A wealthier population, the arrival of fast food chains and a changing diet are having an effect on the obesity levels in Vietnam. But will it also alter the traditional image of beauty? Words by Hai Vu. Photo by Aaron Joel Santos
With the new V-League season set to kick off in March, despite the popularity of the ‘beautiful game’ in Vietnam, local football is in disarray. Kim Megson investigates the problems that afflict the country’s national sport. Photo by Aaron Joel Santos
Words by Huyen Tran. Photo by Aaron Joel Santos
To explore Quang Tri, use Dong Ha as a base and avoid the tours from Hue. These are impersonal and require you to spend most of your time staring at the confines of a tour bus.
It was a conversation about mushroom farming that first truly piqued the interest in Quang Tri. One organisation, Project Renew, were helping victims of landmine explosions sustainably claw their way out of poverty through a system of micro loans and the cultivation of wood ear and linghzi mushrooms. It was an unlikely story, and where so many other NGO schemes over time had proved impractical, this was an unmitigated success. We were told we would be able to meet both the beneficiaries and the victims, and hear their stories first hand.
Street kid hospitality training programme KOTO helped Nguyen Thao go from selling postcards on the street to studying in Australia and managing one of Hanoi's finest restaurants, Pots 'n Pans. She shares what she's learnt along the way. Photo by Aaron Joel Santos
The growing popularity of documentary is no flash in the movie-making pan. Like Hollywood it tells a story, but it tells a story of real people, people no different from ourselves. Rose Arnold talks to two documentary makers
A few years ago it was pho cuon. Then the hearty kebab. Now the snack food spreading around town is a Vietnamese version of an American favourite, pho mai que. Words by David Nguyen. Photos by Nick Ross
Sat on a mountain plateau, this former army base and now museum is the highlight of any trip to Quang Tri