao The first 5 star resort with 50 villas stretch across a mile-long beach, each villas has its own infinity-edge pool facing the ocean and a stunning restaurant.

hotel & travel

DALAT

AIRLINES Cathay Pacific 72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3 Tel: 3822 3203 www.cathaypacific.com Hong Kong-based airline makes three flights daily to HCM City and two flights daily to Hong Kong’s international airport.

Malaysia Airlines Unit G8 Ground floor, SG Trade Center 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3824 6663 www.malaysiaairlines.com Offers daily flights from Hanoi and HCM City to Kuala Lumpur, with four economy class fare levels: low, basic, smart and flex.

Turkish Airlines 8th floor, AB Tower 76A Le Lai, D1 Tel: 3936 0360 www.turkishairlines.com Awarded as the Best Airline in Europe offers the brand new Comfort Class to E conomy class: 46inch leg room, personalised entertainment screen and globally awarded cuisine on-board.

Vietnam Airlines Hanoi: 25 Trang Thi, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6270 0200 HCM City: 16th Floor, Sun Wah, 115 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3832 0320 www.vietnamairlines.com.vn The domestic route map is extensive, with several flights daily between major and less touristed cities throughout Vietnam. Flies internationally throughout Asia and to Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Sydney, Melboure, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

escape

Ana Mandara Villas Resort & Spa Le Lai, Ward 5, Dalat Tel: 063 3555 888 www.anamandara-resort.com Luxury 35-acre resort encompasses 17 restored early 20th-century villas and 65 rooms set in the rural highlands. La Cochinchine Spa offers wide range of treatments. Le Petite Dalat Restaurant serves Vietnamese and fusion cuisine. Heated swimming pool, art gallery and cooking classes in organic garden.

HO CHI MINH CITY Caravelle Hotel 19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999 www.caravellehotel.com One of the city’s most prestigious venues. Features a casino, Reflections Restaurant and al fresco 9th-floor Saigon Saigon Bar. Equatorial 242 Tran Binh Trong D5 Tel: 3839 7777 www.equatorial.com/hcm On the intersect of 4 districts, with 333 rooms, Orientica Seafood restaurant and bar, Chit Chat cafe, pool (swim-up bar), gym.

activities Dalat Easy Rider Tours 70 Phan Dinh Phung dalateasyriders@yahoo.com www.dalat-easyrider.com Ride pillion with English-, French- or German-speaking tour guides on motorbike adventures that start in Dalat and snake through mountains, jungles and deltas, lasting anywhere from three to 21 days.

HANOI Intercontinental Westlake Hanoi 1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Tel: 04 6270 8888 www.intercontinental.com Located on the waterfront with contemporary Vietnamese design, restaurants, business services, fitness centre including exercise classes and pool.

Sheraton Hotel Hanoi K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 04 3719 9000 www.starwoodhotels.com “Resort within a city” boasts 299 spacious guest rooms with panoramic views, fitness centre, international restaurant and Hemisphere Vietnamese restaurant.

InterContinental Asiana Saigon Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9999 saigon@interconti.com www.intercontinental.com/saigon 305 rooms/suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, five restaurants/bars, meeting/ banquet facilities, spa/health club and lounge with panoramic view.

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 www.moevenpick-saigon.com Has 278 well-appointed rooms/suites, five restaurants/bars, meeting/banquet facilities and a shopping arcade as well as a popular e-gaming centre.

New World Hotel 76 Le Lai, D1 Tel: 3822 8888 www.newworldsaigon.com Located in the city centre, with gym, outdoor pool, tennis court, event space and Dynasty Chinese restaurant.

Sheraton 88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828

www.sheraton.com/saigon Luxury downtown hotel with Level 23 bar, Mojo cafe, Li Bai Chinese restaurant, fine dining at The Signature on the 23rd floor.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza 17 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3824 1555 www.sofitel.com/2077 One of the city’s top hotels with in-room Wi-Fi, two restaurants with international cuisine, two bars, six conference rooms, outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre.

Windsor Plaza 18 An Duong Vuong, D5 Tel: 3833 6688 services@windsorplazahotel.com www.windsorplazahotel.com Located in a main shopping hub. Three restaurants, modern discotheque, conference centre, shopping centre, supermarket.

activities Vietnam Vespa Adventures 169 De Tham, D1, Pham Ngu Lao Tel: 3920 3897 www.vietnamvespaadventures.com Offers 3-day trips to Mui Ne, 8-days to Nha Trang or half-day tours of HCMC on classic Vespas.

HOI AN & DANANG Banyan Tree Lang Co Tel: 84 54 3695 888 The resort is inspired by the artistic heritage of Vietnamese dynasties past, features 32 lagoon pool villas, 17 beach pool villas, an array of eclectic dining experiences from modern Thai cuisine to French specialties, 18-hole championship course designed by Sir Nick Faldo, delivers a golfing experience that can be enjoyed by skilled and novice players alike.

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort Bai Bac, Son Tra Peninsula Tel: 0511 093 8888 danang.intercontinental.com A world of poetic experiences and jungle-clad romance in a place that cloaks you with luxury. The mastery of traditional Vietnamese design meets modern architectural flair in this distinctive retreat within the dense rainforest of mythical Monkey Mountain.

take flight with travel promotions around the region

The French Connection

Bai Tram Hideaway, located near Quy Nhon, is offering a ‘French Connection Vacation’ package until 31 July. For $550 customers get two nights in a one-bedroom villa, a class on how to make French cocktails such as the French 75, and a private dinner for two in the brick house a French legations officer built in 1939. Airport transfers, daily breakfast and a cruise to a working lobster farm are also included in the package, which is only available to Vietnamese citizens and expats living in the country. Book through reservations@baitram.com or 08 62 99 08 90.

Unlimited Golf in Da Lat

Two 'Edensee Unlimited Golf' packages will be available at the Dalat Edensee Resort

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Sofitel Metropole 15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3826 6919 www.sofitel.com Located downtown. Colonial-style hotel with well-regarded restaurants/bars serving French & Vietnamese cuisine, plus Italian steak house.

& Spa until 31 Dec. Under the first option visitors will get two nights in a Mimosa Superior room, two days of unlimited golf with caddie and baggy at Royale City, access to the sauna and steam bath, and complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport.

Cost is VND 4,900,000 per person based on twin sharing. The second package includes all of the above plus one dinner or two picnic lunches and two full body massages at Edensee’s La Roseraie Spa. For booking contact info@dalatedensee.com, 08 33 83 15 15.

Summer Getaway in Mui Ne

The Pandanus Resort & Spa is offering a special 'Summer Getaway' package until 30 Aug. The deal includes two night’s accommodation in a superior room, buffet

breakfast each morning, dinner for two at either the Café Blue Lagoon or the Saturday night poolside barbeque, welcome drinks at check in and a walking tour of Mui Ne. The package is priced at VND 2,800,000++ for weekdays and VND 3,500,000++ for Friday and Saturday nights for two people sharing a room for two nights. Book at Pandanusresort.com or 08 38 49 849.

Would like to thank our sponsors for this year’s festival

HUE Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa 112 Minh Mang Tel: 054 3830 240 www.vedanaresorts.com Nestled on the shore of a peaceful and serene lagoon, vedana lagoon resort & spa is ideally situated between the two cities well-known as world heritage sites: hue and hoi an. The resort designed with a stylist harmony between the local traditional culture and a modern art concept with 27 villas, bungalows and 2 houseboats.

NHA TRANG Evason Hideaway at Ana Mandara Ninh Van Bay, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Tel: 058 3728 222 www.sixsenses.com/hideawayanamandara An island hideaway accessible only by boat, 58 private pool villas, international and local restaurants, wedding services, water sports and scuba diving.

Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang Beachside, Tran Phu, Nha Trang Tel: 058 3522 222 www.sixsenses.com/evasonanamandara Beachside resort set in 26,000 square metres of tropical garden, with 74 guest villas, three restaurants, Six Senses Spa. Mia Resort Nha Trang Bai Dong, Cam Hai Dong, Cam Lam, Khanh Hoa Tel: 58 398 9666 www.mianhatrang.com Ultimate luxury resort with 50 rooms divided into villas and condos, catering by wel-known restaurant Sandals and Mojito's bar.

PHAN THIET Villa Aria Muine 60A Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne Tel: 062 3741 660 www.villaariamuine.com Villa Aria Muine is a boutique beach resort in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan province. Set on a beautiful beachfront in the middle of the Mui Ne strip, the villa combines modern tropical style and French country luxury.

Princess D’Ânnam Resort and Spa Khu Hon Lan, Tan Thanh, Ham Thuan Nam, Binh Thuan. Tel: 062 3682 222 www.princessannam.com Located on Ke Ga Bay with 57 exclusive villas, eight swimming pools, two restaurants and 1,800 square metres spa complex.

The Sailing Club 24 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet Tel: 062 3847 440 www.sailingclubvietnam.com Open bar overlooking the sea, spacious rooms, restaurant, swimming pool and day spa.

Victoria Phan Thiet Resort and Spa Mui Ne Beach Tel: 84 62 3813 000 www.victoriahotels-asia.com Located on a private beach, 60 cosy bungalows, natural spa experiences among other great activities on offer at the resort.

SAPA Victoria Sapa Resort Sapa District, Lao Cai Province Tel: 020 0871 522 www.victoriahotels-asia.com Mountain chalet perched over the village wth cosy but modern guestrooms overlooking the lawn and garden. Ta Van restaurant overlooks

Mount Fansipan and Ta Fin bar has a stone hearth fireplace. Connection from Hanoi by private train.

SCUBA DIVING Note: AsiaLIFE only lists dive centres recognized by international dive training programs, such as the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) and Scuba Schools International (SSI). We strongly advise against diving with unaccredited dive centres in Vietnam.

Rainbow Divers 55 Nguyen Dang Giai, An Phu, D2 Tel: 3744 6825 www.divevietnam.com Diving tours and career/instructor development offered by Vietnam’s first PADI centre. established in the mid-90s. Operates dive centres in Nha Trang, Whale Island, Hoi An and Phu Quoc.

Octopus Diving 62 Tran Phu, Nha Trang 058 826 528 www.divenhatrang.com PADI/SSI dive centre based in Nha Trang and affiliated with the Sailing Club Co. with additional centres in Mui Ne and Hoi An. Offers a range of services.

VUNG TAU Petro House Hotel 63 Tran Hung Dao, Ward 1, Vung Tau Tel: 064 3852 014 www.petrohousehotel.vn Located right in the heart of Vung Tau. Petro House is one of the city's most elegent boutique business hotel. The hotel's spacious guest rooms have been thoroughly modernized, delivering comfort, safety & connectivity.

MONTE CARLO PUB

CHINESE & MALAYSIAN RESTAURANT

Monte Carlo E-Gaming Club

• Located right in the heart of Vung Tau • Elegant boutique hotel in luxurious French colonial settings • Spacious guest rooms delivering comfort, safety and connectivity • Excellent entertainment venue offering great dining, drinking and gaming options PETRO HOUSE HOTEL 63 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ward 1, Vung Tau, Vietnam Tel: +84 64 3852 014 | Fax: +84 64 3852 015 Web: www.petrohousehotel.vn | Email: info@petrohousehotel.vn

MGM Grand Ho Tram Beach Phuoc Thuan Commune, Xuyen Moc District, Ba Ria Vung Tau Tel: +84 8 3528 5286 www.mgmgrandhotrambeach.com MGM Grand Ho Tram Beach is Vietnam’s first large-scale, fullyintegrated luxury beach resort and entertainment destination. With beautifully appointed five-star rooms, numerous activities, world-class restaurants, and a luxurious spa, this resort offers guests a premium hospitality experience in a spectacular natural setting.

TRAVEL AGENTS Buffalo Tours Agency HCMC: 81 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3827 9170 Hanoi: 94 Ma May, Hoan Kiem District Tel: 04 3828 0702 www.buffalotours.com Tailor-made itineraries, communitybased tourism, cultural tours, adventure trips, golfing and premium trips offered by locally run and wellrespected travel agent.

Exotissimo HCMC: 20 Hai Ba Trung St, D1 Tel: 3827 2911 infosgn@exotissimo.com SD5-2 Grand View, Nguyen Duc Canh, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 5412 2761/62 pmh@exotissimo.com HANOI: 26 Tran Nhat Duat St, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3828 2150 infohanoi@exotissimo.com www.exotissimo.com French-owned agency specializing in flight bookings, package holidays and a range of well-run cultural and historical tours of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

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downstairs to fit your dining pleasure.

Relaxed environment with frequent live music. Offers Spanish and Cuban fare including paella and a tapas fiesta comprising three plates. Open late daily.

food & drink

Le Pub 175/ 22 Pham Ngu Lao, D1 www.lepub.org One of Pham Ngu Lao’s favourite watering holes, Le Pub also has a good menu of well-executed pub grub and international favourites. Hearty breakfast is available all day and specials are offered daily.

BAR RESTAURANTS Alibi 11 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 3240 Hip without being showy, this versatile venue has a pleasant front porch, stand up bar and comfortable lounge seating with bright, warm décor and great tunes. Drinks list is extensive and the food menu boasts French-style mains.

Buddha Bar 7 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2080 An Phu institution serves up tasty meals and good drinks in a friendly, chilled environment. Plenty of room to relax inside or out, plus a pool table on premise.  Chilli Pub 104 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 08 73 01 13 77 An intimate pub on a popular bar street that serves pub grub and its famous bowls of chilli. It also has a pool table, dart boards and TVs for watching sports.

Corso Steakhouse & Bar Norfolk Hotel, 117 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Located in the chic Norfolk Hotel Corso Steakhouse & Bar is well known for its steak imported from the US and Australia. Good destination for both lunch and dinner.

La Habana 6 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5180 www.lahabana-saigon.com This charming little place has seating indoors and outdoors, upstairs and

feast

Mogambos 50 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 1311 This restaurant has been around since the mid-1990s, which offers an insight into its enduring quality. Specializes in American grain-fed steaks, hamburgers and salads served in a pleasant atmosphere.  Pasha Bar & Restaurant 25 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 08 629 136 77 www.pasha.com.vn Turkish–Mediterranean restaurant located in heart of HCMC serves halal and high quality food with ingredients imported from Turkey, Spain, Singapore, Egypt, New Zealand, Japan and France. Long happy hour half price by glass. Various shisha flavours.

Phatty’s 46-48 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3821 0705 www.phattysbar.com Jaspa’s Steve Hardy and Ben Winspear’s sports bar has five widescreen TVs, a large drop-down screen and lots of pub grub and beer for fans looking to take in a game or two.

Qing 110 Pasteur, D1 www.qing.com.vn Sophisticated downtown bar just off Le Loi specializes in Asian tapas, Asian/ South American fusion dishes and a few delectable deserts. Variety of good wines by the glass or bottle.

Red Bar 70-72 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 08 22 29 70 17 Tucked behind the Bitexco building,

Sheridan's Irish House 24 Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: 3823 0793 www.sheridansbarvn.com Cosy Irish pub with authentic Irish decor, a pleasant atmosphere and regular live music. Wide range of classic pub grub, East Asian dishes and a fantastic breakfast fry-up available from 8 am.

The Tavern R2/24 Hung Gia 3, Bui Bang Doan, D7 Tel: 5410 3900 Boasts good international food, a pool table, dartboards and sports coverage on large screens. Outdoor seating on mutiple levels. Second floor sports lounge hosts DJs at the weekends.  Vasco’s Bar 74/7D Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 2888 Chic bar decked in deep reds that gets packed to capacity on weekends.

Open Monday to Saturday with live music on Fridays. Food menu by chef with over 10 years experience at La Camargue. Also does excellent pizza.  ZanZBar 41 Dong Du, D1 Funky, modern interiors and varied international breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisine. Imported beers, cocktails, gourmet espresso coffee, and happy hours make ZanZBar a great after-work spot. Open late.

CAFES Cay Da Cafe Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 118 www.moevenpick-saigon.com Stocks the Moevenpick’s chef’s most delicious cakes, pastries, ice cream and sandwiches.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 12-14 Thai Van Lung, D1

94 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3 Nowzone, 235 Nguyen Van Cu, D5 Metropolitan Bldng, 235 Dong Khoi, D1 International café chain with a wide variety of coffees and teas, as well as light snacks and food. Also sells freshroasted coffee beans and tins of whole leaf tea.  Mojo 88 Dong Khoi, D1 www.sheratonsaigon.com A top-end cafe with an attractive interior, outdoor terrace at street level and comfortable lounges upstairs. Good business coffee or lunch venue.

That’s Café Rivergarden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, Phu My Hung, D7 Hailing from the U.S., That’s Café is a new Khai Silk initiative. Claiming to provide the best coffee in town in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere, it’s a great place to hold a business meeting or catch up with friends.

X Cafe 58 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3914 2142 Bright, spacious foreign-run cafe decorated in the style of an Alpine chalet.

Popular with local makers and shakers, has a great open-plan upstairs area and two outdoor terraces. Regular live music and homemade ice cream.

CHINESE Li Bai Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828 Imperial-styled restaurant named after a famous Chinese poet. Excellent lunch time dim sum buffet for USD $17.00.

Nightly à la carte menu with dishes going from 100,000 VND. Lotus Court 1st floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 168 www.moevenpick-saigon.com Dim Sum and exciting Cantonese cuisine in a unique and elegant setting.

Ming Dynasty 23 Nguyen Khac Vien, Phu My Hung

broaden your palate with promotions around town

BBQ Seafood Buffet

The Boutique Hoi An Resort is now offering a fresh BBQ seafood buffet every Friday and Sunday evening. The resort’s chef will prepare dishes to your liking at live cooking stations. Diners will be able to enjoy crabs, oysters and shrimp, as well as Hoi An specialities such as cao lau and steamed rice cakes. You can enjoy your meal by the swimming pool, on the resort’s terrace, or select the private beach dining option and eat under the stars. The buffet is VND 550,000++ per person, with a 50 percent discount for children from 5 to 12 years old. Contact reservation@boutiquehoianresort.com

Marvelous Mille Feuilles

Enjoy the buttery puff pastry, soft creamy fillings and decadent toppings of mille

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Red has one of the longest happy hours in the city (draught beer for VND 25,000 from 9am until 9pm). This, its international food menu and nightly live music makes it one of the liveliest bars around.

feuille at the Caravelle Hotel’s Lobby Lounge from 8-14 June. Offered from noon to 5pm every day during the promotion, diners can choose from six flavours including vanilla pastry cream with stewed apples, toffee pastry cream with caramelized bananas, and lemon curd cream with flamed meringues. Each mille feuille fresh from the Caravelle’s bakery costs VND 128,000++.

Themed Dim Sum

The New World Saigon Hotel is presenting a themed dim sum menu at its Dynasty restaurant from 18-30 June. Chef Ho will create four speciality menus featuring choices of seafood, meat, poultry and vegetables. Highlights include deep-fried squid balls, pan-fried onion pancakes with lamb, ostrich dumplings with Chi-

nese celery, and spinach dumplings with gingko nuts and garlic. Diners will be able to choose from set pre-themed menus or combine their own favourites. Dishes start from VND 138,000 per portion and will be available for lunch and dinner.

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set menus, regularly changed by the creative chefs.

Yu Chu InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 dine@icasianasaigon.com Specializing in authentic Cantonese and Peking cuisine. Award-winning chef prepares dishes including handmade noodles, dim sum and wok-fried items. Wide selection of live seafood.

Five interactive kitchens.

FRENCH Au Manoir de Khai 251 Dien Bien Phu, Q3 Tel: 3930 3394 This top-end contemporary French restaurant is set in a picturesque colonial villa with a lush courtyard and a lavish interior. Full of private rooms and opulent lounge areas, this unique eatery is the brainchild of Vietnamese fashion guru Hoang Khai of Khai Silk fame. Offers up dishes such as lobster consomme, pan-fried duck liver, salmon medallions with Moet and escalope de foie gras.

Iced Tamarind Craving a drink to cool off on a hot summer day but bored of coconut and pineapple juice? Iced tamarind is what you’re looking for. The drink is made from sugar, tamarind juice (da me), and water.

First, sugar is dissolved in

Tel: 5411 5555 Decorated in Ming Dynasty-style; offers 100 dim sum varieties and 300 dishes prepared by a chef from Hong Kong. The restaurant’s Imperial Buffet includes free flow of wine.

Ngan Dinh Chinese Restaurant Windsor Plaza Hotel, 18 An Duong Vuong, D5 Tel: 3833 6688 Beautiful wood paneling, colourful hanging lanterns and a sparkling mineral gallery make for a relaxing dining experience at the Windsor. Feast on

the tamarind water to make tamarind syrup. The mixture is then simmered for several minutes, then cooled and stored in the refrigerator.

Finally, ice and sugar are added and you’re ready for a cool and refreshing drink.

Hieu Vu

roasted Pi Pa duck, giant grouper and steamed king prawns. Be sure to check out monthly specials.

Shang Palace Restaurant Norfolk Mansion, 17-19-21 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3823 2221 www.shangpalace.com.vn An upscale Chinese restaurant with a spacious and welcoming atmosphere. The menu boasts a wide range of Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine, including both dim sum, a la carte and

Le Bouchon de Saigon 40 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3829 9263 This French diner-style restaurant has an emphasis on hearty home cooking, courteous service and a relaxed atmosphere Chefs David Thai an Alexis Melgrani are well known industry figures and this venue can hold its own among the city`s many French restaurants

INDIAN Saigon Indian 73 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 5671 Popular venue with an enormous menu. Serves both southern and northern Indian dishes like tandoori, biryani, dosa and idly snacks, plus a wide range of vegetarian dishes. Offers a set lunch menu. Cater service is available. 

INTERNATIONAL Al Fresco’s 21 Mac Dinh Chi D1 Tel: 3823 8427 27 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3822 7317 D1-23 My Toan 3, D7 Tel: 5410 1093 400 Nguyen Trai, D5 Tel: 3838 3840 www.alfrescosgroup.com Theme restaurant boasting a range of Tex-Mex, Italian and Australian-style

BBQ dishes. Huge portions and tasty Australian ribs coupled with a good atmosphere and helpful staff. Good lunch menu.  Amigo Grill 55 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3824 1248 Outstanding steaks made with Australian, U.S. and Argentine beef, served in a cosy, family-friendly environment with large tables and banquette seating.

Dishes like leg of lamb and seafood are also on the menu. Open 11 am to 11 pm.

Au Parc 23 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3829 2772 Lavishly decorated brasserie borrowing from Moroccan and French styles and popular during lunchtime with expats.

Specializes in Middle Eastern and North African food. The salad menu is a favourite, and a great range of lush smoothies and juices are on offer.  Blanchy's Tash 93 - 95 Hai Ba Trung, D1 www.blanchystash.com A high-end bar and restaurant with outdoor terrace. With ex-Nobu London Chef at the helm, Blanchy’s offers tapas-like snacks that fuse Japanese and South American influences. Expect great things here from international DJs and renowned mixologists Black Cat 13 Phan Van Dat, D1 Tel: 3829 2055 Tiny but popular District 1 restaurant serving up an excellent selection of Western and Vietnamese fare and an extensive range of sandwiches and burgers.  BoatHouse 40 Lily Road, APSC Compound, 36 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6790 Riverside restaurant with umbrellashaded tables spread across outdoor deck and small indoor dining room.

Serves remarkably fresh and inspired dishes made with choice local and imported ingredients—favourites include the sirloin burger and pan-fried fish and chips.

Boomarang Cresent Residence 2-3-4, No. 107 Ton Dat Tien, PMH, D7 Tel: 3744 6790 An Australian bistro on the scenic promenade at the Crescent in Phu My Hung that serves authentic cuisine from down under, including steaks, burgers, seafood and fish and chips.

Lifestyle Bridal Fair at New World Saigon Hotel Wedding Exhibition 23 June 2013, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visit three distinctive areas including Wedding Planning, The Big Day, and Post-Wedding Lifestyle.

As an attendee, receive a 20% discount on weddings booked before 31 July 2013. Entry is complimentary.

Bridal Fashion Show Dinner from 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at VND300,000 per person, advance booking is required.

For further information or to book your Bridal Fashion Show Dinner ticket, please contact us at +84 8 3829 4000, ext. 2820 or email weddings.saigon@newworldhotels.com Special thanks to our sponsors:

Wedding Exhibition, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Bridal collections from:

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imbibe

What Vintage Should I Drink?

By Darryl Bethea The vintage of a wine refers to the year it was harvested, and most producers label their wine with that year. Is there a huge difference from year to year, and can you judge a wine solely on the vintage?

Every year that the grapes are grown, there are weather conditions that determine the quality of the crops.

Weather plays a part in the amount of grapes harvested, or the yield from the field. A low yield will usually raise the price of the wine per bottle, due to the scarcity of good grapes in a rough weather year. Lack of rain can cause a very concentrated, powerful wine, with a small yield.

Too much rain before harvest can produce grapes swollen with water and lacking good juice, resulting in thin, watery wine. This hits on an important point: Winemakers are passionate and professional creators. They are always monitoring the grapes and weather so they know when to pick the grapes to achieve the best possible outcome. If the problems with the yields cannot be corrected in the winemaking process, they will not release wine for that year.

The reputation of the winemaker and the winery cannot afford to be jeopardised by producing sub-par wine.

So which years are important? Any established winery will produce a good wine that represents their signature winemaking style every year they bottle, however some years are exceptional. Here is a quick guide by wine region or country:

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Exceptional Years: Australia: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 New Zealand: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Chile: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Italy, Tuscany: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 Italy, Piedmont: 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005-2009 Italy, Veneto: 1990, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 California Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: 1990, 1994-1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008-09 Champagne: 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 French vintage wines would exceed the length of this column, so you can do your own Google research. It’s also worth noting that 2005 was a great vintage in every major wine region.

How about cellar-worthy wines? For investment purposes, the exceptional years will always increase in value.

But remember, over 90 percent of wines are meant to be consumed within one to two years of bottling. All wines change with age, some get better and some do not. So I suggest leaving the gambling to the professionals and drink up.

Darryl Bethea is Group Sales Manager for Fine Wines of the World and is a certified sommelier from the Court of the Master Sommeliers. Contact Darryl at 09 3378 5005 or email Darryl@finewinesasia.com.

Mount Fuji Cake If you hear the name Mount Fuji Cake (banh Phu Si) for the first time, you will think that its origin is Japan. It is actually a Vietnamese cake. It has this special name because the green pandan pastry cream and grated coconut make it look like Mount Fuji covered with snow. It has two main elements: a sponge-like cake and a

mixture of coconut milk, sugar, rice flour, butter, and pandan juice. After the cake is made, it is cut into layers. Finally, the green cream is spread between the layers and on the entire cake, and grated coconut is sprinkled on top. You can find Mount Fuji Cake in supermarkets and bakeries in the city.

Hieu Vu

Cafe Saigon Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 234 www.moevenpick-saigon.com An international buffet with unique food concepts that is perfect for gathering family and friends.

The Elbow Room 52 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3821 4327 elbowroom52@yahoo.com American-style bistro offering a wide range of appetisers, soups, salads, sandwiches, mains and desserts, plus an extensive wine menu. Open daily 7.30 am to 11 pm. Breakfast served all day.

Camargue 74/7D Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 08 35 20 48 88 One of the first western restaurants in Saigon, Camargue offers a great selection of French food and wine in a romantic, rustic French villa.

Gartenstadt 34 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 3623 Opened in 1992, it’s the first venue in town to offer German food with specialities such as pork knuckle and authentic German sausages prepared fresh each day. Also offers imported German draught beer.

Cham Charm 3 Phan Van Chuong, Phu My Hung Tel: 5410 9999 The highlight of this upscale, beautifully decorated Asian restaurant is a special seafood buffet that includes Portuguese oysters, Alaskan crab, lobsters, sushi, sashimi, Japanesestyle seafood, Langoustine prawns, American Angus beef and much more.

Errazuriz wines are also included in the buffet. Part of the Khai Silk chain.

El Gaucho 5D Nguyen Sieu, D1 Tel: 3825 1879 Cresent Residence 1_12, No. 103 Ton Dat Tien, PMH, D7 A classic Argentine steakhouse where beef is the main attraction. There is still plenty of other options on the menu, in addition to an extensive wine list. Open from 4pm until late every day.

The Deck 38 Nguyen U Di, D2 Tel: 3744 6632 Serves upmarket takes on regional specialties made with fresh local and imported products. Well-designed, minimalist dining space and bar on the river are a serious draw.

Good Eats NTFQ2, 34 Nguyen Dang Giai Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6672 Easteran and Western dishes are low in saturated fat and made from all-natural ingredients. Organic vegetables, herbs and spices accompany meals. Even the French fries are healthy.  Halal@Saigon 31 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3824 5823 www.halalsaigon.com Serving up a range of Vietnamese and Malaysian dishes prepared according to halal guidelines including ban xeo, pho and roti chennai and seafood favourites such as shrimp, squid and mussels.

Hog's Breath 02 Hai Trieu, D1 Tel: 3915 6006 The popular Australian eatery's first foray into Vietnam. Centrally located on the ground floor of the Bitexc Financial tower. The legendary Prime Rib steaks are the centrpiece of the menu which also includes burgers, seafood and bar snacks.  Jaspa’s 33 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 9926

www.alfrescosgroup.com Unpretentious brasserie-style restaurant specializes in Australian-influenced international fusion cuisine. Full range of drinks including Australian and French wines and good cocktails.

Hosts monthly Spam Cham networking event.  Kita Coffee House 39 Nguyen Hue, D1, Tel: 3821 5300 Four-level restaurant serving a wide menu of mains, pastas, salads, sandwiches, soups and appetizers for lunch and dinner, as well as a variety of coffee and fresh fruit juices. Includes a bright ground floor cafe, sophisticated Old World second floor bar and rooftop dining. Set dinner everyday from 5pm.  Koto 151A Hai Ba Trung, D3, Tel: 3934 9151 This is the Saigon arm of the renowned organisation that began in Hanoi a decade ago. Vietnamese food is prepared with innovative twist by young people Koto are helping get a start in the hospitality industry and on a path for a better life.  Le Steak de Saigon 15 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 08 38 22 45 93 On one of the fancier streets in the centre of District 1, this small steakhouse has limited options, but its set meal, which includes a steak, salad and fries or mashed potatoes for only VND 200,000, is probably one of the better deals in town.

Market 39 InterContinental Asiana Saigon Ground Floor, Corner Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 dine@icasianasaigon.com Seven interactive live kitchens offering French, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisines, including a bakery, French patisseries, pancakes, tossed salads, grilled steak, seafood, wok-fried items, noodles and pasta dishes.

Mekong Merchant 23 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 4713 Set in a courtyard, this rustic Australian-style brasserie has brought modern international cuisine to suburban An Phu. Popular for weekend brunches.

Weekly specials and seafood flown in from Phu Quoc.  New York Steakhouse & Winery 25-27 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3823 7373 New-york@steakhouse.com.vn www.steakhouse.com.vn Chic dining venue designed in a classic New York City Art Deco. Open every day until late. Specializes in certified U.S. Black Angus steak, and features a fully stocked wine cellar. Guests are invited to bring their own wine on BYOB Mondays.

Orientica Hotel Equatorial, 242 Tran Binh Trong, D5 Tel: 3839 7777 www.equatorial.com/hcm Top-end seafood and grill restaurant boasting modern decor. Good service and excellent food presentation make this a pleasant alternative to the downtown scene.

Pacharan Tapas and Bodega 97 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3825 6024 This tapas restaurant and bar serves up superb Spanish fare crafted from authentic imported ingredients. The exclusively Spanish wine list is extensive and Sangria is half price during happy hour from 5 pm to 7 pm and all day Wednesday.

The Refinery 74/7C Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3823 0509 Authentic bistro with cane furniture outside, informal indoor restaurant section and a bar area. Cuisine is light, modern European. The menu spans a price range to suit most budgets.

Reflections Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999 Contemporary fine dining that combines Asian flavors with classic Mediterranean cuisine in an ambiance of understated elegance and European style. Special culinary events include guest chefs from Michelin-star establishments around the world. Private rooms are available.

Riverside Cafe Renaissance Riverside, 8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3822 0033 International venue opening onto the bustling river sidewalk, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and particularly noted for its sumptuous buffet selection which combines Asian, Western and Vietnamese cuisine.

Scott & Binh’s 15-17 Cao Trieu Phat Street, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 094 890 14 65 Bizuhotel.com A friendly, laid back restaurant in Phu My Hung that serves “comfort food with a twist”. Run by American chef Scott Marquis, this small joint offers classic favourites that are consistently well prepared, making it a popular stop for expats and visitors.

Signature Restaurant Level 23, Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828 Fine dining with panoramic views over central HCM City. Food is stunningly presented, top-end European cuisine with Asian influences cooked by German chef Andreas Schimanski.

A la carte or five-course set menu available.

LOUISIANE BREWHOUSE Beachside Nha Trang Asian & Western Cuisine Swimming Pool & Private Beach www.louisianebrewhouse.com.vn

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Skewers 9A Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 4798 www.skewers-restaurant.com Rustic Mediterranean restaurant where subtle colours and exposed brickwork combine with jazzy tunes. Serves tabouleh, falafel, couscous and kebab.

Highly rated for its grilled meats, bread and dip combos, soups and pastas.

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Square One Park Hyatt Saigon, 2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3520 2359 Specializing in high-end Western and Vietnamese cuisine, Square One serves charcoal-grilled meats and seafood, as well as steamed and wokcooked Vietnamese fare.

Warda 71/7 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3822 Chic, middle-eastern themed eatery swathed in oranges and reds serving Lebanese cuisine prepared by Damascan chef, Nouman. Mezze and tapas are the main draw, but you can also puff on hookas post-meal.

Xu Saigon 71-75 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 8468 www.xusaigon.com Inspired restaurant with an F&B director with a passion for mixing Vietnamese cooking with flavours and styles from around the world. Sleek but sparsely designed, the restaurant serves nouveau takes on Vietnamese cuisine.

ITALIAN

Digging the Duck

By Tristan Ngo Continuing our journey to dine where the locals dine, I decided to invite a few foodie friends to join me for a classic mi vit tiem along ever-busy Nguyen Trai Street in District 5.

This is a busy street pretty much every day of the year.

It is teeming with clothes shops, streetside stalls, eateries of every kind, and a few mi vit tiem places. Mi vit tiem is a Vietnamese favourite — a duck noodle soup dish of Chinese origin.

Thiem Huy Mi Gia is my absolute favourite spot for mi vit tiem in Saigon. It's a small, family-owned place that has been open since 1980.The owner likes to show off the restaurant's expansion: from humble beginnings in the alley to the purchase of the adjacent house. The specialties here are mi vit tiem chien gion (deep-fried duck leg and thigh soup) and mi vit tiem mem (slow-roasted or braised duck leg and thigh soup).

The duck broth is normally made from duck bones and innards, five spices, dark soy sauce, honey, ginger, and mushrooms, creating a dark, rich, hearty, and very healthy base. The heady

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and fragrantly sweet aroma from the broth is a wonderful prelude for what's to come.

Mr Huy (the cook and owner) told me that his restaurant’s soup is a secret family recipe passed down from his father.

So I took the hint and didn’t pry for further details.

The mi vit tiem chien gion (deep-fried duck soup) is served with the fried duck on the side. Take your chopsticks and peel off chunks of steaming-hot duck meat and crispy duck skin and place it in the bowl of soup. Now take your spoon, ladle up a bit of broth, noodles, and duck and tuck in. Personally, I would just eat the deep-fried duck as is. My friend, however, prefers the slow-roasted duck soup (mi vit tiem mem), a noodle soup served with the braised quarter duck in the bowl. The duck is so tender that the meat falls from the bone when held up. Next to pho, I would say this is a must-try dish for anyone living in or visiting Vietnam.

Thiem Huy Mi Gia 455 Nguyen Trai Street, D5 9am to 1am, daily +84 3923 9168

Basilico InterContinental Asiana Saigon, Ground Floor, Corner Nguyen Du and Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 dine@icasianasaigon.com Contemporary and casual trattoriastyle restaurant specializing in authentic Italian dishes and homemade desserts. Wood-fired pizza oven and a wide selection of Italian wines.

Casa Italia 86 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3824 4286 www.casaitalia.com.vn Serves home-style Italian cooking including pasta and pizza as well as a selection of steak and seafoodd dishes. Open daily 10 am until late.

Good Morning Vietnam 197 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3837 1894 Popular authentic Italian restaurant with additional outlets around the country. Specializes in thin-crust pizza, pasta and a range of Italian dishes.

Good selection of Italian wines.  La Hostaria 17B Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 1080 Rustic eatery specializing in top-end traditional cuisine from various regions in Italy. Main courses from 130,000 VND with daily specials on offer. Serves excellent pizza.  Lucca 88 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 08 39 15 36 92 A centrally located trattoria, café and bar that gets lively at lunchtime but has space enough for a mellow meal.

Opera Ground floor Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234 Slick, contemporary eatery with exposed brick and glass. The space revolves around an island kitchen from which chefs produce gourmet Italian fare. Internationally trained chefs work with the freshest and finest ingredients around to produce some superb dishes.

JAPANESE Chiisana Hashi River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252 Serves authentic Japanese cuisuine including sashimi, sushi, tempura, sukiyaki and shabu shabu.

Kissho 14 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3823 2223 Fax: 3823 3343 kissho.wmcvietnam.com Saigon’s newest Japanese restaurant boasts a multi-concept cuisine set in a cutting edge interior. Specialties include teppanyaki, yakiniku, sushi and sashimi crafted by expert chefs. The freshest imported meats and seafood round out the menu, accompanied by an extensive selection of fine wines and Japanese spirits. Open 11.30 am to 2 pm and 5.30 pm to 10 pm.

Iki Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 127 www.moevenpick-saigon.com A Japanese restaurant that turns the notion of the common hotel sushi eatery on its head thanks to an affordable menu and a fun atmosphere.

Nishimura Mövenpick Hotel Saigon, 253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 Exquisitely prepared sushi and sashimi from a globetrotting chef with three decades’ experience. A wide range of cooked dishes and monthly meal promotions are also available.

The Sushi Bar 2 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8042 3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3911 8618 This brightly lit Japanese-style restaurant serves over 40 varieties of sushi at reasonable prices. Sit at the sushi bar or in private rooms upstairs. Open until 11.30 pm, delivery available on request.  Zen 20 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 0782 Located amid the sea of Japanese restaurants on Le Thanh Ton Street, Zen offers a wide range of Japanese dishes. The yakitori station grills up fantastic steak and quail’s eggs, and the chilled udon noodles are also a standout.

KOREAN 25 Si 8A/6D Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3824 6921 Traditional Yasik-style drinking restaurant. Winter and summer scene murals fill the walls of this dual level eatery.

Large menu with favs like budae jjigae, a mix of chilli paste, Spam, hot dog and tofu, as well as super spicy duruchigi.

Hana 8 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5588 Japanese-Korean fusion in the heart of District 1. Contemporary decor with a private, yet open feel. Broad menu including cooked and raw fish and traditional hot pot with fish eggs, rice and vegetables.

Kim Bab Chun Gook R4 42 Hung Phuoc 2, Phu My Hung Tel: 6296 9057 Korean boonshik/snack food eatery serving up a wide variety of light but substantial foods including dumplings, rameyon and fish cakes.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN Baan Thai 55 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 5453 If you have been missing the delights

of Bangkok nightlife then this restaurant and bar should be for you. The Thai chefs whip up all the traditional dishes you know and love, while in the bar there are a host of drinks and activities to help while away an evening.

Barbecue Garden 135A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, D1 Tel: (08) 38 23 33 40 Barbecuegarden.com Popular among locals, expats and tourists, this Vietnamese-style barbecue restaurant serves a wide-range of meat and seafood that can be grilled right at the table, all in a lush, natural outdoor setting.

Lac Thai 71/2 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 7506 An elegant restaurant tucked in an alleyway and decorated with artdeco furniture. Authentic Thai cuisine prepared by two Thai chefs. Food is tasty but less spicy than you’d find in Thailand.  Little Manila S2-1 Hung Vuong 2, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 5410 0812 Small, no -frills eatery with outdoor and indoor seating located on a quiet street. Serves a range of dishes from the Philippines (pictured on menu for those unfamiliar) and draught San Miguel.

Thai Express 8A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 6299 1338 www.thaiexpress.vn Modern restaurant with a massive menu of Thai specialties served in moderate proportions. The menu inludes chef’s recommendations and background on Thai cuisine. Warning: some dishes will test your tongue’s threshold.

VEGETARIAN An Lac Chay 175/4 Pham Ngu Lao, D1 Tel: 3837 0760 Apropos of the backpacker district, this little restaurant offers no frills and a vast menu. Though meat dishes are available, it specializes in vegetarian Vietnamese and quirky “backpacker favourites.”  Hoa Dang 38 Huynh Khuong Ninh, D1 Swish vegetarian restaurant on a quiet street that serves up nutritious dishes, including meatless versions of bun bo, pho and steamboat. Cosy bar serving non-alcoholic drinks, fruits and other sweets.

Saigon Vegan 378/3 Vo Van Tan, D3 Tel: 3834 4473 Rustic vegan restaurant with extensive menu of healthy food at moderate prices. Lots of tofu dishes and soya chicken/beef, soups, banh bao and more. Also has a kids menu.

Tib Chay 11 Tran Nhat Duat, D1 Tel: 3843 6460 Intimate spot with a big menu of Vietnamese vegetarian appetisers, salads, soups, rice/noodle mains and desserts.

Viet Chay 339 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 Tel: 3526 5862 Upscale vegetarian restaurant specializes in fake meat dishes. The attractive dining room is suffused with natural light. Located within the walls of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.

VIETNAMESE Banian Tree River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6683 5308 – 0903 669 252

A fine dining Vietnamese restaurant that serves authentic cuisine.

Offers a set lunch, set dinner, International breakfast is served from 6.30 am - 10.30 am.

Blue Crab 49D Quoc Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2008 This seafood restaurant has some of the most well-prepared and cheapest seafood in town. Its menu offers everything from prawns, scallops and lobster to pork ribs and crab, all for rock-bottom prices.

Cha Ca Viet Nam River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252 Serves Hanoi specialty Cha Ca— turmeric grilled fish with noodles and dill.

Nam Phan 34 Vo Van Tan, Q3 Tel: 3933 3636 Well known at its previous corner location on Le Thanh Ton, Nam Phan continues to serve modern Asian cuisine including asparagus and crab meat soup, stewed bellyfish in pineapple and grilled duck breast in orange sauce. Set in a restored colonial villa, the interior is alive with reproductions of Cham-era bas-reliefs and is inspired

by Euro-Zen. Temple Club 29 – 31 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3829 9244 This high-end restaurant attached to an elegant lounge bar is a must-try for its art deco atmosphere as much as for its food. Mains go around 80,000 -150,000.

nightlife BARS & LOUNGES See bar restaurant listings for more popular watering holes.

Cloud 9 2bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, D3, HCMC (Corner of Turtle Lake Roundabout & Tran Cao Van), Tel: 0948 445544 Recently opened with beautiful déco, this rooftop lounge bar has its stunning views at night. Live DJ, great cocktails and desserts. Open 6pm till late.  The Library InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 dine@icasianasaigon.com Unwind with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. The Library provides a welcoming atmosphere for those in search of calm, comfort and personalized service.

The Wine Embassy 13 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: (84) 838247-827 www.wineembassy.com.vn Wine bar in district located in district 1 with excellent selection of wines, with signature trios for sampling and comparing. With experts on hand this is a great experience to experience wines at there best.

Purple Jade InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 Chic lounge blends the stylistic influences of contemporary design and opium dens. Hosts live music and serves special drinks, including Shaoxing and Maotai rice wines and an exclusive selection of luxury spirits.

asialife HCMC 59

master of mixology

Saigon Saigon Bar 9th floor, Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999 Popular bar usually packed out with tourists and business travellers searching for some delicious cocktails and a great view of the city skyline. Cuban band Warapo plays every night except Monday from 8.30 pm until late.

BREWHOUSES Hoa Vien 28bis Mac Dinh Chi, D1 Tel: 3829 0585 www.hoavien.vn Expansive beer hall serves up pilsner beer crafted from malt, hops and yeast from the Czech Republic.

There’s also a large food menu and imported Pilsner Urquell.

Lion Brewery 11C Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 8514 Microbrewery featuring traditional German brew technology and German fare like pork knuckle and wurst. Good spot to meet friends and enjoy a hearty meal and a whole lot of beer.

Cordials and Liqueurs

By Matt Myers I am sure many of you have sat at a pub wondering what all those dusty, coloured bottles on the back bar are for. Or maybe you’ve looked at that tall bottle of Galliano and asked yourself, “Has that even been used for a Harvey Wallbanger any time in the past 20 years?”

Many of us know the common names such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Kahlua, Bailey’s and Malibu, but what about the rest? I am going to do my best to de-mystify those other liqueurs.

The US Federal Standards of Identification of Cordial & Liqueurs dictate that such products must be obtained by mixing or redistilling spirits with fruit, plants, or pure juices, or other natural flavouring materials. Flavours can also be extracted through infusion, percolation or maceration of such materials. The finished liqueur must be no less than 2.5 percent sugar by weight (most are over 5 percent).

The creation of many cordials and liqueurs was based on the early production of medicine through extracts and tinctures. Most were made with spices, fruit, herbs, vegetables, flowers, barks and roots.

To best explain these types of back-bar drinks, I have broken them into categories:

sugar (Amaretto, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Drambuie).

• Schnapps Strong liqueurs (especially Dutch), typically distilled from potatoes.

• Crémes A liqueur that has a lot of sugar added so that it has a syrupy consistency. (Crème de Mure, Crème de Cassis).

• Creams A liqueur that includes dairy cream among its ingredients (Bailey’s Irish Cream).

• Anise Liqueurs flavoured with anise or star anise (Pastis, Pernod, Absinthe, Anisette, Sambuca, Ouzo).

• Amaros (Aperitivo/Digestivo) Italian herbal or fruit liqueur, usually bitter and sweet (Campari, Averna, Cynar).

• Aquavit Scandinavian herbal liqueur, has flavours of dill and caraway.

• Liqueurs and Cordials Alcoholic beverages flavoured with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, and bottled with

Matt Myers is a mixologist who has worked in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Miami, Mexico City and Vietnam.

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In cocktails, most of these liqueurs play a supporting role for a spirit like rum, gin, or vodka. However, many can also be enjoyed chilled, or over ice with a lemon peel.

So when stocking your home bar, make sure to grab a few of these to compliment your selection. That way you can offer a nice cocktail instead of just the usual gin and tonic or rum and coke.

NIGHTCLUBS Fuse Bar 3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 A popular bar that plays primarily hiphop music. Every Tuesday Fuse hosts a ladies night where women drink for free.

Lush 2 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3824 2496 A large and lavishly decorated bar and club popular on weekends.

Good DJs playing the latest in beatbased music and the city’s beautiful people add to the sights and sounds.

It’s on-par with Western clubs in both ambience and drinks prices.

at home BAKERIES Pat A Chou 65 Hai Ba Trung, D1 25 Thao Dien, D2 The home of the long and crusty baguette. Supplies many restaurants but also sells wholesale. The miniature patisseries such as crème brulée and cheesecake are worth a taste.

Opens at 6.30 am.

Tous Les Jours 180 Hai Ba Trung, D3 Part of the Korean bakery chain, Tous Le Jours stocks a superb range of freshly baked good from sugary treats like pain au chocolat to superior quality baguettes and loafs.

Voelker 17 A7 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 7303 8799 39 Thao Dien, An Phu, D2 Tel: 6296 0066 Small bakery turns out sweet and salted pies and mousses in addition to baguettes and a range of Western sweets.

CATERING Saigon Catering 41A Vo Truong Toan, D2 Tel: 3898 9286 Provide services of catering, banquets, event planning, BBQ’s. For a custom-made quotation e-mail SaigonGG@gmail.com or call Huong on 0913 981128.

Xu Catering 71-75 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 8468 www.xusaigon.com

From the brains behind Xu Restaurant and Lounge comes this new catering service, promising the highest standards in service. Everything from the menu to the comprehensive bar service and the staff is tailor-made to your specifications.

DELIVERY www.vietnammm.com A free website that allows users to order delivery from dozens of restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.

Simply provide your address and phone number and pay the delivery driver in cash when he arrives Willy Woo’s www.vietnammm.com Southern American fare including skillet fried chicken, Belgium waffles and BBQ foods, red beans and rice, Jalapeno corn bread, and other classic southern sides. Delivery only via vietnammm.com

GROCERIES Annam Gourmet Market 16-18 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3822 9332 41A Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2630 SB2-1 My Khanh 4, Nguyen Duc Canh, D7 Tel: 5412 3263 / 64 www.annam-gourmet.com Boutique grocer with wide selection of foreign foods; Annam-brand coffee, tea and spices; and household products. Wine and premium beer, full deli counter, produce, dairyfrozen and baked goods on second floor.

Classic Fine Foods 17 Street 12, D2, Tel: 3740 7105 www.classicfinefoods.com Luxury food primarily imports for wholesale, but also takes orders for its range of dry goods, cheese, meat, poultry and seafood from private clients.

Kim Hai Butchery 73 Le Thi Hong Gam, D1 Tel: 3821 6057 or 3914 4376 Excellent chilled imported beef, lamb, veal and other meats sold at reasonable prices.

Veggy’s 29A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8526 Sky Garden Pham Van Nghi, Bac Khu Pho, D7 Riverside Apartments 53 Vo Truong Toan, Thao Dien, D2 Popular expat market with a huge walk-in fridge area stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products and a range of meats.

Imported canned and dried foods, wines, beers, soft drinks, spirits and snacks also available.

LIQUOR & WINE The Warehouse 178 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 8826 www.warehouse-asia.com One of the city’s premier wine distributors, The Warehouse is an aptly named, stylish wine store that stocks a full range of both New and Old World wines, sparkling wines, Champagne, spirits, imported beers and accessories.

Wine Embassy 13 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 08 38 24 78 27 With more than 30 wines by the glass and 100 vintages from all over the world, Wine Embassy offers an excellent place to discover wines in a relaxing and entertaining atmosphere. The resident sommelier and knowledgeable staff can also provide information on each type, perfect for neophytes and experts alike.

listings

www.lottecinemavn.com Modern cinema with four-way sound system. D7 location houses luxury theatre Charlotte with 32 seats and eight sofas.

culture

me phim HCM City-based film initiative that provides support to local filmmakers and hosts regular film screenings/discussions. Email dduukk@gmail.com for information or join the Facebook group.

CLASSES AngelsBrush by Vin Tel: 0983377710 Shyevin@mac.com Oil painting course gives learners the opportunity to work from the different objects; explore different mediums, materials and techniques; and interpret line, tone and colour. Instructor works with students on individual basis.

Helen Kling Oil Painting 189/C1 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 0903 955 780 hk.painter@gmail.com/helenkling@ yahoo.com www.helenkling.com Helene is a French painter who teaches beginners (children and adults) various techniques and the art of working with different mediums. She is also a fantastic tool for advanced artists who are looking to increase their creativity. Both day and night courses are available. Helene has a permanent exhibition at FLOW, located 88 Ho Tung Mau, D1.

Printmaking alphagallery@bluemail.ch Classes are held at Alpha Gallery taught by the gallery owner Bernadette Gruber, who offers the chance to learn monotype, intaglio and etching techniques.

CINEMAS Bobby Brewer’s Movie Lounge 45 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3610 2220 86 Pham Ngoc Thach info@bobbybrewers.com Popular top-floor home cinema showing movies five times a day on a large screen. Email for the latest schedule.

Cinebox 212 Ly Chinh Thang, D3 Tel: 3935 0610 240 3 Thang 2, D10 Tel: 3862 2425 Cinebox cinemas show both original language films with Vietnamese subtitles and the dubbed versions.

Future Shorts futureshortsvietnam@gmail.com www.futureshorts.com/vn Vietnam branch of the international network screens foreign and local short films around town. Events often incorporate other media and elements, including live music, performances, installations and discussion. Submissions accepted.

Galaxy Cinema 116 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3822 8533 230 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3920 6688 www.galaxycine.vn Large, modern cinema that shows the latest foreign releases in English (with Vietnamese subtitles).

IDECAF 31 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3829 5451 French cultural centre and cinema theatre. Showcases French movies with English and Vietnamese subtitles. Also hosts movies and documentaries from a number of overseas film festivals.

Lotte Cinema Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3822 7897 LotteMart, 469 Nguyen Huu Tho, D7 Tel: 3775 2520

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Megastar Hung Vuong Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong, D5 Tel: 08 2222 0388 CT Plaza, 60A Truong Son, Tan Binh Tel: 6297 1981 www.megastarmedia.net State-of-the-art cinema complex screening the lastest blockbusters with plush, reclining seats. All movies shown in original language with Vietnamese subtitles.

GALLERIES a little blah blah OUT-2 STUDIO, L6 FAFILM Annex 6 Thai Van Lung, D1 albbsaigon-2010.blogspot.com Operates as an engine for contemporary art by organizing projects, exhibitions, screenings and talks. Runs one major art project each year and a reading room with more than 1,000 texts on art, design and creative culture. Free for everyone and open Tue to Sat 10 am to 6 pm.

Blue Space Contemporary Arts Center 97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1 Tel: 3821 3695 bluespaceart@hcm.jpt.vn www.bluespacegallery.com Busy, working gallery with easels propped up outside situated in the grounds of the beautiful Fine Arts Museum. Holds regular exhibitions by local artists.

Duc Minh Gallery 31C Le Quy Don, D3 Tel: 3933 0498 Housed in an opulent colonial mansion, private museum and art gallery showcases the private art collection of Vietnamese business tycoon Bui Quoc Chi. Containing more than 1,000 pieces that range from traditional to contemporary.

Galerie Quynh 65 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 8019 www.galeriequynh.com The city’s only international standard gallery, housed in a modern, two-floor space. Organizes regular exhibitions featuring established, emerging local/ international contemporary artists, publishes original catalogs in both English and Vietnamese.

Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum 97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1 Tel: 3829 4441 btmthcm@hotmail.com Institution housing contemporary/traditional works by Vietnamese and foreign artists. Pieces date from as early as the 7th century. Includes Vietnamese antiques, art crafted by the Cham and Funan peoples.

San Art Independent Artist Space 3 Me Linh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3840 0898 hoa@san-art.org www.san-art.org Artist-run, non-profit exhibition space featuring contemporary work by young Vietnamese artists. San Art hosts guest lecturers and curators. A reading room of art books and magazines is open to the public.

TuDo Gallery 53 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 0966 www.tudogallery.com Hosting permanent exhibitions of works by the city’s artists, Tu Do deals in oils, silk paintings and lacquerware. More than 1,000 pieces on show.

fitness

Stress

By Phil Kelly Stress is a modern day killer.

It is making you old and fat, impacting your productivity at work, affecting your relationships and getting in the way of you reaching your health and fitness goals.

Stress caused by emergency situations is called acute stress, which is our “fight or flight” response. Acute stress is an important safety mechanism that allows you to overcome an emergency situation. Once you escape or win, the maximal physiological stress response ends and heart rate, blood pressure, and hormones return to normal.

Chronic stress, however, is where this response happens in the absence of an emergency and therefore over longer time periods. Stress is the body’s way of responding to a challenge. By not turning off the stress response, we wallow in a corrosive bath of hormones.

Let’s think of this in terms of a car’s brakes and motor.

Acute stress would be when you slam on the brakes to avoid hitting something. The brake pads engage for the short time it takes to stop the vehicle. The pads then return to a static position away from friction. Chronic stress is like driving with the handbrake on — the brakes are under constant wear and the motor is exposed to more strain. You will be able to continue driving but sooner or later that friction and strain (chronic stress) is going to wear out the brakes and potentially destroy the motor.

Chronic stress will eventually wear out your adrenal system.

Poor energy, poor ability to

sleep, low sex drive, lethargy and fatigue during normal activities are a few common symptoms. Furthermore, the corrosive hormones released through chronic stress can lead to increased blood sugar (and belly fat), high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome (increased risk of heart disease and diabetes), just to name a few.

To avoid its pitfalls, here are five tips for managing stress: 1. Get a lot of omega-3s: Omega-3s will elevate glutathione hormone levels, and they are particularly good at protecting the body when exposed to physical stress.

2. Eat antioxidant-rich foods: Antioxidant-rich foods provide nutrients that the body uses to produce enzymes that effectively detoxify stress hormones, providing an antistress boost.

3. Do yoga and meditate: Yoga and meditation practice will help by providing a structured time to get rid of mental stress.

4. Get massages: Massages release endorphins that calm the peripheral nervous system.

5. Laugh a lot: Studies show genuine laughter makes you more resistant to disease and stress in the same way high antioxidant levels do.

Phil is a health practitioner and expert in body transformation.

His services are available at Star Fitness (Starfitnesssaigon. com), online, or at your home.

Contact him through Phil-kelly. com.

listings

sports & leisure Sport Street Huyen Tran Cong Chua, D1 between Nguyen Du and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Services include mending and restringing broken tennis rackets. Products range from badminton birdies and rackets to basketball hoops, free weights, roller blades, scooters, soccer jerseys and all manner of balls.

CRICKET Saigon Cricket Assocation Social cricket league plays 25 overs a side matches Sunday mornings at RMIT’s District 7 pitch. Season runs November through May, with friendly games throughout the pre-season. Practice on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons.

Australian Cricket Club Terry Gordon terrygordoninasia@yahoo.com.au saigonaustraliancricketclub@yahoo. com www.saigoncricket.com English Cricket Club Richard Carrington Richard.carrington@pivotalvietnam.com info@eccsaigon.com www.eccsaigon.com Indian Cricket Club Manish Sogani, manish@ambrij.com United Cricket Club Mr. Asif Ali, asif@promo-tex.net keshav.dayalani@rmit.edu.vn

DANCING DanCenter 53 Nguyen Dang Giai, Thao Dien, District 2 Tel: 3840 6974 www.dancentervn.com Purpose built studio with foreign trained dance instructors. Classes in jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, yoga, zumba, belly, hula, capoiera and more. Kids can start from 4+ and adults of all ages and levels are welcome. Schedule and news on events available on-line.

Salsa Dancing at La Habana 6 Cao Ba Quat, D1 www.salsaigon.com salsaigon@gmail.com Six-week salsa package at 350,000 VND for single persons and 550,000 for a couple, run by Urko. Lessons every Tuesday (beginners L.A. style at 7.30 pm; intermediate L.A style at 8.30 pm).

Registration required.

FITNESS & YOGA AIS Sports Centre 36 Thao Dien, An Phu, D2 Tel: 3744 6960, ext 126 sportscentre@aisvietnam.com www.aissportscentre.com Features six-lane, 25-metre pool, basketball and netball courts, astroturf hockey/football area and outdoor gym equipment. Available for party hire, with BBQ included on request. Membership packages available. Kids swim club and adult masters programmes. Rainbow Divers offers scuba diving courses for children and adults. Free morning yoga.

California WOW Xperience Parkson Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong, D5 28/30-32 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 6291 5999 The world’s biggest fitness centre chain is one of Saigon’s most modern places to get your sweat on. Located in Hung Vuong Plaza, CWX offers a huge workout area and all kinds of classes including spinning, KickFit, yoga and more.

Caravelle Club Spa 19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999 Modern and stylish gym with lots of cardiovascular machines and free weights.

The swimming pool is a great place for a dip, and the massage parlour, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi are there for winding down.

Equinox Fitness & Leisure Centre Equatorial Hotel, 242 Tran Binh Trong, D5 Tel: 3839 7777 Decent-sized 3rd-floor gym with modern cardio and weights machines, sauna, steambath, jacuzzi, and large 4th floor pool great for swimming laps.

Sheraton Fitness Level 5, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, 88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828 sheraton.saigon@sheraton.com www.sheraton.com/saigon Sheraton Fitness features a team of trained professionals and new Technogym equipment. Members have full use of leisure facilities and receive discounts at hotel bars and restaurants and Aqua Day Spa.

FOOTBALL & RUGBY Australian Rules Football Tel: 093 768 3230 www.vietnamswans.com vietnamswans@gmail.com The Vietnam Swans play regular international footy matches around Asia. Training sessions are held weekly in HCM City (2.30 pm Saturday, RMIT D7) and Hanoi (midday, Saturday, UN International School, Ciputra). All skill levels and codes welcome.

Les Gaulois de Saigon www.gauloisdesaigon.com info@gauloisdesaigon.com A new team of French footballers, the side invites players and their families to come and join in their friendly training sessions, where everyone can get together and enjoy the sport while making new friends. Contact Sebastien on 0919 691785 or Romain on 0908 060139.

Saigon Raiders jon.hoff@saigonraiders.com Sociable football side who are always on the lookout for new talent for their weekly matches and training sessions.

The team participates in the Saigon International Football League and also has regular fixtures against local teams in the outlying provinces and also participates in international tournaments.

Saigon Rugby Club Tel: 0903 735 799 www.saigonrfc.org saigonrugbyfootballclub@yahoo.com Social, mixed touch rugby played every Saturday afternoon for adults at RMIT from 4 pm until 6 pm. Regularly welcomes visiting teams and tours the region for men’s contact and women’s touch rugby tournaments. Beginners welcome.

GOLF

Ocean Dunes Golf Club 1 Ton Duc Thang, Phan Thiet Tel: 062 3821 995 odgc@vietnamgolfresorts.com Designed by Nick Faldo, the 6,746-yard par-72 course winds through seaside dunes, with the variable coastal breezes changing its character each day. An enjoyable and eminently playable course and has become a favourite venue for expatriate tournaments.

Saigon South Golf Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu, D7 Tel: 5411 2001 sgs.golf@yahoo.com.vn Nine-hole mini golf course and driving range set amongst attractive gardens just behind FV Hospital. Membership starts from USD $700 for 6 months.

Visitors’ greens fees for a round of golf are around USD $16 before 5 pm and $19 after. Club, shoe and umbrella hire is also available.

SaigonSports Academy League Tel: 093 215 3502 greg@saigonsportsacademy.com www.saigonsportsacademy.com 12-week, 5 a side community football league with Adult, U18, U14, U10 and U7 divisions. Matches held at Thao Dan Stadium in District 1. Corporate, local and expat teams compete in adult division with cash prize for champions.

Vietnam Golf and Country Club Long Thanh My Village, D9 www.vietnamgolfcc.com This facility consists of two courses of 18 holes each, one of which is designed in a more traditional Asian style, and the other in international style. Has other attractions such as boating, tennis and a restaurant area.

LEISURE Hash House Harriers www.saigonh3.com Running club that meets every Sunday at 2 pm at the Caravelle Hotel to go on a run in different locations out of town with their traditional balance of exercise and beer.

Saigon International Dart League www.thesidl.com A highly popular group in town, the darts club runs a competitive year-long league for 16 pub-based teams. There are some excellent players in this

sociable and international group. See website for details of how to join and latest 180 scores.

Saigon International Softball League sisl@saigonsoftball.info www.saigonsoftball.info The league plays slo-pitch softball every Sunday (usually at the Taiwanese School in Phu My Hung) and always welcomes newcomers.

Saigon Pony Club Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2 Tel: 0913 733 360 A standout facility offering pony rides, riding lessons, horse clinics and pony rentals. Also hosts events and birthdays.

Squash The Landmark, 5B Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3822 2098 ext 176 www.thelandmarkvietnam.com One of three squash courts in town.

Membership is open to non-Landmark residents and drop-in players. Lessons and racquets are available for additional fees. Balls are provided.

Book in advance or phone for further information.

X-Rock Climbing Phan Dinh Phung Sport Centre 75 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 Tel: 6278 5794 503A Nguyen Duy Trinh, D2 Tel: 2210 9192 www.xrockclimbing.com Offering safe and professional climbing for anyone aged 4 and up. Featuring mountain climbing routes rated from beginner to advanced, climbing and belay-safety courses and training, birthday parties, corporate team building. Excellent facilities for children and annual membership for kids.

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listings

local practitioners. Au fait with the latest treatments and techniques, the surgery prides themselves on their high standard of equipment & sterilization.

health & beauty

Tu Xuong Dental Clinic 51A Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: 3932 2049/050 drhung01@yahoo.com www.nhakhoatuxuong.com Provides general and cosmetic dental services at reasonable prices. Specialises in implants, orthodontic treatments and making crowns and bridges. Staff are professional and speak English.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE American Chiropractic Clinic 8 Truong Dinh, D3 Tel: 3930 6667 www.vietnamchiropractic.com A chiropractic, physiotherapy, foot care clinic staffed by American-trained chiropractors speaking French, English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. Treats back pain, neck pain, knee pain, also specializing in sports injuries, manufacture of medical grade foot orthotics.

Institute of Traditional Medicine 273-275 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Dr. Le Hung is the man to see at this well-established traditional hospital & training centre. He speaks good English and provides excellent treatments in a clean environment Theta Healing – Jodie Eastwood Tel: 091 859 1933 www.thetahealing.com A unique energy healing technique for mind, body and spirit. Jodie is a UK qualified practitioner based in HCM City.

COSMETIC TREATMENT Cao Thang Lasik & Aesthetic Clinic 135-135B Tran Binh Trong, D5 Tel: 3923 4419 A modern clinic offering a comprehensive range of optical services. Specializes in LASIK correctional procedures. English spoken. Open seven days a week.

FV Hospital Cosmetic Surgery 45 Vo Thi Sau, D1 Tel: 6290 6167 6 Nguyen Luong Bang, D7 Tel: 5411 3366 www.fvhospital.com International-standard cosmetic procedures from simple dermabrasion and chemical peels to collagen injections, nose and eye shaping, liposuction, and breast enhancement. Procedures carried out by French and Vietnamese doctors using the latest equipment.

Parkway Shenton International Clinic Suite 213-214, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Owned by the Singapore-based healthcare giant Parkway Holdings, this aesthetics clinic offers a range of both surgical and non-surgical treatments including dental reconstruction.

DENTAL European Dental Clinic 17 - 17A Le Van Mien,

Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 0918 749 204/08 3744 9744 Expat English and French-speaking dentist. Performs full range of dental treatment including whitening, aesthetic fillings, porcelain crowns, full ceramics, veneer and orthodontic treatment. 24hour emergency line: 0909 551 916 or 0916 352940.

Starlight Dental Clinic Dr. Philippe Guettier & International Team of Dentists 2Bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, D1 Tel: 3822 6222 doe.linh@gmail.com With 14 years’ experience providing dental treatment to expat and Vietnamese patients, this well-known dental surgery is staffed by both foreign &

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Westcoast International Dental Clinic 27 Nguyen Trung Truc, D1 Tel: 3825 6999 71-79 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3825 6777 info@westcoastinternational.com www.westcoastinternational.com Canadian-run dental clinic staffed by French, Japanese, English and Vietnamese speaking dental professionals.

HAIR & SALON Anthony George for London Hair & Beauty FIDECO Riverview Building 14 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6475 www.aglondonsalon.com.vn Top British stylist George brings his unique flair to hair in District 2. The modern, stylish and professional salon is host to a staff of professionally trained beauty therapists. Uses Dermalogica, Schwarzkopf and L’Oreal products.

Lloyd Morgan International Hair Studio The Manor 1, 1st floor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh Street, Binh Thanh District Tel: 09 08 42 20 07 International celebrity stylist Lloyd Morgan is one of the best in town. He’s been in the business for over 30 years, working with celebrities around the world, and brings his experience to this top-notch salon.

Qi Spa 151 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 1719 Caravelle Hotel Tel: 3824 7150 Mövenpick Hotel Saigon, Tel: 3997 5437 High-end salon and spa offers the standard range of services in a calming atmosphere with good service. Waxing, nail services, hair dressing as well as luxurious facial and massage treatments on offer.

Souche 2nd Floor, Saigon Trade Centre 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 0372 A top-end beauty salon using the Dermatologica line of skincare products.

Specialises in personalized facial care treatments and medicated acne treatments. Waxing and other aesthetic services are also available in a pleasant atmosphere with excellent service.

Sunji Matsuo Hair Studio Saigon Paragon, 3 Nguyen Luong Bang, D7 Tel: 5416 0378 Celebrity hairstylist Sunji Matsuo’s Singapore-based hair salon has a variety of hair services including scalp treatments, rebonding and hair extensions.

checks, X-ray, full laboratory and in-house pharmacy including specialist medical services covering cardiology, paediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, orthopedic and dermatology.

CARE1 Executive Health Care Center The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3514 0757 care1_reception@vietnammedicalpractice.com www.care1.com.vn Sister clinic of Family Medical Practice, CARE1 is an executive health care centre offering comprehensive preventative-care checkups in a modern and professional setting. State-of-the-art technology provides fast and accurate diagnoses.

Centre Medical International (CMI) 1 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3827 2366 www.cmi-vietnam.com Located downtown next to the cathedral, the centre provides a high standard of medical care from qualified French and Vietnamese physicians. Its range of services include general and tropical medicine, cardiology, gynaecology, osteopathy, pediatrics, psychiatry, speech therapy and traditional Eastern medicine.

Family Medical Practice HCMC Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3822 7848 www.vietnammedicalpractice.com Leading international primary healthcare provider, with a 24-hour state-of-the-art medical centre and highly-qualified multilingual foreign doctors. Extensive experience in worldwide medical evacuations with car and air ambulance on standby.

Also in Hanoi and Danang.

HANH PHUC International Hospital Binh Duong boulevard, Thuan An, Binh Duong.

Tel: 0650 3636068 www.hanhphuchospital.com The 1st Singapore Standard Hospital in Vietnam. 260 –bedder, provide a comprehensive range of quality healthcare services: Obstertrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Immunization, IVF, Health checkup, Parentcraft, Woman Cancer, Cosmetic Surgery… Just 20- minute driving from HCMC. HANH PHUC International Hospital Clinic 2nd fl., Saigon Trade Center, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1. Tel: 3911 1860 www.hanhphuchospital.com The 1st Singapore Standard Hospital in Vietnam. The clinic is located at the center of Dist. 1, provides a comprehensive range of services specializing in Obstertrics, Gynaecology, Peadiatrics, Immunization, General Practice and Emergency. Open hours: Weekdays: 8am to 5pm; Saturday: 8am to 12pm.

MEDICAL

Human Medicine – International Clinic (HMIC) 601B Cach Mang Thang Tam, D10 Tel: 6264 6957 http://humanmedicineclinic.com Providing a state of the art health-care solution to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions. HMIC is dedicated to give a family-centered care with talented team of healthcare professionals, technology and customerfriendly environment. The modern clinic hosts a range of highly trained and experienced medical specialists and managed by Western-trained doctors.

Australian Clinic & Pathology Diagnostics (ACPD) 273-275 Ly Thai To, D10 Tel: 3834 9941 www.australianclinic.com.vn Services include general outpatient healthcare, corporate / visa health-

International SOS 167A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 Tel: 3829 8424 www.internationalsos.com Globally-renowned provider of medical assistance and international healthcare.

The Salon 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3822 9660 65 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3821 6394 Reliable haircuts from well-trained stylists at this local salon with multiple locations.

Specializes in offering medical transport and evacuation both within and outside of Vietnam for urgent medical cases.

Foreign and Vietnamese dentists. Has multilingual staff.

Victoria Healthcare 135A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3997 4545 79 Dien Bien Phu, D1 Tel: 39104545 Well-regarded clinic offering general examinations and specializing in pediatrics, digestive diseases, cardiology and women's health. Offers a membership program and cooperates with most insurance companies in Vietnam and abroad. Open with doctors on call 24/7.

NAILS OPI 253 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 International brand of nail care offering a variety of treatments from standard manicures at 50,000 VND to the whole host nail services such as acrylics, powder gell, cuticle treatments and French polishing.

SKINCARE Avon 186A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 Tel: 3930 4018 HCMC branch of the world’s largest direct seller of cosmetics occupies the ground floor of District 3 villa, selling brand names like Anew, Skin-So-Soft and Avon Natural.

The Body Shop 87 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3683 31 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3926 0336 www.thebodyshop.com International cosmetics retailer with strong commitment to environment sources natural ingredients from small communities for its line of more than 600 products.

Dermalogica Saigon Trade Center, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 0372 www.dermalogica.com U.S. brand of cleansers popular among skin care professionals. The line of toners, exfoliants, moisturizers and masques are engineered by skin therapists to be free of common irritants, and the company is categorically opposed to animal testing.

L’Apothiquaire 100 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza Parkson Hung Vuong Plaza The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, D7 64A Truong Dinh, D3 07 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3932 5181/3932 5082 www.lapothiquaire.com info@lapothiquaire.com French-made natural products for all types of skin. Also offers exclusive natural Italian skin, body and hair care from Erbario Toscano.

L’Occitane en Provence New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 French cosmetics company with a 30year history offering a range of bath and massage oils, essential oils, body and hand care products are especially well known. Also has outlets in all the major downtown shopping malls.

Marianna Medical Laser Skincare 149A Truong Dinh, D3 Tel:3526 4635 www.en.marianna.com.vn Professional Laser Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, Marianna owns the excellent experts in Aesthetic Medicine and the modern technologies such as Laser, Botox, Filler and all solutions can help you more beautiful and younger day by day.

listings

family ACTIVITIES DanCenter 53 Nguyen Dang Giai, Thao Dien, D 2 Tel: 3840 6974 www.dancentervn.com Children and teenagers from age 4+ can enjoy jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, acro dance and break dance classes at this professionally run, newly built dance studio. Schedule and news on events available on-line.

Helene Kling Painting helene_kling@yahoo.com Offers classes in oil painting to both children and adults for 150,000 VND and 300,000 VND respectively. Classes are paced to suit each student.

Briar Jacques bjacques123@gmail.com Cel: 0122 480 8792 Helping families, individuals, couples, children and teens. Caring and confidential counselling to address issues such as expat adjustment, depression, anxiety and substance abuse. We take a holistic approach to enhance wellbeing on mental, emotional and physical levels.

Saigon Pony Club Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2 Tel: 0913 733 360 Close to X-rock climbing centre, kids from three and upwards can ride one of the stable’s 16 ponies. Lessons with foriegn teachers last 45 minutes and cost 350,000 VND for kids from age six.

Tae Kwondo BP Compound, 720 Thao Dien, D2 and Riverside Villa Compound, Vo Truong Toan, D2 phucteacherkd@yahoo.com Private and group classes are run after school three times a week by the friendly Mr. Phuc. Anyone over the age of five is welcome to join in the course, which costs USD $50 for 12 classes/month with a $25 fee for non-members. Contact Mr. Phuc directly on 0903 918 149.

BABY EQUIPMENT Belli Blossom 4F-04 (4th Floor) Crescent Mall, Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 5413 7574 12 Mac Dinh Chi, D1 Tel: 3822 6615 www.belliblossom.com.vn contactus@belliblossom.com.vn Belli Blossom catering to moms and babies with imported brands of maternity and nursing wear and accessories, infant clothes, baby bottles and feeding products, strollers, high chairs, slings, baby carriers, diaper bags, and many others.

Brands available include: Mam, Mamaway, Quinny, Maclaren, Debon, Luvable Friends, Gingersnaps.

Maman Bebe Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 8724 www.mamanbebe.com.vn Stocks an assortment of modern strollers and car seats. Also sells various utensils and practical baby products. Small selection of clothing for ages newborn to 14 years.

Me & Be 230 Vo Thi Sau, D3 40 Ton That Tung, D1 141D Phan Dang Luu, Phu Nhuan 246 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 101-103 Khanh Hoi, D4 287A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan The closest thing to Mothercare the city has to offer. Stocks a substantial range of apparel for babies including bottles and sterilizers, cots (including travel cots), clothing, toys, safety equipment and more, all at reasonable prices.

Me Oi 1B Ton That Tung, D1 A small shop adjacent to the maternity hospital bursting at the seams with everything you need for your baby. Clothing, footwear, bottles, nappies, nappy bags and toys all at reasonable prices.

CLOTHES Debenhams Vincom Center, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton, District 1 A superb range of unique and beautiful clothing for young children (from newborns to 12 years old) imported brand from UK. High to mid-range prices.

DLS Paris 17/5 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 A superb range of unique and beautiful clothing for young children (from newborns to pre-school age) at high to midrange prices. The quality compensates for the price. Bedding, baby equipment and furniture and organic and natural supplies also kept in stock.

Ninh Khuong 44 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3824 7456 www.ninhkhuong.vn Well-known hand-embroidered children’s clothing brand using 100% cotton. Newborn to 10 years old (girl) and fourteen years old (boy). Also stocking home linens. Prices are reasonable.

EDUCATION ABC International School 2,1E Street, KDC Trung Son, Binh Hung, Binh Chanh Tel: 5431 1833 abcintschoolss@vnn.vn www.theabcis.com UK standards-based curriculum awards diploma with IGCSE’s & A Levels certified

by Cambridge Universit examinations board. From playgroup to pre-university matriculation. Served by 80+ British teachers. Good facilities and extracurricular activities.

ACG International School East West Highway, An Phu, D2 Tel: 3747 1234 www.acgedu.com Part of the Academic Colleges Group’s international network of schools, ACG offers comprehensive education from kindergarten to senior high school and a range of extracurricular activities. International curricula (IB PYP and Cambridge International Examinations).

The Australian International School Xi Campus (Kindergarten) 190 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 Tel: 35192727 Thao Dien Campus (Kindergarten & Primary School) 36 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6960 Thu Thiem Campus (Kindergarten, Primary, Middle & Senior School) 264 Mai Chi Tho (East-West Highway) An Phu ward, D2 Tel: 3742 4040 www.aisvietnam.com The Australian International School is an IB World School with 3 class campuses in District 2, HCMC, offering an interna-

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tional education from Kindergarten to Senior School with the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), Cambridge Secondary Programe (including IGCSE) and IB Diploma Programme (DP).

kids corner

British International School Primary Campus 43 - 45 Tu Xuong, D3 225 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 Secondary Campus 246 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 Tel: 3744 2335 www.bisvietnam.com BIS is the largest international school in Vietnam operating from three purpose built campuses in HCMC catering for students from pre-school to Year 13. The school operates within the framework of the National Curriculum for England and is staffed primarily by British qualified and trained teachers with recent UK experience. Students are prepared for both IGCSE & the IB Diploma programmes. BIS is a member of FOBISSEA & is fully accredited by the Council of International schools

Bedwetting

By Gemma Jones Of all the issues faced by parents, one that I find causes more distress than most is bedwetting. The medical name for the phenomenon is nocturnal enuresis, and it can happen occasionally or frequently.

It is most common in children aged under five, although it can continue up until the age of eight. Most children will stop wetting the bed eventually, so try not to panic and bear in mind that a large percentage of children under three will struggle to stay dry. Bladder control is a difficult skill to master and this process will not happen overnight.

Wetting the bed usually occurs because a child’s bladder is unable to hold the amount of urine that they produce. A delay in the development of the ability to control the bladder means that they will rarely wake up when urinating.

Another key factor is genetics. The UK’s National Health Service states that bedwetting affects 15 percent of all children, 45 percent of children with one parent who has had the condition, and 75 percent of children with two parents who have had the condition.

The most important piece of advice I can give is that under no circumstances should you punish a child for bedwetting.

If you do blame the child, you will not only make the condition worse, you could also

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have a negative effect on self esteem.

Similarly, don’t gloss over the issue. A far more positive step is to reassure your little one, explain that it is not their fault, and that many other children do it too.

Useful aids that can help deal with bedwetting include a perennial favourite, the plastic sheet. But far more 21stcentury is an enuresis alarm, which senses the first traces of a child’s urine and alerts them to it. This will help condition your child’s brain into registering the bladder’s need to go to the toilet. Of course, there is also the most obvious tip ever given, but it is also one that many parents fail to grasp: do not give your child too much water before bed time.

Bedwetting can be stressful for everyone, and it is unfortunate that there is not more that parents or caretakers can do to help solve the problem or speed up its resolution.

Remember that all children will stop wetting the bed in time, and usually without treatment.

That knowledge alone should help get you through these rough waters.

Gemma Jones has been working in child care for more than 10 years. She holds an NNEB diploma in nursery nursing and is currently a creative writing teacher at Zaman International School in Phnom Penh.

ERC 86-88-92 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan Tel: 6292 9288 www.erci.edu.vn ERC Vietnam is a member of ERCI Singapore. Founded by a group of successful business leaders around Asia Pacific. Our primary objective is to groom and mentor a new generation of business leaders in Vietnam equipped with skills to analyze and solve realworld business challenges of today.

German International School 730F-G-K Le Van Mien, Thao Dien Tel: 7300 7257 www.gis.vn A German International School offers a unique bilingual German-English programme for students from 2-16yrs.

Its curriculum is based on international recognised Primary Years Programmes, Middle Years Programmes and IB Diploma Programmes of the International Baccalaureate (IB) System.

International School HCMC 28 Vo Truong Toan, D2 Tel: 3898 9100 www.ishcmc.com One of 136 schools around the world to be accredited as an IB World School.

Offers all three of the IB programmes from primary through to grade 12. The school is fully accredited by CIS and NEASC and has a strong focus on community spirit and fosters an awareness of other languages and cultures.

KinderStar Kindergarten 08 Dang Dai Do, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 5411 8118/9 Offering bilingual preschool program with capacity up to 900 students with the most updated international standard.

Montessori International School International Program 42/1 Ngo Quang Huy, D2 Tel: 3744 2639 Bilingual Program 28 Street 19, KP 5, An Phu, D2 Tel: 6281 7675 www.montessori.edu.vn Montessori utilizes an internationally recognized educational method which focuses on fostering the child’s natural desire to learn. The aim is to create an encouraging environment conducive to learning by developing a sense of self and individuality. A wide array of curriculum/extra-curricular activities are on offer including Bilingual programs.

Renaissance International School 74 Nguyen Thi Thap, D7 Tel: 3773 3171

www.rissaigon.edu.vn IB World school, one of Vietnam’s international schools operating within the framework of the British system. RISS provide a high quality English medium education in a stimulating, challenging and supportive environment. The purpose built, modern campus has excellent facilities.

RMIT 702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7 Tel: 3776 1369 Australian university located in District 7, offers a highly regarded MBA and undergraduate courses in various fields.

Saigon South International School Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, D7 Tel: 5413 0901 www.ssis.edu.vn An International school environment offering an American/international program in a large, spacious campus, to children from age 3 to grade 12. Great facilities, extra-curricular activities and internationally trained teachers giving unique opportunities to learn.

Singapore International School (SIS) No.29, Road No.3, Trung Son Residential Area, Hamlet 4, Binh Hung Ward, Binh Chanh District Tel: 5431 7477 The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh. Tel: 3514 3036 www.kinderworld.net Students play and learn in an environment where the best of Western and Eastern cultures amalgamate to prepare KinderWorld’s students for today’s challenging world drawn from both the Singapore and Australian curriculum. The school offers International Certifications such as the iPSLE, IGCSE and GAC. The American School Vietnam - TAS 172-180 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 Te: 3519 2223 www.theamericanschool.edu.vn A complete American curriculum with challenging Advanced Placement (AP), dual enrollment with USA Misouri Sate University all directed by a certified Guidance Counselor. The California Standards of Learning are the framework for the program of studies of all grade levels. Enrollment from nursery to grade 12.

ENTERTAINMENT Gymboree Play & Music Somerset Chancellor Court 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3827 7008 www.gymboreeclasses.com.vn The Gymboree Play & Music offers children from newborn to 5 years old the opportunity to explore, learn and play in an innovative parent-child programmes.

PARTIES Beatrice’s Party Shop 235 Le Thanh Ton, D1 A lovely little shop selling everything you need to throw your little ones a good party. A catalogue of entertainers showcases a number of party favourites such as magicians, circuses and more.

Nguyen Ngoc Diem Phuong 131C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 A curious shop stocking a range of hand-made fancy dress costumes such as masks, superman outfits and much more. The stock changes seasonally, so this is a good place to stock up on Halloween, Christmas and other holiday-specific party costumes.

The Balloon Man Tel: 3990 3560 Does exactly as his name suggests – balloons. Great service has earned this chap a reputation around town for turning up almost instantly with a superb selection of balloons. Also provides helium balloons.

In Vietnam for 15 years, Citibank has a presence in both HCMC and Hanoi.

listings

Eurocham 257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Binh Tel: 3845 5528 www.eurochamvn.org

living

German Business Group 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 www.gba-vietnam.org Singapore Business Group Unit 1B2, 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3823 3046 www.sbghcmc.org

BUSINESS GROUPS

Swiss Business Association 42 Giang Van Minh, Anh Phu, D2 Tel: 3744 6996 Fax: 3744 6990 Email: sba@hcm.vnn.vn www.swissvietnam.com

AmCham New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 Business Centre, Room 323 Tel: 3824 3562 www.amchamvietnam.com

Hong Kong Business Association New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 Business Centre, Room 322 Tel: 3824 3757 / 3822 8888 www.hkbav.com

AusCham TV Building, Suite 1A, 31A Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3911 0272 / 73 / 74 www.auschamvn.org

NordCham Bitexco Building, 19-25 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3821 5423 www.nordcham.com

British Business Group of Vietnam 25 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3829 8430 execmgr@bbgv.org www.bbgv.org

Citi Bank 115 Nguyen Hue St, D1 Tel: 3824 2118 Citibank Vietnam offers a wide range of banking services to both consumer and corpo-rate. Services include Corporate and Investment Banking, Global Transaction Services, and Consumer Banking.

Shop 46 46 Nguyen Hue, D1 Small shop run by photographer and collector. The owner’s more collectible pieces are pricey, but entry-level manual focus SLRs from the 70s and 80s are affordable.

COMPUTERS Computer Street Luong Huu Khanh, D1 between Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Trai This stretch of District 1 is literally wall to wall with small shops selling computers, printers, monitors and everything computer related, more so toward the NTMK end of the drag. iCenter 142A Vo Thi Sau, D3 Tel: 3820 3918 Professional, polished Apple retailer and repair centre with an attractive showroom featuring some of the latest in accessories and audio. English-speakers on staff.

Honours Apple service plans.

Hung Hai 75 Huynh Thuc Khang, D1 A good place to purchase hard-to-find gear and some rare equipment, mainly auto focus lenses.

Future World 240 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3 Authorized reseller of Apple computers and products, as well as some off-brand items like headphones. Excellent service and English-speaking staff. Accepts credit cards.

Le Duc 5B Huynh Tinh Cua, D3 A shop for all your professional accessory needs. From lighting equipment to tripods and reflectors, the shop offers the best equipment and service in HCM City.

Phong Vu Computer 264C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3933 0762 www.vitinhphongvu.com The biggest and busiest of the PC stores in town. Known for good, efficient service,

CAMERAS

CanCham New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 Business Centre, Room 305 Tel: 3824 3754 www.canchamvietnam.org

Pham The 11 Le Cong Kieu, D1 An authorized service centre for Nikon camera that also specializes in repairing all camera makes. Measurement equipment and spare parts also available.

in-house maintenance and after-sales repair on the second floor.

SYS Vi Tinh Saigon 96C Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1 www.vtsaigon.com A superb place with an excellent reputation for after-sales service with competent English speaking staff and a wide range of products and services. Freeware and shareware also available on the store website.

CONSULTING Concetti 33 Dinh Tien Hoang, D1 Tel: 3911 1480 www.concetti-vn.com Consulting and research company for technology transfer and investment.

Embers Asia Ltd. 4th floor, 04 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3822 4728 www.embers-asia.com As the first team building provider established in Vietnam, Embers specializes in making teams better in globally competitive markets. Embers' HR performance management services include: team building excursions, strategic planning retreats, conference facilitations and training workshops.

Ernst & Young Saigon Riverside Office Center, 2A-4A Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3824 5252 www.ey.com Professional service firm specializing in advisory, assurance, tax, transactions and strategic growth markets.

Flamingo Corporate Services Tel: 2217 1662 Email: info@flamingovn.com www.flamingovn.com Specializes in business immigration, providing services like visas, work and resident permits, police clearance, APEC

Promotional Code: 010902

Mention this code at Shang Palace to get 10% discount on our F&B services. Conditions apply. Valid until: June 30, 2013

Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant 1st Floor, 17-19-21 Ly Tu Trong St., Dist. 1, HCMC, Vietnam Tel: (84 8) 3823 2221 - (84 8) 3822 6111 Ext: 164 - Fax: (84 8) 3822 6116 Email: reservation@shangpalace.com.vn - Website: www.shangpalace.com.vn

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cards, authentication and legalization of work experience certificates and degrees in Vietnam and abroad.

finance

Grant Thornton Saigon Trade Centre, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 9100 www.gt.com.vn International business advisors specializing in auditing, management consulting, corporate finance, risk management and information technology.

IF Consulting IBC Building, 3rd Floor 1A Me Linh Square, D1 4th Floor, 5 Ba Trieu Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi Tel: 3827 7362 Fax: 3827 7361 Email: pascal@insuranceinvietnam.com Private insurance and finance.

Goodwill

By Afonso Vieira The last two years of relatively slow economic activity, the banking crisis, and overinvestment in real estate are now forcing many business owners to sell or seek partners that can help their businesses stay afloat. Since most potential buyers are not Vietnamese, local and international methods of valuing companies clash.

In most of the world, true investing must be based on the assessment of the relationship between price (what you pay) and value (what you get).

Strategies based on the hope that the price will rise are not investing, but speculation. To make the assessment of that relationship we use financial statements. Proper financial statements must enable a user to answer three basic questions about a business: 1) Around how much is a company worth? 2) What is its likely ability to meet future obligations? 3) How good of a job are its managers doing?

Accounting conventions and subjectivity make these determinations difficult. But there are key international concepts that help make financial information useful for buyers and sellers. For instance, the concept of goodwill is well-known, but through experience I know how difficult it is for local business owners to grasp it.

Goodwill is essentially the amount by which the purchase price of a business exceeds the fair value of the

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assets acquired after deducting liabilities. If I buy a factory from you for $100 million and the value of all assets (machinery, inventories, licenses) minus liabilities like loans is $70 million, the remaining $30 million is recorded as an asset on the balance sheet and then amortised as an annual expense, usually over a decade or more. Businesses, logically, are worth more than their net tangible assets only when they can be expected to produce earnings on such assets in excess of market rates of return.

Goodwill is a subjective value of the intangible advantages a company has over its competitors, such as an excellent reputation, strategic location, business connections, or client loyalty. For example, the bulk of Coca-Cola's value is in the brand name the company has built up over many years.

The main issue foreign investors encounter when acquiring local businesses is the discrepancy between what the owner thinks the goodwill value is and what the buyer thinks it is worth. But with shrinking operational cash flows and constant pressure from banks to pay back loans, many business owners are now realising what goodwill is.

Afonso Vieira is the investment manager of Total Wealth Management. You can contact him at afonso.vieira@t-wm. com.

Specialists in selecting and arranging tax-efficient savings and pension plans for expatriates. Offers councel on private banking services, wealth protection in offshore jurisdictions, currency risks and hedging strategies.

Towers Watson Vietnam (formerly Watson Wyatt and SMART HR) Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue, Suite 808, D1 Tel: 3821 9488 Global HR consulting firm specializing in executive compensation, talent management, employee rewards and surveys, HR effectiveness and technology, data services and total rewards surveys.

DECOR

Indochine Councel Han Nam Building, 65 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3823 9640 www.indochinecounsel.com Business law firm specializing in legal services to corporate clients in relation to their business and investment in Vietnam.

Antique Street Le Cong Kieu Street, D1 between Nguyen Thai Binh and Pho Duc Chinh A variety of antiques and faux antiques from Thailand, China and Vietnam including silverware, compasses, lighters, brass knockers, urns, vases, abacuses, religious and pagan statues, candlestick holders, furniture and watches.

Inspired Image 42/2A Ho Hao Hon, D1 Tel: 091 635 2573 www.inspiredimage.co.uk Image consultant and personal stylist.

Previous clients include business leaders, TV presenters and busy professionals.

Asian Fish 34 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Boutique-style arts and crafts store selling locally made gifts and souvenirs, all designed by the Japanese owner. Products include clothing, bags, crockery, sandals, chopsticks and jewellery.

International Management Initiative for Vietnam (IMIV) info@imiv.org www.imiv.org The International Management Initiative for Vietnam (IMIV), a non-profit initiative within VinaCapital Foundation that promotes excellence in business leadership and management by bringing to Vietnam proven international executive education and professional development programmes.

Aquarium Street Nguyen Thong Street, D3 between Vo Thi Sau and Ly Chinh Thang Dedicated street has everything one needs to display fish: tanks, decor, feed, filters and the fish themselves.

Phuong Nguyen Consulting TPC Business Center, 92-96 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3829 2391 www.pnp-consulting.com Specializing in business facilitation, conferences, education counselling, marketentry research and IT/business consulting.

Prism Information Technology Services Level 4, YOCO Building, 41 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3829 6416 info@prism.com.vn A foreign-owned information and communications technology company that offers value-added IT solutions. Enables local businesses to attain and maintain international IT standards to be more competitive in the marketplace.

Rouse & Co. International Abacus Tower, 58 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3823 6770 www.iprights.com Global intellectual property firm providing a full range of IP services including patent and trade mark agency services.

Star Management Limited 92-96 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3897 2765 www.starlimited.com Business advisory services for companies investing in Vietnam, business project advancement and a range of business development services.

TMF Vietnam Company Limited Unit 501, 5th Floor, Saigon Trade Center 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 2262 ext. 113 Fax: 3910 0590 www.tmf-group.com With headquarters in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, TMF Vietnam specializes in accounting outsourcing and consulting.

Total Wealth Management 66/11 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3 Tel: 3820 0623 www.t-wm.com

Budget Housewares Street Corner of Pasteur and Nguyen Dinh Chieu Stock up on shower heads, kitchen supplies (juicer, spatula, grater, etc.), coat racks, clothes hangers, pots, pans, champagne flutes, bowls, coolers, trash bins, ironing boards, magazine racks and the like.

Chau Loan 213 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3825 7991 Gallery based in a colonial shophouse stocking mainly Vietnamese-themed oil paintings and images of Buddha. Also deals in better-known reproductions.

Decosy 112 Xuan Thuy, D2 Tel: 6281 9917 Producer of a large selection of European styled furniture and interior fittings, specializing in wrought iron and patine (distressed) wood finishes. Also stocks a wide-range of decorative accessories, crockery and fixtures. Custom design services available upon request.

Dogma 175 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 0488 www.dogmavietnam.com Located upstairs from Saigon Kitsch, this art gallery deals in Vietnamese propaganda posters, apparel, accessories and random paraphernalia. Large prints are sold at USD $60 each and small prints cost $25.

Mekong-Quilts 64 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3914 2119 www.mekong-quilts.org NGO enterprise specializes in quilts and sells a range of appealing handmade products created by underprivileged women in Binh Thuan Province.

Mekong Creations 64 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3914 2119 www.mekong-quilts.org NGO enterprise specializes in quilts and sells a range of appealing handmade products created by underprivileged women in Binh Thuan Province.

Minh Boutique 15 Nguyen Thiep, D1 Lacquerware pieces, tea boxes, teapot warmers, ice buckets and sake drinking sets all handmade in Vietnam. Also sells a range of silverware, egg holders and ice tongs.

Tech Street Huynh Thuc Khang Street between Ton That Dam and Nguyen Hue, D1 Sells compact discs, DVDs, electronic money counters, video games and systems, Discmans, mp3 players and portable DVD players.

OUT-2 STUDIO L6 Fafilm annex 6 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3825 6056 STUDIO@OUT-2.com www.out-2.com Studio space for independent designers to showcas their wares, sell their work and meet with clients. Open Monday t Saturday 10 am to 6 pm.

FURNITURE

Phuong Mai 213C Dong Khoi www.phuongmai-gallery.com Gallery specializing in original oils by Vietnamese artists. The works here are a mish-mash of styles but do contain some standouts, particularly well-known local artists La Hon, Quy Tam and Pham Trinh.

Sapa 125 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Offers a better selection of hill tribe handicrafts than most of its rivals. Concentrates mainly on the hand-woven clothing of the indigenous tribespeople of the region.

There is also a line in ladies’ shoes and the standard range of silk wraps and bags.

Unity 12 Dang Tran Con, D1 Tel: 3823 9375 info@unitycompany.com www.facebook.com/unitycompany Located opposite Galaxy cinema, Unity offers accessories that are designed to seamlessly blend in with your life.

Familiar basics are given a contemporary update with the use of modern, alternative materials like silicone, rubber, and brushed aluminum. From orbital lamps and eggshell-white china, to wire-clasped water bottles, each individual piece complements the others in the collection to give your home a sense of Unity.

ELECTRONICS Hi End Audio 84 Ho Tung Mau, D1 A standout that stocks the very latest and greatest in home entertainment. Retails in everything from giant plasma-screen TVs to audio equipment. Most top brands are available. iDEAS Shopping Centre 133-141AB Cach Mang Thang Tam, D3 The largest of the electonics stores along the street, the three-storey iDEAS sells every type of electronic and home appliance imaginable. Offers proper warranties. Staff speaks some English.

Nguyen Kim Shopping Centre 63-65 Tran Hung Dao, D1 Tel: 3821 1211 www.nguyenkim.com Stocks DVD/CD players, cameras, TVs, hi-fis and more from Sony, Sanyo, Panasonic, Philips and other major manufacturers. Also a good place to pick up electronic kitchen supplies like coffee makers and rice cookers, as well as large and small appliances, from hot water heaters to regrigerators.

Phong Vu 125 Cach Mang Thang Tam, D1 Tel: 6290 8777 www.vitinphongvu.com Two-storey electronics store retails in international products conveniently grouped by brand. Carries computers, home audio, printers, hard drives and more, as well as a variety of mobile phones, handheld electronic devices and accessories.

Savico 117 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 7993 One-stop electronics and home appliance superstore. All products have a one to three-year warranty.

Appeal 41 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3821 5258 A small, upscale shop that offers modern accents for the sleek dining room. The colours of the over-sized vases and fruit bowls are either glistening red or lacquered black.

AustinHome 20 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3519 0023 Outstanding quality and style for your home. The shop says its products are hand-picked by an American furniture expert from the best factories in Vietnam.

Upholstery, accessories, antiques and more.

Catherine Denoual 15C Thi Sach, D1 Tel: 3823 9394 Beautiful showroom with clean lines and a sumptuous array of bedroom products including bedside lamps, linens, pillowcases and duvet covers.

Decosy 112 Xuan Thuy, D2 Tel: 6281 9917 Producer of a large selection of European styled furniture and interior fittings, specializing in wrought iron and patine (distressed) wood finishes. Also stocks a wide-range of decorative accessories, crockery and fixtures. Custom design services available upon request.

Esthetic 11 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3514 7371/7372 Fax: 3514 7370 esthetic@vnn.vn www.estheticfurnishing.com.vn Design and manufacture as order with a mixture of antique and modern furniture.

Friendly staff speak excellent English.

Furniture Outlet 3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 2243 7955/3911 0104 Wide selection of well-crafted and carefully constructed pine wood pieces at good prices, aimed at customers craving a taste of Europe.

Furniture Street Ngo Gia Tu, D10 between Ly Thai To and Nguyen Chi Thanh Very affordable furniture can be found on this stretch: couches, mattresses, desks, chairs, etc. It often takes some looking to find a gem. A connected sidestreet, Ba Hat, features woodworkers’ shops.

Gaya 1 Nguyen Van Trang, D1 Tel: 3925 1495 www.gayavietnam.com Four-floor store featuring the work of foreign designers: home accessories and outdoor furniture by Lawson Johnston, linens by Corinne Leveilley-Dadda, furniture and lighting by Quasar Khanh, laquerware decor by Michele De Albert and furniture and decor by vivekkevin.

LINH‘S WHITE

37 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6281 9863 Furniture shop that focuses on solid wood furniture and decorative items ranging from pillows and lamps to bedding. Also offers kids’ furniture and custom pieces.

Rare Decor 41 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3822 2284 137/1 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3840 6304/5 Leading home furnishings company in Vietnam, supplying high quality, unique products. Also offer custom made furniture, accessories and lighting for commercial projects and home use.

people matter

The Furniture Warehouse 3B Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 6657 0788 namtran121@yahoo.com, ttpnam@ webtnl.com Offers a range of reasonably priced Italian, European and French colonial sofas, indoor/outdoor wooden furniture, lighting and interior décor, as well as custom designs based on clients’ specifications.

The Lost Art 31 Nguyen Cong Tru, D1 Tel: 3829 0134 Extensive product range as well as comprehensive interior design service, from initial conceptualization to design, manufacture and installation of unique products.

INSURANCE Blue Cross Vietnam 8th floor, River View Tower, 7A Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3821 9908 www.bluecross.com.vn Blue Cross Vietnam is part of the Pacific Cross group of companies with over 60 years' experience in providing health and travel insurance to people and businesses who call Asia home.

Our reputation for transparent, honest and reliable service means we are the strength behind your insurance. To make sure you are getting the most out of your insurance please contact us for a free quote.

Stealing and Lying

By Gary Woollacott There is always a level of risk when doing business. Do we really know who we are inviting into our lives when we get involved with a new contractor, employee or other company? Don't we just expect other people to have similar standards and the same level of integrity as us? Why don't they? Which brings me to this month’s topic: stealing and lying, which are often normal business practices in this part of the world.

One problem with lying and stealing as business and lifestyle choices is that ultimately we are all the losers.

This manifests itself in many ways. One easy illustration is the number of laws in a country — especially here in Asia — where the default position assumes that we are all dishonest and need to be stopped. This imposes costs on business and society as a whole. I am not advocating a total lack of regulation, but I believe that if you appeal to people's better natures you will probably be rewarded with better behaviour. But continuing the way we are is not going to turn out well. We will end up being over-regulated and burdened

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LEGAL with such a heavy level of compliance that some businesses will never get off the ground. As it is, it doesn't usually take us long to complete a search, but when my company deals with a multi-national corporation for a simple job, preparing the compliance paperwork can sometimes take a month.

It's a sad fact though that this trend, and useless time wasting, is likely to continue as long as the majority thinks it's OK to lie and steal. Until that changes, we are going to be regulated beyond what is (for most of us) necessary.

For us in recruitment, we have to be even more vigilant to check information on resumes (and websites such as LinkedIn) as it’s becoming more prevalent to enhance achievements here and there, aside from downright lies.

As usual, let me know if you have any particular topic you would like to see covered here.

Gary Woollacott is the CEO of Opus executive search in Vietnam and Thailand.

He can be reached at +84 8 3827 8209 or via gary@ opusasia.net. Opus is a partner of Horton International.

Allens Arthur Robinson Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3822 1717 www.vietnamlaws.com Australian law firm for law translation services and legal advice on foreign investment and business in Vietnam.

Baker & McKenzie Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3829 5585 www.bakernet.com International law firm providing on-theground liaison and support services to clients interested in investigating, negotiating and implementing projects in Vietnam.

Frasers International Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3824 2733 www.frasersvn.com Full service commercial law firm providing international and Vietnamese legal advice to both foreign and local clients specializing in transactions in Vietnam.

Indochine Counsel Han Nam Building, 65 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3823 9640 www.indochinecounsel.com Business law practitioners specializing in mergers & acquistions, inward investment, and securities & capital markets.

Limcharoen, Hughes and Glanville Havana Tower, 132 Ham Nghi, D1 Tel: 6291 7000 www.limcharoen.com Full service international law firm with head office in Thailand. Main focus on real estate in Asia.

Phillips Fox Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3822 1717 Full service law firm providing legal services in healthcare, education, crime, banking and hospitality among others.

Pricewaterhousecoopers Legal Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3823 0796 www.pwc.com/vn Part of a network of international legal and financial advisors, PWC gives both specialist and general legal advice with a focus on mutli-territory projects.

Rödl & Partner Somerset Chancellor Court 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3824 4225 www.roedl.com European legal firm assisting foreign investors with structuring/establishing companies, investment projects, and mergers & acquistions.

LIGHTING Luxury Light 1483 My Toan 1, Nguyen Van Linh, Phu My Hung, D7 For those who really want to bring a touch of luxury to their homes, this place deals with Italian imported lighting from the ultra - modern to the traditional Murano style chandeliers.

Extremely expensive reflecting the quality of the design and workmanship.

Mosaique 98 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 One of the best and most diverse selections of lamps in town with everything from the ordinary decorative lotus silk lamp to more inventive and original designs in lacquer and silk.

MOTORBIKES Automotive Street Ly Thai To Street, D10 starting at Dien Bien Phu and running southeast Services include mending motorbike seats and sound system installation.

Products range from zebra print motorbike seat covers to car and motorbike tyres, hubcaps, rims, subwoofers and sound systems by Xplode.

Bike City 480D Nguyen Thi Thap, D7 Luxury motorcycle shop carries a range of accessories, including apparel. Sells Vemar helmets, a brand that passes rigorous European Union standards.

Protec Helmets 18bis/3A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 248C Phan Dinh Phung, Phu Nhuan 417B Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 American nonprofit manufacturer makes helmets with densely compressed polystyrene shell with ABS, PVC or fiberglass exterior, available with polycarbonate shatter-proof shield. Options for kids.

Zeus Helmets Founded in Taiwan to manufacture cool, comfortable helmets that meet worldwide safety standards. Basic models feature thermo-injected shells constructed from lightweight ABS composite with interiors lined with moisture-absorbant brushed nylon.

Shops selling authentic Zeus helmets are located on Pham Hong Thai near Ben Thanh Market.

REAL ESTATE Ava Residence 40/10 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6281 8440 www.avaresidence.com Modern serviced apartments located 5 minutes from the British International School and Australian International School. Affords a great view over the Saigon River. Many facilities available including a swimming pool, Jacuzzi and gym.

Diamond Plaza 34 Le Duan Street Tel: 3822 1922 lntdung@diamondplaza.com.vn Located in the heart of District 1, connected to Diamond PLaza. Services 1- to 4-bedroom apartments with gym, swimming pool and panoramic views of the city.

HousingInteractive www.housinginteractive.com Offering an easy-to-use, comprehensive website that only lists authentic apartments and villas throughout Ho

Chi Minh City. The website empowers users to make specific searches to narrow down properties in order to suit their exact requirements and save time.

Upon selecting, HousingInteractive's professional staff is available 6 days a week to introduce tenants to their future homes.

InterContinental Asiana Saigon Residences Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3520 8888 saigon@interconti.com www.intercontinental.com/saigonres Contemporary residential space in the heart of the major business and cultural area in District 1. There are 260 one, two or three-bedroom units plus health club and outdoor swimming pool.

Namhouse Corporation 48A Tran Ngoc Dien, Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 0989 007 700 www.namhouse.com.vn Provides rental properties, construction services and interior decorating.

Supports professional services and after-sales.

Savills Viet Nam Level 18, Fideco Tower, 81-85 Ham Nghi, D1 Tel: 823 9205 www.savills.com.vn Savills Viet Nam is a property service provider that has been established in Vietnam since 1995 offering research, advisory services, residential sales, commercial leasing, asset management, retail advisory, valuation, investment advisory and more.

Sherwood Residence 127 Pasteur St., D3 Tel: 3823 2288 Fax: 3823 9880 Hotline: 0917470058 leasing@sherwoodresidence.com www.sherwoodresidence.com Sherwood Residence is a luxury serviced apartment property and the first property certified by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Modern living spaces meet prime location, comfort and class with 5-star facilities and service.

Snap Tel: 0989 816 676 www.snap.com.vn Online Real Estate service providing information on rental properties exclusively in District 2. Full listings online.

RECRUITMENT HR2B / Talent Recruitment JSC Thien Son Building, 5 Nguyen Gia Thieu, D3 Tel: 3930 8800 www.hr2b.com HR consulting advises businesses on how to improve employee productivity.

The search team specializes in matching senior level Vietnamese professionals

and managers to top level opportunities in both major cities.

Opus Vietnam 2A Rolanno Offices, 128 Nguyen Phi Khanh, D1 Tel: 3827 8209 www.opusasia.net Established in HCMC in 2005, Opus services local and multinational companies seeking to recruit high quality personnel.

An Associate of Horton International, one of the world’s leading search groups with over 30 offices worldwide. For more info contact info@opusasia.net.

RELOCATION AGENTS AGS Four Winds 5th Floor, Lafayette De Saigon, 8A Phung Khac Khoan, D1 Tel: +84 8 3521 0071, Fax: +84 8 3521 0710 www.agsfourwinds.com ags-vietnam@agsfourwinds.com Global leader in international removals and relocations, with 128 offices in 78 countries.They can move customers to and/or from any location worldwide.

5 Nguyen Gia Thieu, D3 Tel: 3933 0065 www.santaferelo.com info@santaferelo.com.vn With over 150 offices around world, Santa Fe offers local & international moving, pet transportation, relocation services including home search, orientation, cultural training, immigration & records management.

UniGroup Worldwide UTS Vietnam 440/26A Tran Hung Dao, D5 Tel: 3836 3002 www.unigroupworldwide.com Global mobility company offering international corporate relocations, settling-in assistance and cross-cultural training.

STATIONERY Custom Signage Street Le Lai, D1 between Truong Dinh and Nguyen Thai Hoc

Offers custom-designed signs and custom engraving on trophies and plaques made of plastic, wood, metal and glass.

Fahasa 40 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3822 5796 Bookstore chain carries an expansive stock of office and home stationary; a one-stop shop for basic needs.

Pi-Channel 45B Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3822 0253 www.pi-channel.com Boutique shop carries up-market collections of pens and notepads, as well as desktop organisers, clocks, calendars and frames. Corporate services offered.

Stationary and Printing Street Ly Thai To Street, D3 starting at Dien Bien Phu and running southeast More than 25 stores providing photocopying services, from business cards to flyers and colour prints to invitations.

Allied Pickfords Satra Building, Room 202, 58 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 08 3823 3454 Kevin.hamilton@alliedpickfords.com.vn http://vn.alliedpickfords.com Moving and relocating services company specializing in business and office moves. Overseas and specialist movers also available.

Crown Worldwide Movers 48A Huynh Man Dat, Binh Thanh Tel: 3823 4127 www.crownrelo.com hochiminhcity@crownrelo.com Not just International or local moving and storage. Crown Relocations offer a wide range of services including orientations, immigration, home search, intercultural training through to pet relocation. Call the team on the above number and check out our website for more information.

UTS Saigon Van Intl’ Relocations 1st Fl, 214 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 Tel: 3744 7102 www.saigonvan.com Full service relocating agency with warehousing, handyman, insurance & claim, orientation an partner career support services also availble.

JVK International Movers Saigon Port Building, 3 Nguyen Tat Thanh, D4 Tel: 3826 7655/6 chris.honour@jvkasia.com www.jvk.com International agengy with a full range of services including sea/air freight services and worldwide transit coverage.

Santa Fe Relocation Services 8th floor, Thien Son Building,

112 Xuan Thuy Ward Thao Dien District 2 Ho Chi Minh City Tel/Fax. (+84) 8 62.819.917 shop-hcm@decosy.biz

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femme fashion

listings

fashion ACCESSORIES Accessorize Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 www.monsoon.co.uk/icat/accessorize Fashion-forward accessories including necklaces, handbags, wallets, flip-flops, sunglasses, hair accessories, belts and more.

The Colour Blue (Denim)

By Christina Yu Blue, at least dark navy blue, is traditionally a conformist colour: think lawyers, accountants and policeman. This shade is designed to inspire respect (and requires less dry cleaning).

Since the middle ages, blue has traditionally been seen as a workingman’s colour.

The original blue dye was made from the woad plant, which involved the process of mixing crushed woad leaves with urine from men who had supposedly drank large amounts of alcohol. The process became somewhat easier and cheaper when indigo dye (made with the same urine process but with a different plant from India) was imported to Europe around 1500. The woad plant dye was less vivid than the indigo, thus the rather diluted blues you see in Monty Python sketches. This was the same dye used in all denim until the mid 1950s, when a chemical process was substituted for the noxious diluted urine. The cleaner method is now used in the dyes produced to make all denim.

Clothes made with indigo dye continued to be a workingman’s colour until the 1970s, when denim entered the fashion world. Now, it is estimated that about 450 million pairs of denim jeans are made each year, meaning about 7 percent of the world’s population buys a new pair of jeans annually.

So, for fashionistas, is blue

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an essential colour? One would have to say yes, albeit mainly for the perfect pair of denim jeans.

And why do girls need so many pairs of denim jeans?

Each look requires a different pair. For a hippy look, we need one slightly distressed pair, or one with embroirdery.

For the beach, we need one cut like Capri pants (3/4 length that drops above the ankle).

For smart casual evenings, you need the high-waisted version complete with a slightly embellished top. For travelling, the bootleg version is best and looks smart with a comfy top or a well-cut shirt.

Going clubbing, one would require the tight-fitted slim version with a T-tank and a clutch or cross-body bag. These are the five staple styles required for your wardrobe, and this does not include the different variations and effects that one can get these days on denim.

And what is the secret to all these denim brands that can sell jeans at $250 a pop?

Well-cut, well-fitted styles that perk up your butt and makes you look slim, tall, hip and sexy.

One last thing about denim blue — it is NEVER out of fashion.

Christina Yu is the creative director and founder of Ipa-Nima, an award-winning accessories brand. Email your questions to Christina@ipanima.com or visit Ipa-nima. com.

Anupa Boutique 17/27 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 7307 anupaboutiquevietnam@anupa.net The ever-changing boutique retails in the elegant design of anupa accessories made from high-quality leather. Collections available range from men, women, executive, travel, spa, yoga, board games, boxes and semi-precious stone jewellery. Collection changes on weekly basis. Also carries toys, stationery, Unitdot Bamboo eye wear, Ella Charlotte scarves and ladies' apparel brand Things of Substance.

Bally Rex Hotel, 141 Nguyen Hue, D1 Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 www.experience.bally.com Flagship store in the Rex Hotel providing luxury Italian-made accessories for men.

Among these are shoes, belts, wallets and a collection of male jewellery.

Banana 128 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Women’s accessories and more, from bags, clutches and belts to clothes and jewellery, all at reasonable prices.

Cartier Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan This well-known designer brand displays a wide range of accessories for men. Famous for its watches, Cartier also stocks pens, key rings, belts and sunglasses.

Cincinati 177P Dong Khoi, D1 www.cincinati.vn info@cincinati.vn Vietnamese brand of genuine leather bags, shoes, accessories and personal goods for men and women: notebooks for a classic vagabond look. Quality leather from crocodile, horse, snake and fish made by local craftsmanship.

Coconut 100 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Bags of all shapes and sizes rule the roost in this small shop. Made of silk and embroidered to the brim, these unique bags start at about USD $30, and many are suitable for both day and night.

Creation 105 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 5429 A two-storey shop selling scarves, intricate handbags (from USD $30), tailormade silk dresses and tops. Has a wide range of materials on the second floor.

Gallery vivekkevin FAFILM Building, 6 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 6291 3709 info@vivekkevin.com www.galeryvivekkevin.com Handcrafted pendants, necklaces, rings and bracelets. The gallery’s focus is on design, craftsmanship and finish, as well as educating clients on the intricacies of each piece.

Gucci 88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 6688 Located on the main shopping street in HCMC, this flagship store brings Florentine fashion to an array of luxury leather goods such as briefcases, luggage and a selection of men’s shoes for office or more casual occasions.

Ipa-Nima 71 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 3652 77 Dong Khoi, D1 Well-known Hanoi-based fashion brand.

Founder Christina Yu is a former lawyer turned designer who produces eclectic and eye-catching handbags. Also stocks costume jewellery and shoes.

Laura V Signature 11 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 7304 4126 www.laurav.net Vintage designs aplenty with everything from jewellery and hair accessories to funky styled sunglasses, umbrellas and colourful maxi dresses.

Louis Vuitton Opera View, 161 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 6318 Designer brand name housing traditional craftsmanship of luxury leather goods for men and women. An array of bags, wallets, cuff links and watches are available.

Mai O Mai 4C Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 4007 A superb little place with beautiful jewellery and accessories to suit all budgets. Silver necklaces, bracelets, rings and more in both classic and imaginative designs, as well as gorgeous hand-embroidered bags.

Mont Blanc Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan Notable for fine writing instruments, Mont Blanc also houses cuff links and other male accessories Scorpion Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3993 9889 www.scorpionbag.com Selling high-end leather products for both men and women, including shoes, handbags, belts and other accessories. Features a variety of leather in bright colors and styles.

Tic Tac Watch Shop 72 Dong Khoi Tel: 0838 293519 www.tictacwatch.com Elegant show room displaying some of the world’s most recognized Swiss brands such as Rolex, Tag Huer, Baume & Marcer, Omega and Hirsch. On-site watch repair service and complementary watch evaluation available. Also carries a small collection of vintage Rolexes.

Umbrella 35 Ly Tu Trong, D1 and 4 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 6276 2730 www.umbrella-fashion.com Sophisticated boutique showcasing a diverse range of imported women’s accessories. Also houses women’s garments from office wear to cocktail and party creations.

ACTIVE WEAR Roxy and Quiksilver Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1 The original active living and extreme sports brands, Roxy and Quiksilver products combine form and function. Choose from outdoor gear to cool indoor clothes.

TBS Sports Centre 102 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan This store stocks a range of good sports clothes and equipment from big name brands such as Puma, Adidas, Ecco, Nike and Converse.

Volcom Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 Chic and funky ladies’ apparel brand from America. Lots of tank tops, minis and shorts for day tripping with girlfriends or lazing on the beach.

READY TO WEAR unisex FCUK 127 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3914 7740 www.frenchconnection.com Trendy UK brand with a selection of fashion-forward dresses for women and smart workwear and funky casual wear for men, all at middle-market prices.

L’Usine 151/1 Dong Khoi, D1 Lifestyle store and cafe housed in a period building restored to evoke the aesthetic of an early 20th-century garment factory.

Carries an exclusive, frequently refreshed line of imported men’s and women’s fashion, including T-shirts and footwear, and a range of unique accessories. Entrance via the street-level Art Arcade.

Replay Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 116 Nguyen Trai, D1 187 Hai Ba Trung, D3 Tel: 3925 0252 Wide variety of shoes, clothing, denim for teens and university-age men and women.

Carries boots, sandals, pumps and sneakers at mid-range prices.

Runway Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3993 9988 runway.sg@global-fashion.vn Massive and minimalist design-led interior lets ultra high-end designer garments stand out. Carries men's, women's and children’s clothing, swimwear, shoes, accessories along with home décor. Brands include Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Sergio Rossi and Eres.

Versace 26 Dong Khoi Designer brand in men’s formal wear.

Houses suit jackets and trousers, shirts as well as an array of men’s accessories. Also stocks womens clothing and shoes.

men

Lucas 69A Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3827 9670 Fashion store housing contemporary designs in casual, office and evening wear imported from Hong Kong.

Massimo Ferrari 42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3 Tel: 3930 6212 Bespoke menswear shop also boasts its own brand of contemporary preppy attire tailored for the tropics. Carries a line of European-quality shoes, bags and accessories designed in-house, as well as exclusive Orobianco unisex bags, designer fragrances and eyewear.

Milano Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi

www.milanogoods.com A conjoining shop with D&G offering a selection of men’s shoes and accessories with a sideline in women’s clothing. D&G provides a collection of menswear, from casual jeans and T-shirts to uniquely designed suit jackets.

Timberland Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Sells everything the brand is known for, from heavy-duty boots to tops and trousers that are both smart and casual.

The emphasis is on muted tones and unobtrusive logos for men who don’t like to show off.

women Axara Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 21 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3993 9399 www.axara.com Carries women’s clothing suitable for work, weekends or evening. Luxurious fabrics and simple cuts and styles all at reasonable prices. Also carries handbags and accessories.

BCBG MAXAZRIA Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 American brand sells women’s day dresses and tops, evening gowns and wear-to-work attire in many prints and colours. Also carries a small selection of accessories, sunglasses and watches.

Chloe Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 6291 3582 Parisian-influenced fashion house specializes in simple, traditional designs with a feminine and fashionable twist. Jeans, satin dresses and a wide array of accessories are on display.

Geisha Boutique 85 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3829 4004 enquiry@geishaclothing.com Facebook: Geisha Boutique Australian fashion label offering a contemporary range of casual and evening wear with an Asian influence. Printed tees, singlets, shorts, skirts, jeans, summer scarves, dresses, silk camisoles and satin maxi dresses.

panties, pyjamas, accessories and lounge wear.

Mango 96 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 6624 Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 A favourite with fashion-conscious women, this mid-range store stocks clothes from simple tees and jeans to evening wear.

Marc Jacobs Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue , D1 Tel: 6291 3580 This spacious shop with high-ceilings carries up-market clothes, shoes and accessories from the internationally recognized designer brand.

Valenciani Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3821 2788 66-68 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 7302 4688 valenciani.sg@gmail.com www.valenciani.com Homegrown luxury boutique carries silk dresses, velvet corsets, chiffon shawls and a range of accessories, all designed in-house.

SHOES

and All-Star sneakers and Converse brand clothing and accessories. Also at department stores around HCMC. Dr. Marten’s 173 Hai Ba Trung, D3 Tel: 3822 4710 Air Wair sandals and shoes here feature the classic yellow stitching and chunky rubber soles. Also stocked with clothes and accessories by Replay and Kappa tracksuit tops.

Sergio Rossi 146AB Pasteur, D1 Rex Hotel, 141 Nguyen Hue, D1 World-renowned Italian brand stocks a diverse European-style collection of upmarket shoes and bags made of quality materials, from crocodile and python skin laterals to garnishings of Swarovski crystals and colourful beads.

TAILORS Dieu Thanh 140 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 5851 www.dieuthanh.com Experienced tailor shop specializes in swimwear and cotton clothing, as well as business suits, evening dresses, luxury fabrics and accessories.

Kookai Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi French brand stocking classic, feminine, styles with a twist. Gypsy day dresses and classic little black dresses at mid- to highrange prices are perfect for twenty- and thirty-something women.

Charles & Keith 10 Mac Thi Buoi, 18-20 Nguyen Trai Tel: 3925 1132 Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 www.charleskeith.com Singapore brand housing youthful and trendy shoes of a contemporary, high fashion design.

Massimo Ferrari 42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3 Tel: 3930 6212 Traditional Italian sartorial techniques are employed to offer a full wardrobing service and custom tailoring for men. Stocked with imported fabrics primarily from Italy.

In-office and workplace fittings available.

La Senza 47B–47C Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3925 1700 65 Le Loi, Saigon Centre, D1 Tel: 3914 4328 www.lasenza.com Boutique carrying a wide range of bras,

Converse 186 Hai Ba Trung, D1 148 Nguyen Trai, D1 122 Ba Thang Hai, D10 Tel: 3827 5584 www.converse.com.vn Sells iconic Chuck Taylor, Jack Purcell

Uyen 13 Nguyen Thiep, D1 An excellent option with English-speaking staff and a good selection of fabrics (although the price takes a dip if you bring your own) and some off-the-rack staples to copy. Reasonable prices.

LINH‘S WHITE PLEASANT LIVING MINIMALISM 37 THAO DIEN (OPPOSITE AN PHU SUPERMARKET) 67 XUAN THUY - DISTRICT 2 PHONE: (84) - 62819863 - 62818488 E : linhnguyen@hbdecor.com.vn

- www.linhfurniture.com

asialife HCMC 73

Caravelle Hotel and Lush

Photos by Fred Wissink.

74 asialife HCMC

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radar Nerd humour

Xkcd.com In the comic, a girlfriend shows her boyfriend a map plotting the decline of their relationship. He then agrees that she's right, they should break up. "I knew data would convince you," she says. "No," he replies. "I just think I can do better than someone who doesn't label her axes." As a sort of geeky webcomic of “romance, sarcasm, math, and language”, Xkcd.com posts stand-alone drawings so you can drop in anytime. The creator says of himself: “I'm just this guy, you know?” and: “In my spare time I climb things, open strange doors, and go to Goth clubs dressed as a frat guy so I can stand around and look terribly uncomfortable. At frat parties I do the same thing, but the other way around.”

Prioritise information

Bigthink.com If you ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of how much information is out there, Big Think helps focus on new ideas that will last — and are therefore worth our time. Much of the site digs into science and technology, but also ethics, with such discussion topics as, ‘Should we be monogamous?’, and videos by experts in their fields. Neurologist Oliver Sacks, for instance, has clips up about everything from hallucinations to the iPod. Big Think also posts interesting creations from elsewhere, such as a video made to go along with David Foster Wallace’s poignant graduation speech, and “60 Second Reads”, like one explaining what a virtual particle is.

DIY surveys

Surveymonkey.com Interests as diverse as high school students to metro newspapers to big businesses are using SurveyMonkey to take the temperature of their target audiences. The site lets you easily devise your own questionnaire, send it out (to a limited number of people for free; unlimited for a subscription), and collect the results. It seems to be the most popular online tool to poll people, with a self-declared 15 million users, plus financial backing from Google.

78 asialife HCMC

soundfix album review

Mikal Cronin MCII

Who says rock has to be all angst and rebellion? Since the 1980s and 90s, rock has been co-opted by the dark side, becoming increasingly identified with sex, drugs and general hotel-room trashing behaviour. But what about some of that old-time rock ‘n’ roll, “the kind of music that soothes your soul”? Enter the garage rock revival, which harks back to rock of a more uplifting, Beach Boys variety.

Mikal Cronin is one of those guys letting the sunshine into the recording studio. An occasional collaborator of Ty Segall, and sometime bass guitarist in his band, Cronin has also released two solo albums. MCII is his sophomore release, weaving together guitar pop, psychedelica and honky-tonk piano for a version of rock that is just plain fun.

Cronin still maintains a sense of recklessness in his music, with the occasional crash of guitar and screeched vocals, but reins it in with polished pop sensibilities. Think a little bit Weezer, a little bit Elliot Smith, but minus the gloom and doom.

80 asialife HCMC

by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen

Various Artists

Charli XCX

Director Baz Luhrmann loves being a bit cheeky. For his reworking of 1920s classic The Great Gatsby, no one would have expected a tired soundtrack of Charleston numbers. But were we imagining a collection of some of the biggest names in mainstream music today?

Jay-Z does Jay Gatsby, with the rapper taking the helm as the soundtrack’s executive producer. Very 2013-sounding party tracks are given jazzy rhythms to fit in with the theme, whereas some songs directly reference the novel. It all makes for a rather obvious attempt at translating the decadence of the Jazz Age into the modern one.

But in the end, Luhrmann’s films are about capturing the “feel” of the storyline, remixing it into something contemporary.

Perhaps will.i.am, Beyonce and Lana Del Rey are what it takes for the bright young things of today to understand 1920s frivolity. But the album lacks the comparative subtlety of Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet soundtrack, which captured the elation and tragedy of the starcrossed lovers while holding its own as a compilation of music worth hearing.

“Don’t go to sleep, don’t go to sleep / Let’s go out” goes the refrain on Charli XCX’s ‘Take My Hand’. It’s hard to resist her call. Born Charlotte Aitchison, the 20-year-old Brit captures the essence of being young, indifferent and cool. She makes the type of electronic pop played in gritty East London bars and spotlighted on Skins episodes. It’d be easy to dismiss her as a hipster cliché, but she’s actually good at what she does — blending 1980s and 1990s nostalgia with catchy beats — for songs that stick in your head and make you feel a bit sassy.

Last year, her collaboration with Icona Pop, ‘I Love It’, was a breakout party anthem. That song isn’t featured on her first album release, but there are several others worth posting on Tumblr. The sultry ‘Stay Away’ and ‘Nuclear Seasons’ are two of her older singles, but remain standouts, as does a remix of ‘You’re the One’ by Odd Future’s The Internet, featuring rapper Mike G.

The Great Gatsby OST

True Romance

Snoop Lion

Reincarnation Snoop Dogg used to rap about ‘Gin and Juice’. Now in his new persona — a Rastafarian rechristened Snoop Lion — he sings about ‘Fruit Juice’. “Cantaloupe, soursop, pineapple, mango, my taste buds tango,” croons the man formerly known as Dogg.

After a visit to Jamaica in 2012, Snoop committed himself to the Rastafari movement and switched his musical style to reggae, referring to himself as a reincarnation of Bob Marley. Despite that presumptuous claim, Snoop Lion’s debut album can’t hold a candle to Bob’s greatness.

But don’t dismiss it all as an aging rapper’s midlife crisis.

The rap game might still be what Snoop does best, but his 12th studio album isn’t all tripe — largely thanks to a little help from his friends.

Reincarnation features a mix of artists with better reggae/ dancehall credibility and pop stars — from Mavado to Major Lazer to Miley Cyrus — who enliven the Lion’s soporific purr. At least, let’s applaud his public metamorphosis. Take ‘No Guns Allowed’, which features vocals from his daughter Cori B and Drake, condemning the gangsta lifestyle Snoop once represented. One love.

endorsed

xoneFM top ten Hot 10

Photos by Steven Dang

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Bruno Mars Jonas Brothers Phillip Phillips 3oh3 Lenka Enrique Iglesias Andy Burrows Justin Timberlake Franve Ocean New Kids On The Block

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If I Knew Pom Poms Get Up Get Down Back to Life Everything at Once Finally Found You If I Had a Heart Mirrors Eyes Likfe Sky We Own Tonight

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Get Lucky Let Her Go 4Pompeii The Other Side Can't Help Falling In Love Waiting All Night

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Treasure

artist Robin Thicke feat T.I. and Pharell Daft Punk feat Pharrell Passenger Bastille Jason Derulo Harrison Craig Rudimental feat Ella Eyre Paramore Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat Ray Dalton Bruno Mars

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Heart Attack I Love It When I Was Your Man Come and Get It Feel This Moment

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artist Justin Timberlake Pink Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat Ray Dalton Rihanna feat Mikky Ekko Demi Lovato Icona Pop feat Charli Bruno Mars Selena Gomez Pit Bull feat Christina Aguilera Will.i.am feat Justin Bieber

A O Show

By Jade Bilowol Time slips by quicker than we realise living as expats.

Despite calling Ho Chi Minh City home for more than three years, there are a host of attractions I’ve yet to strike off a list many sightseers could race through in a few days.

The War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace, The Bitexco Skydeck, Cho Lon — the list goes on.

So when the chance arises to set foot inside the Saigon Opera House and feel “cultured”, I take it. We whiz past this pink landmark countless times, but how many of us have seen its interior?

The Opera House is actually a pleasant venue for the contemporary performance the A O Show Saigon delivers.

And no, it’s not an adults-only show.

Spanning a digestible 1 hour, 10 minutes, the A O Show features acrobatics, live music, dance, and a splash of theatre — all paying homage to Vietnam. It marks a welcome departure from the hackneyed, kitsch cultural shows geared towards tourists.

The show’s director, Tuan Le, is apparently the only Vietnamese person to have performed with Cirque du Soleil. The impression this world-renowned circus has left on Tuan is clearly evident during the show.

The powerhouse performers execute some pretty amazing

feats, with some contorting their physiques into all sorts of knots while suspended mid-air. At one stage the entire troupe hoists one another upon coracles to form a towering human pyramid.

Performers and bamboo poles merge to create monkey bridges, on which other cast members move across the stage in a rural setting akin to a moving art installation. The countryside then gives way to urban life, marking Vietnam’s modernisation with, of all things, break-dancing and BMX stunts.

The crowd responds well to a tableau of scenes of people living on top of each other in Vietnam’s cramped, narrow buildings. The spotlight zeroes in on humorous snatches of city life, one at a time. An irate woman, for example, bangs a broom on her ceiling in a hardly-subtle request for quiet from a couple upstairs pummeling their food in a mortar and pestle.

I particularly liked the live music. A dude gliding across the stage in a coracle playing an electric guitar Joe Satrianistyle was the highlight for me.

While tickets are a little on the pricey side, the A O Show maintains momentum and is visually spectacular. It’s well worth seeing.

For more information visit Aoshowsaigon.com or Facebook. com/aoshow.saigon.

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boxoffice

After Earth

The Great Gatsby

Man of Steel

World War Z

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

In this film adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, wouldbe writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) leaves the Midwest for New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

It is here that Nick is drawn into the world of the super rich, and begins to pen a story that holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

In a reboot of the Superman film series, the legendary DC Comics superhero returns in this origin story. As a young boy, Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do, but the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Based on Max Brooks' science fiction novel about a time of global war against the undead, World War Z stars Brad Pitt as United Nations employee Gerry Lane. Rather than staying true to the book, which is an oral history written after the war ends, the film follows Lane as he traverses the world in a race against time to stop the zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

Opening Dates CINEMAS M: Megastar Cinema Megastar.vn

G: Galaxy Cinema Galaxycine.vn

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After Earth (7 June) Man of Steel (14 June) World War Z (21 June) The Great Gatsby (28 June) The Great Gatsby (7 June) After Earth (7 June)

The information on this page was correct at the time of printing. Check cinema websites for screenings.

bookshelf We Need New Names

Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls

NoViolet Bulawayo

David Sedaris

Little, Brown & Company

Little, Brown & Company

The Paradise that 10-year-old Darling lives in is no idyll.

It’s a shantytown and part of a Zimbabwe that is going downhill. Through her eyes, Darling experiences a country rife with high unemployment, inflation, AIDs and violent political oppression. She doesn’t understand why things are the way they are, why her playmate Chipo has a baby inside her, and why her father went to work in South Africa and never came back. When Darling gets older, she escapes the instability of Zimbabwe to go live with her aunt in Detroit, Michigan. But life in the new land isn’t quite the vision she imagined. NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut novel is a powerful reflection on her beautiful, yet troubled country, and the costs of leaving it behind.

Harvard Square André Aciman W W Norton & Company

Set in the summer of 1977, Harvard Square takes place in the deserted wasteland of Harvard University when most students have gone home. The nameless narrator is a foreign student, who has travelled from Alexandria, Egypt, to join the celebrated halls of learning. Scrambling to finish his PhD in literature, he remains in Cambridge for the summer and works part-time in a Harvard library. At his favourite haunt, Café Algiers, he meets Kalaj, an outspoken Tunisian cabdriver who denounces the extremes of American commercialism. The two expatriates spend the summer philosophising, chasing women, driving the streets of Boston and swimming nude in Walden Pond. Through Kalaj, the narrator finds himself caught between his old world upbringing and the American dream.

To appreciate David Sedaris, you must hear his voice. As a writer, the American essayist is a gifted storyteller, but the hilarity of his stories is amplified when he tells them himself. Sedaris frequently reads on the radio and onstage, sounding dry, ironic and slightly squeaky—perfect for the self-deprecating tones he writes in. Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls is his latest collection of non-fiction and fiction, combining pieces previously published in the New Yorker with new material. As always, Sedaris finds the humourous aspects of experiences as diverse as a colonoscopy, dental care in France and taxidermy. Read the publication for some good laughs or, even better, listen to the audio book.

To Save Everything, Click Here Evgeny Morozov Public Affairs

In To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism, Evgeny Morozov critiques the “Internet-centrism” that has elevated the network from a tool created by imperfect humans to deity status. Not only is technology heralded as the source of all solutions, but Morozov argues that internet values of openness, efficiency and sociability are being transposed onto our society, culture and politics. These may sound like desirable qualities—and techno-utopians would certainly argue so—but real life is not as clear-cut as a software programme. Morozov warns of a tyranny of technology, with the problem of equating knowledge with data cited as one example. He doesn’t call for discarding the internet, but points out that sometimes it’s a good idea to think outside the computer box.

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ODD ONE OUT Dana Filek-Gibson dons her backpacker pants and embraces her inner tourist.

Others may stand about for hours trying to decipher the phrase, “This t-shirt price same same that t-shirt”, while you've already purchased your kitschy souvenirs and gone on your way.

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The expat is a noble creature.

Sunburned, perspiring, and remarkably gifted at charades, you come to this country with little more than a backpack, in search of adventure and willing to be prodded by small children.

At first, it is difficult settling into a new life thousands of miles from home, but over time your courage is rewarded. You begin to navigate the current of oneway streets that is downtown and better understand the antics of parking attendants. Gradually, the daily struggle of fitting in begins to fall away. In the end, you are proud. You are brave.

And you are not to be confused with a tourist.

Except when, sometimes, you are. Because despite our love and appreciation for Saigon, everyone needs to get out once in a while. The unfortunate part of escaping the dust and heat of the city is that it often forces us to relinquish our status as local residents. The act is uncomfortable, even upsetting.

Suddenly, we are thrust into the same realm as tourists, a people known for their suspicion of ice cubes and their embarrassing style of dress. Local residents and foreign visitors alike presume that we are cut from the same cloth as our western countrymen — a fact that is partly correct, but nonetheless fails to distinguish those of us unfazed by the phrase 'duck-fetus egg', or the existence of squat toilets.

Yet there is something within us that grows nostalgic at the sight of a frazzled foreigner trying to read a map. We recall a time when we, too, were comfortable paying a dollar for bottled water or sporting a conical hat in jest. Even now, years on, I sometimes envy portly

visitors on cyclos, inching along the downtown avenues in what must be an excellent seat for a nap. But alas, an expat can no longer live out the life of a tourist in the city they call home.

Which is why, despite a certain degree of offense, it never hurts to embrace the labels you are given. Travel is meant to be relaxing, a welcome escape from the stresses of our daily lives.

Channeling your inner tourist can allow you the anonymity and freedom to let go of those challenges and revisit the things you once loved but are now too culturally savvy to do without judgment from your expat peers.

Dressing the Part Admit it: you still have them.

Somewhere in the depths of your closet is a pair of handwoven, hemp-thread, one-sizefits-all backpacker pants that you barely took off during your first months here. Nowadays, in front of your expat friends, you wouldn't be caught dead in them. But in the sweltering leadup to rainy season, sometimes you close the blinds, crank the air-con, and wear them around the house. Travel affords you a second chance to sport these ‘clothes’ in a public place. Go ahead, indulge: pull out your 'Tubing in Vang Vieng' tank and the low-crotch patterned pants that appear to be made from your grandmother's curtains.

No one's going to know who you are anyway.

Seeing the Sights As a result of its storied past, Southeast Asia is full of cultural museums, royal palaces, goldcovered pagodas, and floating villages. By all means, take in

these picturesque and educational sites. Ask questions, snap photos, and learn as much as you can. But don't visit these places simply out of a traveller's obligation. Instead, remember that you are both a tourist and an expat at the same time: while your contemporaries are out revelling in yet another golden statue of the Buddha, you, too, can make the pilgrimage to sites of western convenience, a rare commodity in this part of the world. Enjoy a blue-flavoured Slurpee at a Bangkok 7-Eleven, or take a special trip to the airconditioned skincare paradise that is Boots. Wherever your cultural interests lie, embrace them.

Playing to Your Strengths As a longtime resident of Southeast Asia and a traveller, you are unmatched in your knowledge of cultural practices and your fluency in Asian English. You may still be viewed as a tourist, but your expat know-how is sure to make any holiday more enjoyable. Others may stand about for hours trying to decipher the phrase, “This t-shirt price same same that t-shirt”, while you've already purchased your kitschy souvenirs and gone on your way. Only you can decode the intricate system of pointing that comes after asking for directions. And the weeks and months and years of street food that have passed through your system mean that you could eat lunch off a Hanoi sidewalk and live to tell the tale.

While some may turn up their noses at your unusual skill set, you are still an expat beneath the Tin Tin t-shirt and the fake Ray Bans; use these gifts to your advantage.

This Country Life Walter Pearson finds that country life not only provides inspiration for a good yarn, but also relief for long-open wounds.

Nobody speaks English in my town, not even my son. So when another English speaker comes to visit, I cannot shut up. When our last visitor came up, we talked a lot over coffee in the morning and during the cool of the evening. I discovered my guest was someone with whom I have a lot in common, and at the same time very little.

We joined the army at about the same time, trained together, came to Vietnam together, were wounded together, and that was it. He stayed 20 years in the army and became a physical training instructor. I got out, studied East Asian history and Chinese and became a journalist. Yet, the experiences we shared keep us connected.

And the post-traumatic stress disorder, too, I guess.

He came to my home in the bush for a stay, his first time back in Vietnam since the war.

Seeing him up close after not being in each other’s presence for two decades or so, I was struck by how PTSD and personality combine.

PTSD and years of teaching young men how to overcome pain barriers, carry out antiambush drills, engage in minor infantry tactics and bear the hardships of the bush had created for my friend a worldview where survival is paramount.

I remember living in that world for years after discharge.

It is a world where everything is a threat, every place has dangers and every person is suspect. It is a bi-polar world of the strong and the weak; the strong are to be admired and the weak are to be pitied. There is no room for self-reflection, just a commitment to action.

There are only opportunities or problems. Opportunities are to be seized, and problems resolved. Then we move on. Always forward, never back. Just keep moving, keep doing.

My friend says he cannot read a book or sit still to see a movie through to the end. His sleep is so erratic he has a bed in another room away from his wife. He volunteers at the local football club as much as he can — the young people need

leadership, need to understand loyalty and honour, and need to show self-discipline. He drives the war widows in his town to social gatherings once a week and mows their lawns for them — he thinks it is the least he can do because they remained loyal to their dead husbands and never re-married.

The world my friend lives in is very black and white; there are no nuances. There is no place for self-indulgence and no self-forgiveness. You either man up and accept your failures or avoid the issue through more action, drinking or drug taking.

However, there is something about bringing veterans back to Vietnam. I have conducted hundreds of veterans on tours and visits to the country. Without exception, the return has had positive effects. I consciously avoid clichés about ghosts being put to rest. The process is much more complex than that, and more personalised. No two veterans carry the same burden and therefore relief is different with every man. I had one vet-

eran who felt guilty about his involvement here and thought he deserved to be hated by every Vietnamese. So I took him on a homestay in Ben Tre with my wife, Sister Eight and the Child Grace. His release from guilt came from his close association with them.

I think my friend who was visiting just needed time out, a forced break from taking action.

His visit to the countryside did that. For two days after he arrived he slept in our hammock or on our couch. He went to bed early and woke up with the persistent pain in his back much reduced. His worldview had not changed. He still insisted I needed to take my son out and teach him how to fish — a good way to get a feed if times are tough. But my friend did sit down and read a book all the way through.

He relaxed, I think, for the first time in many years. He really enjoyed that weekend’s wedding. However, he did complain about the fact everyone, including me, was talking in Vietnamese. asialife HCMC 85

pub quiz Juno

Holidays

1. Which Irish playwright wrote Juno and the Paycock?

2. What nationality is Ellen Page, star of the Academy Award winning film Juno?

3. Juno was the code name for one of five beaches, name three of the others.

4. The spacecraft Juno was launched in 2011 and will reach its destination in 2016.

What is its destination?

5. Who was the Greek equivalent of the Roman goddess Juno?

21. Who, in 1983, released the hit single ‘Holiday’?

22. Who was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues?

23. Which chain of hotels was bought by Bass brewery in 1988?

24. What sort of a holiday is it if you do the same thing as in your job?

25. Doc Holliday is remembered as a gunslinger and gambler, but what was his profession?

Celebrity Stunts 26)

27)

Chòu traùch nhieäm xuaát baûn: Nguyeãn Thò Thanh Höông Bieân taäp: Thuùy Lieãu Söûa baûn in: Löu Thuûy Trình baøy: Coâng ty CP TT QC ASIALIFE MEDIA Bìa: Coâng ty CP TT QC ASIALIFE MEDIA Nhaø XuaáT baûn toång hôïp TP. Hoà Chí MINH 62 Nguyeãn Thò Minh Khai, Q1 ÑT: 38225340 – 38296764 – 38220405 – 38296713 – 38223637 Fax: 84.8.38222726 Email: tonghop@ nxbhcm.com.vn Website:www.nxbhcm.com.vn - www.sachweb.vn Thöïc hieän lieân keát xuaát baûn: Coâng ty CP TT QC AsiaLIFE Media In laàn thöù nhaát, soá löôïng 4000 cuoán, khoå 20,5cm x 27,0cm GPXB soá: 57-13/CXB/58-190/THTPHCM Ngaøy 10/01/2013 In taïi Coâng ty ITAXA, ñòa chæ 126 Nguyeãn Thò Minh Khai, Q.3.

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Africa 11. Until 2011, Sudan was the largest country in Africa.

What is it now?

12. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. What is its capital city?

13. Name either of the two countries in Africa that border only one other country.

14. Which city is the largest metropolitan area in Africa?

15. The town of Timbuktu is in which African nation?

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3

2

8

7

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4 6

6

4 3

29)

7

3

1 2

8

5

7 2

30)

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1) Sean O’Casey 2) Canadian 3) Utah, Omaha, Gold, and Sword. 4) Jupiter 5) Hera 6) George Gershwin 7) 21 June 8) 1968 9) Home and Away 10) Titania 1)1 Algeria 12) Kinshasa 13) Lesotho or (The) Gambia 14) Cairo 15) Mali 16) Michael Clarke 17) Western Australia 18) Victoria 19) Governor-general 20) Queensland and New South Wales 21) Madonna 22) Diana Ross 23) Holiday Inns 24) Busman’s holiday 25) Dentist 26) Owen Wilson 27) Mitt Romney 28) Clint Eastwood 29) Chuck Norris 30) Ethan Hawke

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Australia 16. Who is the current captain of the Australian test cricket team?

17. In terms of area, what is the largest state in Australia?

18. New South Wales is the most populous state.

What is the second?

19. What position is currently held by Quentin Bryce?

20. The Rugby League State of Origin begins this month between which two states?

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Pub Quiz Answers

Summer 6. Who composed the aria ‘Summertime’ that featured in the opera Porgy and Bess?

7. This year’s summer solstice falls on what date in the northern hemisphere?

8. What year did Mexico City host the Summer Olympics?

9. Which Australian soap is set in Summer Bay? 10. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, who is the Queen of the fairies?

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