There hasn't been enough news in countries like the US about how well Viet Nam is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, so I was pleased to see this short NPR report on 16 April entitled In Vietnam, There Have Been Fewer Than 300 COVID-19 Cases And No Deaths. Here's Why by veteran journalist Michael Sullivan. … Continue reading The Dangers of Armchair Journalism, US-Style
COVID-19
View From Vietnam: COVID-19 Reminds the World That Trump Has No Clothes
Emperor Trump has no clothes (David Horsey/LA Times) Here's my latest essay for CounterPunch about Trump and COVID-19. As I mention in passing, The coronavirus lays bare on an almost daily basis the litany of faults and weaknesses of Donald Trump and the country he was elected to lead. I focus on the former; it's … Continue reading View From Vietnam: COVID-19 Reminds the World That Trump Has No Clothes
Anatomy of a perfect storm for international recruitment
Here's my latest essay for University World News. I discuss Viet Nam's extraordinary progress to date, the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and education industry, healthcare access abroad concerns, anti-Asian racism, online instruction, the importance of showing students and parents "the love," and "recruitment strategy reset" in which I list six (6) points to … Continue reading Anatomy of a perfect storm for international recruitment
Secret (Education) Agents' Cover Blown!
Courtesy of Robert Canfield, Dribble Spying in the Education Industry: Room for Improvement? Maybe some company staff have more time on their hands because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its decidedly adverse impact on the economy, including the education industry. Or maybe they simply don't have enough to do. Whatever the reason, I've seen an … Continue reading Secret (Education) Agents' Cover Blown!
Viet Nam & the USA in the Time of COVID-19: A Study in Contrasts
These sketches are by Hanoi-based artist, George Burchett. iPad art, 5.4.20, © 2020 As of this writing, Viet Nam has 245 confirmed cases, 95 recovered, and 0 deaths, while the US had 336,906 confirmed cases, 17,977 recovered, and 9,624 deaths, as of yesterday. Stay Strong, Viet Nam! MAGA!
Return to the US? From the Food Warmer Into the Fire
The US Embassy in Hanoi recently started sending me and other US expats in Viet Nam whose email addresses happen to be on file daily updates with the subject line: Health and Travel Alert. I was struck by this "reminder" in the 3 April edition: On March 31, U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo … Continue reading Return to the US? From the Food Warmer Into the Fire
"Medicine Old and New" by Wilfred Burchett
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi in 1966. Screenshot from documentary "Vietnam North." Below is chapter six in its entirety from a 1966 book entitled Vietnam North: A First-Hand Report by prominent Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett. In it he wrote about the ingenuity of Vietnamese medical professionals in successfully confronting difficult medical and surgical issues created … Continue reading "Medicine Old and New" by Wilfred Burchett
During the Covid-19 pandemic, do as the Vietnamese do
Staff spray disinfectant at a dormitory in Ho Chi Minh City for the city to use it as centralized facility to quarantine those coming to Vietnam from areas hit by Covid-19, March 18, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Here's my latest essay for VNExpress International. Below are a couple of introductory paragraphs to whet your … Continue reading During the Covid-19 pandemic, do as the Vietnamese do
Is the Bloom Off the Canadian Rose for Vietnamese Students?
I wrote updates for University World News in 2018 (Vietnamese students look at the US and head north - editor's title) and 2019 (The shift of Vietnamese students to Canada marches on) but I what I have to say this year will fit into a short blog post. As of 31 December 2019, there were … Continue reading Is the Bloom Off the Canadian Rose for Vietnamese Students?
Vietnam: An outlier in the coronavirus epidemic and HE?
Photo: iStock (MAA: Note that "South China Sea" is known as the "East Sea" in Viet Nam, for obvious geopolitical reasons.) Here's my latest essay for University World News about COVID-19 and how Viet Nam has dealt with it so far. This is a classic example of "breaking news", which means that writing about it … Continue reading Vietnam: An outlier in the coronavirus epidemic and HE?
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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