Rambles from the Unexpected Life

Seeing the world every time as if for the first time

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Vietnam and the Mercator projection

Vietnam and the Mercator projection

OK, I will begin with confession time. I knew of the movement against the Mercator projection due to the fact that it distorts the size of countries the further you get from the equator (the Mercator’s chief advantage being that it keeps longitudes and latitude lines straight, but I always assumed that no one actually used it as a basis to compare areas when travelling around the world (I know, I…

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The divisions in the EU-Vietnam FTA ratification vote

The divisions in the EU-Vietnam FTA ratification vote

The European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was ratified by the European Parliament on 12 February, 2020 in a vote in the European Parliament. Vietnam is the second largest trading partner of the EU in ASEAN, and is also the second ASEAN country to have concluded a free trade agreement with the EU (both after Singapore) after the failure of ASEAN to negotiate a bloc-wide agreement.…

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What's in a country's name?

What’s in a country’s name?

Country names is one of those lessons that invariably come up when learning a new language, as each language seems to have its own conventions on naming. Vietnamese is no different – official country names run the gamut from Sino-Vietnamese readings of Chinese country names to transliterations of Spanish and French. Below is a list of Vietnamese country names and their etymological origins.

S…

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Wayfarers Chapel, Rancho Palos Verdes, California, United States

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Vịnh Vĩnh Hy, Ninh Hải, Ninh Thuận, Vietnam

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Skyline of Saigon from Thu Thiem Bridge, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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Rain gutter spout in the shape of a carp, Mausoleum of Emperor Đồng Khánh, Huế, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Vietnam

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Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

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Cypress Tunnel, Point Reyes National Seashore, California, United States

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Roof garden at Castillo de Chapultepec, Ciudad de México, Mexico

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Ulugh Beg Madrasa, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

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Santuario de La Congregación de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico

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Belorussky Railway Station/Белорусский вокзал, Moscow/Москва, Russia

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Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru

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Palácio de Bellas Artes, Ciudad de México, Mexico

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Cami-i Kebîr/Mizgefta Mezin a Amedê, Diyarbakır/Amed, Turkey

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Guanajuato from Monumento de Pípila, Guanajuato, Mexico