Broadcasting Vietnam

Loa is a podcast that explores the ideas and stories that shape Việt Nam today. We amplify the voices you need to hear and broadcast the perspectives you haven’t heard. This podcast is a project of Việt Tân and is produced by a global team of...

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(Loa) Episode 70 - War Photography; April News Review Published April 27, 2017 

Through the Lens: Nick Út on Narratives and Photography of the Việt Nam War Quyên Ngô chats with Nick Út, one of the most famous Vietnamese photographers, as he reflects on the visual interpretation of war in Việt Nam, 42 years after its conclusion.

Rewind: Five News Stories to Know for April Suboi makes it on Forbes’ 30 under 30 in Asia, a police hostage situation, and more. Giang Nguyễn rounds up some of Vietnam’s big headlines this month.

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(Loa) Through the Lens: Nick Út on Narratives and Photography of the Việt Nam War  Published April 27, 2017 By Quyên Ngô 

Editor’s note: To view some of the photos referenced in the story not displayed here, please follow the links embedded in this story.

What are memories but images? And what can images tell us about our story, and about history? Conflict, brutality, and war captured in still images often become the markers of seminal moments in history. The images live on long after the subjects are gone and the events are over. Modern Vietnamese history, in many ways, is still alive — both in the figurative and literal sense. Many of those who lived through the war are still with us, and the deep wounds they carry often remain unhealed, affecting the lives of everyday Vietnamese.

One key purveyor of memory is Nick Út — arguably the most internationally recognized photographer of the Việt Nam war. The Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist just retired in March after 51 years working for the Associated Press news agency.

Chatting on the patio of Phở Lovers I meet him on the outdoor patio of a phở restaurant in Little Sài Gòn, in Southern California. Út  has lived and worked in nearby Los Angeles for over three decades.

Just weeks ago, another legendary photographer, Nguyễn Ngọc Hạnh of the South Vietnamese army, passed away in San Jose, California. Many Vietnamese in the area will be commemorating the Fall of Sài Gòn this week, as the end of the war is known to many here. Others know it to be the Liberation of the South. I wanted to get Út’s take on the role of photography in shaping news coverage of the war and even how we look at it today. He tells me, “When they see a newspaper without pictures, they don’t think that article is important. It’s like the photo of Kim Phúc, for example. They see a photo depicting extreme catastrophe, and it makes them want to learn more about her, about the story.  If there’s no picture, then people don’t want to read. Pictures are very important.”

Source: Nick Út / The Associated Press The photo he refers to is none other than the so-called Napalm Girl photo — a photo that many credit or blame, depending on whom you ask, to have changed the tide of the Việt Nam war. The black and white photo is loud and shocking. When viewing it, we first grapple with the naked, crying young girl in the foreground, her singed skin against the backdrop of napalm smoke. The cries from running villagers in the photo become nearly auditory.

Út captured the photo on January 8, 1972, when South Vietnamese planes mistakenly dropped a napalm bomb on Trảng Bàng, a village that had been attacked and occupied by North Vietnamese forces.

The story is one that has been widely featured in media all around the globe — and the photo was the perfect depiction of the horrors of war. Perhaps so perfect, that it was easily used as propaganda. Út says, “Both the North and the South used the photo of Kim Phúc as propaganda. The North would say, ‘This is a photo of America dropping a bomb to murder the innocent.’ And in the South, “This is a photo of the communists shooting missiles.’ To me, I am telling the truth. And the propagandists, well, they’ll say what they say.”

But Việt Nam war history is complex and riddled with contradictions and controversies — including the history of this war photographer.

Nick Út became a photographer because he was inspired by his brother, an actor-turned-combat photographer, who hated war. His brother and role model, whom he calls anh Bảy, was executed by the Việt Cộng while photographing on their territory. Út later becomes famous for a photo of a young girl nearly burned to death by a bomb dropped by a South Việt Nam plane, taken in a village being overtaken by North Việt Nam forces. Út is revered by many who feel his photo helped lead to America's withdrawal and the war’s end, and resented by others who feel his photo played a key role in helping the North, thus holding a natural bias against the South Việt Nam forces.

Hearing the story of his brother leads me to a photoset I had recently come across — “photos from the winning side” — haunting images that tell stories about the North Việt Nam forces--how they lived, organized, and fought. They are all black and white photos. One depicts Việt Cộng activists in Năm Căn forest, wearing masks to evade capture and interrogation. Another is a Việt Cộng female guerrilla fighter, strapped with a determined stance and an M16 rifle. When I show them to him, he exclaims that he is familiar with the photos and points out that, while beautifully shot and evocative, the photos are distinct from photojournalism.

Then, in a nearly morbid, matter-of-fact fashion, he tells me that as a photojournalist, after capturing the photos of so many attacked, injured, and dead, he has gained an eye for what a body looks like after a person has just been killed. And when he looks at photos of combat amongst dead soldiers from the war, he can often see that they have been staged.

From disturbing images to ones meant to document triumph, he tells me staged photography was common practice.

Another famous photo from the war is the April 30, 1975 photo of a tank rolling through the presidential palace in Sài Gòn. The tricky part of understanding the photo, as well as its presence in history books across the world, is that there were multiple photographers behind variations of the photo with soldiers on a tank, coming through the gates -- a depiction of the North’s victory. He says photographers of the North, who he calls employees of the Vietnamese government, the Communist Party, stood in a different position in documenting these types of moments.  

“They work for the Vietnamese government. They have to use propaganda images, but that’s not photojournalism.” He tells me, “The photos have to be staged and re-staged. Like, for example, the photo of the T-54 tank rolling through the gate of the Presidential Palace? That photo is the result of multiple re-staging, that’s how they were able to get that photo. In truth they did not just capture the tank as it rolls into the gate. They had to back up, go out, come back in multiple times so that they could take a beautiful photo.”

Visual image plays a powerful role in helping us understand history, reminding us that different lenses are at play in shaping narratives of the war. Út says narratives are most easily imposed and reinforced when people don’t know what they don’t know. It’s how impressions and interpretations are strengthened.

He says, “A lot of young people, young Americans, they go to Việt Nam for tourism, they visit the Củ Chi tunnels, they say ‘Wow! The Việt Cộng are amazing; they built these tunnels all the way into Sài Gòn…’ But I was actually there. I traveled all through the region. B52s dropped bombs every day and those tunnels all collapsed. They were nothing like the way the tunnels are set today. There was not much.”  

In light of an extremely complex war history, perhaps the takeaway is simple: what you see, very possibly, is not what was or what is. Út says that, regardless of one’s field of work, it’s crucial for each person to do their due diligence to understand their medium.

He tells me a story about how he learned the art of photographing baseball, “Journalists should read a lot of news, watch a lot of news. Just like filmmakers need to watch a lot of films. That’s how you get good. You know in 1977, AP told me to go shoot a baseball game. I was stumped, I thought, what’s baseball? I went to my first baseball game and I thought, what is this? Why does it look like the Viet Cong running after American soldiers? Why’s everyone running? So I watched all the photographers snapping away, but I came away with nothing. I was frustrated. The next way, I opened a bunch of newspapers and looked at the photos: second base, home plate, home run. This is easy! Then, I was able to shoot just like that.”

It’s safe to say that war is tougher to understand than the game of baseball. And as wars and violence continue to persist in our world, the need to look critically at how the narratives are shaped is just as imperative as it ever has been.

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(Loa) Rewind: Five News Stories to Know for April Published April 27, 2017 By Giang Nguyễn 

It’s been a crazy few weeks in the news cycle, so let me get you caught up. Here’s my shortlist of five news stories you may have missed over our spring break and yours.

1. Crisis Averted, For Now, After Villagers take Police Hostage

A hostage crisis unfolded in the middle of April in the Đồng Tâm Commune, in Mỹ Đức District just south of Hà Nội as the country watched with bated breath. Tensions over land rights that have simmered for years escalated when police arrested several villagers in an effort to evict them from their land. On April 15, locals took 38 government officials and security police hostage starting a standoff that would last eight days.

Villagers say telecom giant Viettel, which is owned by the military, seized the land illegally.

“I've been herding cows here since I was 12, to help my parents farm the land,” one farmer tells Express News. “The land belongs to the people of Đồng Tâm district. Now they’re saying it’s the Ministry of Defense’s land. I’m 60 years old now and I find it very strange.”

Over the week, several hostages were released while others reportedly fled. In the end, Hà Nội's mayor Nguyễn Đức Chung and the villagers negotiated the release of all remaining hostages. Chung promised the villagers would not face prosecution and the land dispute would be resolved within 45 days, VN Express reports.

As land is considered “the people’s property” in Việt Nam, individuals have usage rights, but never own the land. Still the standoff is rare even as Vietnamese authorities grapple with a tide of discontent and disputes as they seek to appropriate land for development. Observers say this dispute, and land rights grievances across the country, are far from being settled and tensions could spill over again, anywhere at any moment.

2. Up and Coming on Forbes List of 30 under 30 Asia

Việt Nam’s Queen of Hip Hop is topping yet another male-dominated chart: Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. Suboi says she wants to be a voice for the community and take action for change. She memorably busted out a rhyme for U.S. President Barack Obama when he visited her country last year.

Suboi, whose real name is Hàng Lâm Trang Anh, is not the only one representing Việt Nam on Forbes 30. Also on the esteemed list are Ninh Nguyễn, founder of Urban Station Coffee and The Coffee House chains; Hải Nguyễn, founder of Canavi - a jobs page dedicated to empowering women, and Trung Nguyễn, the founder of Lozi, a food location app.

But Suboi reigns supreme as the only woman in the group.

3. Hà Nội Wants to Shut Down So-Called Fake News

Fake news has been big news lately, not just in the United States, but also in Việt Nam. Hà Nội has stepped up its efforts to target what they are calling fake and toxic content, and toxic here meaning anti-government, and it is enlisting U.S. internet giants like Google in the effort.

Responding to questions from a member of the National Assembly about the dangers of fake Facebook accounts, Trương Minh Tuấn, the minister of information and communications, boasted about the success of Circular 38 - a directive introduced earlier this year. It requests the cooperation of social media companies in weeding out malicious content.

Since mid-February, since announcing Circular 38, the ministry has had legal foundation to ask these service providers to follow Việt Nam’s rules,” Tuấn said. “And given this legal basis, Google has agreed to establish a mechanism for the Ministry of Information and Communications to request Google to remove a large number of video clips on YouTube. Recently we have uncovered 2,200 such malicious clips. So we asked Google to remove these 2,200 clips, which were aimed at maligning the comrades leading our government. And through April 12, Google has removed 1299 bad clips from YouTube, according to our recommendation.

Reuters reports that the Vietnamese government is not just going after the content providers. Last month, Việt Nam called on all companies, from Unilever to Ford, to seize putting their ads on YouTube next to content that it considers to be “toxic.”

4. Fury over Formosa Hasn’t Faded One Year After Fish Kills

In central Việt Nam, thousands of fishermen and their families, environmentalists and activists took to beaches and boats this month to protest the Taiwanese-owned Formosa company. One year after the Hà Tĩnh steel plant admitted to causing tons of dead fish to wash ashore Việt Nam's central coast, locals are still left in limbo.

Protests on the waters with a banner saying “Destroying the environment is a crime”. Source: Facebook/Cọt's Hiếu On April 3, several thousands of victims marched to the People's Committee building in Lộc Hà district in hard-hit Hà Tĩnh province. They say they haven’t received adequate compensation, even after Formosa pledged a payout of US$500 million to victims of the environmental disaster.  

Protesters gathered at the People’s Committee Building in Lộc Hà. Source: Facebook/Bạch Hồng Quyền Fishermen also blocked traffic on a national highway in Kỳ Anh using fishing nets.

While redress for victims is slow to come, police have been quick to launch criminal investigations into protesters in both Lộc Hà and Kỳ Anh districts, seeking to punish those who “caused public disorder,” VN Express reports.

5. If You’re Griping About Chinese Tourists, Maybe You Should Look in the Mirror.

That’s the advice of Ngô Hoài Chung, the deputy head of Việt Nam’s tourism administration. And, well, he’s got a point. Foreign tourists in Việt Nam have griped about our trash and pollution just as much as Vietnamese have groused about the same behaviour from Chinese tourists.

Last month the tourism ministry had to issue an official etiquette guide to encourage “civilized behaviour” across the country. It includes helpful tips like, “queue up when there’s a line”, and, “Don’t push others in public or crowded areas.”

More Vietnamese than ever are traveling abroad now, and the ministry believes the suggestions will help improve Việt Nam’s image as it integrates into the global community.

One tour operator in Japan, which has had an explosion in the number of Chinese and Vietnamese tourists, says the Japanese natives are keenly aware of tourists’ behavior and take note.

So he makes a it a point to remind his tour groups of local customs: “For example, don’t be loud on the trains. Be aware of your fellow travellers. When you go to a buffet, if you take more food than you can eat, you’ll be fined.”

He says he tells his visitors this first thing, and they are pretty good with following the rules. He says, “When they come from Việt Nam to this country that’s very civilized and very clean, they say ‘We’ve got a lot to learn.’ So these trips abroad are a way for them to learn.”

As the Vietnamese proverb goes, Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn: One Day of Travel Broadens the Mind.

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Demands for Justice Persist in Việt Nam One Year After Environmental Disaster

By Đôn Lê Published April 10, 2014 

Thousands of Vietnamese took to beaches and boats in various towns in central Việt Nam and to social media last week to protest against a Taiwanese-owned steel plant, one year after its toxic spill caused a massive fish kill and left lingering damage.

Protesters blame the Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Plant as well as the Vietnamese government for what is being considered Việt Nam’s worst environmental disaster.

The toxic spill resulted in more than 70 tonnes of dead fish and other marine life washing ashore the central coasts of Việt Nam and has crippled livelihoods across four provinces -- Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế. Deputy Director of the local environment in Quảng Trị told Reuters that some 3,000 boats were affected in that province alone, and many fishermen and their families have had to abandon their boats.

Anger and frustration over the government’s slow response and lack of accountability in holding the steel mill responsible have spread across the country and protests have continued over the past year, despite a US$500 million settlement between Formosa and the Vietnamese government. Fishermen argue that the compensation is inadequate and has not helped the people most affected in the region.

Affected citizens in the town of Kỳ Anh, where Formosa steel plant is located, took to the beach wearing white shirts depicting a fish skeleton. They waved signs calling for Formosa to end its operations.

Protesters march down the beach in Kỳ Anh, Hà Tĩnh Province. Source: Facebook of Bạch Hồng Quyền

Reverend Trần Đình Lai, one of the Catholic priests leading the protest said:

“Formosa must accept full responsibility and make efforts in returning the clean environment to our country, our people and central Việt Nam before leaving Việt Nam.”

In neighbouring Nghệ An Province locals took their demonstration to the sea. The fleet of boats brandished black flags with fish skeletons and five-colored heritage flags as they protested on the waters.

Protests on the waters with a banner saying “Destroying the environment is a crime”. Source: Facebook/Cọt's Hiếu

Meanwhile, more than 8,000 people overtook the People’s Committee Building in Lộc Hà district of Hà Tĩnh Province.

Protesters gathered at the People’s Committee Building in Lộc Hà. Source: Facebook/Bạch Hồng Quyền

Earlier in the week, fishermen brought out fishing nets and stopped traffic on National Route 1A in Hà Tĩnh Province to demand further compensation.

Vietnamese people organized an online petition urging the international community to speak out against the environmental disaster. Within less than two weeks of launching, the petition garnered over 100,000 signatures.

In it, prominent figures such as musician Trúc Hồ, US Congressman Lou Correa, and Bishop Nguyễn Thái Hợp call for a proper resolution to the Formosa disaster.

A letter attached to the petition reads: “We hope the United Nations, EU, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and international environmental organizations urge the Vietnamese government to take up responsibility to rebuild our environment and the lives of the victims.”

People across the country expressed solidarity with victims of the environmental disaster by sharing photos of themselves near the water on Facebook.

Activists in northern Việt Nam supporting Formosa victims. Source: Facebook page/Hoàng Sa Club

One Facebooker, Luân Lê, from Hà Nội wrote: “Power at the wrong time, in the hands of the wrong people can ignite waves of rage,” He called on officials to “Become a responsible government, professional, and brave when confronted with the people’s resentment.”

Timeline of Events

April 4, 2016: A local diver discovers a discharge pipe at the Formosa steel mill spewing dark yellow water.

April 6, 2016: Masses of dead fish begin to wash ashore on beaches in Hà Tĩnh province.

April 24, 2016: Formosa Hà Tĩnh’s external relations manager Chou Chun Fan says in an interview with state-run VTC14 says: “[You] need to choose whether to catch fish and shrimp or to build a state-of-the-art steel mill.”

April 26, 2016: Đất Việt newspaper reports that workers contracted by Formosa were hospitalized after diving in the waters near the plant; at least one diver has died.

April 27, 2016: Government officials declare the fish deaths could have been from chemical toxins due to human activity or an algae bloom. They also find no link between the fish deaths and operations at Formosa’s steel plant.

April 28, 2016: First protests begin in Quảng Bình province after fishermen are unable to sell their catch.

April 29, 2016: Environment Minister Trần Hồng Hà apologises for the government’s confusion and mishandling of the mass fish kills.

May 1, 2016: Demonstrations attracting thousands of protesters occur in Hà Nội and Sài Gòn, calling for a clean environment, government transparency, and Formosa to leave Vietnam.

May 4, 2016: More than 100,000 people signed a petition to President Obama in less than a week, asking him to address the environmental disaster during his visit to Việt Nam.

May 5, 2016: Government officials continue to deny Formosa’s involvement in the fish deaths, but reports that the company had imported 384 tons of chemicals at the end of 2015.

May 8 - June 5, 2016: Sunday protests continue in Hà Nội and Sài Gòn with small groups gathering in Đà Nẵng and Vũng Tàu. Security forces repress and silence protesters.

May 13, 2016: The United Nations expresses concerns regarding the human rights violations in Việt Nam.

June 18, 2016: Activists in Taiwan protest in front of the Formosa headquarters, calling for transparency in regards to the handling of the environmental disaster in Việt Nam.

June 30, 2016: Formosa admits fault to the discharge of toxic chemicals from the steel plant and offers US$500 million in compensation.

Aug 10, 2016: Taiwanese NGOs and Việt Tân conduct a press conference outside Formosa headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

September 26-27, 2016: 600 affected fishermen travel from Nghệ An to Kỳ Anh Courthouse to file more than 500 lawsuits against Formosa. They demand Formosa to cleanup the environment and adequately compensate victims. Households have either received no compensation or payouts ranging from US$130 to $1,600. More than one thousand protest outside the courthouse.

October 2, 2016: More than 10,000 gather outside the gates of Formosa Hà Tĩnh in protest of Formosa. A drone was used to capture footage.

January 11, 2017: Nguyễn Văn Hóa, a reporter covering the Formosa protests is arrested.

February 14, 2017: Hundreds attempt to march 200km to the local courthouse near Formosa to file more lawsuits. Reverend Nguyễn Đình Thục, one of the Catholic priests leading the march was physically attacked.

March 25, 2017: An online petition is launched to mark the one year anniversary of the Formosa disaster.

April 6, 2017: The online petition garners over 100,000 signatures from people around the world in less than two weeks.

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To wrap up our time at the Internet Freedom Festival, we speak to Jonathan McCully of the Media Legal Defence Initiative​ and Mong Palatino of Global Voices​ on the support systems (both media and legal) available to activists in Việt Nam and around the world. IFF 2017 took place in Valencia, Spain and was the gathering place for internet freedom enthusiasts and activists.

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We've got the low down on the first ever Vietnam Cyber Dialogue, a gathering of Vietnamese activists, tech companies, journalists, and international rights organizations. We speak to Ella Gancarz of The 88 Project​ and our very own editor & VCD organizer Trinh Nguyễn for the recap. VCD kicked off the Internet Freedom Festival 2017​, a gathering of communities fighting online censorship and surveillance.

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(Loa) Episode 67 - February News Review; Food Safety After the Fish Crisis Published February 28, 2017

Five Stories You Need to Know for February  Kathy Triệu rounds up some heavy headlines from the month of February to catch us up on the stories we need to know. 

A Look Inside: Food Safety After the Fish Crisis  Food safety has always been an issue of concern in Việt Nam. Now, after the fish crisis, the concerns have heightened. Nguyễn Linh Chi take a look inside the post-crisis conditions. 

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(Loa) Five Stories You Need to Know for February Published February 28, 2017 By Kathy Triệu  The shortest month of the year was no less exciting than any other. Here's a roundup of some of the big headlines: 1. In the Kim Jong-nam assassination mystery, a Vietnamese woman emerges as prime suspect. 

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was seen poisoned on camera at the International Airport of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 13th. The two women who rubbed banned chemical VX nerve agent on Kim Jong-nam’s face may be charged for murder. 

An Indonesian woman, Siti Aisyah, is being charged alongside Đoàn Thị Hương, a 28-year-old from rural Nghĩa Bình, Việt Nam. If convicted, they face a mandatory death sentence.

It is unclear why Hương was involved, but Malaysian authorities claim she was trained by North Korean assassins prior to the attack. On the Facebook account she holds under the name “Ruby Ruby,” half of Hương’s friends have Korean names. Authorities also found a selfie of Hương wearing a shirt that reads “LOL” on the front, similar to the t-shirt seen in the footage. 2. Police violently attack hundreds marching to Hà Tĩnh Province. 

On February 14th, a group of around 700 fishermen and women were attacked while travelling from Nghệ An province to Hà Tĩnh province to submit legal complaints against Formosa Plastics due to the fish crisis. The group intended to submit hundreds of individual complaints demanding a total compensation of nearly 20 million US Dollars.They had walked about 20 km on their way to Hà Tĩnh when they were met with police who attacked the men, women, and children.Radio Free Asia reports that grenades and tear gas were used to intimidate the people. 

People captured the conflict on their phones, though police tried to stop them from recording. Many were injured and hospitalized, according to Amnesty International.  3. Former political prisoner and human rights defender Đang Xuân Diệu testifies at the Geneva Summit.

On February 21st, Đặng Xuân Diệu, a Việt Tân member and human rights defender, spoke to an international audience at the Geneva Summit on Human Rights and Democracy. Diệu was released from prison and exiled to France last month after nearly 6 years in prison. Diệu said, “Standing in the huge space of the Geneva Summit, it was so official. And the speakers before me were truly impressive. I felt empowered, and that the fire inside me had been shining very bright so that I could speak out. In the end, I felt a sense of contentment.”

4. Dozens detained for commemorating the anniversary of the Vietnam-China Border War.

On February 17th, people gathered across Việt Nam to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Vietnam-China border war.

In Sài Gòn, security police took 10 people into custody for trying to participate in a commemoration. The security forces had blocked off the entrance to the statue of Vietnamese military commander Trần Hưng Đạo, where people were expected to gather.

In Hà Nội, over a hundred people showed up to participate at an event by the statue of Emperor Lý Thái Tỗ. Security police stood by as people lit incense and offered flowers. After the ceremony, police began to arrest participants. Unofficial demonstrations are highly restricted in Viet Nam.

Little is known about the 1979 Vietnam-China border war, when thousands of Chinese soldiers and Vietnamese civilians were killed.

5. Two executives of Vinashinlines company receive death sentence in a corruption scandal.

Giang Kim Đạt and Trần Văn Liêm of the state-run shipping company, Vinashinlines, were sentenced to death for embezzlement on February 22nd. The two executives pocketed over 260 billion Vietnamese Dong, about 11.3 million US Dollars.

According to AFP, before toppling under debt, Vinashin had expanded into real estate and electricity and was seen as a model state-owned enterprise to lead Vietnam on a global stage.

The scandal further fueled public outrage and investor fears over rampant corruption among the state-run sector.  

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(Loa) A Look Inside: Food Safety After the Fish Crisis  Published February 28, 2017 By Nguyễn Linh Chi

The food culture in Việt Nam is big. People gather and socialize over food. Business deals are made over food and ceremonies are performed with food. So it’s no surprise that quality of food is also a hot topic. Travelers to Việt Nam are often warned of food poisoning prior to entering the country. Rumors of plastic rice, rubber noodles, and other toxic additives in food regularly pop up on local and social media. Not holding much faith to the state, being selective with food to bring home to the family has been just as much a part of the food culture. But the fish crisis last year elevated public skepticism to another level.

Listen to Loa’s reporting on the crisis in episode 48 of Loa.

Since we last checked in, Formosa officially took responsibility for the mass marine deaths, and agreed to pay a 500 million dollar fine to compensate for losses. A toxic combination of phenol, cyanide and ferric hydroxide was found in water samples and was confirmed to be the cause of the fish deaths.

Thái Văn Dung, a Việt Tân member and human rights activist based in Vinh, central Vietnam believes the 500 million dollar fine is nowhere near the amount needed to compensate for the damage that was done.

He says, “They said Formosa would pay the fine -- but what exactly will the 500 million dollars be compensating for the people? That’s not enough to afford caskets for the Vietnamese people.”

“Is fish safe to eat yet?”  This is the big question on many people's minds, as Central Vietnam supplies seafood for the rest of the nation. Vietnamese government officials made an announcement in November 2016 that fish from above the seabed are safe to eat. The public announcement included a list of 154 kinds of contaminated fish to avoid, and strongly urged consumers to avoid eating seafood caught within twenty nautical miles to the shore. It did not include plans to filter the sea, or how to contain contaminated seafood from flooding the market.

“‘Hey, don’t eat things twenty miles away’ -- How do we tell? That doesn’t help us at all. It just feels like a very gimmicky answer and a very rushed response that they felt like they had to say something, because they haven’t spent enough time that they should have earlier looking into the problems that happened,’ says Hoàng Nguyễn, a 27-year-old from Huế, central Việt Nam, who is currently studying public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

“I mean, if you won that 500 million settlement, there needs to be a plan. And if you don’t have a plan, there are big organisations who you can ask for help, such as the WHO, and other big health organizations,” he says. “Oil spill at fisheries has happened before and you can learn from the mistakes of other countries to see how you should address the problem. The next thing is be very transparent with the plan.”

But transparency hasn’t exactly been a strong point. Last April, the same month the mass fish deaths occurred, high-ranking officials from from both Hà Tĩnh and Đà Nẵng -- two regions heavily impacted by the crisis -- announced that fish were no longer dying. In November, the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Trần Hồng Hà, assured the public that the Central coast beaches are safe to swim in. Thái Văn Dung says, “They keep saying that the sea is safe and that some fish is safe to eat.. But there is nothing left in the sea to catch. The toxic killed them all. The people are suffering badly. When the officials said fish caught above twenty nautical miles is safe to eat, the fishermen went out and did just this, but no one would purchase their catch. No one is there to make sure the fish is caught above twenty nautical miles, or whether the fish is contaminated at all. They keep saying all this to mislead the public, especially poor people who aren’t aware of the fish deaths. They keep telling people that the fish are safe to eat. But would they eat the fish themselves?”

“Would they eat the fish themselves?” This is the other question many are asking. In April 2016, the people of Hà Tĩnh offered their head official Đặng Ngọc Sơn one kilogram of fish a day, and invited him to take a dive in the local waters. The officer objected, despite previously proclaiming its safety. The phone conversation of this offer was recorded and put on the internet. It went viral.

Meanwhile, reports of food poisoning continued to soar. In Quảng Ngãi, central Vietnam, there were reports of 28 hospital admissions over food poisoning linked to eating contaminated fish. In Đà Nẵng, a deadly fish dinner sent a family of three to the hospital in December. An anonymous interview with the people of Nghệ An with a group of blue collar workers revealed four cases of food poisoning-related deaths over contaminated fish. The video was widely spread online, but never made it to official news.

The internet has been a key platform for information gathering in light of the big, unanswered questions surrounding the crisis. It has also served as the means of educating citizens on the risks of eating contaminated fish. A quick search on google returns countless tips and tricks to help health conscious consumers detect contamination. And the more people get informed, the more seafood demands have plummeted. Meanwhile, other proteins such as pork, beef, and chicken are seeing record high sales. Dantri news reports that certain cuts of pork are doubling - some tripling its price in the market. Thái Văn Dung says consumers in general are backing out from purchasing seafood altogether, but many people out there don’t get to have a choice.

Many people still continue eating fish, knowing it’s toxic, because they can’t afford to eat anything else. Everything else is getting more expensive because fish doesn’t sell. Poor people are risking their lives and are just taking it day by day.

After participating in several medical missions in Việt Nam, Hoàng, the Public Health graduate student in London, says the lack of government protection of public health in a time of environmental crisis is linked to deeper issues such as ethics and human rights.

Hoàng says, “Public health is in general is looking at the health of the public, which is sometimes very ignorant, especially in governments like Vietnam, where it seems like its citizens, the people, are not their priority. That ties into ethics.” He says activism and civil disobedience is a natural byrproduct of such conditions.   Thái Văn Dung is one of many riding this wave of increased activism, as he continues to organize protests on the fish crisis in Central Vietnam. Although many of these protests have ended in police brutality, Dung says he will not stop until the government steps up and takes responsibility. He and many protesters across the country continue to raise their voices, demanding justice for the people of Việt Nam.

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(Loa) Episode 66 - Got Game? Basketball & Flirting in Việt Nam  Published February 16, 2017

Got game? We're covering the basketball scene in Việt Nam, as well as the flirting and romance culture.

Hope Dreams in Việtnam: A Look Inside the rise of Basketball A popular sport on the international scene, but just a seedling in Việt Nam, Basketball has picked up momentum in the past few years. With a new, loyal, and energized fanbase, and experience from international players and management, basketball may soon rival soccer as Việt Nam’s number one sport. In this week’s episode, Brian Lâm takes a look inside the rise of basketball in Việt Nam. Vietnamism - Flirty Flirty time with Loa Valentine's Day just passed and Việt Nam is one of the countries that embrace this day as a celebration of couples. While it is not as large as, say, Women’s day (which we covered in episode 43), the western holiday has started to get more popular in the country. There is lots of flirting, flowers, and lovin’ for the couples in Việt Nam. In this week's episode Chí-Linh Đinh covers the in's and out's of flirting in the Vietnamese language, especially how to do it in the modern age.

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(Loa) Hoops and Dreams: A Look Inside Basketball in Việt Nam  Published February 16, 2017 By Brian Lâm

Basketball in Việt Nam jumped to new heights in 2016 with the establishment of its first professional league: the VBA - the Vietnam Basketball Association.

Hoàng Ca arriving to his second home, the local basketball gym in Vancouver. FB/Henry Nguyễn Meet: The Flash Brothers

“The atmosphere. To be able to perform in front of the whole city, basically anybody who plays basketball in the city, in Hà Nội. You actually wanted to represent them and actually wanted to do well for them,” says Hoàng Nguyễn, who is known to fans as Hoàng Ca. The Ca stands for Canada, where he grew up. Last year, he and his twin brother Đạt Nguyễn, known as Đạt Doc, played for the Hanoi Buffaloes in the VBA. The 27-year-old brothers have played basketball their entire lives and cite the fans as their source of inspiration to continually improve their game both on and off the court.

Never imagining the possibility of turning a hobby into a full time passion, the twins have been dubbed by fans as the Flash Brothers, and have made quite a name for themselves in the VBA’s inaugural season, which ran from August through October of last year.

Đạt Doc (left) and Hoàng Ca (right) preparing for the next defensive stop. FB/Henry Nguyễn

Now in the off-season, the Flash brothers are working to improve their game. Hoàng is famous for his three pointers, dribbling, and driving skills while his brother is famous for his incredible speed, crossovers, and shooting. However, both are relatively undersized at 5 feet 9. It’s an obstacle that the brothers have faced their entire lives.

Hoàng laughs, “We can play, it's just that we small. I have pride in being small Vietnamese. We show some heart out there. Show that some of us can play.”

Born in Hà Nội, the brothers went to high school in Vancouver, Canada. And it was there that their love for basketball evolved. The game brought them closer together, playing pickup games as often as the recess bell rang.

“I get to play high school level in Canada and I also played pickup in Canada, and that helped a lot for my development,” he recalls. “Once I go back, in Vietnam there are a lot of club teams, but not professional, just for fun.”  

These club teams existed in every major city, and leagues existed for player for all ages and levels. And in 2011, a basketball team named “the Saigon Heat” was launched. This move, spearheaded by the XLE Group, a sports development agency in Việt Nam, marked Việt Nam’s first move into the professional sport of basketball, sparking interest and inspiration from both the local and global Vietnamese community.

Hoàng says this is when everyone started to come out and play basketball. The Rise of the Basketball Enterprise

The Saigon Heat represents Việt Nam and competes in the ABL, the ASEAN Basketball League, against 5 other teams in Southeast Asia. Equally crucial to the game are the fans. 25-year-old Trí Phạm from Sài Gòn, religiously follows basketball and says fans are starting to go crazy over basketball and that it’s quickly catching up with soccer.

Trí says, “If there's one interesting thing about basketball in Việt Nam, I would say it's the fans. The fans are always supporting, enthusiastic, they are probably the most supporting fan in the whole league. Because if you watch an ABL game or Saigon Heat then you would know it right away.”

He says Việt Nam began broadcasting NBA games for the first time in 2016, driving completely new fans to the game.

And now that Việt Nam has its own professional league, people are seeing a way to create the infrastructure and environment for basketball to flourish in Việt Nam. Both the VBA and Saigon Heat were founded by XLE Group. Their CEO and Managing Partner is Connor Nguyễn, a longtime sportsman and tennis coach turned entrepreneur.

Connor tells the story of how he got to this point: “Never been back to Việt Nam, decided to visit, ended up being invited back to Việt Nam to work for a company. And so I worked in Việt Nam in 2008 for a year, got the entrepreneurial itch again, and started a sports training school in 2009 and things kind of took off from there.”

After coaching tennis in Việt Nam, Connor decided to take an entrepreneurial stab at growing sports altogether,  upon realizing the potential of basketball becoming big in Việt Nam.

Connor sees three major pillars influencing the success of sports in any country, the first being youth development, the second being sports as entertainment, and the third, sports as a business.

Sports As a Business

“To create sustainable systems, so instead of just taking money from the government and spending it or spending a lot of money on a professional team without thinking about the business model,” Connor says. “So that we can move the country to be able to compete internationally and have success. To create more pride.”

Alongside the business challenges are cultural ones. With basketball’s increase in popularity, players like Hoàng suggest that there may soon be a shift in the common perception in Vietnamese culture that sports are  a waste of time and that youth should focus on their studies. He says there are valuable lessons to learn from this process.  

The Saigon Heat make a school day visit to Trường THPT Nguyễn Du, a local high school in Sài Gòn. FB/Henry Nguyễn

“A lot of young kids told me, hey maybe when they grow up they will be playing for Hanoi buffaloes. I tell them to love the game and play with all the passion” Hoàng says.

As kids, the Flash brothers played soccer,  the most popular sport in the world. But after reading the comic book Basketball Slam Dunk, they switched to basketball. They fell in love with the game and began playing  every day after school.

The Flash brothers played on this court in Hà Nội everyday during their childhood.

Hoàng says, “[Đạt’s] school was closer to basketball court which now we still play and that court is called home court. We don't know any rules or anything. When we see the court is feels so super high. A lot of people playing already. When we see them we wonder how can someone shoot from so far away at 3 point line. I can barely dribble. I was amazed. Those guys back then was my idol. Man maybe one day I can be like them.”

Fast forward to today, the Flash Brothers are now helping young players up their game.

The game has grown from its local roots through the efforts of individual and organizational collaboration. XLE Group is building basketball from the ground up and they aren’t doing it alone.

He also works in close partnership with the Vietnam Basketball Federation, working hand-in-hand with them from the federation side, and the private side.

The Vietnam Basketball Federation is the governing body of all Vietnamese basketball operations. They’ve expressed their motivation to turn basketball into the number two Olympic sport in Vietnam, just behind shooting. It will be key to develop popularity among youth.

Heritage Players

Taking notice are Việt Kiều, members of the Vietnamese diaspora. In the league they’re called “heritage players.” Justin Young, a 23-year-old Los Angeles native, is one such player. He played for the Hanoi Buffaloes in 2016.

He says, “My parents were born in Vietnam. I think it's huge. Just to have Vietnamese Americans from America come to play. The fans over there look up to Việt Kiều who go over there. They expect a lot because you're coming from America. They expect Americans to be a lot tougher, a lot better, a lot bigger playing basketball. The more Việt Kiều we have over there in the league, the better for the competition, and development. More fans would come and watch the games.”

The XLE Group seeks to bring more overseas Vietnamese players to contribute to the league. They believe heritage players can inspire a new generation of basketball players and set examples and high standards of play.

And critical to XLE’s strategy of growing the sport is showcasing local, specifically Vietnamese talent. VBA teams consist of roughly 13 players: ten native Vietnamese, two Việt Kiều, and one import. Imports are non-Vietnamese players that have come from America, Canada and the Philippines and are typically the more skilled players in the league. Limiting the team to one import player per team is a key strategy in drawing out more fans, like Trí Phạm.

“To have Việt Kiều in the league to improve the quality of the game for sure,” Trí says. “And to give a good image for the fans to say we have good players and they are vietnamese too, they’re not going to bring white dudes to the league, no matter how good they are they can't really relate. People want to see Vietnamese players, good vietnamese players.”

Getting Ready for the International Stage The Southeast Asian Games takes place this year, a multi-sport event for eleven nations across Southeast Asia. Việt Nam is looking to build its national team to create a presence on the international stage.

Hoàng understands the role large organizations like XLE Group and VBF play in making this happen. Olympic medals for Vietnamese athletes in taekwondo and shooting have proven that early investments into these athletes can provide both short and long term benefits.

He says, “The people in the Vietnam basketball federation actually considers to develop player and want to make basketball big in vietnam, they have to commit to it, not by words but by actions.”

Hoàng believes Improving the facilities is the number one priority. Courts with hardwood, not concrete, floors where you can play at night would draw out local talent. Improving the level of coaching is number two: having people who know the game and pass that knowledge on.

XLE aspires to inspire the love for the game to millions of Vietnamese. As the community grows, so does its impact and interest. Who knows, basketball may one day challenge soccer to become the number one sport in Việt Nam.

Hoàng sends a message to players, “You have a chance. The chance comes to you knocks on your door, and you open and take it. Who know maybe you can do something bigger. If you have a chance, take it.”

That’s Hoàng’s invitation to all who are interested in basketball in Việt Nam, to come out to the VBA’s open tryouts happening early April in Los Angeles. You heard it here first.

______

Vietnam Basketball Association

Teams | Highlights | Player Stats | News & Updates

Saigon Heat

Team | Highlights |  Asean Basketball League

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(Loa) Vietnamism - Flirty Flirty Time with Loa Published February 16, 2017 By Chí-Linh Đinh 

Valentine's Day just passed and Việt Nam is one of the countries that embrace this day as a celebration of couples. While it is not as large as, say, Women’s day (which we covered in episode 43), the western holiday has started to get more popular in the country. There is lots of flirting, flowers, and lovin’ for the couples in Việt Nam. In this week's episode Chí-Linh Đinh covers the in's and out's of flirting in the Vietnamese language, especially how to do it in the modern age.

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(Loa) Episode 65 - The Modern Kitchen Gods; Five News Stories to Know for January  Published January 31, 2017 A Look Inside - Việt Nam’s Modern Kitchen Gods  There’s a big celebration that takes place exactly seven days before the Lunar New Year: Ngày Giỗ Táo Quân -- Kitchen Gods’ Day. This national tradition is rooted in a tale of a tragic love triangle. Every year, a comedy show follows this tale just in time for Tết. Millions of viewers tune in for the show, which borderlines on being politically sensitive. Loa’s Nguyễn Linh Chi takes a look inside the tragic love tale and how Vietnamese people celebrate Táo Quân. Five News Stories to Know for January  It's been quite a busy month on the world stage, and some important and interesting stories are often lost amongst the constant barrage of news. Chris Lê digs through the headlines to bring you up-to-speed with what you might have missed.

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(Loa) A Look Inside - Việt Nam’s Modern Kitchen Gods Published January 31, 2017 By Nguyễn Linh Chi  

Before the modern age, Vietnamese families usually gathered around the cozy kitchen fire to share food and stories of how the day went. The practicality of the kitchen flame is obvious: it provides heat and a source of light. The kitchen fire is also a representation of a tight familial bond. Guarding over the kitchen flame and looking after the well being of family members are the Táo Quân, the Three Kitchen Gods. They are beloved and honored by every household, and their tale is passed from generation to generation. Their origin story goes like this:

The Three Kitchen Gods is often referred to as the love story between two men and one woman: Trọng Cao, Phạm Lang, and Thị Nhi. Trọng Cao and Thị Nhi were once happily married but could not bear children. Because of this, Trọng Cao would often pick quarrels with Thị Nhi. One day in a heated argument, he hit Thị Nhi and threw her out of their home. Heartbroken, Thị Nhi left the village. She eventually met Phạm Lang and started a new life with him. Meanwhile, Trọng Cao felt terrible about what he did and left his home to look for Thị Nhi. By the time he found her, Trọng Cao was a beggar, having spent all of his money looking for Thị Nhi. Out of pity, Thị Nhi forgave Trọng Cao and invited him into her new home for food. When Phạm Lang came home, Thị Nhi hid Trọng Cao in the haystack to avoid a misunderstanding. Little did she know, the haystack was to be burnt later that night. When Thị Nhi saw Phạm Lang light up the haystack, she jumped into the deadly flame to rescue Trọng Cao but did not make it out alive. Devastated by the death of Thị Nhi, Phạm Lang also jumped into the fire to kill himself. Witnessing the tragic deaths, the Jade Emperor granted mercy to Thị Nhi, Trọng Cao and Phạm Lang, and immortalized them as Táo Quân -- the Three Kitchen Gods -- so they can forever be with each other near kitchen flames, looking over the health of all households on earth.

The gods make their annual ascent to heaven to report the past year domestic affairs to the Jade Emperor on the 23rd day of December on the Lunar Calendar. Families pay gratitude to Táo Quân by burning incense and offering a variety of fresh fruits and plain steamed rice. Another popular practice is setting carp fish free, as the gods prefer to travel to heaven on golden carps.

But the legend of Táo Quân doesn’t stop at traditional rituals.

In 2003, on Lunar New Year’s Eve, a comedy show following the plot of Táo Quân aired on national television in Việt Nam.The two-hour-long comedy satirizes the year-end meeting of the Three Kitchen Gods and the Jade Emperor by reviewing the year’s major events and social issues through a comedic lens. The show was a hit.

People loved the show’s humor so much that it became an annual program. It’s become a sort of New Year’s Eve tradition for families across the nation to gather and watch the show together.

Traditionally, the Kitchen Gods would only concern themselves with family affairs. The modern Táo Quân, however, is not shy when it comes to spilling the beans on hot button -- sometimes controversial topics -- to the Jade Emperor.

20-year-old Nguyễn Văn Hiếu from Hà Nội has been a loyal fan of Táo Quân comedy show since middle school.

“Táo Quân originated from the funny family show “Weekend Gathering”, so I used to love watching it with my family. When I got to 11th or 12th grade and started to understand things, I began to find the show more interesting. It introduces social issues that other comedies don’t generally cover.” He says.

The modern Táo Quân show reveals a Vietnamese society grappling with complex issues. A variety of controversial issues are discussed on the show: economic turmoil, social vices and chronic government mismanagement are all ridiculed. Watching the show through the years, Hiếu has noticed a pattern:

“I've noticed that corruption is a topic that comes up every year,” Hiếu recalls.

In Việt Nam, all media is run by the state. According to CPJ - the Committee to Protect Journalists, Việt Nam ranks sixth in the top ten most censored countries in the world, where journalists who criticize the state are often physically harassed, surveilled, or face imprisonment. But how does the Táo Quân show manage to get away with its politically sensitive humor? Actress Nguyễn Thị Kim Chi, a former star of the Communist Party’s propaganda films, says there are several reasons the state continues to air the show, one of which is its popularity.

“In reality, they do vet the show--they just don’t air it in its entirety,” Kim Chi says. “But Táo Quân is an uplifting program the nation looks forward to every year, so they have to continue airing the show. They ignore the jokes about corruption because the jokes are vague and don’t point fingers at any specific individuals.”

Despite government censorship, there is a growing number of websites that provide access to the uncut version. Nguyễn Văn Hiếu says an uncensored version of Táo Quân comes out two weeks after the show airs, and that he and everyone he knows prefer this uncut version over the one aired on TV. The full HD version of Tao Quan in 2016 received over 7 million views on Youtube -- and in case it’s ever taken down from the web, the uncut version of the show can also be purchased at local CD shops.

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(Loa) Five News Stories to Know for January  Published January 31, 2017 By Chris Lê Make sure to stay on top of the news in Việt Nam. But just in case you don’t, we’ve got you covered at the end of the month. As we usher in the new year on both the Gregorian and Lunar calendars, here are the top stories that you should know about this month:

Number 1: Hà Nội releases and exiles a prominent prisoner of conscience

Đặng Xuân Diệu, a blogger and Việt Tân member, was released from prison on January 12th after six years imprisonment on charges of subversion. Following immense international pressure, Diệu was released on “humanitarian grounds” and exiled to Paris. 

Pictured: Loa Contributor Đôn Lê shares with Đặng Xuân Diệu the Solitary Envoi episode featuring a letter he wrote that was snuck out of prison.  Allen Weiner, the international lawyer who originally handled Diệu’s case, said, “Civil society, international organizations, governments that want to affirm to these human rights principles have to collectively work hard to work in conjunction to do advocacy, to bring pressure on governments like the government of Việt Nam to try to make sure that the powerful ideas of freedom expression and freedom of conscience and freedom of assembly are respected on the ground.” 

Number 2: The revolving doors of Việt Nam’s jails No more than a week after the release of Đặng Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese authorities captured two other prominent political activists: Nguyễn Văn Oai and Trần Thị Nga. Oai, a Catholic activist and citizen journalist, had previously been jailed between 2013 and 2015 for “attempting to overthrow the government”. On January 19th, Oai was arrested in Nghệ An on charges of “resisting officials on duty” and violating his probation. He is currently being held at the Nghị Kim prison camp in Nghệ An province.    Just two days later, Nga was arrested in Hà Nam province and charged under Article 88 of the penal code for “anti-state propaganda.”

Trần Thị Nga is arrested and read her charges by security police in Hà Nam province. Image: SBTN Nga had updated her followers by posting a video online while security police surrounded her house.

Nga is a member of the group Vietnamese Women For Human Rights and had spoken out about increasing intimidation and harassment in the days prior to her arrest. Number 3: Vietnam mourns the passing of its Father of Environmental Conservation Võ Quý, one of Vietnam’s leading zoologists passed away on January 10th in Hà Nội at the age of 87. The professor and revered conservationist was renowned for his research on Vietnam wildlife as well as his contributions to government reforestation programmes as a result of defoliants due to the Vietnam War. Dr Quý paved the way for a new generation of environmental activists. The last year has seen an increase in mass protests, particularly against industrial pollution by the Formosa steel plant. He is survived by a wife and two sons. Number 4: Flower prices and hospital visits soar during Tết

Popular flowers such as the Hoa Mai, the yellow apricot blossom, are bought in abundance and used to decorate the home ahead of Lunar New Year. However, this year, flower prices surged, particularly in the Southern Mekong regions, due to abnormally heavy rainfall and flooding. Low yield and reduced variety in crops forced vendors to raise prices in order to make a profit. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reported over two thousand hospitalizations due to street and general fighting between January 26th and 29th. A thousand other hospital visits were due to issues such as food poisoning and alcohol poisoning. Number 5: The US exits from the TPP On January 23rd, US President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by signing an executive order to formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As reported previously on Loa, the TPP was an agreement between 12 countries that represented approximately 40 percent of the world’s economic output. The deal aimed to strengthen economic ties and boost trade. America’s withdrawal from the TPP signifies a huge blow to Vietnam’s manufacturing-led economy, which was originally set to benefit from slashed tariffs. Under the TPP, the Vietnamese government would have had to implement necessary reforms, including the formation of independent trade unions and ensuring that environmental and worker protections be in place. 

And that’s our news round-up for January. Make sure to stay on top of the news in Việt Nam. But just in case you don’t, we’ve got you covered at the end of the month.

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(Loa) Episode 64 - What the Vietnamese Zodiac Can Tell You About Yourself Published January 25, 2017 By Jenny Lý

Phước Lộc Thọ, also known as Asian Garden Mall, is the commercial staple of the Vietnamese American community in Orange County, California. But amid the bustling shoppers and overlapping sounds, there is a space of relief.  It’s tucked away on the second floor: an altar.  Not far away sits an elderly man who appears to be in his 70’s. A sign in front of the table he sits at reads “Chấm Tử Vi” - horoscope reading.

“Most of the time, people want to ask about love or work or if their business will fail,” says Bùi Minh Lê, a long time horoscope reader, having continued his practice in Việt Nam to present day America. He shares that many people want guidance, especially when they embark on a new chapter in their lives.

The Vietnamese horoscope uses a variation of the Chinese zodiac based on the lunar calendar. It uses astrology as well as the time, date, month and year of a person’s birth to make predictions. The Vietnamese zodiac sets 12 animals over a 12-year cycle rather than 12 signs in one year. The animal associated with the year in which we were born tells us something about our personality and our life.     

As the Lunar New Year approaches this month, the lines of people coming to see Bùi continue to grow. People are eager to see what their 2017 will look like.

But there are skeptics. Phan Việt, who's turning exactly 60 this year as he's born in the year of the rooster, is one of them. He does not believe in the zodiac or tử vi predictions - even though 2017 is his year. Believers say it’s particularly important if it’s your animal’s year.

“When family gathering, this subject coming up more often you know especially you know during the New Year the Tết people coming in and suddenly this subject coming up.  Hey this year is the rooster, and they start telling Me hey this year you will have love, you maybe will have change in your financial, something like that.  I listen you know but I don't always believe it,” says Phan.

But 68-year-old Vũ Cường, a visitor at Phước Lộc Thọ, and also a retired teacher, thinks the zodiac is a fun way to learn about yourself and your life.  He breaks down the complexity of the Vietnamese zodiac as a classification system.

“...according to the the history of China in particular, and the history of Asian cultures generally, people assigned animals to symbolize time. They classified the years with the 12 animals, one name for the celestial stem and one for the animal. They start with the stem Giáp, Ất, Bính, Đinh, Mậu, Kỷ, Canh, Tân, Nhâm, Quý. Then it is combined with one of the 12 animals: Rat, Buffalo, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig" says Vũ.

The ten celestial stems, 12 animal signs, and five elemental associations make for distinct personalities and years.  For example, 2017 is known as Đinh Dậu, or the Fire Rooster year. The eastern zodiac is considered to be one of the oldest horoscope systems in the world, dating back to more than 3,000 years. The zodiac system was said to have been developed by spiritual teachers who, at the time, were responsible for maintaining health and balance among the people.

Trang Nguyễn, a graduate student in Communities Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts says Vietnamese people get to know each other by using the zodiac.

She says, “In Vietnamese culture, you ask someone what zodiac animal year they are and from that you can tell their age because there are 12 animals on the wheel so it repeats every 12 years so you can sort of tell what generation is in or which cycle of the 12 they are in so you can calculate the age in your head.  So that's why when you meet Vietnamese elders, they don't ask how old you are as much a lot of the time as your year you were born, your zodiac year and they can tell your age but they can also tell sort of your personality and all the things that's associated with that year.”

Nguyễn adds that her family all know each other's animal year by heart.  She shares, “..my mom is a dragon, I am a cat, my dad is a horse, my sister is an ox, my brother is a snake, my oldest nephew is a dragon and my youngest nephew is a dog..”

Vũ, the retired teacher, says each zodiac animal symbolizes a different quality that may carry lots of fortune or challenges.  Sometimes, it can help explain why certain people act a certain way.  He says, “...the tiger symbolizes strength, the dragon symbolizes wealth, and the rat symbolizes hard work..”

According to believers, not only can the zodiac predict an individual’s personality but it can also forecast the coming year.  To see what's in store for 2017: the year of the Fire Rooster, you’ve got to understand the animal.  

The rooster is known for its cocky, self-assured demeanor. It’s no stranger to dramatic entrances. This zodiac sign is also known for its ability to work hard and never give up. The rooster isn’t afraid to be loud, bombastic and outspoken.

Back in Phước Lộc Thọ, horoscope reader Bùi often gets asked whether his readings are a form of fortune telling.  He says, “Fortune telling is different from tử vi. Tử vi is about the basic elements using the date of birth."

Bùi emphasizes the science behind tử vi and readily admits not everyone believes in the horoscopes.  Nevertheless, he still comes to the mall daily to do people's readings.  He sits on that second floor inside the mall that features three giant lion figures out front representing luck, wealth, and longevity.  

________________ Check back to our Vietnamism segment in episode 9, where Nam-An Đinh explains why the Vietnamese zodiac features a cat and not a rabbit, as in the Chinese zodiac.

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Democracy Activist Đặng Xuân Diệu Released and Exiled to France

By Quyên Ngô - Web Exclusive

Vietnamese authorities released and promptly exiled a blogger and democracy activist held for six years on charges of subversion.

Đặng Xuân Diệu (left) with his nephew after his arrival in Paris. Image: Trương Minh Tam / Facebook

Đặng Xuân Diệu, an engineer, member of pro-democracy party Việt Tân, and member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, was released on Thursday afternoon from prison camp K3 in the city of Vũng Tàu and taken straight to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport under heavy police escort. The 37-year-old was put on a commercial flight to Paris and arrived Friday at Charles De Gaulle airport.

Diệu's family members, who are located in Nghệ An province in the northern region of Việt Nam, were informed of his release just a day before he was escorted to the airport in Sài Gòn, making it impossible for them to make travel arrangements to see him before he was exiled.

Diệu was arrested in 2011 during a widespread crackdown on dissent. He was later convicted along with thirteen other young activists, all charged with “attempting to overthrow the state" and sentenced to between three to thirteen years in prison. Diệu received the harshest sentence of thirteen years. He has suffered extreme mistreatment in prison and has launched multiple hunger strikes in protest, refusing to accept guilt or wear prison uniforms.

Diệu was serving the sixth year of his thirteen-year sentence when the EU struck an agreement with the Vietnamese government for his release. France was the EU country to offer political asylum.

“Many organizations and elected officials campaigned for Diệu's freedom. After his mistreatment became known, thousands of people sent postcards to the prison where Diệu was held. A former inmate told me that wardens didn't deliver the postcards to Diệu but many in the prison -- guards and prisoners -- understood that Diệu had garnered international support. It's with that momentum that I believe the Hanoi government agreed to release Diệu on ‘humanitarian grounds’. No one should be exiled from their own country but I'm relieved that Diệu's ordeal is over,” Duy Hoàng, spokesperson of Viêt Tân, said.

The BBC reports that Diệu is in need of medical treatment. In October 2015, Diệu's former cellmate Trương Minh Tam told Loa that Diệu had been beaten, denied access to adequate food and clean drinking water, and forced to eat and sleep next to his excrement. Tam urged the international community to advocate for Diệu due to his dire conditions.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) ruled in 2013 that the Hà Nội government violated Vietnamese and international law by arbitrarily detaining Diệu and the thirteen young activists. This ruling came as a result of a petition filed by Allen Weiner, director of the Stanford Program in International Law at Stanford Law School, who serves as Diệu's international lawyer.  

Speaking on the power of advocacy, Weiner told Loa that international law sometimes “seems like a weak tool to try to invoke protection of freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of assembly. [Diệu's release] highlights the limits of the Vietnamese government’s repressive power. It shows how the actions of civil society movements, international organizations, and governments around the world that support human rights can help defend the human rights of Vietnam's citizens,” he said. The Vietnamese government has previously released and exiled prominent dissidents, such as bloggers Điếu Cày and Tạ Phong Tần. For dissidents who long to continue organizing in Việt Nam, the Vietnamese authorities’ tactic of exile is another method of quelling dissent. For family members of dissidents, it is another form of punishment.

Đặng Xuân Hà, brother of Đặng Xuân Diệu, told the BBC, “While we are happy that Diệu has been released from prison, one profound sadness is that my 70-year-old mother wanted to see her son before he left, but was not able to.”