Since I arrived in Hanoi, the pace has been fast, both on the streets, and for completing everything I needed to do to fulfill my mandate. Then, at the end of the day yesterday, if felt like everything came to a sudden stop. Well, at least in terms of my mandate… the traffic was still [...]

It was prime time today: crisp white linens covered the tables, the microphones were on, and a large banner with my name on it adorned the front of the meeting room. I presented my workshop on branding for post-secondary institutions to WUSC’s partner colleges in northern Vietnam. Mr Viet and Mr Dung from North Thang [...]

Hoi An is a picturesque town on the Thu Bon River. At one time, it was a major port, and ships from Europe and Asia came to call. The influence of Japanese and Chinese traders is still visible in the architecture of Hoi An’s Old Town. Today Hoi An is known for its tailors—and there [...]

It’s King Day in Vietnam this weekend, so Monday is a holiday. Since we have an extra day off, Mike and I decided to get some R&R and hit the beach, which meant venturing to the south central Vietnamese coast. We flew to Danang on Friday night and then headed for Hoi An and the [...]

It’s my third week in Hanoi, and there are many famous and historical sites that I’ve yet to see in the city. Because I leave for North Thang Long Economic-Technical College (NTLC) just after 8 am and only get back to the centre of Hanoi around 5 pm weekdays, it can be challenging to fit [...]

On Monday, North Thang Long Economic-Technical College (NTLC) hosted a major event to celebrate the college’s 10 year anniversary. In addition to the students and staff, many others were invited to the celebration, including local government officials and representatives from partner organizations such as WUSC and local enterprises. Unfortunately my plan for attending the event [...]

Hanoi is known for its street food – that is, little establishments on the pavement where diners sit on small plastic stools huddled around equally small tables and enjoy fresh food that’s cooked right before you, often on the pavement too. We’ve dived in for a street food experience a few times now and it’s [...]

Hiking through the villages around Sapa in northwest Vietnam is about more than getting outside and enjoying breathtaking scenery. It’s also a cultural experience. We met our guide, a very nice Hmong woman, Saturday morning. As we walked down the hill from Baguette & Chocolat, we were joined by three other Hmong women, who seemed [...]