Editors
Episode 53: Việt in Slovakia; South China Sea ...

This week, we catch up with the Vietnamese community in Slovakia and follow up on a ruling that puts China in hot waters in the South China Sea.

Episode 53: Việt in Slovakia; South China Sea Verdict

Episode 26 - Stand By You; Diệu's Letter

If you find yourself in Việt Nam and don’t speak a lick of Vietnamese...try English! It has surpassed French and Russian as a popular choice for foreign language. Việt Nam is trying to keep pace with globalization. People are encouraged to learn foreign languages, especially English. Loa's Duyên Bùi takes "A Look Inside" at how English is learned and taught at one charity in Việt Nam.

Solitary Envoi is Loa's segment featuring written works from behind prison walls. A year ago this month, a short letter from prisoner of conscience Đặng Xuân Diệu was snuck out of his jail cell. Diệu is currently serving a 13-year sentence on charges of subversion due to his activism. His message gives the outside world a peek into his psyche as he endures extreme conditions of mistreatment. Loa’s Quyên Ngô reads an English translation of the letter.

Episode 24 - Digital Threats; Vietnamese Coffee

Việt Nam’s netizens face real threats every time they log onto the internet. With more than 40 million users now online, Việt Nam ranks high on countries most vulnerable to cyberattacks. Loa’s Trinh Nguyễn takes A Look Inside the growing list of digital threats confronting internet users in Việt Nam.

Việt Nam's jolting cup of joe is taking over the world by storm. Even Starbucks is getting in on the action, introducing their single-origin Đà Lạt beans earlier this year. So what's so exciting about the Vietnamese way of making coffee? Loa's Chí-Linh Đinh gets to the bottom of this addictive drink.

Music Used in Episode:
HA OKIO - SAIGON CAFE SUA DA Used with permission.

Episode 23 - Oral Histories; Four Stupidities

Schools, libraries, research institutions are filled with records that inform our understanding of history. But what if no record exists of your experience? That’s the case for many Vietnamese displaced by war, refugees who escaped the country under a cloak of darkness or victims of pirate attacks at sea. The lack of records, photos and physical can rob us of a true understanding of war and its aftermath, but now initiatives across the globe are seeking to collect oral histories of refugees for a fuller picture of the Vietnamese experience than what can be found in the history books. That's our "A Look Inside" segment this week.

And: Albert Einstein supposedly suggested that human stupidity is limitless, but a Vietnamese proverb focuses on only four stupidities. You’ll definitely want to avoid them. We lay it out for you in our "Vietnamism" segment.

Episode 22 - Land Rights; Mid-Autumn Festival

In the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam, the land used by farmers is considered the “people’s property” and can be reclaimed by the government at any given time. Farmers who have had their livelihood taken away are uniting in protest, and their message is only getting louder. Loa's Giang Nguyễn takes "A Look Inside" this growing force.

Follow the lights of the lanterns or the sweet aroma of mooncakes and you’ll find yourself at Tết Trung Thu, Việt Nam’s mid-autumn festival. Our newest contributor Emmerick Đoàn takes us on a moonlit stroll to find out the significance of the lanterns and the mooncakes that we enjoy every fall.

Episode 21 - Việt Economy; Language Origins

The impact of China’s economic slowdown is being felt around the world. With close ties to the Asian giant, is Việt Nam’s economy also in trouble? Stella Trần has the Five Things to Know about Việt Nam’s economy.

Tiffany Lý answers this riddle in our Vietnamism segment: China played A crucial role in the formation of many Asian languages, but Việt Nam chose to B different. C if you can guess which alphabet Việt Nam ended up with while other countries adopted Chinese characters!

Episode 20 - Việt Tân; A Resistance Love Letter

Việt Tân, the Việt Nam Reform Party, marks 33 years this week of a people power struggle for freedom and democracy. From its perilous beginnings to today’s multi-pronged approaches to empower the Vietnamese people, Chris Lê has the story of the activists on the ground, in our A Look Inside segment.

In the early years of the Party's establishment, far away in a jungle near the Thai-Laotian border, a song was written from a small resistance base, by the light of the moon. "Trăng Chiến Khu" speaks to the sacrifices made by those who have committed themselves to their country. Nam-An Đinh brings us the story in Loa's Solitary Envoi segment.

Episode 18 - Money Talks; Vu Lan Holiday

The way to a U.S. government's heart is through its lobbyists. How much has Hà Nội paid for access to Washington D.C.’s most influential powers and what are they using it for? Our reporter speaks to the journalist who uncovered these details.

Lễ Vu Lan, the second largest annual festival in Việt Nam, finds its origin in a series of Buddhist scriptures. This celebration is for paying respect to all parents – both the living and the departed.

Episode 17 - Behind Bars; Cải Lương (Vietnamese Folk Opera)

Prison is often not the ultimate punishment for Việt Nam's political prisoners. Behind prison walls, another ordeal begins. In this week's "A Look Inside," Loa’s Giang Nguyễn has the story of young activists who’ve gone through hell and lived to tell the story.

There’s a part of Vietnamese performance art that is distinctly emotional -- melodramatic, you might even call it. Actually, we call it Cải Lương. It’s folk opera that amplifies human drama with plaintive notes and a haunting pitch. This week, Lilly Nguyễn goes back in time to her first musical memory of cải lương to discover the story behind this traditional musical theater.

Episode 16 - Trans-Pacific Partnership; Hụi (Community Lending)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade agreement involving 12 Pacific Rim countries, is a big freaking deal. Analysts say it’s potentially the largest trade deal in history. Lilly Nguyễn has five things you need to know, a FYI about the TPP.

No credit? No Problem. The Vietnamese have an alternative way to get a loan. Loa’s new reporter Cavatina Phạm has an insight into the informal borrowing and lending system known as hụi.

Episode 13 - Zombie Movement; Government-Sponsored Trolls

In this week’s episode, we take "A Look Inside" the nascent Zombie “uprising” in Việt Nam and the recent arrest of one of its members, rapper Nguyễn Phi. 

Loa’s resident troll expert Tiến Nguyễn explains how the Vietnamese government is raising an army of trolls to stifle information on the internet in this week’s "Things to Know."

Warning: this episode contains profanity.

Episode 12 - Bitcoin, Part 2; Numbered Phở Restaurants

We bring you Part 2 of our series on Bitcoin in Việt Nam, "A Look Inside" at how the digital currency is disrupting traditional methods to transfer money and the potential at helping Việt Nam’s unbanked get access to cash.

In this week's "Vietnamism," we sent our reporter out to eat phở to solve the mystery of why so many phở restaurants are named after a given number.

Ending music, "The Phở Song" courtesy of Richie Lê: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0rWLeBDG7s

Episode 11 - Lê Quốc Quân Freed; A Song from Prison

In this week’s episode, Lê Quốc Quân, a prominent human rights lawyer recently freed after 30 months of arbitrary detention goes "On the Record" with Loa's Lilly Nguyễn.

In "Solitary Envoi," we return to works of art by the politically repressed. Mây Trần brings us the story behind a song written from within Việt Nam’s prison jail cells – Trả Lại Cho Dân (Return to the People).