On my walk through Hoan Kiem Park I began to people watch. I noticed that many people were exercising. This does not seem out of place on the surface. It is a public park, people work out there. But then I began to watch them closer. Their exercising practices seemed incredibly peculiar. I would not […]
Community spaces, community dance lessons at 6am
This morning I arrived at Reunification Park, formally known as, and sill commonly referred to as, Lenin Park, at exactly 6:25am. I paid the entrance fee of 4,000VND, equivalent to roughly 20cents USD and walked around the lake taking pictures of as many activities as I could until 7:30am. I was in awe of […]
Trap Trap Trap Trap Trap
What the fuck is a Vietnam? According to Swedish academic, Victor Alneng, Vietnam is a lot of things. She is yesterday’s news, a tourist destination, a unique culture, but most importantly, “Vietnam is a country, not a war.” (Alneng, 462) After having been in Vietnam for 3 weeks studying abroad, I can agree that Vietnam […]
What the F*** Is a Cu Chi?
If you read any Vietnam travel book, one of the first attractions always listed is the Cu Chi Tunnels. Before I came to Vietnam, I was like “cool, tunnels! Sure, I’ll visit them since my book tells me it’s one of the top tourist attractions”! Then I learned the history of the tunnels and read […]
Vietnam War, Brought to you by Disney: The Problems of Commodifying War
When I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, I was warned about what to expect. This still does not prepare for what I was about to see. The Cu Chi Tunnels did its best to clean itself from the war and make it into fun for the whole family. There were features that made sense […]
Don’t go chasing waterfalls?
This is a series of posts from my three month studies and travels across Vietnam. Basing out of Hồ Chí Minh City, I’ll spend a few weeks traveling, learning tiếng Việt, and exploring a nation on the opposite side of the world from home. The following is a sort of journal entry, reflecting both my experiences as […]
Exploitation of Ethnic Minorities in the Name of Ecotourism
Here I have linked my observational post on the exploitation of ethnic minorities in the name of ecotourism.
Bow Down For What?
On the drive down to the Mekong Delta, I found myself watching the countryside fly by. I was beginning to zone out when I noticed a large white box on a white platform standing in the rice fields. I was immediately struck by this. I discovered that these were tombs remembering ancestors. The idea of […]
Specialization vs Generality: Observing Food Vendor Diversity
As a class, we decided to delve into the markets of Ho Chi Minh City and observe the day to day economics within the markets and different facets that the participants experience. At the markets I decided to observe the produce vendors and the products that they were selling. By focusing on the type of […]
Mobile Technology Expansion in Rural Vietnam
Since arriving in Ho Chi Minh, I have received constant warnings against flashing iPhones, laptops, and other mobile devices around in public. As a foreigner I stick out as a potential target for theft. Flashing my iPhone around would only draw more attention. These warnings led me to believe that such devices were a symbol […]