Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You see a lot of lawlessness in Vietnam – big corruption cases involving lots of VIPs, lots of cheaters in the marketplace (from taxi drivers, to venders everywhere, even big companies lying on the packages of their products), everywhere you go you are afraid that someone is cheating you, big businesses do illegal development projects and the poor people in the area have no voice to protect themselves and their environment, people drive motorcycles and cars on the sidewalks, people drive aggressively, impolitely and dangerously… Too many things to list here. You guys and gals know much more than I do.

What is the cause of all these? Continue reading What is the fundamental issue of Vietnam? →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Every time I think back about my time in primary and high schools, I always feel sad. Not because those were sad times. Actually, you all would agree that primary school and high school were the best time of our life – we were young and only did eating, sleeping, schooling and playing. But most of the boys of that time of mine died very early, during various stages of the war – many at 18, some a little older, 20, 22… By the time I was 20, I could hardly have any friends left. College time was a lonely time. I felt all alone in the city – a couple of friends still alive were in the army, but you never knew when one would drop dead. Continue reading Remembering the old friends of the old days →

Chào các bạn,

Người nổi tiếng ở đây có thể là tổng giám đốc đại công ty nhà nước hay tư nhân có yếu tố nước ngoài, hay viện trưởng viện này viện kia, hay bộ trưởng này thứ trưởng kia…

Đây là bài test: Gặp người nổi tiếng, ta thế nào? Tim đập mạnh? Tay run run? Đêm hôm trước trằn trọc mất ngủ hay ngủ không ngon? Mặc bộ đồ đẹp nhất, tóc tai chỉnh tề nhất, đi đứng tác phong hoàn hảo nhất?… Continue reading Gặp người nổi tiếng →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Vietnam has always been poor because our culture has been teaching us to hate the rich.

Have you read a lot of Vietnamese fairytales? Almost in every Vietnamese fairytale, when a rich person is mentioned, s/he has to be a bad person – greedy, stingy, oppressing and cheating. Business people are always described as cheaters. Teachers are always poor and their poverty is a medal of honour. Continue reading The myth of rich and poor →

Chào các bạn,

Hầu như ai cũng thích sống với điều họ thích: được ăn món ăn ưa thích; được cha mẹ lắng nghe; được làm những việc mình thích và giỏi; được sếp và đồng nghiệp tôn trọng… Continue reading Vô chấp với sở thích →