AsiaLIFE HCMC august 2013

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AsiaLIFE volume 65

www.asialifemagazine.com

22 front

06 News & Events 12 Dispatches

food

Molecular gastronomy

16 Q&A with historian Mike Vann

42 JJ's Brazilian BBQ Churrasco

18 Photo Essay:

43 Duck Deli

Ghosts of the Past

Street food moves indoors

A decaying building in Yangon

22 Follow the Money

storyboard

28 Outside the Box

Spring rolls

41 Ly Club

13 Street Smart: Thao Dien

on the cover

40 Sterling's Saigon

style & design

44 Behind the Design: Taipei 101 Formerly the world's tallest building

46 Fashion: For Your Eyes Only

Japanese innovators

back

30 The Wine Ambassador

51 The List 74 Spotlight 76 Street Guide

32 LGBT on TV

84 Odd One Out

34 Locked In

The grass isn't greener in Vietnam

85 This Country Life

Child cannabis farmers in the UK

Vets from both sides come together

getaways

86 Pub Quiz

36 Longing for Yesterday Traditional Morocco

38 Making Waves Moving past the 2004 tsunami

Cover

41

46

Art Direction Johnny Murphy Photography Christian Berg Models Nguyen Nguyen Shanel Serrano Lozada Jake Houseago Location Crescent Mall D7

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note from the editor Group director sales and marketing / director Vietnam: Jonny Edbrooke jonny@asialifemagazine.com Managing editor: Chris Mueller chris@asialifemagazine.com Deputy editor: Lien Hoang lien@asialifemagazine.com Contributing editor: Michael Tatarski michael@asialifemagazine.com Contributing writer: Dana Filek-Gibson

It’s certainly not news that the Vietnamese economy is in a funk. Bad investments, unscrupulous bank loans, and a poor global economy have all led to uncertain times in Vietnam. This month we take a look at the state of the economy through the lens of an area that affects us all —the retail market. Like it or not, we all need to buy things and as far as economic indicators go, retail is a pretty easy one to understand. We found that while things could be better, experts are optimistic and expect the country to rebound before it gets too bad.

Another dark cloud has been looming over us for the last couple of months, but this one comes every year. The rainy season is finally in full swing and if you find yourself cooped up inside hiding from the floods, open up YouTube and kill some time watching one of Vietnam’s newest sitcoms, My Best Gay Friends. While it’s certainly not without its faults, Lien Hoang takes a deeper look at the low-budget show and finds it is still worth watching. It explores life in the city and takes a unique glimpse at the gay Vietnamese community that is steadily moving towards the mainstream.

If you prefer to sit inside and spark up something other than conversation about the local gay community, I delve into the dark world of the UK cannabis trade. While they are growing something that most of us enjoy in peace (if the stats can be trusted), an increasing number of Vietnamese children are being trafficked by gangs to work as slaves on weed farms. Most of us know cannabis is harmless, but this is a horrific side of the trade that can’t be ignored.

This month we also go to Morocco where our writer finds traditional life there to be a refreshing change, despite her feminist principles. We then head back to Southeast Asia where we check in on one of the areas in Thailand that was hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami. Photographer Christian Berg takes his camera to Myanmar and gives us a haunting tour of one of the country’s oldest-remaining colonial buildings. Then it’s on to Taipei where we find out what exactly went into the construction of the massive Taipei 101 building.

Finally, I’d like to give a special thanks to the Crescent Mall in Phu My Hung for opening its doors to our design team early one Saturday morning.

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Photo editor: Fred Wissink fred@asialifemagazine.com Contributing photographer: Christian Berg Photo intern: Nguyen Nguyen Production manager: Nguyen Kim Hoa nguyenhoa@asialifehcmc.com Administrative: Nguyen Hanh Trinh trinh.nguyen@asialifehcmc.com

Editorial intern: Ruben Luong

Chris Mueller

Regional creative director: Johnny Murphy johnny@asialifemagazine.com

For advertising and marketing enquiries please contact: +84 938 298 395 / +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

EVENTS

Travel Contest

Party in the Skies

Every Friday is Platinum Night at Altitude, the club on level 52 of the Bitexco building. International DJs, bar top professional dancers, a fire show, and limousine service await the 18 and over crowd. Also get a free welcome drink before 10pm.

Reserve or get bottle service at 08 62 91 87 52 or booking@ altosaigon.com. Address is 2 Hai Trieu, D1.

Business Opportunities

Have a photo of yourself at a four- or five-star hotel in Vietnam? Uploading it to Facebook.com/dulichdeluxe could win you a luxury stay in such places as Da Lat, Phu Quoc, or Mui Ne. Contestants must write a description that includes the name of the hotel or resort pictured. There will be seven prizes: five based on the number of “Likes� the pictures receive, one chosen by Dulich Deluxe, the social media brand of NTTV Travel, and the final chosen by a sponsor. The prize is a twonight stay for two in top accommodations, plus breakfast, dinner, and a spa treatment. Contest ends 15 Aug.

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The Vietnam M&A Forum 2013 is touted as the biggest annual event on mergers and acquisitions, strategic investment and business alliances in Vietnam.

It is co-organised by Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) and AVM Vietnam, with the patronage of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the attendance of 500 leaders of Ministries and sectors, experts, leading financial enterprises, M&A consulting companies, and hundreds of other Vietnamese and foreign enterprises and the mass media. Tickets

are $200, or for VIP $400. The 8 Aug event will take place at the White Palace Convention Center, 194 Hoang Van Thu, Phu Nhuan District. Email linh. pham@avm.vn or call 09 74 36 33 23.

Furry Friends

Have a drink and help Fido, too. The local Animal Rescue and Care is holding a fundraiser from 6-9pm on 10 Aug. Tickets are VND 200,000 and will get you a happy hour drink at Blanchy's Tash, 95 Hai Ba Trung. All proceeds go to ARC, which cares for abused and abandoned animals. ARC can be contacted at arcpets@gmail. com.

InterCon Nha Trang Opens

The InterContinental Hotels Group, the world largest hotel company measured by rooms, has announced the opening of InterContinental Nha Trang.

The resort features 277 luxury guest rooms and suites with panoramic views of Nha Trang

Presidential Honours

Last month Norfolk Development Group received the President’s Third-class Labour Medals while celebrating its 15th anniversary with an investment licence, though the company has been in Vietnam since 1991. Representatives of the Vietnamese government, Australian consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and other partners attended the ceremony. Norfolk, which participates in charities for underprivileged students, was also honoured by the city’s people’s committee.

Run and Drink

Saigon Hash House Harriers, the 'drinking club with a running problem', celebrate their 1,200th run and 23 years of hashing from 23-25 Aug in their usual style. There will be a registration party on the first two days with a run and dinner, plus another run and lunch on the final day, all for VND 1.5 million, including a goody bag. To register visit Saigonhash.com.

Bay. All rooms and suites are furnished with local designs and contemporary fittings, with modern in-room entertainment systems, and rain showers, just to name a few. Located in the heart of Nha Trang City, and only 35km from Cam Ranh International Airport, InterContinental Nha Trang is in close proximity to the city’s attractions, as well as entertainment areas and shopping centres.

Visit Ihg.com.

Golfing on the Coast

From now until 18 Dec Laguna Lang Co is offering a golf package for local residents starting from VND 12,810,000. The package includes a two-nights stay in a lagoon pool villa, daily breakfast, one round of 18-hole golf for two persons (including green fee, caddy fee and caddy booking fee), round trip airport transfers, one time three-course set dinner for two persons, a 10 percent discount on spa

treatments, and a 20 percent discount on a second round of golf. Designed to offer absolute privacy and exclusivity, Laguna Lang Co is nestled in a unique crescent bay framed by a threekilometre beach on the central coast of Vietnam, an area renowned for its pristine coastline, tropical jungles, rugged mountain peaks and proximity to the country’s most storied UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Sir Nick Faldo designed the Laguna Lang Co Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-71 championship course. For more, visit Banyantree.com/en/lang_co/.

Free Karate

Try traditional Japanese martial arts free for two months with Saigon Karate. The classes, from 7-8.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, will last all of August and September. The group offers beginner and advanced classes. See Saigonkarate. blogspot.com.

Pet of the Month

Coconut is a beautiful Vietnamese mix, male and approximately 3 years old. He is a healthy, medium-sized (14kg) dog who has been fully vaccinated and neutered.

Coconut is extremely affectionate, loves to cuddle and benefits from human attention, although he is perfectly able to be left alone without concern. He is energetic and enjoys exercise and going for walks and would make a great running or jogging companion. He would do well in a house without children. If you would like to know more about Coconut, get in touch with Animal Rescue and Care at arcpets@gmail.com.

Cool Off at the Caravelle

Eco-friendly locally fired tiles are laid out in a new deck surrounding the Caravelle Hotel’s freeform swimming pool in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City. The historic hotel recently took to refreshing its 7th-floor outdoor pool. A state-of-the-art LED system for night swimming and a deeper shade of blue tiling beneath the water were part the three-week upgrade, completed last month to the tune of $130,000. Summer packages and fitness club memberships at the iconic downtown hotel are on offer at Caravellehotel.com.

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Vitamin E for the Skin

Stay cool with Vitamin E COOL BB Cream, from the Body Shop. With its light coverage, light price and moisture-rich formula, the cream moisturises skin for 12 hours, leaving you comfortable all day.

Enriched with wheat-germ oil, it covers imperfections by illuminating, evening and correcting your complexion.

If you’re unsure of which shade to pick, BB Cream has one shade and an ultra-blendable texture for luminous, natural-looking coverage that’s easy to apply. See similar products at Thebodyshop.com.vn.

World’s Top Hotels

Vietnam’s spa culture made a resounding statement last month when the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and The Nam Hai in Hoi An were ranked among the top five hotel spas in the world by Travel + Leisure readers. The Metropole has been named one of T+L’s World’s Best Hotels every year since 2007. Park Hyatt Saigon earned the 17th position in the Best City Hotels - Asia category. Spa rankings are based on readers’ ratings for ambience, treatments, service, facilities and value. Hotel rankings are based on ratings for rooms/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food and value.

Meanwhile, Sofitel Saigon Plaza has received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, which goes to the top 10 percent of businesses on the travel site.

Pastry Champs

The Caravelle Hotel has taken third prize at the Vietnam Classic Pastry Cup FINAL 2013 in Vung Tau. The contest aims to develop the professional skills and teamwork of Vietnamese chefs. Judges assessed teams on originality, creativity, innovation, presentation and taste. In addition, the panel gave grades for technical and organisation skills, hygiene and professionalism. With this prize, the Caravelle team will attend a training course in Hong Kong and Malaysia.

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

Cambodia River Orchid Strikes Gold Cambodian communications company River Orchid has brought home a clutch of gongs after stealing the show at a prestigious American awards ceremony. River Orchid walked away with three gold and five silver awards from the 19th Annual Communicator Awards, held in the United States, for its work on projects including Infinity Insurance, Nokia, KFC and Hello Axiata.

With recognition across gold and silver for work done for outdoor, print, and television, executive creative director Peter Sutherland says, “We are proud to be recognised internationally in this way and to be able to bring these global awards back to our home here in Indochina.”

The Communicator Awards is a leading international awards program honouring creative excellence for communications professionals. For more information, visit Riverorchid. com.

Help Send Children to Homeless Football World Cup

Happy Football Cambodia Australia has stepped up its fundraising campaign to send a squad to the homeless world cup from 10-18 Aug. With just a few weeks to go until the tournament kicks off in Poland, the team is training hard to represent Cambodia in the cup. Fundraising efforts have seen the club raise more than $20,000 to date, but it needs another $2,500 to send a sixth player. Jimmy Campbell, head of coaching, says, "We have received generous donations from across the globe to make this once in a lifetime opportunity happen for these well-deserved, dedicated six players, but we're not there yet. We still need funds for one more flight, and 10 asialife HCMC

we need your help." Football Cambodia Australia — launched in 2005 with the aim of working with disadvantaged youngsters through football — has started a campaign through which people can donate cash for the cause online. To make a donation, visit: Pozible.com/CambodiaHWC.

Embassy Brings Aboriginal Art to Cambodia

Local students can discover more about Australia's rich indigenous culture after the Australian Embassy donated two books on aboriginal art to the Royal University of Phnom Penh library last month. Dave Gordge, the acting head of mission at the embassy, presented the books that look at the creativity of the country’s aboriginal people, who arrived from Asia at least 50,000 years ago. Another indigenous group, the Torres Strait Islander people, first settled on islands north of the mainland, between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea, about 10,000 years ago. Today most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in cities and towns, but many still live in rural and remote areas and follow traditional lifestyles.

Singapore National Day at Raffles

Top chef Jeremy Teo will bring authentic Singaporean spice to mark the country’s 48th National Day at Raffles Hotel Le Royal in August. The chef will be jetting into Cambodia from the sister hotel in Singapore to cook up a feast in the kitchen and supply the city with four days of authentic food. Le Royal’s Café Monivong will feature a series of food-related events. Teo, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the kitchen, will be on hand to prepare dishes that reflect the ethnic diversity of Singapore, with influences from Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions. Meals on the menu

include Hainanese chicken rice (simmered chicken with rice cooked in chicken broth, accompanied with chilli sauce dip, dark soy sauce and ginger paste), laksa (noodles in a spicy broth with shredded chicken, sliced cucumber, boiled egg, tofu, fish dumpling, bean sprouts and laksa paste) and popiah (spring roll or rolled crêpe, stuffed with stewed turnip, Chinese sausage, shrimp and lettuce). Singapore’s 48th National Day celebrations take place between 8 and 11 Aug.

AirAsia New Route

AirAsia has unveiled its latest route with daily flights from Siem Reap to Bangkok. Travellers wanting to get from the two destinations can bag themselves a bargain with a promotional price of $2.50 one way, not including airport taxes and fees.

The new route will start from 1 Oct and Siem Reap will be the airline’s sixth stop in Indochina.

AirAsia already flies direct from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.

The airline plans to continue expanding and will launch more destinations in the Indochina region this year. To book a flight, visit Airasia.com.

Thailand Freedom to Walk

After the success of last year’s event, DREAM Project Foundation will once again stage Freedom To Walk this November. The 15-day, 300km event from 9-24 Nov aims to raise at least $100,000 for five beneficiary organisations and to educate a corps of walkers about human trafficking. To meet these goals, walkers who take part in the campaign will spend the upcoming months fundraising before departing Bangkok. During the Walk, the group will spend mornings walking for about six hours, then spend their afternoons

learning about human trafficking.

The group will start at Ananta Samakhon Throne Hall in Bangkok, and cover between 24 and 32 kilometres a day through Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, and Kanchanaburi provinces before reaching Three Pagodas Pass along the Thai-Burmese border. To participate, go to Freedomtowalk.org or email walk@dreamprojectfoundation. org.

Artist Comeback

After a stint during Angsana Laguna Phuket’s opening in December 2011, internationally acclaimed Australian artist and designer Christopher Hogan is returning to the familyfriendly resort. Throughout August, Hogan will conduct complimentary art classes at the resort’s Tree House Kids Club. Hogan previously created a charity mural project to mark the opening of Angsana Laguna Phuket that raised $6,500, mainly through the participation of guests. The funds were used towards the Angsana Youth Artist scholarship, which currently supports talented students majoring in the faculty of arts at Ratchapat Phuket University. Angsana offers the Summer Family Escapade promotion to bond over activities such as a 25-minute elephant ride usage of two bicycles for two hours per stay. Email reservations-lagunaphuket@ angsana.com.

Golf, Swim, Bike and Run

The weekend of 1-2 July saw the inaugural Cognita Games take place in the stunning environment of the St Andrews Green Valley Complex.

Cognita schools from Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand came together to participate in a twoday golf tournament as well as a swimming competition and, for many of the young competitors, their first ever triathlon.

dispatches

Travel news from around the region and beyond

High-flying Golf A troika of golf and resort properties has reissued its Ultimate New Zealand Golf Package with new options, including heli-golf on glaciers and mountain tops. The package includes nine nights across three lodges and four courses on the country's two main islands, North and South. It even provides biodegradable golf balls. Ask about the scenic tours of stunning Lake Wakatipu and longdrive opportunities from special, vertigo-inducing tees atop glaciers and peaks in The Remarkables mountain range. The offer starts at $7,700 and can be found at Kauricliffs.com.

Buddhist Digs in Burma Poised on the doorstep of an archaeological heritage site, Myanmar’s newest boutique resort Bagan Lodge had a soft debut 1 Aug in the ancient Buddhist capital for which it’s named. With stylised tenting and furnishings, the lodge skirts the boundary of the shrine-studded plains of the Bagan Archaeological Zone. More than 2,000 historic temples and ruins rise from the landscape east of the resort, many dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, at the height of the Kingdom of Bagan. The lodge’s interiors and grounds are a melding of traditional Burmese design, colonial-era trappings and contemporary decor. More at Bagan-lodge.com.

Blast from the Past The historical 19th century Villa Pottipati is a boutique hotel in Bangalore, India that restores old-world heritage. Red cement floors, teakwood beams, and high ceilings revive a scent of the gentry's lifestyle in colonial India. Period rooms have been refurbished with collector’s art and furniture, each symbolising a different region. Outside, when the city chokes your senses, you can take shelter under the garden villa’s giant Shivalinga tree. For 20 percent off through September, guests receive a welcome drink and breakfast with their booking, and children under 10 stay free. Details at Neemranahotels.com.

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Street Smart: Thao

Dien

Think you know Thao Dien? Ruben Luong hunts for hidden treasures along the street that anchors District 2. Photos by Nguyen Nguyen.

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Along Thao Dien Street, high terra-cotta villa rooftops peek from behind staggered palm trees in District 2. The day is bright, and the street twinkles from the lights of restaurants, supermarkets, and cafes. Thao Dien is actually more of a boulevard than a street. The first section of the road thrives with commercial business and gives way to two of the city's popular international schools, before it connects to Nguyen Van Huong.

It's hard to believe the area used to be one of the poorest parts of the city. But over recent years, Thao Dien has attracted expats to notable restaurants, such as Mekong Merchant and Buddha Bar, and popular grocery stores like Annam Gourmet and An Phu Supermarket, all within a 20-minute drive from the city centre. But a new and exciting crop of contemporary, sustainable, or locally-oriented shops continues to surface in the An Phu and Thao Dien wards, many of them sure to keep a healthy expat following.

The Loop 49 Thao Dien "The Loop" is known by runners and bikers as a 5km circle in An Phu that spans Nguyen Van Huong and Thao Dien.

Naturally, it now serves as the moniker for a cool, recently opened cafe and eatery at the corner of Thao Dien and Le Van Minh. The Loop is a perfect pitstop on a morning jog, afternoon work break, or evening stroll for healthy, trattoria-style dishes. The interior is clean and crisp with the aroma of Italian Hausbrandt coffee at the open kitchen bar. A large family-style table stands at the back, and a corner with toys and coloured pencils is a great place for children. Take a seat in any of the mod white chairs near the window and order from four types of bagels and six cream cheeses, such as honeywheat 14 asialife HCMC

with sun-dried tomato (VND 99,000 for one bagel and coffee).

If you're around for lunch or dinner, the summer salad with strawberry, mango, and chicken (VND 139,000), ham and cheese panini (VND 119,000), or steak and bleu cheese (VND 149,000) will keep you coming back.

100% 26B Thao Dien At this Vietnamese-French grocery store, all products, including fruit, milk and cheeses, breads, teas, and spices, are sourced and manufactured in Vietnam and are guaranteed safe, natural and traceable.

Everything is labelled with the producer and the place of origin, such as the rural district of Moc Chau, Vung Tau, or Hanoi. You'll find its selection of Panga fish, the first fish fed with 100 percent vegetal feed, particularly impressive. There are also a variety of ready-to-go meals available at the food bar.

Try slices of smoked salmon (VND 89,000/100g) paired with a stuffed pepper or zucchini (VND 95,000/piece). Before you make your way out, add a container of thin cookie crisps (VND 40,000-45,000) sourced from local bakery Belle and Doree, and a jar of pineapple cinnamon jam (VND 95,000) for midnight snacks.

Agnes Cafe 11A-B Thao Dien This coffee and flower shop, which brews freshly grown coffee beans from Da Lat in the Central Highlands, is quaint and cottage-like from the outside. There's a casual, comfortable atmosphere when you walk in, with a simple table layout, suede couches, and framed travel photography available for purchase on the walls. It's a convenient go-to for coffee (VND 40,000-70,000).

But it’s also a great stop for some hearty American-style diner food, like Trudy's melted

meatloaf sandwich, accented with Swiss cheese and basilgarlic mayo on toasted bread (VND 130,000). And even though it's a cafe, guests can get their fix of margaritas, mojitos, Tequila Sunrises, Irish coffee, and more, during the Agnes daily happy hour from 3pm to 7pm, and a buy one get one free special every Friday.

GIGI In Style Living 21 Thao Dien Contemporary pops of fuchsia, lime green, and purple make GIGI's recently opened showroom on Thao Dien stand out.

GIGI, a Saigon-based furniture brand, specialises in high-end outdoor furniture and garden dĂŠcor using wicker, rattan, and

a synthetic fiber called VIRO. Outdoor ottomans, armchairs, coffee tables, sofa beds, and more are hand-woven at the company's factory in Cu Chi by artisans who are trained by experts in the Philippines. The snazzy tables and beds from its current collection could easily be used for lounges and family game rooms. Large family-friendly ergonomic bean bags (called Sunbuns) created by Suniture company were especially comfy, available in a variety of colourful stripes (VND 6,000,000VND Get directions 7,000,000).

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A historian from Sacramento, Calif. shares his research on sexist cartoons, an anti-rat policy that backfired, postcards of executions, and other obscurities of Vietnam under the French. By Lien Hoang. Photo by Christian Berg.

What is the Cobra Effect?

It’s when a government policy is designed to stop a behaviour or eradicate a problem but actually winds up making the problem worse. The story is that the British put out a bounty on cobras in [colonial] India and very quickly Indians started raising cobras and turning them in.

How did it apply to Hanoi?

It starts with the French government building a very advanced sewer system for 1900, but it serves the city very unequally. It’s very nice in the French neighbourhoods and it isn’t very good in the Vietnamese neighbourhoods.

So what you called the sewer apartheid.

Yeah. Sewers are [part of] their modernising project, what the French call ‘the civilising mission’. And then what they find out is the sewers are a perfect breeding ground for rats. And pretty soon the French had a more serious problem because

the rats are starting to come up through the flush toilets in the French neighbourhoods.

They then turn to the civilian population when they put a bounty on rats. And somebody has the bright idea saying, ‘OK don’t bring in rats, just bring in their tails.’ At first it was going great, people are bringing in

rat tails. Until there’s a health inspector who’s out on the edge of town and he sees a rat run by with no tail. And then he gets a team out there and they start to inspect and they find rat farms.

So what does this say about the policy?

It’s a perverse incentive. They created a policy designed to eradicate rats and wind up dramatically increasing the rat population.

Could you talk about the symbolic importance of this problem?

It’s delightfully ironic that this great symbol of French modernity, the sewers, designed to solve urban health problems, actually created an entirely new urban health problem by creating this ideal habitat for the rats.

What was your goal in writing about this?

French imperialism, imperialism in general, is so much about public, symbolic demonstrations of power and trying to convince the conquered population that the conquerors are all-powerful … and morally superior. And I love finding these stories that pull the rug out from under these claims of European superiority. And I love the idea of the Vietnamese civilian population being two steps ahead of the French.

The piece you did on postcards is a good example of that.

Under French rule there were all these postcards that showed executions.

The postcards really show how the whole colonial system is based upon extreme and unequal uses of violence.

like a picture in a newspaper or a photograph from an archive.

A postcard is a commercial product, which means postcard makers had to decide that’s an image that people will want to buy.

What were executions like?

In the initial years, the condemned would be taken out of prison, marched around the town, and then beheaded by a man holding a large sabre.

What are in these cartoons you write about?

There’s one that shows this French man down in the French side of Ho Hoan Kiem and he’s bored and depressed and he sees a beautiful Vietnamese woman, knows she’s a famous prostitute so he starts to follow her. … And then he goes in there and pays her, but it turns out he paid her with counterfeit coins. And so her pimp beats him up and kicks him out.

It’s like locker room conversation, it’s total boys club, this is what guys talk about when it’s just guys. And it’s in these [news]papers.

But what happens is, suddenly those cartoons disappeared when Hanoi became the capital of Indochina. When French women started arriving in significant numbers, suddenly that male locker room conversation is gone.

How graphic are the postcards?

Pierre Dieulefils would do a series, taking pictures of the condemned coming out of the prison. … March them around the city, take pictures the whole time, take them to the parade grounds, they have to kneel down. And there are postcards of the guy swinging the thing. … Swinging the sabre above their head, and then trying to capture that moment of death.

And then images of the headless body and guys holding the head.

In the north, particularly when they were dealing with pirates — Vietnamese historiography might call them heroes — they would be decapitated and their heads put in baskets at crossroads with a sign in Nom characters saying who this was, what they were condemned for, and don’t do what they did.

So that’s very much a warning.

And really medieval, right?

And postcards are really important because they’re not

Who is André Joyeux?

He’s a prolific artist in the first decade, till about the first world war here in colonial Saigon.

And he’s drawing these cartoons of daily life.

I argue that those cartoons are really rich historical sources because they’re conversations amongst the community. And

in cartoons you can talk about some of the more problematic, unsavoury issues of colonialism.

Official reports, government propaganda doesn’t talk about racism, the beating of servants, various health problems and so forth.

Let’s talk about the subjects of these cartoons. You mentioned casual violence.

There’s one scene where there’s a French man who’s obviously getting dressed, he has pants and an undershirt on. And there’s a Vietnamese man and he’s grabbing him by the back of the head and smacking him. It’s in a bedroom. There’s a soldier who’s coming in and in slang asks him if he’s getting some exercise. … And the response is, ‘No, I’m looking for my watch.’

The other view is this lazy servant.

There’s lots of cartoons that make fun of the Vietnamese speaking French. How many French learned Vietnamese?

Not so many, right? But they’re making fun of the Vietnamese who are speaking French. And also making fun of the Vietnamese who are adopting western clothes and western social habits.

Do you think he bought into some of this racism himself?

Yeah. I think you can be selfaware and critical and still be part of the racist colonial project. He’s not joining the independence movement. asialife HCMC 17

GHOSTS PAST OF THE

Christian Berg has always been fascinated with exploring abandoned houses and colonial architecture. And on his first visit to Yangon, Myanmar earlier this year, he was able to do just that when he came across the Pegu Club. The building was once the premier gentlemen's club in British Burma, where Rudyard Kipling was inspired to pen one of his most famous poems. But now it is falling apart, its weed-covered and crumbling walls a testament to the country’s past.

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The drive along Nguyen Huu Tho Street between districts 4 and 7 is always an interesting one. Half-finished property developments line the road, while the skeletons of new buildings fill the horizon. In the rearview mirror is the skyline of downtown Ho Chi Minh City, punctuated by ongoing or stalled building projects. The view from this highway is a depressingly clear sign of the economic instability currently plaguing Vietnam.

Take a left on Nguyen Van Linh towards Phu My Hung, and it is more of the same.

Walls have been erected, plastered with promises of even more buildings — all-inclusive condominiums, shopping malls, and movie theatres. But everything is on hold.

Further down Nguyen Van Linh is a glimmer of success, albeit an unattractive one.

The Crescent Mall suits the area of Phu My Hung well, even if it looks like it was dropped in pre-made by a crane. And while the dozens of other malls throughout the city struggle to bring in customers, on any given weekend or weeknight, the Crescent is filled with shoppers. The fact that people are actually going to the mall may not be surprising given its location on the water, 24 asialife HCMC

which offers a brief respite from the city. But shoppers are not just here for the peaceful atmosphere outside the mall, they are actually buying products.

The Crescent is certainly not the only mall in the city, but why does it seem to be the only one doing well?

“Crescent Mall, being the first international standard shopping mall in Vietnam, is somehow able to wade through these challenging times,” Cecile Gamboa, the mall’s deputy general manager, told me.

While it isn’t exactly a satisfying answer, Gamboa does make a point — the times are indeed challenging. The Vietnamese economy isn’t doing well at all. It is actually experiencing the longest spell of slow growth since Doi Moi, the economic reforms of the late 1980s, according to a World Bank report that came out last month. Real GDP in 2012 grew by only 5 percent, the lowest level since 1998, and it isn’t doing any better so far this year.

While the Crescent may be OK, other shopping outlets are failing miserably, a sure sign of bad times. Some economists argue that consumer spending is one of the most important indicators for a healthy economy.

As Bill Bonner, founder of Agora Inc and author of books and articles on economics, once said: “The entire world economy rests on the consumer; if he ever stops spending money he doesn't have on things he doesn't need — we're done for."

Label lovers On a drizzly Tuesday afternoon, I stood outside one of the many luxury-brand shops in District 1, waiting for customers to come out. I had already been asked to leave the store — sitting opposite the Opera House — after pummeling the clerks with questions. It took nearly an hour before I was able to stop a customer coming out, not because they were unfriendly, but because no one — other than the occasional aimless tourist — was shopping there.

Lan, a well-dressed mother of two, was stopping by the shop in between errands.

She clearly had a knack for choosing highend clothes, but were they authentic? “Of course,” she said. “I never buy them in Vietnam, though. I fly to Singapore or Bangkok.”

This is common practice for most of the top spenders here, Afonso Vieira, the man-

“The entire world economy rests on the consumer; if he ever stops spending money he doesn't have on things he doesn't need — we're done for."

-Bill Bonner, author of economic books aging director of Total Wealth Management, told me. Instead of spending locally, these high rollers are going abroad.

“If people want to buy expensive things, they fly to Singapore to buy them and come back to Vietnam the same day,” he says.

“Some even do all their shopping in the duty free shop at the airport. They know whatever they are buying there is the real thing. Vietnam still has a dubious reputation.”

Of course reputation is only part of it. The products in these already-expensive shops are significantly pricier than in other countries around the region. This is mainly because of the insanely high rent in both the retail malls and the storefronts.

“It is extremely difficult for any company to come here to lease out a few shops and make money,” Vieira says. “The rent is so high that they can’t actually make anything.”

Although Vietnamese consumers still don’t trust products in Vietnam (even the brand-name stuff that is made here for export), many still want those well-known names stitched across whatever they buy.

According to a survey released last month by the Nielsen global information and measurement company, 56 percent of Vietnamese would be willing to spend more on name-brand, designer products than on others. The survey showed that Vietnamese asialife HCMC 25

“There is no doubt that Vietnam has a huge population.

But when you talk about the people that can actually spend, there aren’t many.”

-Christina Yu, business owner consumers were the third most likely in the world to pay for designer goods, after those in China and India.

“Cashed up and ready to spend, these consumers are seeking out designer and well-known brands to project their newfound social status,” David Webb, managing director of advertising solutions at Nielsen, said in a press release. “The rapid expansion of the internet and other media channels has given rise to more exposure, awareness and desire for brands and products than ever before.”

Take a stroll down Dong Khoi Street or near the roundabout at the intersection of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue, and you could be forgiven for thinking that luxury brands are a ubiquitous part of the local consumer market. Gucci, Louis Vuitton outlets, and 26 asialife HCMC

other high-end shops take up many of the storefronts in this area, but who actually buys these products?

“No one,” Vieira says.

Looking local Christina Yu, the founder of fashion accessories brand Ipa-Nima, says she has noticed a similar trend with her customers.

“Only the Vietnamese that are very rich are still buying,” she says. “However they are buying less than before. They used to by whole sets — clothes and shoes and bags.

Now they will only buy one item and come several times before they choose.”

Ipa-Nima has been hugely successful since the store opened in 1997, but Yu says there aren’t many locally made brands following in her footsteps. Yet she expects they soon will.

“Most Vietnamese with money are still very brand conscious,” she says. “But I think the trend will start changing. Vietnamese will realise that Vietnam is actually making a lot of these well-known products anyway for export.”

It’s easy to see why so few brands exist in Vietnam. Only 20 years ago there was little you could actually buy here. Even motorbikes were much more expensive than they are now. Spending habits were also different. After decades of war and poverty, people learned to save for a rainy day, rather than flaunt their money.

“I found people in Hanoi were much more conservative about spending,” Yu says about her early days in Vietnam in the late 1990s. “They spent more money on things people didn’t see. Now you can definitely see there is a change in this habit.

“If people want to buy expensive things, they fly to Singapore to buy them and come back to Vietnam the same day.”

-Afonso Vieira, TOTAL wealth management company director People are buying flashy cars and expensive jewelry.”

But for companies like Ipa-Nima — and the vast majority of the Vietnamese population — the habits of the super-rich are far from their minds. Over the past 17 years, Yu has successfully tapped the middle market consumer — people who are looking for quality without the huge price tag.

“There is no doubt that Vietnam has a huge population,” Yu says. “But when you talk about the people that can actually spend, there aren’t many. There is not a big middle market and we need to teach Vietnamese that local products are just as good as foreign brands.”

Benjamin Grepinet agrees and is hoping to corner that market as well with his T-shirt company and concept store. He started Ginkgo six years ago with his wife, and has now opened 10 shops and employs 80 people.

“Vietnamese seem to be really fed up with cheap Chinese products,” Grepinet told me on Skype from France. “They are also becoming more and more aware of quality, eco-safe, and fair trade products.”

While at the moment Ginkgo sells mainly to tourists, it recently started a new concept store that Grepinet hopes will create a

space for both local Vietnamese and expats to sell their ‘made in Vietnam’ products. But he too has noticed the local market is still hooked on big foreign brand names.

“We don’t want to compete with the big brands,” Grepinet says. “We want to compete with the local brands that are doing high-quality, mid-range stuff. When you have Adidas coming in with big marketing campaigns, what Vietnamese company can compete with this?”

Even if competition were on a more level playing field, the anemic economy still makes it difficult for new companies to start. Small business loans are almost non-existent right now, says Vieira of Total Wealth Management. Instead, what little money there is to lend out is going to stalled development projects, like the ones littered around the city. Vieira says the problem lies with the banks.

“There are far too many banks in Vietnam,” he says. “The only reason they were created was to lend money to the real estate developers, which are actually the owners of the banks. The developers are lending money to themselves.”

Vieira adds that he is optimistic. “I’m not too concerned over the long term,” he says. asialife HCMC 27

Outside the Box

The Japanese expat community in Ho Chi Minh City is made up of much more than the visiting businessmen who flock to sushi bars, izakayas and dodgy hostess restaurants at the top of Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1. Instead, this often-overlooked group is full of creative entrepreneurs who are making their marks — both big and small — on Vietnam. By Michael Tatarski. Photos by Christian Berg.

The Pizza Maniac Given his background, one wouldn’t guess that Yosuke Masuko is the man behind one of the city’s most popular restaurants. Before opening Pizza 4P’s, Masuko was a venture capitalist working in the technology sector. He was sent to Hanoi to open up a branch for his company several years ago, and he quickly fell for Vietnam. “I saw the fast-growing economy and felt the energy of the Vietnamese people, and I realised that if I wanted to start my own business, this is the place to be,” Masuko tells me.

28 asialife HCMC

Masuko’s love of pizza goes back almost a decade, to when he built a stone pizza oven in his garden in Japan. Along with a close friend, who is now the head chef at 4P’s, Masuko learned to make pizza through trial and error. “We experimented, and I went to New York, London, Naples and Rome to eat pizza. I was a pizza maniac,” he says. Vietnam was the perfect location to turn this obsession into a business.

“I couldn’t find any pizza I wanted to eat in Ho Chi Minh City,” Masuko says. So, he decided to open 4P’s with strict devotion to quality. Masuko and his team make their own

cheese, which they learned how to do online, and grow many of their own vegetables. Now the restaurant has become so popular that it is packed with people from all over the world almost every night. But that doesn’t mean Masuko is complacent. “We are always trying to improve,” he says.

The Consultant Yoshitaka Ohara, the director of Habataku Inc, is emblematic of the relationship between Vietnam and Japan. He connects Japanese experts who want to share their knowledge with Vietnamese social entrepreneurs

who are striving to move their country forward. “We encourage people to go outside of Japan and we believe all people should be able to design their own life,” Ohara says.

With a shrinking population and struggling economy, more Japanese are going elsewhere for opportunities. “We have realised that happiness is not wealth, so people are looking for ways to contribute to society,” Ohara says. His company provides business consultation and connects people with entrepreneurs, mostly in the manufacturing industry, in Vietnam, as well as several of its neighbours.

Ohara believes such work provides a confidence boost to people from his home country.

“Vietnamese still think Japanese skills and techniques are something to be modelled after.

Right now many Japanese are losing pride in their country, but by working in a place like Vietnam we realise we can still do some good for the world,” Ohara says.

Cooperation Agency, which disburses the Japanese government’s foreign aid, that developed the master plan for

tion systems in developing countries. Work on line one is underway, and the construction along the Hanoi Highway

“Right now many Japanese are losing pride in their country, but by working in a place like Vietnam we realise we can still do some good for the world.”

The Train Conductor After years of supposed planning, many people view Ho Chi Minh City’s metro system as nothing more than a pipe dream. Akira Hosomi is working to ensure that the dream becomes a reality. Hosomi, who has a doctorate in engineering, is the chief representative in Vietnam for the Japan International Consultants for Transportation Company (JICT).

Hosomi moved to Vietnam in 2002 as part of the team from the Japan International

the city’s metro system. When funding for the first line, which will run from Suoi Tien to Ben Thanh Market, was approved, JICT was founded to provide consultation for the project.

“Traffic is getting worse, and this is a city of 6 or 7 million with no real public transportation,” Hosomi says. “The metro system is needed, and that is why I want to be here.” Having previously worked in the Philippines and Mongolia, Hosomi has expertise in transporta-

through District 2 is evidence of Hosomi’s contribution to Ho Chi Minh City.

The Dessert Chef Like Masuko from 4P’s, Yuya Arashima proves that no one is limited to one career path.

Arashima worked as a business management consultant at IBM in Japan for five years before realising it wasn’t what he really wanted to do. He came to Vietnam to help a colleague

and decided to see what opportunities were available. He focused on food, and discovered that locals loved Japanese desserts.

Thus a star was born: Star Kitchen, to be exact, a Japanese cooking studio. Arashima, who had no experience with cooking, approached an ex-colleague from IBM whose mother is a famous food personality in Japan. She helped train Arashima’s staff, and now Star Kitchen offers cooking classes and sells desserts.

“This is meant to be a nice place,” Arashima told me in his airy studio above Pizza 4P’s. “I went to some cooking schools here and they were very traditional … with one teacher surrounded by 50 people taking notes.” Arashima’s studio is meant to be like a friend’s kitchen, where a small group can have fun while cooking. He says, “I want to show people a model of how you can enjoy your life.” asialife HCMC 29

The Wine

Ambassador

All wine shown is below 15 percent alcohol.

State-of-the-art dispensers and high-end wines by the glass allow Wine Embassy to carve out a niche among Ho Chi Minh City’s watering holes. By Michael Tatarski. Photos by Nguyen Nguyen.

F

ine wine can be like a Lamborghini, in Francois Carteau’s estimation. “Most people could never afford to buy one, but if you could drive one for 20 minutes 30 asialife HCMC

for $1,000, then you might think about it,” Carteau says.

In the world of wine, that means uncorking something like a Chateau Margaux and offering test-drives to those who normally wouldn’t buy the en-

tire bottle, with its $1,000 price tag. Carteau, the director and sommelier at Wine Embassy, says that on the night his wine bar made Chateau Margaux available by the glass, it sold 80 percent of the bottle.

That would seem to suggest that, with the right approach, an audience for upper-range wines can be found in Ho Chi Minh City. Wine purveyors hesitate to offer certain varietals, particularly high-end, by the glass in

case there isn’t enough demand.

That would leave their unfinished bottle to expire, so they’re meticulous in the wines they select for shared consumption.

Wine Embassy tries to work around this in a couple ways.

First, unlike restaurants that also serve wine, it is dedicated almost exclusively to the gift of the grape. Although there is a food menu, Carteau says the dishes serve only to support the drink, rather than the other way around. Portions are small and each menu item is listed with a recommended wine. The focus allows Wine Embassy to boast 130 options by the glass, both red and white, from all of the world’s major wine regions.

Prices range from VND 50,000 to VND 400,000.

Second, the wine bar is one of the few establishments in Vietnam to have two special dispensers from Italy that allow opened bottles to be stored at ideal conditions for three weeks.

Otherwise, average bottles last just three or four days after the cork goes. The machines give Wine Embassy greater flexibility in what it can serve customers by the glass. They can be set to administer precise amounts of wine; you just select the bottle, press a button for your desired serving, and let the dispenser do the rest. All vintages offered at Wine Embassy are available in three different sizes, with the smallest being a tasting glass.

The Italian dispensers are also part of a philosophy of respecting the wine, and that requires good equipment all the way down to the Reidel glasses, which are imported from Germany and specially crafted for different types of wine.

There is also a wine storage area with 24-hour air conditioning that enables Wine Embassy to house wines that are no longer available in Vietnam. “Suppliers have contacted me saying they won’t be able to sell some of their wine in time, but for me time isn’t an issue thanks to the storage and the dispenser machines,” Carteau says.

He laments that so many promising wine bars in the city have gone the way of lounges, while he hopes Wine Embassy will adhere to its founding principles. Which means it will provide any style of wine for any type of drinker, from a connoisseur to a novice. For the latter, knowledgeable staff readily advise, reflecting an attention to detail that is enhanced by the bar’s décor. Soft lighting and ambient music allow one to relax, and the comfortable seating makes this a great place to while away a rainy evening. There is even a library corner with literature about wine and the regions from which they come.

“I want people to be able to discover wine here,” Carteau says.

When asked how Wine Embassy’s concept has been received, he says some people, especially locals, didn’t quite get it at first. But customers are starting to understand what the bar is offering, and local palates are becoming more sophisticated. “People are demanding great wine,” Carteau says, a demand he hopes to meet.

With the special wine dispensers, you just select a bottle, press a button for your desired serving, and let the machine do the rest.

Wine Embassy 13 Ngo Duc Khe, D1 4pm-12am, seven days 08 38 24 78 27 Wineembassy.com.vn asialife HCMC 31

LGBT on TV My Best Gay Friends is a YouTube sitcom that sets out to both entertain and inform. Lien Hoang reviews this flawed enterprise that’s worth watching.

Photos by Christian Berg.

In episode six of My Best Gay Friends, a teenager named Tun moves in with his brother Rje. We later see Tun privately don a sleek black wig and silver stilettos and dance to Lady Gaga's ‘Bad Romance’. Rje’s discovery of his kid brother’s alternative lifestyle leads to a fight — and then acceptance, with the line: “I might not have a brother, but a sister is good, too.”

32 asialife HCMC

The episode closes with all the roommates trying on wigs.

MBGF, shot throughout Ho Chi Minh City, centres on young people who are mostly gay or transgender, but also straight.

Like any form of “edutainment”, the YouTube show seeks to entertain and inform simultaneously. It can be clumsily overt in its treatment of LGBT concerns, but there’s more than enough comic relief. In fact, it’s

more like a comedy that just so happens to give insight into Vietnam’s gay community.

What drew me to this show were the LGBT issues it covers. What keeps me watching it are the characters and the humour. A lot of it is admittedly lowbrow, which doesn’t exactly set it apart from mainstream television in the country. In one scene, for example, Rje gets a faceful of soda; in another, main

Creator and star Huynh Nguyen Dang Khoa, left, directs the latest episode of My Best Gay Friends.

character Khoa squeals while his legs are being waxed. In fact, there’s a lot of squealing all throughout MBGF. Those kinds of outbursts are symptoms of an unfortunate gay stereotype — the effeminate, flamboyant homosexual — that the sitcom seems to embrace for sheer entertainment. In that sense it follows on the heels of many TV shows I’m used to in the United States, which use sassy and

colourful characters for comic effect, whether they’re gay or not. Modern Family has Jay and Cameron; Big Bang Theory has Sheldon Cooper.

This leads critics to fault MBGF for presenting caricatures rather than characters. At times that’s true. But the cast also have a way of endearing themselves to audiences. I still can’t get Thien Hy’s voice out of my head, whenever he sings with delight or snaps at naysayers. Rje usually plays the dictatorial, no-nonsense landlord, but swoops to the rescue of friends in need.

Among the sitcom’s weaknesses are the laugh-track, the actors who sometimes appear to be reading their lines, and the lag between audio and video. But these aren’t so bad, considering the constraints.

Creator, director and star Huynh Nguyen Dang Khoa puts together the low-budget (more like no-budget) series with an ensemble of friends, mostly college-age. For a group of thespians, we can forgive the overacting and technical immaturity. Actually, Khoa et al pull off something pretty impressive with their resources.

The video image quality holds up against (or often surpasses) that of so many VTV programs.

The team relies too much on post-production (hence the audio delay) but creates professional effects, like the apartment fire that brought Khoa to tears. Even the opening sequence has gotten better.

For expats living here, familiar scenes around Ho Chi Minh City add another joy to watching the show. Characters drive around Notre Dame, play at Suoi Tien, and go on dates at Highlands Coffee. It also helps that Khoa and company have added English subtitles. The translations are what you’d expect from a voluntary crew, but they’re slightly better than Vinglish and reflect surprisingly appropriate idioms. “Desperate times call for desperate measures!” Rje declares when their apartment burns down.

The unpaid actors generally use their real names and wear their own clothes. They’re pretty young people in a modest

production that’s very much generational, from the Angry Birds T-shirts to the Facebook chats. Khoa says he uses material from his and his friends’ lives when writing the script, but some episodes also play out like a personal fantasy. In it, he is a well-liked and wellmeaning guy who encounters challenges (his parents kicking him out, a date standing him up) but overcomes them with a little help from his friends.

Of course, MBGF transcends the toils of one protagonist.

The series doesn’t directly broach homosexuality until episode two, after which it occasionally tackles common LGBT struggles, like finding a job or earning parental acceptance. In this way, the show does a service to local culture, giving us something like a Vietnamese Will & Grace.

For all its adolescent shortcomings, MBGF simultaneously offers social progressiveness with entertainment, in the form of characters we want to see succeed.

My Best Gay Friends follows on the heels of TV shows that use sassy and colourful characters for comic effect.

Tun plays a transvestite on the hit YouTube show, which gets 1 million views per episode.

My Best Gay Friends

Youtube.com/dangkhoadeptrai Vietnamese with English subtitles 20-minute episodes asialife HCMC 33

Vietnamese children are increasingly being used as forced labour on cannabis farms in the United Kingdom, where they are often prosecuted for crimes they were compelled to do. A recent court ruling may change that. By Chris Mueller. Photo illustration by Johnny Murphy.

After 14 months and 9,000km of travelling, Hai finally made it to his destination, alone at a service station in England. His long journey began in Vietnam, where a man in Hanoi promised him a job in a restaurant in Europe. Uneducated and responsible for taking care of his family after his father had died, the only job Hai could find was recycling used bottles. Working in Europe, he thought, was by far his best option.

His mother agreed and took out a loan against their house to help pay the agent’s $3,000 fee, while his uncle raised the rest.

But when Hai finally made it to England, a Vietnamese man named Cuong met him and drove him to a house in Scotland. It was here that Cuong told Hai he and his family owed more money for the trip, plus interest. The restaurant job didn’t exist, and Hai learned he would have to remain in the house alone and tend to a crop of cannabis to pay off the debt.

When Hai protested, Cuong beat and threatened him.

Locked in from the outside, Hai had no choice but to follow his handler’s instructions. Three months later, the police raided the house and Hai was arrested.

A solicitor advised him to plead guilty and Hai was sentenced to 24 months in an adults’ prison and told he would be deported after he had served his time. He was only 15 years old.

The story of Hai — whose name has been changed to protect his identity — was provided to AsiaLIFE by the RACE in Europe project, an initiative funded by the European Commission to increase knowledge and improve responses to human trafficking.

Hai’s case is not unique, but rather indicative of a growing problem: the trafficking of Vietnamese, mainly children, to the United Kingdom to work as forced labour on cannabis farms.

Experts say Vietnamese gangs were one of the first to jump at the opportunity to meet the growing demand for domestically grown herb. Today, between 80 and 90 percent of the cannabis in the UK is grown locally, compared to 25 percent 10 years ago. Vietnamese gangs now control a large part — if not the majority — of the UK weed trade. This is despite the fact that Vietnamese only make up a small portion of the UK population — .09 percent, according to the 2011 census.

“It seems the involvement of Vietnamese gangs [with cannabis production] started in British Columbia in the late ’90s,” Harry Shapiro of DrugScope, the UK’s leading independent centre of expertise on drugs, told me. “They diversified away from illegal lumber trade to cannabis growing and, in all probability, the knowledge was transferred to gangs operating within the Vietnamese communities of other countries like the UK.” The vast majority of the domestically grown weed is produced on ‘farms’ or ‘factories’, which are set up in suburban homes or unused properties.

The number of farms has also grown drastically — from just over 3,000 in 2007 to almost 8,000 in 2011, according to figures from the UK’s Association of Chief Police Officers.

On average, a farm with 1,000 plants can generate up to $750,000 a year, and obviously free labour widens the profit margins. The gangs target Vietnamese back home — almost always poor and uneducated — using promises of a better life to lure them in.

“Traffickers rarely kidnap people; they lie and trick them,” Michael Brosowski, founder of the Hanoi-based anti-trafficking organisation Blue Dragon, wrote in an email. “They offer training or jobs, and people don't understand how vulner-

able they are to being abused so they go along with it under false pretenses.”

Last year 96 Vietnamese children were recognised as trafficking victims in the UK, a 41 percent increase from 2011, making Vietnam the top country of origin for trafficked minors in the UK, according to the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

While the number of children trafficked to the UK is comparatively small — UNICEF estimates 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide each year — the increasing number of Vietnamese is worrying. In some cases police have even raided unlocked farms where Vietnamese children tended to plants, too afraid to run away.

What is more troubling, however, is what happens to them after they are arrested.

“The problem is that people trafficked to the cannabis trade, mainly from Vietnam, get prosecuted for crimes they were compelled to do by their traffickers,” Jakub Sobik of AntiSlavery International told me.

But in June, the UK Court of

Criminal Appeal set a precedent by quashing three cases involving Vietnamese children who were forced to work on cannabis farms.

“This judgment is a milestone in making sure that victims of trafficking are protected against criminalisation,” Klara Skrivankova from Anti-Slavery International said in a statement.

Yet police and NGOs are finding that even when trafficked children are identified as victims, they often run away from their foster families and back to their captors in an attempt to protect themselves or their families back in Vietnam.

But rescuing and returning these children to their homes benefits more than just their families.

“When a trafficked victim is returned home, an entire community is educated,” Brosowski from Blue Dragon wrote. “In central Vietnam, Blue Dragon has observed that once we conduct two rescues of children from a particular village, that village will almost certainly have no more trafficking.”

Cannabis in the UK Weed is hugely popular around the globe. The United Nations estimates between 119 million and 224 million people use it worldwide. In England and Wales, 6.9 percent of adults aged 16 to 59 reported using it in 2011/12, according to a 2012 drug use survey from the Home Office. While that number has decreased steadily, from 9.5 percent in 1996, cannabis is still the most widely used drug. The second most popular is cocaine, at 2.2 percent.

In 2004, cannabis was demoted from a class B drug under the UK Misuse of Drugs Act to a class C, which carries a lesser sentence. It was reclassified back to class B again in 2009. Class B drugs carry a maximum penalty for supplying and distribution of 15 years imprisonment, while possession can result in two to five years in prison, according to DrugScope. But imprisonment for possession is rare and those who are caught usually get a warning or fine.

A recent poll by market research company Ipsos Mori found that 53 percent of the British public supports the legalisation of cannabis.

asialife HCMC 35

LONGING for YESTERDAY

Virginia Head considers herself a proud feminist of today, but a visit to traditional Morocco has her pining for the past.

As my friend and I cross dirty, cat-strewn streets, heading to the market, we get nothing but catcalls from men who pass us. They’re inspired by the scandalous nature of our clothing choices: below-theknee skirts and scoop neck T-shirts.

I should be insulted, but it’s also flattering. In fact, there’s a lot that lends itself to contradiction in Morocco, a country steeped in tradition and bridging divides among Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

It is a nation desperately clinging to ancient cultures, while trying to advance into modern self-reliance. Rather than find it backward, I love 36 asialife HCMC

the old-fashioned lifestyle that Morocco preserves.

By the end of my weeklong trip, I’m wearing scarves everywhere not only to blend in with the locals a little — almost impossible with my snow-white and freckled complexion — but to cover up the skin I do have showing. I marvel that men still turn their heads at what they consider our exoticism, even as they have plenty of unbelievably beautiful Moroccan women around them. Here, only men fill cafes from top to bottom, save tourist establishments.

Women rarely walk alone, always with at least friends, but usually with a security man.

This is part of the traditional culture that pulls me in. Music is embedded in the pavement here, where the drums, chants, and prayers are a constant reminder of the history that this nation embodies. Bright fabrics mix with dark eyeliner, while henna is painted on hands and wrists — the only skin left revealed.

There is a subtle sensuality at play here, the game of anticipation played through the centuries still at work, and I am immediately welcomed to play in it. Hands are held, but no lips kiss. All of it is foreign to me, and to my surprise, I am completely seduced by it.

I want the passion kept at bay by customs of expectations, attachments allowed to bud until marriage lets them blos-

is a social activity. Trying to buy an orange, I witness a long discussion about fish between a shop owner and a woman surrounded by her playful children. They talk over each other, the lilting Arabic rising higher and higher in competing discourse until a deal is set.

Morocco is an enchanting place to go back in time, and yet still see the trembling manifestations of modernity crawling into place and altering it, one step at a time. In Casablanca, a new tram system has locals seething. In Marrakesh, tourism has put Wi-Fi in every café, secreted away unless you happen to have a device handy.

In El-Jadida, a seaside town, you can still visit the remnants of the Portuguese trading post as tourist shanty-shops beg for

Morocco is an enchanting place to go back in time, and yet still see the trembling manifestations of modernity crawling into place and altering it, one step at a time. som. I’m intrigued by a culture driven by clear parameters and fuelled by the past. I’m mystified at the consistent upkeep of traditional gender roles as men and women are kept distinctly separated.

As a non-Moroccan, I am immune to the Islamic expectations, and thus free to observe as I wander the streets sometime between the 5am and 5pm calls to prayer. In this technological desert, there’s Wi-Fi access here and there, but no one has a smartphone out, no one is listening to ear buds full of heavy metal as they charge down the street. People have no need to escape into the advanced technology that has seduced — and alienated — westerners.

In a place where people still ask directions from one another (rather than smartphones), even simply shopping for food

visitors. All throughout Morocco, the medinas are mazes of dead-end streets and side-door conversations, places to forget the buzzing race of existence in the west and embrace the relaxed pace of the past.

The air is suffused with spices everywhere I go. The earthy smells intoxicate me after decades spent in the urban sprawls of the west, but conflict with the sights of construction left unfinished and poverty displayed without restraint. Morocco is full of effusive passion, yet tempered by social standards. It has a shocking graciousness that even welcomed me to a private wedding, yet is stunted in its struggle to participate in a global economy. We can fault Morocco for its slow attempts to catch up, but we also can recognise the tradition that has kept it honest and raw.

Photos by Virginia Head.

asialife HCMC 37

Simon Ostheimer looks into the haunted past of tsunami-hit Khao Lak in Thailand and finds a bright future. Photos by Kiri Heald.

In November 2012, Hollywood released The Impossible, a heartbreaking movie that relived the tragic events of the 2004 Asian tsunami. The film is based on the true story of a Spanish family that survived the disaster.

In one memorable scene, a wall of water heads straight towards the viewer, as a father frantically tries to get his two young boys to safety.

The on-screen wave was, of course, a CGI creation done by a special effects team, but the one that hit the shores of Thailand’s Phuket and Phang Nga provinces on that Boxing

Day was all too real. One of the worst-affected areas was Khao Lak, a resort area located a few hours north of Phuket, where at least 4,000 people died — a number that included locals, tourists and Burmese migrants.

Today, most of the damage has been repaired, with new resorts being built on land where beach huts were instantly washed away. Planting programs are helping to re-green a devastated coastline that in many places simply disappeared.

While people have moved on, and the tourism industry is

once again booming — at any resort breakfast you’ll likely find yourself surrounded by the sounds of Swedish and German conversation — there are still markers of what happened that day.

Blue street signposts point the way to evacuation routes, warning you to get to higher ground, and distinctive tsunami shelters — simple concrete buildings raised up on stilts — stand all along the coastal roads, ready in case the impossible should happen again.

Another reminder is especially poignant.

On 26 Dec 2004, the 20metre-long Thai Police Boat 813 sat at anchor about one nautical mile off the coast of Khao Lak. It was put in place to protect Ubonrat Rajakanya

Siriwaddhana Phannawaddee, a Thai princess who was staying at a local resort with her family.

The power of the tsunami was such that the vessel was swept almost two kilometres inland, eventually coming to rest close to the tree line of the jungle. It was then left there to rust in a quiet, empty field.

Now it acts as a reminder of what happened. The boat is at the epicentre of a construction site, as a memorial park is built around it.

A work in progress when we recently visited, the park is due for completion later this year, and will incorporate a visitors centre, children’s area, amphitheatre and museum. One can only hope that it also still offers a place for quiet reflection.

It’s little known that Khao Lak actually has two tsunami memorials. The other is in a small seaside village called Baan Nam Khen, where a wave-shaped tunnel is lined with plaques dedicated to the dead.

But the more moving scene is to be found down by the shore, where local children run and play on the beach and families picnic under the shady trees. It’s a sign that life has again reclaimed this land from the past, that laughter and happiness have replaced cries and sorrow.

The events of some nine years ago may never be forgotten but by placing 26 Dec 2004 within the context of history, we are all able to embrace the future.

Where to stay: Ramada Khao Lak Fronted by pristine white sand beaches and lush tropical foliage, the Ramada Resort Khao Lak features a stylish collection of spacious, contemporary rooms, as well as stunning beachfront and private-pool villas. It is also close to some fantastic outlying islands. The resort features two restaurants serving cuisine from around the world, a spa and an array of leisure and recreational facilities. For reservations, contact rsvn@ramadakhaolak.com or visit Ramadakhaolak.com.

Spring rolls: the touchstone of Vietnamese cuisine?

The Vietnamese gastronomic specialty banh trang is usually rendered in English as “rice paper”. It is something of a misnomer. This stuff is not very good for writing on. But it is very good for eating. I and many others prefer to call it “rice wrapper”. It is a round, rather brittle sheet about eight inches across made from rice flour, salt and water. It is laid out on woven leaves or bamboo mats to dry in the sun. It adheres slightly to the mat, which gives the rice wrapper a crosshatched design. People use it as the casing for Vietnamese spring rolls, both the fresh and the fried versions.

The fresh version of the spring roll is known as goi cuon, or “salad roll”, so-called because it usually includes some green stuff. A goi cuon looks like a little burrito, wrapped in a small, translucent white tortilla. You can see the pink of shrimp and the green of basil peeking through the wrapper. They are usually served with a dipping sauce made of ground peanuts, chilli and nuoc mam. They are light, refreshing and stimulating to the eye and to the appetite. Two of them can make a fine snack. Four of them can make an adequate meal if you have enough beer. The concept is not unique to Vietnam, but this distinctive execution is found nowhere else.

And then we have the never-ending fried version of spring rolls, known as cha gio, 40 asialife HCMC

sometimes called “imperial rolls”. They are ubiquitous in these parts. Indeed, they do sometimes seem to be the national dish of Vietnam, giving pho a run for its money, and making banh xeo look like a redheaded stepchild. When we think of Vietnamese food they tend to be the first thing that comes to mind. For many, they seem to be the touchstone by which we measure cuisine Vietnamien. The Vietnamese version distinguishes

tire. They all seem to taste the same. Many travellers to Vietnam, or even diners in Vietnamese restaurants in Melbourne, San Francisco or London, feel somehow obligated to down as many as possible, as though the more spring rolls they consume the more of Vietnam they will taste.

Let me humbly disabuse you of this notion, if disabusing you need. You could eat your way through the entire

“You could eat your way through the entire nation without ever tasting one of these ubiquitous little morsels and still have had all you needed to thoroughly understand Vietnamese gastronomy.” itself from the Chinese variety by using rice wrappings instead of wheat pasta, and different fillings. And, yes, cha gio are a tasty tidbit. Even more so when you wrap them in a lettuce leaf with a sprig of cilantro or a few leaves of fresh basil and dip them into nuoc cham.

And we can’t seem to get away from them. They’re like the honey-roasted peanuts on airliners. They’re like hamburgers, or locusts even, in their number. And while I am loath to think of them as McSpringRoll, or as a plague of cha gio, they do begin to

nation without ever tasting one of these little morsels and still have had all you needed to thoroughly understand Vietnamese gastronomy. I have nothing ill to say about the little nubbin. I would never counsel you to avoid the cha gio. But I would urge you to not to let it define for you, in even a limited way, the cuisine of Vietnam.

To prove that I have no hard feelings against them, I happily provide you with the recipe so you can have them at home. For my cha gio recipe, visit Richardsterling.me/ spring-roll-recipe.

Ly Club In one area, guests can have dinner, while upstairs a company gala is going on. At the same time, merrymakers are at the bar next door, across the courtyard from a party in the glass building.

And all of it would be happening at the same restaurant, Ly Club. Occupying the grounds of a former French villa, the establishment has a lot of property to work with, giving it quite a bit of versatility, to the tune of a 240-guest capacity.

Ly Club should be finishing up its wine cellar this month, followed by a new menu in September that sources more local, seasonal, and organic produce for Vietnamese and western fare.

Creatively sculpted dishes employ molecular gastronomy and presentation to showcase old favourites in surprising new ways.

By Lien Hoang. Photos by Christian Berg.

Dessi de Vries, a former Dutch royal chef, is clearly one for experimentation. His skewered shrimp in red curry mousse has a hint of spice while staying mild enough for the mass palate. The reverse tomato mozzarella, which involves blending each ingredient separately and serving them as spheres, is particularly inventive with balsamic caviar and its pesto jelly. The jelly doesn’t add much flavour to the plate, but the spheres surprise with their bursts of moisture. Both involve molecular gastronomy to try out new textures with foods we thought we knew.

With seared tuna and shrimp, it’s hard to go wrong. The tuna squares appear in checkered

arrangement to underscore their dual textures, with a butter topping that’s unexpectedly sweet. The poached shrimp form a sort of dragon resting among pumpkin, ginger risotto, lobster bisque, bell peppers and asparagus. The ginger adds a nice touch, as uncommon as the pumpkin that’s roasted to bring out strong flavours.

Finally, a white chocolate Bailey’s mousse pays tribute to Vietnam’s snaking shape.

It seems to pile on as many supporting actors as could fit on the plate: pistachio sponge cake, raspberry-strawberry balls, puffed rice with white chocolate, coconut jelly, caramel fudge, and edible gold flakes.

Why people eat gold flakes is

beyond me, though it looks good. Each accessory helps to draw out the unique taste of Bailey’s. Every meal ends with a free trio of yogurt pudding, a chocolate cookie with truffles, and a pistachio macaron.

These dishes come from the new menu, for which prices haven’t been set, but on the current one appetisers start at VND 120,000, entrees range from VND 150,000-1.3 million, and desserts start at VND 90,000.

Ly Club also has a location in Hanoi.

143 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 3 08 39 30 55 88 9am-11pm, seven days Lyclub.vn asialife HCMC 41

JJ's Brazilian BBQ Twilight has announced itself as a noticeable glow emanates from the kitchen windows of JJ's Brazilian BBQ. To the right, cooks prepare long metal skewers of churrasco and roast them in a sizable wood charcoal grill in the bottom floor kitchen. The skewers rotate so slowly that you can almost feel the heat.

This style of cooking is direct from the southern Brazilian high plains, a centuries-old method in which gauchos (Brazilian cowboys) spit-roasted slabs of beef, pork, lamb, and poultry over coals in open fire pits to preserve the juices and flavours of the meat. The Brazilian houses of barbeque, known as churrascar42 asialife HCMC

A Brazilian barbecue buffet on Pham Ngu Lao Street that is proving popular among large parties of friends and family.

By Ruben Luong. Photos by Nguyen Nguyen.

ias, became gathering places for feasts with family and friends.

By 7pm, the entire upstairs dining room, warm and sophisticated, has filled with large parties of six or more. In the far corner, a trendy entourage of 14 slowly trickles in. We join in on the churrasco buffet (VND 550,000) and salad bar (VND 250,000). An a la carte menu is also available with risottos or pizzas (VND 160,000-200,000), pastas (VND 140,000-180,000), and meats from the grill (VND 240,000-380,000).

The buffet is served rodizio (continuous) style, in which waiters rotate and hand-cut one of at least 10 meats from table to

table. While the skewers roast, we sashay over to the salad bar, where we pile heaps of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes, cold salami cuts, kimchi, calamari, cured salmon, and rice crackers onto our plates. There are also ample potatoes, brown rice, and refried beans in slow cookers.

Minutes after we return, I forget the salad. Our first waiter arrives with pieces of bacon, shrimp and asparagus. They were a tease, until the tender pork sausage came shortly after, followed by rounds of pork ribs and leg of lamb, which both produced a flame-charred satisfaction. A juicy slab of medium-

rare ribeye, still steaming on the skewer, is our last meat, and takes the gold in the churrasco buffet.

The meats pair best with Chilean Luis Felipe sauvignon red wine (VND 450,000/bottle, VND 90,000/glass), ripe with berry fruits and hints of capsicum. In the din of the evening, you'll notice groups in the room raising their glasses on more than one occasion, toasting to good company and to endless churrasco.

279 Pham Ngu Lao, D1 08 38 38 88 33 8am-11pm, seven days Jjbbq.com.vn

Duck Deli It’s no accident that Duck Deli’s menu resembles one you would see at a street food cart.

It’s a perpetual reminder of the chef’s humble beginnings serving up bird on the sidewalk.

In 1990, Ms Phuong, the chef, set up a cart where she sold cabbage salad and boiled duck on the corner of Mac Thi Buoi and Dong Khoi streets. It was here she built up such a loyal following that two years ago she joined forces with a local entrepreneur and brought her time-tested recipes to a larger, sit-down restaurant.

The restaurant now has two locations, one in the food court of the Parkson mall on Le

Classic street food moves indoors. By Michael Tatarski.

Photos by Christian Berg.

Thanh Ton, and one on Nguyen Thai Binh. We ate at the latter, where wooden benches and chairs, along with cheery décor, fill out two floors. During a recent downpour typical of this torrential season, Duck Deli was the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

As expected, the compact menu is entirely devoted to duck, with most dishes ranging from VND 65,000 to VND 130,000. Desserts such as ice cream by the scoop and flan are available as well.

We went for three of the specials, beginning with the famed cabbage salad with boiled duck (VND 125,000 for small, VND

240,000 for large). Even though we ordered the small, the helping was still big enough to split between two people. Chunks of duck sat atop a pile of cabbage, and spicy nuoc mam was doused over everything. Like most cut up meat in Vietnam, the duck was a bit bony, but that didn’t make it any less tender.

Our second dish was the duck curry (VND 75,000), served with a loaf of bread and a helping of mint leaves. The brown curry was beautiful, and the pieces of duck so soft they could be taken apart with a spoon.

With our hands covered in curry sauce, the final dish

arrived: the boiled duck soup (VND 90,000) with noodles and bamboo shoots. Once again the duck was excellent, and its milder broth made for a good finish after the first two spicier dishes.

Duck Deli’s portion sizes will leave anyone satisfied. It’s a great place for those who want to try some classic street food, but in a cleaner and less-hectic atmosphere.

153 Nguyen Thai Binh, D1 Food court, Parkson 35 Bis-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1 08 38 21 59 71 10am-10pm, seven days Duckdeli.vn asialife HCMC 43

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Behind the Design

Taipei 101

Photo by Sean Pavone.

Looming over the skyline of Taiwan’s capital city, the 508metre-tall skyscraper Taipei 101 held on to the title of the world’s tallest building for an impressive five years. Though now eclipsed by Dubai’s 829-metrehigh Burge Khalifa, the pride of Taiwan still has a clutch of records to its name, all made more staggering when you consider that this mega structure lies slap bang in the middle of a typhoon and earthquake zone.

Mixing concepts of nature, wealth and tradition, the tower’s design is symbolic of modern Taiwan. Its body consists of eight soaring segments shaped like bamboo, while the green-grey windows echo the colours of the mountains that surround the city. Old and new lie side by side in the building: curving architecture lines are reminiscent of a traditional Chinese temple, while the ‘01’ in its name symbolises binary code and the digital age. As suits a centre of finance, the lucky Chinese number eight is rhythmically repeated all over the structure to signify prosperity, and a giant coin, stretching from level 24 to 27, has been placed on its exterior.

Inside gleaming corridors — home to a giant shopping mall, a food court, and offices — the world’s fastest lift leads visitors to the 360-degree observation deck in 37 seconds, ascending at an ear-popping 1,010 metres per minute. But perhaps the most impressive element in the landmark, officially opened in 2006 and built on bedrock, lies at its heart.

The key to enduring stability through vicious tropical cyclones and earth-shuddering quakes is the world’s largest wind damper. The golden beehive-shaped object placed on the 88th floor helps stabilise the tower in the face of the extreme weather. Made of 41 layers of 12cm-thick steel plate and weighing 660 metric tons, it sways to offset the motions rendered by large storms or seismic activity. Staring at the damper on a recent trip to Taipei and fully aware that a strong typhoon was about to ravage the city the next day, I could only be grateful that this modern feat of engineering has been designed to withstand the potential earthquakes and winds of the next 2,500 years.

By Ellie Dyer.

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Make up from the Body Shop Available at all the Body Shop outlets All-in-one face base: VND 530,000 All-in-one concealer: VND 469,000 All-in-one cheek colour: VND 385,000 Super volume mascara: VND 299,000 Baked bronze powder: VND 599,000 Carbon eye definer: VND 229,000 Liquid eyeliner: VND 309,000 Colourguide lip colour: VND 319,000 Lip liner: VND 199,000 Lychee vitamin lip gloss: VND 259,000 Contact lenses from SEED. Available at Family Medical Practice and American Eye Center Photography: Christian Berg Models: Trinh Nguyen, Thu Vo, Cherry

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Styling by Ha Minh Khanh-Heng, one of the founding makeup artists of the Body Shop Vietnam.

listings

Philippine Airways 229 Dong Khoi, D3 Tel: 3822 2241 www.philippineairlines.com Operates daily service from HCM City to Manila, offering fare options through the PAL Econo Light Class.

hotel & travel

Royal Brunei Level 4, 129A Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3914 6868 www.bruneiair.com Royal Brunei provides scheduled service across Asia, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

AIRLINES

Air Asia 223 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3838 9811 www.airasia.com Asia’s largest low-cost airline operates one daily flight between HCM City-Hanoi, as well as international flights to Bangkok, Phuket, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Air France 130 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 0981 Fax: 3822 0537 www.airfrance.com.vn An airline with a vast and effective global network. Now flies direct to Paris.

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.

Jetstar Pacific www.jetstar.com Budget branch flies into Can Tho, Danang, Hanoi, Hai Phong, HCM City, Hue, Nha Trang and Vinh and operates cheap flights from HCM City to Siem Reap and Bangkok. Check out Friday Fare Frenzy online promotion every Friday.

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 for about $200 round trip, with four economy class fare levels: low, basic, smart and flex.

escape

Thai Airways 65 Nguyen Du, Tel: 3829 2810 29 Le Duan, D1 www.thaiair.com Bangkok-based airline connects twice daily between the Thai capital and HCM City and Hanoi. Multiple daily flights are also operated from both to Phnom Penh and Phuket.

Turkish Airlines 8th floor, AB Tower 76A Le Lai, D1 Tel: 3936 03600 www.turkishairlines.com Awarded as the Best Airline in Europe offers the brand new Comfort Class to Economy class: 46inch leg room, personalised entertainment screen and globally awarded cuisine on-board.

VASCO Vietnam Airlines office, 116 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3842 2790 www.vasco.com.vn Though it’s primary business is cargo shipment, Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) flies daily from HCM City to Con Dao and makes connections to lesser-known cities like Ca Mau, Tuy Hoa and Chu Lai. Buy tickets at the Vietnam Airlines office.

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.vietnamair.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,

Built in the Cham architectural style, Pandanus resort in Mui Ne features gardens with streams and lotus-filled lakes, as well as displays of Cham cultural icons. The infinity pool surrounds an island of palm trees, while the grounds were created to blend with the natural environment alongside golden beaches. Through the end of August, the hotel has a VND 2.8 million package that includes two nights’ accommodation, dinner for two, and a walking tour of Mui Ne. To close out the summer, Pandanus also is offering half off treatments at its Peony Spa. Inquire at Pandanusresort. com.

Inspired by the Rhine Valley region in Germany, Dalat Edensee is decorated with

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CON DAO

Con Dao Resort 8 Nguyen Duc Thuan Tel: 06 4830 949 www.condaoresort.com Modern hotel with 45 rooms and seven villas set on 2km of private beach. Onpremise facilities include restaurant, bar, beach-view swimming pool, tennis court and volleyball. Organizes outdoor activities and tours.

Saigon Con Dao Resort 18-24 Ton Duc Thang Tel: 06 4830 155 www.saigoncondaoresort.com Opened in summer 2009, Saigon Tourist’s 82-room hotel has a restaurant, swimming pool, tennis court and health club with sauna. Another 30 villas are available in the adjacent sister hotel, a renovated colonial-era administration building. Tours organized by hotel.

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.

DALAT

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.

Blue Moon Resort & Spa 4 Phan Boi Chau Tel: 06 3578 888 www.bluemoonhotel.com.vn An attractive 65-room, country-style resort with extensive gardens for strolling or al fresco dining, as well as restaurant serving local Dalat dishes. On-premise bike rental, fitness centre, sauna and indoor heated pool.

Mercure Dalat 7 Tran Phu, Dalat Tel: 063 3825 777

www.mercure.com Built in 1932 as the Hotel Du Parc, this 144-room resort pairs French colonial architecture with modern amenities.

Cafe De Le Poste serves French homestyle, international and Vietnamese cuisine. Facilities include tennis court and sauna.

Sofitel Dalat Palace 12 Tran Phu, Dalat Tel: 063 3825 444 www.accorhotels-asia.com Stately lakeside hotel was built in 1920s and retains the period’s aesthetic. It encompasses 38 rooms, five suites, a gourmet restaurant, brasserie, piano bar and Larry’s Bar. Golf can be arranged, and there’s tennis, boules, snooker and billiards on premise.

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.

Hanoi Hilton Opera 1 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3933 0500 www.hilton.com Housed in a colonial-style building that complements the adjacent Opera House, this luxury hotel features modern amenities, business services, outdoor pool and fitness centre. Vietnamese specialties are served at Ba Mien, and Chez Manon does Japanese and pan-Asian.

Melia Hanoi Hotel 44B Ly Thuong Kiet Tel: 04 3934 3343 www.meliahanoi.com Located in the city centre with 306 comfortable guestrooms elegantly decorated, complete with a host of modern amenities. Dining includes Asian cuisine at El Patio and El Oriental, snacks at Cava Lounge and tapas at Latino Bar. Mercure Hanoi La Gare 94 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3944 7766 www.accorhotels.com Situated in the Old Quarter with 102 bright, spacious and modern rooms, Brasserie Le Pavillion restaurant serves Vietnamese and international cuisine.

take flight with travel promotions around the region

Summer’s End

Out of the Heat

Sydney, Melboure, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

sparkling chandeliers, crafted furniture, marble fireplaces, and sweeping staircases.

All is set against an emerald lake and lush pine forest. The resort and spa has announced a “Highland Heaven” package for VND 5.3 million per room for two nights in the Mimosa Superior room with daily breakfast, a romantic dinner for two, and full-body massages for two with the options of Swedish, Vietnamese, Aromatherapy Revival, Thai and Herbal Compress Therapy.

Through September, book at 06 33 83 15 15 or info@dalatedensee.com.

Five Senses

La Residence is offering the Five Senses of Hue for $750. Sight: two nights in a Deluxe River View Room over the Perfume River and imperial citadel. Touch: a spa treatment with a sauna or steam bath, full

facial, Swedish massage and foot massage.

Scent: a bottle of the hotel’s signature Woody Ylang, a melding of cinnamon, patchouli and ylang. Taste: a “Colonial Dinner” with a bottle of Austrian wine. Sound: a compilation of music by one of the city’s most sensual vocalists, Camille Huyen, who is a Hue native and now a resident of Switzerland. Book anytime this year at Laresidence-hue.com.

Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi 83A Ly Thuong Kiet Tel: 3822 2800 www.moevenpick-hotels.com Conveniently located in the heart of Hanoi’s business district, a 40-minute drive from Noi Bai International Airport and only 5 minutes from the city centre, Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi is the latest five-star hotel in town, tailored to meet the needs of discerning guests and especially corporate travellers.

Nikko Hotel 84 Tran Nhan Tong Tel: 04 3822 3535 www.hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn Luxury hotel offering spacious rooms, elegant furnishings, international fine dining from Europe, China and Japan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HOI AN & DANANG

Angsana Lang Co Tel: 84 54 3695 800 www.angsana.com Set beachfront on warm sands with a backdrop of the towering Truong Son Mountain Range, Angsana Lang Co is one of the region’s newest five-star resorts. Blessed with brilliant scenes of unspoiled natural beauty, Angsana Lang Co is a contemporary getaway featuring 229 stylish suites (from 52 sqm to 179 sqm), 100 of which come equipped with their own private pools.

All suites in every room category feature picturesque mountain, lagoon, or sea views, and incorporate local materials such as bamboo, along with traditional arts with a contemporary twist, lanterns and elegant framed calligraph.

Banyan Tree Lang Co Tel: 84 54 3695 888 www.banyantree.com 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 jungleclad 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.

HUE

Celadon Palace Hue 105A Hung Vuong Tel: 054 3936 666 www.celadonpalacehue.com Grand building inspired by Indochine Nobel House with panoramic views, international restaurant, lounge/bars, pool, ballroom and wedding planning.

La Residence 5 Le Loi Tel: 054 3837 475 www.la-residence-hue.com Former governor’s residence on the banks of the Perfume River is now home to a boutique resort where art deco meets Indochine. La Parfum restaurant serves local and international dishes.

Facilitiesa include spa, saltwater pool, tennis court and fleet of bicycles.

Mercure Hue Gerbera 38 Le Loi Tel: 054 3946 688 www.mercure.com Overlooking the Perfume River, this centrally located hotel has 110 contemporary rooms. Local Hue cuisine and international fare served at Le Bordeaux, and drinks served up top at Sky Bar or in the ground-floor Lobby Bar. Pilgrimage Village Resort & Spa 130 Minh Mang Tel: 054 3885 461 www.pilgrimagevillage.com Boutique resort with hut, bungalow and

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villa accommodation draws on natural environment and local culture. Features Vedana spa, two restaurants serving Vietnamese & Western food and imported wines and three bar/lounges.

Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa 112 Minh Mang Tel: 054 3830 240 www.vedanaresort.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.

Novotel Nha Trang 50 Tran Phu Tel: 058 625 6900 www.novotel-nhatrang.com Each of the 154 rooms has a terrace with seaviews in this modern hotel located in the city centre. The Square serves international cuisine in a dining room overlooking the bay.

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

Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa 26 - 28 Tran Phu, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Tel: 58 388 0000 www.sheraton.com/nhatrang Luxury hotel with 284 ocean view rooms, six restaurants and bars, club lounge, infinity edge swimming pool, spa, yoga studio, cooking school, Sheraton Adventure Club and (connected at) Link@ Sheraton.

Grand Ho Tram Strip 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, fully-integrated 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.

PHAN THIET

TRAVEL AGENTS

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

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www.sailingclubvietnam.com Open bar overlooking the sea, spacious rooms, restaurant, swimming pool and day spa.

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, community-based tourism, cultural tours, adventure trips, golfing and premium trips offered by locally run and well-respected 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.

environment with frequent live music.

Offers Spanish and Cuban fare including paella and a tapas fiesta comprising three plates. Open late daily.

listings

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.

food & drink 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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 downstairs to fit your dining pleasure. Relaxed

Red Bar 70-72 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 08 22 29 70 17 Tucked behind the Bitexco building, Red has one of the longest happy hours in the city (draught beer for VND 25,000 from

feast

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. 

fortable 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

CAFES

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.

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.

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.

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 com-

Ming Dynasty 23 Nguyen Khac Vien, Phu My Hung 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 roasted Pi Pa

broaden your palate with promotions around town

Monthly Meal Meetings

Park Hyatt Saigon is launching a monthly dinner series called the Gourmand Guild for epicurean connoisseurs to share their passion for food and wine. Each month a new event will be announced for food-lover to dine on dishes from around the world, while discovering the subtle secrets of a sensual sauvignon, a lusty libation or an appeased aperitif. The series will launch 14 Aug at Square One with American Classics for VND 2 million. For reservations, email squareone.saiph@hyatt.com or call 08 38 24 12 34.

Duck Pancake

9am until 9pm). This, its international food menu and nightly live music makes it one of the liveliest bars around.

Tasty pancakes, golden crispy filling, crisp cucumbers and homemade sweet sauce … there’s nothing quite like biting into a perfectly prepared Beijing Duck pancake.

Experience this every Friday, during both lunch and dinner at Dynasty at New World Saigon Hotel. Dig into traditional roast Beijing Duck served with homemade sauces or twists on the classics like succulent sesame and seaweed pancakes. Priced at VND 550,000 per duck. Make a reservation at 08 38 29 40 00, ext. 2208 or saigon@newworldhotels.com.

at VND 790,000 and VND 920,000, respectively. Signature favourites from the Grillades, Side Choices and Asian Selection sections will remain unchanged. For more, contact 08 38 23 49 99 or eam-fb@ caravellehotel.com.

Menu Mix-up

Caravelle Hotel is revamping its culinary catalog at Reflections Restaurant with a new a la carte menu. A large portion of the gourmet menu will be rewritten every two weeks to highlight the season’s best produce. The pared-down menu now spotlights rotational sections for appetisers, mains, and desserts; and three- and four-course menus have been introduced

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street gourmet

Banh trang tron Although banh trang tron (rice paper salad) looks like a heap of mismatched ingredients, there's an organised chaos behind its construction. The base is comprised of shredded rice paper that's topped off with beef jerky, sour mango, peanuts, herbs, and a boiled and fried quail egg. Mixing the ingredients in baby

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 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.

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

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prawn sauce moistens the salad and ensures that the diverse flavours distribute throughout.

Banh trang tron can often be found around office buildings and schools, as it's especially popular with workerbees and students.

And for only VND 5,000, it's a light and flavourful lunch that rivals any gourmet salad.

selection of French food and wine in a romantic, rustic French villa.

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. Chef David Thai is a well-known industry figure, and this venue can hold its own among the city`s many French restaurants.

L’essentiel 98 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 08 38 21 76 82 A French restaurant offering a traditional menu that changes every week in a rotation of four. Dishes range from around VND 100,000 upwards to nearly VND 400,000 and include a variety of meat and seafood options. Cheese and pastries are available as well.

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.

INDIAN

Ganesh 15 - B4 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3822 3017 Casual dining with takeaway available, Ganesh serves up both North and South Indian culinary traditions. Very reasonably priced, with vegetarian curries from 40,000 VND and chicken dishes from 64,000 VND. ď‚Œ 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.  Tandoor 74/6 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3930 4839 www.tandoorvietnam.com Part of a chain of restaurants covering Hanoi and Saigon, Tandoor features a large selection of standard northern Indian dishes, including a good vegetarian selection. Excellent cheap set lunches and reasonable prices all around. Will organize catering for events. 

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 tapaslike 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 umbrella-shaded 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.

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.

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, Japanese-style 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.

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.

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.

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 Bitexco 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.  JJ’s Brazilian BBQ Restaurant and Bar 275-277-279 Pham Ngu Lao, D1 Tel: 08 38 38 88 33 Situated in Pham Ngu Lao, JJ’s offers traditional Brazilian churrasco every night, with a wide range of meats barbecued over a charcoal flame. The restaurant is split into three areas: the bar, an outside terrace overlooking the park, and a more formal upstairs dining room.

Kita Coffee House 39 Nguyen Hue, D1, Tel: 3821 5300 Four-level restaurant serving a wide menu

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imbibe

street gourmet

You Are What You Drink

By Darryl Bethea If it’s true that we are what we eat, what about what we drink? How often do you think about what you consume when drinking wine? As we are becoming more aware of the health dangers of additives, chemicals, and pesticides in our food, we should consider how to safeguard our bodies while still enjoying a quality bottle of wine.

In the world of wine, you will often see or hear the following words: sulfites, sustainable, organic and biodynamic. But what do they mean for a bottle of wine?

Sulfites naturally occur in the winemaking process. They are a by-product of the yeast metabolism during fermentation. Because of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties, sulfur dioxide plays a very important role in maintaining a wine’s freshness, and is often added to extend a wine’s shelf life. Every country regulates the maximum level of added sulfites, so they are usually harmless, unless you have severe asthma or lack the enzymes to break down the sulfites in your body. Keep in mind that more sulfites are added to white wine than red.

Sustainable wineries take the ecology of the area into consideration during the winemaking process. This could include using owls in Napa Valley to keep the rodent population down, sheep in New Zealand to eat the weeds, or solar panels to power the winery. Though no set standards are used, these

58 asialife HCMC

techniques are great for the environment and if no damage is done to the vine, grapes, and the earth, what is not to like about being sustainable?

Organic, simply put, means the grapes are farmed without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. You also have certified organic and non-certified.

Certification guarantees strict standards were followed during wine production. ‘Organic’ has been a highly profitable marketing word, and the cost is usually higher. If you are going to pay extra, look for “certified organic” on the label.

Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner founded the biodynamic winemaking movement. He once said: “It is impossible to understand plant life without taking into account the fact that everything on earth is actually only a reflection of what is taking place in the cosmos.” Imagine an organic farm incorporating “spiritual science”, using astrology and astronomic energy forces to produce a healthy and disease-free crop. Are the results worth the effort?

Keep these words in mind when buying a bottle, but my bottom line has always been: Do I like the wine? The final judge is your palate, but having a clear conscience of how it is produced is a bonus.

Darryl Bethea is group sales manager for Magnum Wine Cellars. He can be contacted at darryl@magnumwinecellars. com.

Banh cong Here's one you may have missed around town: banh cong. Also known as prawn cakes, these deep-fried, muffin-shaped delights are filled with minced pork, lentils, rice or soy flour and, of course, plenty of shrimp, including head, tail and skin. The mixture is prepared and

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.  The Loop 49 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 08 36 02 63 85 A contemporarily styled restaurant that serves the An Phu community some healthy trattoria-style dishes, refreshing drinks and premium Italian coffee. The menu includes homemade breakfast specialties, and a wide selection of sandwiches and salads.

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 Australianstyle brasserie has brought modern international cuisine to suburban An Phu. Popular for weekend brunches. Weekly specials and seafood flown in from Phu Quoc. 

fried in individual rounded moulds known as cong.

Banh cong is served with a variety of herbs that do a fine job of absorbing the cake's excess oil. Finally, a dip in nuoc mam (fish sauce) and you've got a tasty and satisfying snack or meal. One prawn cake runs VND 6,000.

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.

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.  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 wok-cooked 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 Basilico InterContinental Asiana Saigon, Ground Floor, Corner Nguyen Du and Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 dine@icasianasaigon.com Contemporary and casual trattoria-style restaurant specializing in authentic Italian dishes and homemade desserts. Woodfired 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

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

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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.

local eats

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. 

Broken But Not Wasted

By Tristan Ngo People often ask what I do on my day off. On that rare occasion when I do find myself with some free time, I always spend it looking for some good food.

It was on one of these days that someone suggested we go eat com tam. It was a good idea. I love rice, especially broken rice, and decided it was about time I revisited a popular com tam place called Com Tam Thuan Kieu. This restaurant has several locations throughout the city, but on this day I opted for their main one on Thuan Kieu Street in District 11. Com Tam Thuan Kieu has been around for years — the first one opened its doors prior to 1975, and has remained popular since.

Com tam is traditionally a cheaper grade of rice that is formed when regular rice is damaged during the milling process. It used to be eaten mainly in the south, but today it’s popular throughout the country.

Com tam is usually served with suon nuong (thinly marinated grilled pork chop), bi (shredded pork mixed with

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thinly cooked shredded pork skin), pickled vegetables, cha trung (pork egg patties), lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber, two fried eggs (sunny side up), all topped with scallion oil and nuoc mam.

Although the rice is broken, it has a very distinct taste and aroma, sort of like an Asian version of couscous or tabbouleh. But the grilled pork chop and nuoc mam are what make or break a good com tam. The chop should have a smoky and caramelised flavour, a perfect compliment to the broken rice.

Com Tam Thuan Kieu is a bright, spacious and clean place packed with locals. As you walk in you will find selections of food items that can be either eaten there or taken away. Their menu offers 54 different dishes to reflect 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam, including a selection for vegetarians. Service is friendly, efficient and always quick.

54 Thuan Kieu, Ward 4, District 11 Prices range from VND 35,000 to VND 50,000

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

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 art-deco 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.

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.

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. Quan Bui 17A Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: 08 38 29 15 15 From the team behind Quan Bui, the popular casual Vietnamese eatery on the north edge of District 1, is this four-floor fine-dining restaurant in downtown Saigon. The chic design and ambience, as well as its rooftop garden, are designed to attract a more up-market clientele.

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

Small bakery turns out sweet and salted pies and mousses in addition to baguettes and a range of Western sweets.

DELIVERY

See bar restaurant listings for more popular watering holes.

Food Panda www.foodpanda.vn Online delivery service with over 500 popular restaurants available.

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. 

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

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) 838-247827 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.

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.

at home

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, dairy-frozen 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.

Metro An Phu, D2 Tel: 3740 6677 www.metro.com.vn Warehouse wholesaler located just off the Hanoi Highway in D2 between the Saigon Bridge and the tollbooths. Sells bulk food, fresh fruit and vegetables and meat, as well as paper products, cleaning supplies, housewares--basically everything.

BAKERIES

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.

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.

LIQUOR & WINE

Harvest Baking 30 Lam Son, Tan Binh Tel: 3547 0577 harvestbaking@yahoo.com This authentic bakery offers a range of specialty baked goods for delivery. Offering bagels, scones, breads, desserts,cakes, tarts and more. Chocolate fudge cake and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing highly recommended.

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

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.

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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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fitness

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.

Four Habits for Fat Loss

By Phil Kelly Losing weight — and keeping it off — requires some simple lifestyle adjustments. Starvation and over-exertion are never part of a healthy lifestyle or weight loss endeavour. All actions and plans need to be based around your ability to adhere to your changes and create new healthier habits.

Weight loss and health should be sustainable, otherwise you will only make shortterm changes.

Likewise, losing weight does not have to require extended trips to the gym or engagement in some fad diet. Here are four tips for a healthier day: Exercise daily Create a routine where you perform 15–20 minutes of exercise every day. Alternate between cardiovascular exercise and resistance work.

You can either wake up 20 minutes earlier or perform the exercise at lunchtime, but whenever you decide to do it, make it routine. The exercises can be as simple as completing a circuit of lunges, push ups, sit ups and a pulling exercise at home before having your morning shower.

Exercising in the morning kick-starts your metabolism, releases feel-good endorphins, and refreshes the mind for a perfect start to the day. You are building your muscle mass, which in turn will increase the effectiveness of your metabolism.

Eat real food This should be your food

motto. The ever-increasing amounts of processed food on the market with clever marketing campaigns are the reason that more than 66 percent of people in western societies are overweight. Each time you go to eat something ask yourself the simple question: Is this real food?

Don’t skip meals The times you eat are just as important as what you eat.

Your body needs fuel to burn, so by skipping a meal, you slow down your metabolism.

By eating at regular intervals throughout the day you will normalise blood sugar levels and prevent ‘dips’ in energy and concentration. A good low glycemic breakfast will kickstart your energy-burning systems and create a fat-burning state within your body.

Sleep well Sleep is one of the main cornerstones of our health. The other three cornerstones are healthy eating, regular exercise, and a positive mindset. Try to get to bed at the same time every night. Aim for eight hours of quality sleep and ensure you’re asleep before midnight to allow adequate time for your natural detoxification systems to complete their cycle.

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 though his website 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.

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.

RMIT Vietnam sports.recreation@rmit.edu.vn A new player on the SIFL scene with a team made up of students from the University. They have their own football ground on-site consisting of two brand new pitches. Contact Landon Carnie.

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 Saints chris@saigonsaints.com www.saigonsaints.com Expat football club of all ages, which has been running since 1995 and plays in the SIFL. Regularly venture on international tours especially to Bangkok and Manila and play in other local and international tournaments. The players train weekly, and new players are encouraged to join.

GOLF

Dalat Palace Golf Club Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Dalat Tel: 063 3821 101 dpgc@vietnamgolfresorts.com The most beautiful course in Vietnam, combining the crisp mountain air with an environment of stately pine trees.

Overlooking Xuan Huong lake, the 7,009yard course is an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all levels.

Dong Nai Golf Resort Trang Bom Town, Trang Bom Tel: 061 3866 288 / 3677 590 www.dongnaigolf.com.vn Large golf resort with 27 holes, plus a villa complex, bar, sauna. jacuzzi and billiards. The resort sits on 160 hectares of land in Dong Nai Province, about 50 kilometres from the city. Membership starts at USD $2,000 a year.

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.

Song Be Golf Resort 77 Binh Duong Blvd, Thuan An Tel: 0650 3756 660 info@songbegolf.com www.songbegolf.com Located 22 kilometres from the city centre, the premier golf course in the area features an 18-hole, 6,384-metre course.

Also has tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a gymnasium.

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

Phun Runner info@phun-run.com Social running group that meets Saturdays at 7 am for a scenic run around Saigon before breakfast. Great way to explore the city, meet fellow runners and get fit for future events. Check website for rendezvous points.

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 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.

Ultimate Frisbee RMIT, 702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7 www.saigon-ultimate.com Join in this exciting popular sport every Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 5pm in Saigon South. Pan-Asian competitions also organised for the more experienced.

Contact David Jensen at 0909458890 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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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.

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.

MEDICAL 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-

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 95 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2000 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.

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 customer-friendly environment. The modern clinic hosts a range of highly trained and experienced medical specialists and managed by Western-trained doctors.

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

assistance and international healthcare.

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 extra-curricular 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

Bump in the Night

By Gemma Mullen Cast your memory to a time when the thought of a darkened bedroom was your worst nightmare. For some that may only be last night, so imagine how children must feel.

Little ones aged three and up are the most susceptible to a fear of the dark, as it is at about that age when imaginations really start to develop.

By the age of four, many kids will have wild imaginations and can often have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality. All of a sudden, a shadow on the wall in a dark room becomes a very real, very scary monster.

The first thing to do is to talk to your children about it and show them you understand. Under no circumstances should you tell your children they are being silly, as this will make them feel ashamed and could intensify the fear. Instead, reassure them and make them feel safe. Tell them it’s normal to be scared but do not exaggerate it, as playing up the fear is a terrible idea.

Going along with it — saying things such as: “I will look to see if the monster’s gone” or “I’ve checked under your bed and there’s no boogey man under there” — will certainly not help. This, in a way, will confirm that such things do exist. That is the last thing children need, given their already active imaginations.

Similarly, don’t let your little

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ones sleep in your bed to help ease the panic. They will need to learn to cope with fear, and providing a way out of it may lead to other anxieties.

Make sure you start winding down before bedtime and ensure it is a soothing time of day. It will help if your children don’t watch television before bedtime and, of course, you should refrain from reading scary stories. Fun, happy stories that don’t involve monsters or bad guys are a much better option.

If a nightlight has been used as an emergency measure, there will come a time when your children have to get used to sleeping without it. Ask when they want this to happen, build up to it and discuss it. Ask if they would like you to come in and check on them. Allow them to choose how often these checks take place. This will provide a confidence boost and a sense of empowerment.

Most children will overcome a fear of the dark. If you are positive, supportive and don’t pay undue attention to it, little ones will banish their imaginary demons in no time.

Gemma Mullen 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 real-world 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 frame-

work 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.

SmartKids 1172 Thao Dien Compound, D2 Tel: 3744 6076 26 Street 10, D2 Tel: 3898 9816 www.smartkidsinfo.com An international childcare centre that provides kindergarten and pre-school education for children aged between 18 months and 6 years. A fun and friendly environment, the school focuses on learning through play.

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.

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.

Toyville Tel: 09 18 33 97 34 32 Tran Ngoc Dien, Thao Dien, D2 Wide selection of branded toys and games, from the usual suspects to the real hard to find. Specialises in products for 3- to 10-year-old children.

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 handmade 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.

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camera that also specializes in repairing all camera makes. Measurement equipment and spare parts also available.

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 BUSINESS GROUPS

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.

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

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.

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

Foreigners Owning Real Estate

By Matthew F Sipprell Under Vietnamese law, land is collectively owned and government-managed.

Land use policy is effectuated through the National Assembly, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Local land offices grant land use rights (LURs) to purchasers.

Foreigners may not yet buy land in Vietnam, but they may buy an apartment, with the following conditions: (a) Only condominiums in commercial housing development projects, (b) one apartment per person, (c) only 50-year leases (extension possible, but not guaranteed), (d) for residence only, (e) no subleases or bequests.

Furthermore, foreigners must be: (i) investors or corporate managers with visas valid for minimum one year, (ii) those who have made officially recognised contributions to Vietnam, (iii) those with advanced degrees working in socio-economic fields, (iv) spouses of Vietnamese citizens, or (v) Foreign-invested companies (not engaged in real estate trading) which purchase apartments for their employees.

Under the Law on Real Estate Business, developers of under-construction condominium projects may sell units after the foundation of the building is completed, but they are only allowed to collect up to 70 percent of the purchase price during

construction. After completion and hand-over of the unit, they may collect the remaining 30 percent. A Vietnamese national could contribute an LUR for any type of property to a joint venture in which a foreigner is a member/shareholder. In that case, the foreigner would acquire a derivative stake in the property covered by the LUR, limited to the duration of the venture and to the use for which the company is authorised in the certificate of investment.

The government is expected to relax restrictions on foreign acquisition of real estate in order to kick-start Vietnam’s sluggish housing market and to spur foreign investment. Registration procedures need to be implemented and made uniform.

Bank mortgages could be made more affordable — the vast majority of Vietnamese pay cash for property. Many homes sit empty because their owners cannot find a local cash buyer. In May 2013 the Hanoi People’s Committee issued regulations implementing national procedures for foreigners’ purchases of houses for the first time.

If you have any questions about law in Vietnam that you would like answered in his next column, email sipprell@hotmail.com Matthew F Sipprell is a partner at Pan Asia Consultants.

British Business Group of Vietnam 25 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3829 8430 execmgr@bbgv.org www.bbgv.org CanCham New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 Business Centre, Room 305 Tel: 3824 3754 www.canchamvietnam.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.

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

Eurocham 257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Binh Tel: 3845 5528 www.eurochamvn.org 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 Swiss Business Association 42 Giang Van Minh, Anh Phu, D2 Tel: 3744 6996 Fax: 3744 6990 Email: sba@hcm.vnn.vn www.swissvietnam.com Hong Kong Business Association New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 Business Centre, Room 322 Tel: 3824 3757 / 3822 8888 www.hkbav.com NordCham Bitexco Building, 19-25 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3821 5423 www.nordcham.com

CAMERAS

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

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.

Pham The 11 Le Cong Kieu, D1 An authorized service centre for Nikon

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.

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, in-house maintenance and aftersales 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.

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

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Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi Tel: 3827 7362 Fax: 3827 7361 Email: pascal@insuranceinvietnam.com Private insurance and finance.

finance

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.

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.

Thinking About Death

By Paul McLardie As I wrote this column, I was attempting to recover from 24 hours of travelling from Saigon to Glasgow, Scotland. I was only there for four days, before making the return journey. Yes, this was not an ideal trip, but it was for my cousin’s wedding, and when it comes to family there are certain things you must do.

This got me thinking how important family is and how many of us have yet to sit down with our parents, children and close relatives for that uncomfortable talk: What happens if something bad were to happen? Do you know what your loved ones wish if something happened to them? What plans have been made for when they get old and cannot look after themselves? And as expats, do your families know what to do if something happens to you?

It can sometimes be awkward, but you need to have an open conversation with those who are closest to you and those who will be there to pick up the pieces. Do you really want to put someone in a situation where he has to spend a lot of money when he does not need to? There are ways financially that you can protect yourself or your family from these unnecessary expenses.

Life insurance is the easiest way you can help. You pay a certain amount of money each month and if you die, your beneficiaries get the lot.

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This works well when you are under the thresholds for the inheritance tax (IHT). If you are over the threshold and you do not want to burden your family, you can plan to save enough yourself to cover that bill.

There are also many IHT and trust structures that may be able to help. For example, in the United Kingdom there is a Living Family Trust. You put your savings, investments and property into a trust, then name your siblings the executors of it. With this trust, you can still live in your house and it cannot be taken away from you to pay for medical expenses. All that you need to do is outlive the trust for more than seven years after it was set up, and any inheritance held within it is tax free. For American citizens, there are also programs that are not too complicated and do not require a lot of work.

Nobody wants to think about death, but if you have any savings, investments or property and you have a family back in your home country, this is an area that you need to look into. We are all different in our needs, but none of us should put unneeded responsibility on the people we love.

Paul McLardie is a partner at Total Wealth Management.

You can contact him at paul. mclardie@t-wm.com.

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.

Kiko Flame OIIC Building, 248-250 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 Tel: 0902 636 950 www.ngonluakiko.com Recently established graphic design studio employing highly skilled, well disciplined artists, graphic designers and web developers. We specialize in creative design for print media and web, offering you reliable and very affordable design services.

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, market-entry research and IT/business consulting.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 wireclasped 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 plasmascreen 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.

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.

FURNITURE

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 LeveilleyDadda, 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

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people matter

furniture, accessories and lighting for commercial projects and home use.

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

Maturity vs Inexperience

By Gary Woollacott We’ve been going through a bit of a lean time at the office recently as far as business is concerned. This doesn’t worry me too much since our business can be very cyclical, but if my column doesn’t appear in a couple of months then you'll just have to guess what happened. Things do appear to be getting better, but there are still big, dark economic and financial storm clouds out there that continue to affect companies’ investment decisions.

One of these decisions, and one of the obstacles that we often bump up against, is when a potential client has tried to recruit on the cheap. In an attempt to save money, they try advertising a senior position themselves and are surprised when no one applies. One company admitted to me recently that their ad cost them $6,000 and they didn’t even receive one application. Many businesses use a contingency company that promises the earth and then doesn’t deliver anything worthwhile. Or maybe they hired the friend of a friend who turned out to be crazy as well as lazy.

It’s no surprise after these experiences that companies often don’t want to pay a retainer to use our services.

The way they see it, they have wasted enough money on recruitment and they don’t want to waste more. They think they shouldn’t throw more good money after bad. So they set about doing the same things

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all over again. The human resources department assures the senior managers that they were just unlucky and that it won’t happen again. But you have to ask, why would senior management listen to the HR department under these circumstances?

Putting it another way: If your friend suggested going to eat somewhere that gave you really bad food and service, would you ask them for their recommendation next time?

Probably not. But this happens every day in the world of recruitment when HR managers make decisions based on a desire to save money, rather than bringing in the best talent in the market.

Any manager who makes the same mistakes over and over again deserves to be fired. But in today’s world, experience is often overlooked in the rush to be modern and hip. One of the benefits of being older is that we generally have quite a bit of experience tucked away that can often help us to avoid repeating mistakes and gives us the wisdom to pursue the right course of action.

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.

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.

LEGAL

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.

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

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

First Alliances #609, Saigon Trade Center 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 2080 Fax: 3910 2079 www.firstalliances.net cv@firstalliances.net As Vietnam’s most established recruitment consultancy, First Alliances operates across all major industry sectors and at all levels of seniority. Also providing HR outsourcing solutions for staffing and payroll,overseas employment and education services.

Navigos Group 130 Suong Nguyet Anh, D1 Tel: 3825 5000 www.navigosgroup.com Recruitment agency offering a complete portfolio of HR services including executive search, HR advisory, training, online recruitment, and print recruitment advertising.

Opus Vietnam 5F, Vitic Building 6B Nguyen Thanh Y, 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.

TMF Vietnam Saigon Trade Center, Unit 2811, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 9229 / 9222 hang.bui@tmf-group.com www.tmf-group.com With more than 3,300 professionals working out of 86 offices in 65 countries, TMF provides independent accounting and corporate secretarial services to companies worldwide.

Vietnamworks.com 130 Suong Nguyet Anh, D1 Tel: 5404 1373 www.vietnamworks.com Excellent section on advice for jobseekers focusing on topics such as resume writing, cover letters, interview technique and more.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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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.

Earthy Brown

By Christina Yu If there is a colour other than white that one rarely sees around Vietnam, it has to be brown. It seems like the majority of Vietnamese girls I speak to do not like it because it is a “dirty” colour.

Most people consider brown an “uninspiring” colour.

But if everyone would realise that it is actually the colour of material security, and signifies stability, structure and support, they may change their minds about it.

The truth about brown is that it is a paradoxical colour. It is serious and down-to-earth, while on the other hand, it can also mean dull, boring and predictable. It reminds us of all things natural and organic, but can also remind us of certain toxicity.

In fashion terms, people always consider brown a classic winter colour. For me, brown is not for clothes but for anything to do with leather — shoes, handbags and jackets. I am always being asked to do black, brown, beige and grey bags since they are considered “commercial” colours. Even though brown is as durable and as dirt-proof as black, the latter always sells better. Now why is that?

Maybe the answer lies in the fact that brown is a difficult colour to wear for Asians — it accentuates the yellowness in our skin tones, making us look very sallow. It also does not look good on fair-skin people. It is easier to find a

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pink T-shirt, for example, to go with lighter skin tones than a brown one. We can all imagine Anne Hathaway in a black shirt that accentuates her porcelain skin tones, but if she were in brown that dramatic effect disappears.

Despite its problems, brown can still be pulled off. If you do decide to try the colour, pair it with soft white or ivory, which will make the brown appear stylish and classy. An interesting twist would be wearing browns with pastels. I can still remember the last John Galliano collection for Dior when he sent models down the runways in soft nudes and pink chiffon dresses paired with thigh-high lace-up brown boots — a great look.

I always think of Italians when I think of brown because of their famed leather industry.

The best evening wear in brown I can think of is from Roberto Cavalli, an Italian. This reminds me that whenever you talk to anyone about browns, 90 percent of the comments will be about their favourite leather jackets that have aged well, or their leather boots or brogues shoes. Maybe this is where brown should stay for most: on the ground.

Christina Yu is the creative director and founder of Ipa-Nima, an award-winning accessories brand. Email your questions to Christina@ ipa-nima.com or visit Ipa-nima. com.

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.

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.

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 handembroidered 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.

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.

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.

and a range of accessories, all designed in-house.

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.

Aldo 157 Dong Khoi, D1 Offering a wide selection of affordable footwear from mid- to high-range prices.

Carries office-appropriate and partyready heels and flats, as well as a range of accessories and bags.

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.

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

SHOES

Catwalk 80 Pham Hong Thai Tel: 3829 6819 www.catwalkshoes.com Carries a unique range of Spanish shoes and bags.

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.

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 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.

Dzung 221 Le Thanh Ton, D1 One of the most reliable and respected men’s tailors in town with prices and production time to reflect the quality of the workmanship. Shirts start from US $30.

Fabric Street Hai Ba Trung, D1 across the street from Tan Dinh Market.

Spools upon spools of fabric manufatured locally and abroad, with more than ample variety of textures, colours and materials to choose from.

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.

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.

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asialife HCMC 73

Waring and Gillow Opening

Masquerade Ball of the Year

Photos by Christian Berg and Nguyen Nguyen.

74 asialife HCMC

Bloodsugar Poltik and White Noiz at Cargo Bar

Heartbeat Saigon at DartsDartsDarts

Lush

LC Republic

asialife HCMC 75

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DISTRICT 4

radar Discovering the obscure

Atlasobscura.com It often seems there is nothing new to be discovered in this world. Surely there is a Lonely Planet guide to every corner of the globe, and we all know the disappointment of arriving at some supposedly exotic location only to find it full of Starbucks outlets. Atlas Obscura comes to the rescue by presenting stories and photos on the hidden, the bizarre, and the out of the way. This site highlights places and things you would never find on purpose — whether it’s a church in Portugal made out of human bones, or a hole in a desert in Turkmenistan that has been burning for 40 years, there’s still plenty to find out there.

So bad it’s good

Everythingisterrible.com “If everything is terrible, then nothing is,” is the motto behind this video blog website that collects old video clips that are so cringe worthy that it’s hard to look away. Week after week, the creators of this Chicago-based site are somehow able to dig up the worst VHS videos from the 1970s, '80s and '90s and helpfully edit them down to their ‘highlights’. The source material ranges from infomercials and hilariously outdated educational videos to creepy Christian kid’s shows. It’s amazing just how many videos they are able to find, and with hundreds of horrible clips in their archives, everything else around you really won’t seem so bad.

Political jabs

Esquire.com/politics If Esquire's new Vietnamese edition doesn't quite hit the spot for you, maybe you'd prefer the magazine's politics blog. Unless you are conservative. Charles Pierce holds nothing back in his brash take-down of political extremes, but he reserves the most colourful descriptors for the Right. His post on an Obama appointment stepping down: “The president will nominate someone and then, holy mother of god, will they come out of the woodwork.

The gun nuts. The Mooooooooslims-Under-My-Bed caucus. The crowd that wants to build a moat along the Mexican border filled with electric crocodiles that shoot frickin' laser beams out of their eyes. ... The Edward Snowden Popular Front For The Liberation Of Stuff We Already Knew.”

78 asialife HCMC

soundfix album review

Mavis Staples One True Vine

Mavis Staples has been making music for over half a century.

As part of family group The Staple Singers during her youth, her music became associated with the civil rights movement. But listeners don’t need to know about Staples’ history to appreciate One True Vine. Rather than recycling the gospel sounds of the 1950s and 1960s with which she launched her career, Staples shows that there’s a way to respect one’s roots without sounding outdated. Her latest album is the second collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, whose production refreshes Staples’ classic sound without seeming forced. Although her range may be somewhat limited by age, Staples’ voice still feels like a sincere embrace. Her songs offer inspiration, not only through spiritual metaphors, but also through a pervading sense of warmth. In our youth-obsessed society, this septuagenarian teaches us that listening to our elders shouldn’t be a duty, but a pleasure.

80 asialife HCMC

by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen

Ciara

Matias Aguayo

Ciara

The Visitor

“Ladies, it’s your sound,” announces Ciara on the rousing opener of her fifth album. In a male-dominated industry, Ciara proves that R&B belongs to girls as well. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, making up her own rules,” she sings on another track. Her 2004 Grammy-winning debut Goodies, including the hit ‘1, 2 Step’, gave Ciara fame and acclaim, but it’s been a while since her name has garnered much attention. She’s back with an album designed for a girls’ night out, with tuneful anthems ideal for getting ready for the club, driving to the club and dominating the dance floor (at the club). Lyrics rely on stale tropes about love, self-aggrandisement and female empowerment, but popular R&B always needs a bit of grease to flow. Standouts include seductive slow jam ‘Body Party’ and catchy closing song ‘Overdose’, which evokes a ‘90s tune updated by electronic dance beats.

Try as I might, I’ve never been able to roll my r’s in that alluring Spanish way. Matias Aguayo gives me all the more reason to keep practising, with an opening track on his latest album called ‘Rrrrr’, which is full of those purrs that I long to pull off. Born in Chile and raised in Cologne, Aguayo creates music that combines the rhythms of South America with the electro beats characteristic of underground German clubs.

That’s a simplistic description, because the globetrotting musician picks his sounds from all over the world, although the Latin influences are the most overt. Lyrics are mostly in Spanish, but the record communicates through the universal language of dance.

Collaborations with other artists from Aguayo’s Cómeme label make for a lively, diverse record.

Chaos reigns on some overthe-top tracks, but in general Aguayo has delivered music that is fun, a bit offbeat and uniquely global.

Mayer Hawthorne

Where Does This Door Go Does it matter if a soul singer has blue eyes? The term blueeyed soul, coined in the 1960s to refer to white musicians performing African-American music, has been applied to Adele, Justin Timberlake and now Mayer Hawthorne.

Cultural appropriation debates aside, Hawthorne’s music echoes his record collector appreciation for the retro sounds of Motown and a genuine feel for the genre. While retaining a soul core, his third album forays into 1970s rock, hiphop and R&B, with the help of Pharrell Williams on ‘Reach Out Richard’. Smooth, upbeat and easily digestible, Hawthorne’s record makes for a persuasive cocktail. Like his contemporary Robin Thicke, Hawthorne is putting soul — albeit a tweaked, party-friendly version — on the Billboard charts and perhaps turning a new generation onto the sound.

endorsed

xoneFM top ten Hot 10 this last

week week 1

2

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title

artist

Here's To Never Giving Up Only You Treasure Permanent Stain Wild

Avril Lavigne

Really Don't Care If You Could See Me Now new If I Had A Heart 5 Here Comes The Weekend re entry Lucky Strike

Ceelo Green Bruno Mars Backstreet Boys Jesse J feat Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal Demi Lovato The Scripts Andy Burrows Pink feat Eminem Maroon 5

Bamboo Hotline

By Chris Mueller

Australian Top 10 this last

week week

title

1 2 3

1 2 3

Wake Me Up Counting Stars Blurred Lines

4

14

The Love

5 6 7 8

4 10 6 20

We Can't Stop Resolution Radioactive La La La

9 10

7 8

Parachute Dear Darlin'

artist Avicii OneRepublic Robin Thicke feat T.I and Pharrell Club EP feat Royals Lorde Miley Cyrus Matt Corby Imagine Dragons Naughty Boy feat Sam Smith Timomatic Olly Murs

UK Top 10 this last

week week

title

1 2

new 1

Wake Me Up Blurred Lines

3 4

2 4

Love Me Again I Love It

5 6

5 7

Bang Bang La La La

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new new 8

Come & Get It Jack Let Her Go

8 9 10

artist Avicii Robin Thicke feat T.I. and Pharrell John Newman Icona Pop feat Charli XCX Will.I.Am Naughty Biy feat Sam Smith Ingrosso, Tommy Trash and Johny Martin Selena Gomez Breach Passenger

“Word moves fast and word moves far on the Bamboo Hotline,” croons Davis Zunk on the title track of the second album from Saigon-based expat band The Wanderlusters. I suspect it won’t be long before word of this album hits the Bamboo Hotline, a nod to how fast gossip and rumour spread in the expat and Vietnamese communities.

From beginning to end, the first thing I noticed about the album is how surprisingly well-produced it is, which usually isn’t the case for most locally-made records. What’s not so surprising, though, is how good the music on it is.

The blue-grass-esque opening track, ‘On the Road’, is something I’d expect from The Wanderlusters, who describe themselves as a ‘hillbilly soul’ band. I’m not sure what that really means, but I do know the band doesn’t limit itself to one genre.

The instruments played by the five-piece band ranges from the banjo, mandolin, bongos, bass and acoustic guitar, among others, which allows them to genre-hop with a deftness that still keeps that hillbilly feel. For this album they were also joined by Thuy Nguyen on three traditional Vietnamese instruments: the dan bau (mono-string chordophone), dan nhi (two-stringed violin), and to rung (bamboo

xylophone), which adds some local flavour to the mix.

Though the whole album stays true to the band’s roots, it does have some surprises in store. ‘Khong Say Khong Ve’, which roughly translates to, “Don’t go home till you’re drunk”, is the only cover on Bamboo Hotline and is sung in Vietnamese with a funky baseline and New Orleans groove to back it up. There is even a hillbilly take on reggae with the track, ‘A Girl Like You’.

Most of the lyrics on the album draw inspiration from expat life in Vietnam, making it an interesting listen, even if the band’s sound isn’t really your thing. On ‘Mail Order Bride’, the band sings about a sleazy American sexpat who comes to Vietnam to find a wife. We’ve all met, or at least heard about, these types: “Another hopeless sucker, who had more money than brains.” ‘Lies’ is inspired by the stock letter many expats receive from their local girlfriends asking for money.

The 14-song album runs about 50 minutes, moving from blue grass and swamp blues to country ballads and soft rock, and really shows just how musically diverse The Wanderlusters are.

Bamboo Hotline can be bought at Cdbaby.com/cd/ thewanderlusters2.

asialife HCMC 81

boxoffice

The Heat

Monsters University

Elysium

Lua Phat

Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) and foul-mouthed Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) couldn't be more incompatible.

But when they join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies. The script is predictable and uses every cliché from a typical buddy-cop film, but the chemistry between Bullock and McCarthy moves the story along and is good for a laugh. From Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids.

Mike Wazowski and James P Sullivan, voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman, respectively, are an inseparable pair, but that wasn't always the case. From the moment these two monsters met at Monsters University they couldn't stand each other, and eventually their out-of-control spirit gets them both kicked out of the elite Scare Program. Monsters University — a prequel to Monsters, Inc — takes Mike and Sulley back to their college days and unlocks the door to how they overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine manmade space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. With his life hanging in the balance, an ordinary man named Max (Matt Damon) reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission — one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt and her forces — but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

Dustin Nguyen makes his directorial debut in this Vietnamese martial arts fantasy film. With surprisingly well-put-together special effects and choreography, the film follows Hien, a baker in a small village where gangsters are preying on the innocent. When Hien convinces the villagers to stand and fight their oppressors, he is joined

by Dao (played by Nguyen) for the ultimate showdown.

Lua Phat (aka Once Upon a Time in Vietnam) is a fight flick that owes equal debts to American westerns, steam punk aesthetics and local influences. It is in Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Opening Dates CINEMAS Megastar and Galaxy cinemas Megastar.vn Galaxycine.vn

82 asialife HCMC

The Heat (9 Aug) Monsters University (16 Aug) Elysium (23 Aug) Lua Phat (23 Aug)

The information on this page was correct at the time of printing. Check cinema websites for screenings.

bookshelf The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells

The Property

Andrew Sean Greer

Rutu Modan

Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers

Drawn and Quarterly

Time seems to be a fixation of Andrew Sean Greer. The author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli, which featured a man who is born elderly and grows younger each day, has returned with another time-bending scenario. In The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, the protagonist finds herself travelling through the 20th century after an electroconvulsive therapy session gone wrong. The story begins in 1985, when Greta has just lost her twin brother to AIDs and been abandoned by her lover. After seeking treatment for her subsequent depression, Greta is transported back to 1918 and again to 1941. The same characters appear in each decade, but the situations differ. With this clever concept, the novel explores the many possible outcomes of a single life.

Blood and Beauty: The Borgias Sarah Dunant Random House

Associated with scandals and ruthless schemes, subject of countless biographies and a recent Showtime television series, the Borgias are perhaps the most notorious family in Italian history. There’s Rodrigo Borgia, who maintained his children and a young mistress during his time as Pope Alexander VI. His son, Cesare, is believed to be the inspiration for Machiavelli’s The Prince, whereas daughter Lucrezia is thought to have murdered using poison. In this new look at the Borgia clan, Sarah Dunant draws on over a decade of research on Renaissance Italy to debunk myths and bring the family to life. Dunant’s narrative doesn’t deny that the Borgias were death-dealing and power hungry, but the author insists that the rumours about them aren’t all true.

For those of you who think books with drawings are only for children, here’s a graphic novel that may change your mind.

Israeli illustrator and cartoonist Rutu Modan tells the story of a grandmother, Regina, and granddaughter, Mica. Bound together by the death of Mica’s father, they visit Poland to recover a property lost during World War II. Mica finds out that there’s more to her family’s past than she’s been told.

Modan’s clear, evocative style captures the character’s emotions, expressions and airs, within atmospheric illustrations and a sombre colour palette. The plot itself is powerful, but coupled with images the book is an invitation for readers to enter deeper into the story.

The Cuckoo’s Calling Robert Galbraith Mulholland Books

Copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling are flying off shelves around the world. That’s what happens when a seemingly unknown author is discovered to be a pseudonym for one of the best selling writers in the world. When a recent leak — or possible publicity stunt — exposed Harry Potter creator J K Rowling as the mystery novel’s true author, sales skyrocketed. Far from the world of wizards, The Cuckoo’s Calling follows a detective as he delves into London high society to crack a case. Cormoran Strike is a former military man whose private eye business is on the rocks, but his luck seems to change when he’s given an assignment to investigate the murder of a carousing model. A larger-thanlife character, Strike seems destined to be the star of another popular Rowling series.

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ODD ONE OUT To Dana Filek-Gibson’s friends and relatives back home, life in Vietnam can seem like paradise. Why shatter the illusion?

To the folks back home, my walking to the corner store in Saigon assumes the status of an exotic, exhilarating cultural journey in search of — gasp — Diet Coke!

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Last month my grandparents, who are still afraid of the internet, wrote me a letter on what appears to be tissue paper. It was the usual update: blizzardlevel snow, unchecked crime, the dangers of the Toronto transit system and the recent hijinks of a crack-smoking politician.

Before you presume that my grandparents are cantankerous old people, you should know that at least half of these issues are currently receiving media coverage in Canada. When you factor in soaring gas prices, celebrities in rehab and the ongoing expansion of the Kardashian family, North American news is enough to break even the most fervent optimist's faith in humanity.

Ask those same folks about Vietnam, however, and the response is considerably different. Of course, this country is no stranger to outrageous news — hand-fishing for catfish on the flooded streets of Saigon comes to mind — but tell that to the folks at home and they'll hear none of it. In fact, the vast majority of my North American relatives endorse life in Southeast Asia to an impressive degree.

“The sun!” they say. “The food!

The motorbikes!” Every time we speak, I'm reminded that if they lived in Vietnam, they would have banh mi and iced coffee every day. They would wake up to the gentle thrum of motorbikes and the cries of women

on bicycles selling sweet corn.

They would walk the streets of this bustling city, inspired by its frenetic charm.

Flattering as they may be, my brain can't help but paint over these idyllic portraits with the drab, weather-worn shellac of reality. Don't get me wrong, there are many things to appreciate about Saigon. The sun is nice, when experienced between the months of November and February, or from an air-conditioned room. You can't turn around in this city without discovering at least eight delicious and affordable food stalls, and the organised chaos that envelops every neighbourhood from here to Thu Duc means that every day is, at the very least, an adventure.

Even so, expats understand that our lives in Vietnam are no better or worse than the lives of people in other places. Yes, there are nights when the bia hoi stays open late just for you.

There are also nights when the streets run thick with tepid, disease-laden canal water. And catfish.

But I guess that is no reason to shatter the myth back home that the grass is greener here.

In the ongoing life-competition that is Facebook, residing in Southeast Asia can be a huge leg-up. All it takes is a change of scenery and suddenly your existence becomes a 24-hour version of the Travel Channel.

Walking to the corner store assumes the status of an exotic, exhilarating cultural journey in search of — gasp— Diet Coke!

You can't mention the word “motorbike” without someone asking if you've seen that episode of Top Gear. Even in a fit of frustration, I complain about being overcharged by a xe om driver and my parents chuckle, asking for the billionth time how much VND 30,000 is in “their money”.

When I am wracked with uncertainty and questioning my life choices, it is comforting to know that there are people out there who think an Instagram of my breakfast is inspirational.

Perhaps the decisions I have made were not in vain and life here is the sunny, blissful adventure described on the internet. For this reason, I encourage you to keep taking pictures from your balcony. Post that photo essay you made out of last week's four-course lunch.

Toss in the occasional rant just for variety, but remember that — at least in the virtual world — your life is a glamourous and awe-inspiring adventure, and by keeping it that way you open the door to a plethora of unwarranted support and encouragement. All you have to do is call out into the vast cyber-chasm of the internet and, lo and behold, you shall receive an uplifting response, probably with emoticons.

This Country Life War veteran Walter Pearson recalls his first return to Vietnam in 1989, when Australians and locals began to honour the dead on both sides.

I first returned to Vietnam after the war in 1989 as a television journalist working for Australia’s Ten Network. My assignment was to cover a group of veterans heading for the rubber trees outside Long Tan village in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

The location was the site of a battle on 18 Aug 1966 between Vietnamese Resistance Forces and Australian soldiers.

Subsequently dubbed “The Battle Of Long Tan”, the date has become Australia’s official Vietnam Veterans Day. Now — thanks to the generosity, forbearance and foresight of the Vietnamese people — each year on that day hundreds of Australians gather at that spot to honour Australians and Vietnamese killed during the war. In 1989, I was in Vietnam to witness the genesis of this annual event.

The battalion involved in the 1966 battle returned to Vietnam for a second tour of duty in 1969. The battalion regimental sergeant major had a concrete cross made with a plaque com-

memorating the battle. On the anniversary of the battle, members of the battalion paraded at the site and erected the cross.

After the war ended, a Catholic citizen took down the cross and used it on a family member’s grave. Government authorities later recovered it, and it is now a war relic on permanent display at the Dong Nai Museum. In early 1989, the District People’s Committee administering Long Tan village built and erected a replica cross on the battle site. The veterans I was with in 1989 were to deliver gifts to schools and take part in a sort of dedication ceremony at the replica cross.

While in Ho Chi Minh City, we stayed at a little hotel that sat on the site of what is now the New World Hotel on Le Lai Street. The hotel overlooked a huge empty space, once the main railway station and goods yards, now the 23 September Park.

Apart from that major change, nothing else in the city had altered since I left in

December 1972. The buildings were exactly the same, the roads remained unchanged.

But the city was cleared of all barbed wire and sandbagging, and the old deuce-and-a-half US Army trucks now rumbling around the city were painted blue. There were a minimum of motorbikes, mostly old Honda Cubs and Vespa Sprints. Most people rode bikes.

On our first night, we ate at Maxim’s Restaurant on Dong Khoi Street, once a hive of US military officers. Now, only Vietnamese occupied the tables. We went to a nightclub where a disco ball spun lazily in an almost empty room. A few young Vietnamese danced forlornly. It all seemed a bit sad, but I was buoyed by the fact that at least the city was in the hands of Vietnamese and not overrun by foreigners with too much money. By 9.30pm everything had closed down.

The next day we drove to Ba Ria. I noticed the rice harvest was in. Areas we had once occupied with temporary artillery

bases and areas of abandoned rice fields were now under cultivation. Where there were small Army posts, now there were houses. Pepper was growing all over the place, fruit trees more abundant.

Sadly the Nui Thi Vais and the Nui Dinhs had lost their magnificent 30-metre-high forests, cut down to raise much needed foreign currency because of the US policy of isolating Vietnam from foreign investment.

The veterans delivered their gifts to the schools. The Vietnamese allowed us our ceremony at the replica cross.

The chair of the People’s Committee said they built the cross hoping it would bring Australians back in peace, to help reconstruct the province by spending money. They also hoped to reconcile the two peoples and remember the dead on both sides. I am pleased to say his hopes have been achieved.

Before we left, all the visiting media were ceremoniously given medals. asialife HCMC 85

pub quiz Rain 1. “Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling. Down, down, down,” is a lyric from which Simple Minds hit?

2. Who played the brothers in the Oscar-winning film Rain Man? 3. Who ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years?

4. Which song won an Oscar for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz? 5. Hamilton is the capital of what British Overseas Territory, which has no source of fresh water apart from rainfall?

Sun 6. Which religious movement was founded by the Sun Myung Moon in 1954?

7. In which city was Sun Records founded?

8. What happens when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned with the Earth in the middle?

9. What is lit by the light of the sun every two years in Greece?

10. What city does the ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ take place in?

20. What does OP stand for on a packet of tea?

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Coffee 21. Which dark liqueur, originally made in Jamaica, was first concocted with coffee beans?

22. Which Nordic country consumes the most coffee per capita?

23. Which coffee beans, thought to have a chocolate taste, are named after a port in Yemen?

24. Which Italian dessert is made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee?

25. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer. Which Southeast Asian country is second?

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Asia Pacific

16. Who shares a tea party with a hatter, a hare and a dormouse?

17. Which British peer and former prime minister has a blend of tea named after him?

18. "The destruction of the tea," as it was known at the time, took place in 1773 in which American city?

19. Which European country, with a population of 4.5 million, drinks the most tea per capita?

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Pub Quiz Answers

Tea Time

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1) Don’t You (Forget About Me) 2) Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise 3) Rainier III 4) (Somewhere) Over the Rainbow 5) Bermuda 6) Unification Church (The Moonies) 7) Memphis 8) Lunar eclipse 9) Olympic Torch (or Flame) 10) New Orleans 11) Tony Abbott 12) Thailand 13) Peru 14) Papua New Guinea 15) Indonesia 16) Alice (in Wonderland) 17) Earl Grey (II) 18) Boston 19) Ireland 20) Orange Pekoe 21) Tia Maria 22) Finland 23) Mocha 24) Tiramasu 25) Vietnam 26) Leonard Nimoy 27) Robert Pattinson 28) Halle Berry 29) Michael Clarke Duncan 30) Mel Gibson

11. Who, according to bookmakers, is the favourite to become the next prime minister of Australia?

12. Which Asia-Pacific country currently has the world's longest-serving head of state?

13. Which country joined APEC in 1998, under the advice of then president Alberto Fujimori?

14. Peter O’Neill is the current prime minister of which southern hemisphere APEC member country?

15. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the president of which country?