The Legion of Working Poor in the US

06/07/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary cancer, heart disease, life expectancy, obesity, type 2 diabetes, USA

During a recent trip to my home state of Delaware, I noticed a sign outside a McDonald’s that was recruiting workers for up to $15 an hour. That's over twice as much as the US federal minimum wage, which stands at a paltry $7.25 per hour. While that is akin to modern-day slavery, the maximum … Continue reading The Legion of Working Poor in the US

Guns are US(A) Revisited

04/07/202218/02/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary 2nd amendment, gun control, gun violence, mass shootings, USA

As a result of the recent mass shootings, I was on high alert in public places during a recent visit to the US. Some had warnings and the metal detectors to back them up, while others just had signs, as if mere words would deter gun owners from exercising their 2nd Amendment right to pack … Continue reading Guns are US(A) Revisited

“The Lines” in Hưng Yên Province

01/07/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary hanoi, hung yen province, overdevelopment, urban planning, vietnam

Artist's Rendering of The Lines Mr. Thompson: (He's back!) Goddammit Carl, would you stop fighting this? People buy homes, let the government pay for the parks, thats why we have taxes. The Oaks at Mesa Vista is a money train. You want to be on it? (From You, Me, and Dupree) Under construction (Photo by … Continue reading “The Lines” in Hưng Yên Province

The US Airline from Hell

29/06/202216/02/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary air travel in the US, american airlines

"American Airlines Sucks" from the Blue Cat blog On a recent trip to the US, I had several unhappy encounters with the airline named after the country in which it is located. TripAdvisor reviews with titles - in A-Z order - like Abusive Staff, American Airlines is god awful, Bad Customer Service, Horrible, Terrible Customer … Continue reading The US Airline from Hell

American Management University Establishes Regional Office in Vietnam

27/06/202216/09/2025 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary american management university, rogue providers, unaccredited universities, vietnam

AMU's "main campus" courtesy of its website I recently read an article with the above title published in Vietnam Times, a website administered by VUFO (The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations), a Vietnamese NGO. As I suspected, AMU is an unaccredited US university based in California. In fact, as is often the case, its "campus" … Continue reading American Management University Establishes Regional Office in Vietnam

A Tale of Two Hotels

09/06/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary fraud, hotels, petty corruption, star ratings

The running joke is that many five-star hotels in Viet Nam bought the extra stars to boost their image and attract more guests. In fact, many are essentially three-star hotels. The problem is there is not an internationally recognized system of awarding stars to hotels, let alone a legitimate and fair one in Viet Nam. … Continue reading A Tale of Two Hotels

The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

03/06/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary china, ecocide, environmental degradation, environmental protection, pollution, vietnam

Credit: MAA On a recent trip to Móng Cái in northern Viet Nam on the Chinese border, I had the chance to spend some time at a nearby beach. Above and below are photos of some of the items that were either left there by tourists or that washed up, e.g., country of origin, China, … Continue reading The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

Vietnamese Enrollments in the US Stabilize

01/06/202216/10/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates SEVIS, study in the USA, Vietnamese students

Source: SEVIS Here are the latest Viet Nam-related stats from the long-awaited May 2022 SEVIS update. (You can also access these data for Viet Nam and other countries using this interactive map.) The good news is that the decline since October 2021 is minimal, i.e., less than 1%, meaning we can probably expect the numbers to … Continue reading Vietnamese Enrollments in the US Stabilize

“U.S. will have to work hard to win over Vietnam’s conservatives”

18/05/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary conservatives, peaceful evolution, reformers, us foreign policy, vietnam

Anti-American sentiments remain entrenched among certain groups. Winning over "Vietnam's conservatives" would not be in the best interests of Viet Nam. In fact, the country's foreign policy is characterized by independence and openness. Here's an excerpt from the description on the website of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in the US: … Continue reading “U.S. will have to work hard to win over Vietnam’s conservatives”

“The Empire” Strikes Back… at the Environment

14/05/202213/05/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary environmental degredation, hanoi, hung yen province, overdevelopment, property fever, vinhomes ocean park 2

Credit: Vinhomes I love the names of some condo buildings and developments here, e.g., The Authentic, The One, Zen. They're so pretentious and over-the-top. Some put a smile on my face while others make me want to cry and mourn the loss of agricultural land and the scenic beauty that is (was) Vietnam. Translation: The … Continue reading “The Empire” Strikes Back… at the Environment

An International Educator in Vietnam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

Commentary