“The Lines” in HÆ°ng Yên Province

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , ,

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 HÆ°ng Yên Province

The US Airline from Hell

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary ,

"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

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , ,

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

The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , ,

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

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

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

Successful Student Recruitment in Vietnam: Stories from the Field

Mark A. Ashwill Announcement , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MDT Some institutions currently active in Vietnam are achieving their recruitment goals with impressive results. This session takes a look at a U.S. high school with a boarding option, a community college, and a four-year university that have been successful recruiting high performing Vietnamese students and … Continue reading Successful Student Recruitment in Vietnam: Stories from the Field

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

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , ,

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

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , , , , ,

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