Không gì là không thể lại không thể nhắc đến sự thật về Việt Nam

23/10/202223/10/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Books, Commentary Khônggìlàkhôngthể, nothing is impossible, ted osius, vietnam

This is a Vietnamese translation of my 29 April 2022 article entitled “Nothing is Impossible” Finds It Impossible to Tell the Truth About Vietnam that originally appeared in CounterPunch. Translation by Nhã Uyên. (Cảm ơn đồng chí!) Shalom (שלום), MAA Ngay trước Tết Nguyên đán, tôi cuối cùng đã nhận được bản đánh giá của mình … Continue reading Không gì là không thể lại không thể nhắc đến sự thật về Việt Nam

Garbage in Danang

14/10/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary danang, ecocide, environmental protection, garbage, pollution, trash, vietnam

Danang with the Han River in the foreground and the East Sea, known to the rest of the world as the South China Sea, in the background. (Photo by MAA) During a recent event that my company organized in Danang, I asked a US colleague where he was staying: in a hotel on the beach. … Continue reading Garbage in Danang

The Difference Between Street Art & Graffiti

02/10/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary graffiti, hanoi, hcmc, street art, vietnam

Knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some pics I took in Hanoi that graphically illustrate the difference between street art and graffiti. The fact that I include one of the latter and four of the former give you an idea of which I prefer. Street art puts a smile on … Continue reading The Difference Between Street Art & Graffiti

A Local Example of How Global Capitalism Works

15/09/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary cambodia, capitalism, cheap labor, exploitation, vietnam

During my early trips to Vietnam and Cambodia in the mid- to late-90s, I began to learn more about what has been called the North-South gap and the potential for obscene profits through exploitation. Lest we forget, "labor" refers to most people who have no choice but to sell their labor to an employer, fellow … Continue reading A Local Example of How Global Capitalism Works

Why Vietnam Should Not Go Nuclear

13/09/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary nuclear weapons, vietnam, vietnam foreign policy

I decided to post this article here because I could only access it via TOR. Given that the Vietnamese government is not considering acquiring nuclear weapons, I'm not sure what the author's point. The fact that "some scholars have suggested that Vietnam pursue nuclear weapons in order to balance against China" is neither here nor … Continue reading Why Vietnam Should Not Go Nuclear

You can’t eat money: the cost of unlimited growth

09/09/202209/09/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary canada, circular economy, depletion economy, overfishing, pollution, sand-mining, vietnam, water

A woman stands at her collapsed house damaged by landslide along the Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, December 17, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Kham My latest essay for VNExpress International. The Vietnamese version will be up soon. Here are the first two paragraphs. In a 1972 book chapter entitled "Conversations with North American Indians," Alanis … Continue reading You can’t eat money: the cost of unlimited growth

US Visa Trends in Vietnam

16/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates f-1, student visa, study in the USA, vietnam

Here's an overview of F-1 visa issuances in Vietnam for the past 24 years in graph and numerical format. The gradual and then rapid growth in the number of student visas issued to young Vietnamese is a partial reflection of the expansion of Vietnam's economy and family ability to pay. In the early days, many … Continue reading US Visa Trends in Vietnam

Business as Usual at Fulbright University Vietnam

04/08/202207/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary bob kerrey, fulbright university vietnam, FUV, history, USA, vietnam, war criminal

Do As We Say, Not As We Do I was checking my LinkedIn feed and noticed a Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) post about its new partnership with Columbia University. The phrase that jumped off the screen was Understand the Past, which I happen to take seriously. Thinking about the ill-fated appointment of self-confessed war criminal … Continue reading Business as Usual at Fulbright University Vietnam

American University of Science Sets Up Shop in Vietnam

01/08/202218/12/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary american university of science, rogue provider, unaccredited universities, vietnam

Gotta love the homepage video of an older white guy with a long flowing beard and three studs in his left ear dressed in a lab coat and goggles in one scene, young female assistant and all, and solo in a gray jacket in another. I guess he's supposed to represent a stereotypical intellectual and … Continue reading American University of Science Sets Up Shop in Vietnam

Public Urination: A National Embarrassment & a Misdemeanor

22/07/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary public urination, tourism, vietnam, vietnam's image

You're on candid camera! Photo taken in Hanoi by MAA When ya gotta go, ya gotta go, right? This is a common sight in Viet Nam's cities. It's a perennial issue that's frequently covered by the nation's media, usually accompanied by healthy doses of teeth-gnashing and breast-beating. What will the tourists think? What about Vietnam's … Continue reading Public Urination: A National Embarrassment & a Misdemeanor

An International Educator in Vietnam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

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