The Bureau Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Bureau Asia
Think news, gossip, drive-time radio and mates bantering at the front bar of the pub but without the fights, and you'll have the essence of TBP. Each week join Matt, Mel & Andy who have a combined total of over 25 years of lived experience in Ho Chi Minh City as they chat, debate and laugh about what's new and old in Vietnam's biggest city. If you’re a foodie, traveller, history buff or just want to be educated and entertained about Vietnam and Southeast Asia, then The Bureau Podcast is for you!
In this "Korea Special", Matt interviews two long-term resident South Koreans who have called Saigon home for more than 14 years and gets an insight into the topsy-turvy life of Koreans in Vietnam. To wrap up, he reveals the best Korean restaurants in Saigon as voted by Bureau Followers!
The Best Korean Restaurants in “K-Town” as voted by Bureau Followers
Meat & Meet 1 Đ Tôn Dật Tiên, Khu đô thị Phú Mỹ Hưng, Quận 7
Matchandeul 49 Cao Triều Phát, Tân Phong, Quận 7
Perilla 161 Đ Tôn Dật Tiên, Tân Phong, Quận 7
Plan K Chung Cư Mỹ Phúc, 66 Lý Long Tường, Tân Phong, Quận 7
Ilmirak 222-224 Khu Phố Mỹ Hoàng, Khu đô thị Phú Mỹ Hưng, Quận 7
SoFung Chung Cư SKY GARDEN 3, Phú Mỹ Hưng, Khu đô thị Phú Mỹ Hưng, Quận 7
Tram Nam-Korean Century 36 Đường số 6, Tân Phong, Quận 7
Myeong Dong Quan 5 Bùi Bằng Đoàn, Tân Phong, Quận 7
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In this must-not-miss episode, Matt's good mate Nam joins him for a bitch session about life in Vietnam. Matt tells Nam – a Saigon native – what bugs him about Vietnamese culture, while Nam counters with things that bug him about foreigners in Vietnam! Then the episode wraps up with Matt introducing you to one of the best streets for food in Saigon!
Nam's Website:
https://www.thehighball.vn
Nam's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thehighball.vn
Nam's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thehighball.vn
Hanoi's Weather Dude:
https://www.facebook.com/theweatherdudeinhanoi
Vietnam Coracle:
https://www.vietnamcoracle.com
Where to eat in District 7:
Quán Phở Linh Trang Anh (for phở gà)
185 Đường số 79, Tân Quy, Quận 7
Cơm Tấm 169 (for pork chops & rice)
169 Đường số 79, Tân Quy, Quận 7
Bún Chả Hà Nội Xưa (for bún chả)
144 Đường số 79, Tân Quy, Quận 7
The Bureau Asia Website
https://thebureauasia.com
The Bureau Asia Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia
The Bureau Asia Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebureauasiagroup
First up Matt breaks down Ho Chi Minh City's 4th place ranking in Time Out Magazine's recently released list of The World's 20 Best Cities for Food Right Now! Did they get it right? After that, Matt interviews acclaimed Vietnamese director Lê Thanh Sơn on the eve of the premiere of his latest film Móng Vuốt (Claws), a horror set in the highlands of Vietnam. To wrap things up, Matt introduces foodies to 3 top notch places in HCMC to eat and drink coffee that mustn't be missed on any visit to Vietnam's best city!
The World's 20 Best Cities for Food Right Now List:
https://www.timeout.com/travel/worlds-best-cities-for-food
Móng Vuốt Trailer:
https://youtu.be/ce_ZquTeDaw?si=BP02p0cLz1j0MW2o
Lê Thanh Sơn profile:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3734165/
Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng Cẩm Hường:
118b Nguyễn Thần Hiến, Phường 16, Quận 4
Epic Coffee Roaster:
49 Ngô Thời Nhiệm, Phường 6, Quận 3
The Elbow Room Bistro:
52 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1
Follow The Bureau Asia on Instagram:
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https://www.youtube.com/@TheBureauAsia/videos
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In this episode, Matt introduces you to a newly-published book documenting the research and observations of an expatriate who has just celebrated 20 years living in Vietnam. You'll find out the results of The Bureau Asia's poll on what causes food poisoning in Vietnam and then Matt rediscovers the city's first American-style BBQ joint more than a decade after it opened in what turns out to be quite a historical neighbourhood.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
Vietnam Uninterrupted: A 20 year journey:
https://www.cimigo.com/en/research-reports/vietnam-uninterrupted-a-20-year-journey/
In this long-awaited return to the airwaves, Matt reveals he's been battling away trying to learn the language, he visits an "old friend" for lunch and stumbles upon what might just be Saigon's best goddamn pizza! That and more!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebureauasiagroup
We've heard it all before. Vietnam's cheap. The beer's cheap. The food's cheap. And the people are so nice! BUT is everything in Vietnam really as good as everyone says it is? In this episode I give you The Good, The Bad & The Phởgly provide an example of each so that you can plan better and hopefully your Vietnam trip WON'T. GET. RUINED!
Big thanks to Ollie Woods for taking time out to chat to me! Check out all the craft beer stuff he's associated with:
Brew Asia https://www.brew-asia.comAsia Brewers Network https://asiabrewersnetwork.comBeer Asia https://beerasia.net
My favourite craft breweries & pubs you can't miss in Ho Chi Minh City:1. Heart of Darkness Craft Brewery 31D Lý Tự Trọng St., District 12. East West Brewing Co. 181-185 Lý Tự Trọng St., District 13. Pasteur Street Brewing Co. Cnr. Lý Tự Trọng & Thủ Khoa Huân Sts., District 14. 7 Bridges Brewing Co. 15B/12 Lê Thánh Tôn St., District 15. Malt 46-48 Mạc Thị Bưởi St., District 16. Rehab Station 27/6 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm St., District 17. BiaCraft 1 Lê Ngô Cát St., District 38. Belgo 29 - 31 Tôn Thất Thiệp St., District 19. Saigon Craft 68 Lý Long Tường St., District 710. MixTape Drinks 40 Đặng Thị Nhu St., District 111. Rooster Beers 40 Bùi Viện St., Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 112. Mr Craft 24 Cao Triều Phát St., District 7
If you find yourself in District 7 some day around lunch time, be sure to give Cơm Tấm 169 a go at No.169 Street 79, Tân Quy, District 7Wanna sleep in the capsule featured in this episode? Knock yourself out at The Arrivals Hotel 302 Võ Văn Kiệt Street, District 1Got lucky and need a short-time hotel for a roll around? Try these two out (I've personally inspected them)!Cupid Hotel 2 Bis Nam Quốc Cang St., Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1Bonita Grand Hotel 118 Bùi Thị Xuân St., Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1Got ca$hola to splurge? Stay at The Reverie 22-36 Nguyễn Huệ St., District 1
We're back on the poddie train after a 2 month break that included a trip to Cambodia, a flu here and there, a trip home to the Philippines and some family visits here to Ho Chi Minh City.
In this episode we catch up on travel news to Vietnam, including the new visa extensions, and we learn about the matchmaker in Singapore hooking up lonely Singaporean men looking for long-time love with Vietnamese ladies.
Then our "cover story" reveals 5 dark locations in Saigon where some really bad sh*t has gone down throughout its history, including a couple well and truly off the tourist trail.
Be sure to comment and get in touch if you need more details about the locations featured in this episode!
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https://www.instagram.com/melaniecasul
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website
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In this sizzling hot episode coming from a sweltering Thành Phố HCM, we unpack 5 news items that riled us up and got us hot under the collar this week, including a polarising review of Saigon's nightlife, the revelation (or not) that sugar babies are artfully using social media to snare their sugar daddies, and the release of an English-language song by mega-Vietnamese pop star Song Tung M-TP that requires captions for us to understand. Wrapping the episode up, we get our red flags out and give our avid listeners a list of 5 things they should look out for when choosing street food vendors in Saigon.
Follow Matt on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mattcowanasia
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website at www.thebureauasia.com
In this Reunification Day long weekend episode in Vietnam, we share a carefully-curated a list of lists sourced from the past week's news and social media that our loyal listeners will either love or – quite possibly – hate! Everybody loves a good list, so we're pretty confident you'll like ours! Then we review this month's much-anticipated Netflix release A Tourist's Guide to Love that was filmed in Vietnam last year. Be sure to hang around to find out how many 'banh mis' out of 5 we give this sappy rom-com that was pretty much universally panned on social media in Vietnam upon its release.
Whenever you visit Vung Tau for a short break, be sure to stay at Coco Homestay:
https://www.facebook.com/homestayhotelcoco66halong
Looking for a love hotel? Check these out. Just don't tell them Matt sent you!
https://thebureauasia.com/2018/09/01/bonita-signature-hotel/
https://thebureauasia.com/2018/05/06/playing-cupid/
https://thebureauasia.com/2018/01/06/the-love-den/
Watch Matt's short video 'Vietnam's Bali?'
https://www.facebook.com/reel/995225138520892
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We recap what we got up to this past week, then in response to a recent listicle in the Australian media, we create our own "6 Things Vietnam Does Better Than Australia" list followed by a handful of other news items that caught our attention this week. The highlight of the episode (39'00) however, is guest Michael Brosowski who's the founder of Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, an NGO that's been fighting slavery and human trafficking for the past two decades.
Follow Michael on Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/michael-brosowski
Learn more about Blue Dragon Children's Foundation www.linkedin.com/company/blue-dragon-children's-foundation
Check out the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation website www.bluedragon.org
Read Micheal's blog lifeisalongstory.com/about-me-about-this-blog
Watch Matt's REEL from his visit to see the "Pope Mobile" in Las Pinas, Manila https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cmds_O5jyaP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Watch Matt riding shotgun in a jeepney in Manila https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmbWIqtjSb-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Listen to Matt's "Vietnamese food" episode https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vietnamese-food-isnt-actually-healthy/id1669942888?i=1000598022808
Follow Matt on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mattcowanasia
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website at www.thebureauasia.com
As usual, Mel joins me to discuss the news and happenings for the week in Vietnam and the region, and then we call in Saigon-based hospitality guru and communications consultant, Chris Thompson, who helps us get our head around why just one restaurant in Vietnam made it into this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurant list.
Connect with Chris on Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/chris-thompson-079a88223/
Follow Chris on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ctsaigon06/
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website at www.thebureauasia.com
In this episode, we review the week that was in Saigon, then we try to get to the bottom of why littering is rampant in Vietnam with the help of RMIT Vietnam lecturer and researcher, Dr Justin Pang.
Connect with Dr Pang at www.linkedin.com/in/dr-justin-matthew-pang-jmpang/
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website at www.thebureauasia.com
In this episode, we air our gripes about road users in Vietnam, chat about the "awards" season in Southeast Asia and beyond, and review a Japanese steakhouse that passed under our noses for years before we tried it. Then we wrap up the episode with a list of 10 things YOU SHOULDN'T DO when visiting Saigon!
Try out Il Corda when in Saigon for a steak! (*We paid our own way)
https://www.facebook.com/ilcorda
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Matt and Mel popped over to Thailand recently for a short break and during their little sojourn to the Land of Smiles, they came to the realisation of just how freaking loud and grubby their hometown of Saigon is in comparison to Bangkok! Matt also surprises Mel with a gift in the form of a "radio commercial" to promote free tickets for this month's upcoming Coracle Music Festival on the beaches of Mui Ne in Vietnam!
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Check out The Bureau Asia Website at www.thebureauasia.com
In this teaser from The Love Episode (out on Valentine's Day), we find out one stereotype about Vietnamese women in the bedroom.
Listen to the full episode here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NbyBSc76RD4ZnlZmNLsHx?si=KExzx6zRSL2p16k0Skq8aw
Subscribe to The Bureau Asia on YouTube and help Matt reach 1,000 subscribers! https://www.youtube.com/@TheBureauAsia/videos
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On this Valentine's Day episode, we preview upcoming Netflix release A Tourist's Guide To Love which was filmed in Vietnam last year and is due to drop on April 27, then we call good friend Stella to ask her some of our burning questions about love and relationships in Vietnam – don't miss it!
Subscribe to The Bureau Asia on YouTube and help Matt reach 1,000 subscribers! https://www.youtube.com/@TheBureauAsia/videos
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Fakeness abounds in Southeast Asia which makes it rife in Vietnam, too! Sometimes, however, it can be life threatening.
Taken from the Vietnam V The Philippines: Who's winning??? episode. Check it out here:
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4M0h8ZWq6W6dKj8lGQRsFz?si=501791efb3ed45ee
ANCHOR: https://anchor.fm/thebureaupodcast/episodes/Vietnam-V-The-Philippines-Whos-winning-e1ucui4
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vietnam-v-the-philippines-whos-winning/id1478396971?i=1000597807814
Vietnam and the Philippines share a lot of common ground and are just a 2-hour flight from each other. The Philippines has long enjoyed a head start in its development, but in the last decade, Vietnam has made up a lot of ground to challenge its neighbour as more liveable. In this episode, we compare the two countries against indicators such as political stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education and infrastructure. So, who comes out on top?!
Rock music history fans, check out Matt's recent episode on the history of rock music in Vietnam:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0UfkoPVUbWEGVig6zC1V0Z?si=b2554f3c0dc24c78
Subscribe to The Bureau Asia on YouTube and help Matt reach 1,000 subscribers! https://www.youtube.com/@TheBureauAsia/videos
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Here's a short clip from the Manila episode called It's NOT always fun in the Philippines! Listen to the full podcast here on The Bureau Podcast and let me know what you think!
Full episode link: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/YykCCA2aSwb
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We're shown a lot of what's FUN about the Philippines by YouTubers "pinoybaiting" their adoring Filipino fans BUT to hell with that, we're giving you what's NOT always FUN about the land of adobo and lechon kawali and aim to bait you with the facts! Here are 5 things you need to consider before planning your trip to the Philippines!
Watch my Philippines Adventures on The Bureau Asia YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBureauAsia
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After the news, I interview the incomparable Bill Bensley who's brought to life more than 200 hotels and resorts in over 30 countries, including five amazing properties in Vietnam. Bill is widely regarded as one of the finest designers of our time and is responsible for designing Capella Ubud in Bali – a resort with ultra-luxurious tents that in 2020 was voted the best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine. During the interview, we find out what he's cooking up in Africa and how he typically approaches his projects. After that, Mel drops by to chat about Detour – a new French-style cafe in Ho Chi Minh City inspired by the Mediterranean vibes of southern France, while I tell her about my boat trip up the Saigon River to the Lady Trieu gin distillery! Let's get into it!
See more of Bill's work on his website: www.billbensley.com
Follow Bill on Instagram: www.instagram.com/billbensley
Connect with Bill on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-bensley-336984b3
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After the news, I interview highly-respected Australian journalist, food writer and restaurant critic John Lethlean who’s been motorbike riding up in the north of Vietnam for the past couple of weeks on holiday. John’s been writing about hospitality and reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years for some of Australia’s largest publications, including The Age and The Australian newspapers, and is about to embark on a new journey having written his last review for The Weekend Australian magazine last weekend. To wrap up the episode, Mel swings by to chat about some new restaurant openings and menus around town.
Follow John on Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnlethlean
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After the news for the week, Matt interviews emerging Vietnamese poet Quynh Nguyen after the release of her first book of poetry called When Dead Birds See The Light a collection of 16 poems with love as the theme running throughout. She explains the process of publishing her debut book and opens up about love in her own life. After that, The Bureau Asia's Content Manager, Mel, pops by for a chat about her "royal watching" this week, road rage and her lack of driving skills! Meanwhile, Matt bemoans how the worsening traffic conditions in Ho Chi Minh City may eventually become a deal breaker.
Get yourself a copy of Quynh's book here:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/When-Dead-Birds-See-Light/dp/B0B1FVB3JP
Paperbacks https://paperbacks.vn/
Ohquao https://ohquao.com/
Follow Quynh on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quynhnguyen.author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthor_quynh/
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Visit The Bureau Asia website: https://thebureauasia.com
As usual this season, Matt kicks off the episode with some of the latest news from Vietnam from the past week or so, followed by an interview with Wink Hotels brand director David Kaye, then to wrap it up, The Bureau Asia's content manager Melanie Casul pops by to make some cheeky cold calls to concierges at some of Ho Chi Minh City's finest hotels for dining and drinking recommendations. How do they fair?
Follow David on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cavestagram
Check out Wink Hotels: https://www.instagram.com/winkhotels
Check out The Dot Magazine: https://thedotmagazine.com
Check out Capella Hanoi: https://www.instagram.com/capellahanoi
Check out JW Marriott Phu Quoc: https://www.instagram.com/jwmarriottphuquoc
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After five big news stories that hit the headlines in Vietnam this past week or so, I interview Joleena Seah who hasn't stopped travelling since travel restrictions were eased post-Covid. To wrap up the episode, I review three of the four stunning Bill Bensley-designed luxury resorts in Vietnam.
Follow Joleena's travels on Instagram: www.instagram.com/joleenaseah
Follow Joleena's PR work on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joleenaseah
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I'm back this season all on my lonesome without Mel and Andy to hold my hand nor (more importantly) to stuff things up or get into arguments! First up in this episode, some Vietnam news, followed by an interview with a fellow who's been living out of a suitcase for the past 20 years as he follows his digital nomadic life across Asia and the rest of the world. To close out the episode, I review a new bar opening in the former gangster heartland of District 4 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Follow Nomadic Notes:
Website – www.nomadicnotes.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/nomadicnotes
Instagram – instagram.com/nomadicnotes
Get a taste of what's in store during this Ho Chi Minh City Audio Trail Preview in which your guide, Matt, introduces some of the highlights of his audio walk through the Nguyen Thai Binh neighbourhood of Ho Chi Minh City, which just so happens to be the city's first Chinatown!
Your guide, Matt, has been living in Ho Chi Minh City since 2010 and calls Vietnam home. He'll guide you through one of his favourite neighbourhoods – the tasty and very historic Nguyen Thai Binh in District 1 named after a South Vietnamese anti-war activist who was posthumously conferred national hero status after his premature death. The neighbourhood is also home to the city's oldest Cantonese community and was the first "Chinatown" so expect plenty of opportunities to eat and chat to locals during this highly-engaging walk that takes around 2-3 hours depending on your appetite and curiosity!
In this episode, our first for 2022, we unpack some Vietnam news stories that have caught our attention over the past week, we deep dive into the Vietnamese bride trade to South Korea, after which we take a look at what fascinates YouTubers about our city, Ho Chi Minh, and Vietnam, and how their videos sometimes annoy us. Then to wrap up what is a funny, irreverent, but at times, serious episode, Matt reviews French-inspired Cafe Marcel and its naughtily named newcomer to their menu, the Eggslut!
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
Also on:
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
I hope you enjoy the teaser for my first self-guided audio walking experience of Ho Chi Minh City. The full episode is still in production, but should be ready to go pretty soon! Please give it a listen and I invite you to comment, share, like and give feedback so that I can incorporate your ideas into the first episode before I publish it. Thanks in advance – and keep walking! Matt
This sporty episode is on-location at Baseball Cage in District 7, a bar with four batting cages, beers and fun vibes. We talk Vietnamese sports and our own tragic sporting careers, followed by an interesting interview with Australian pro-triathlete, Tim Van Berkel, who is one of the world's top athletes in the sport of triathlon.
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
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Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority has submitted a 4-phase plan for the resumption of international flights to Vietnam, and in the meantime, recommends travellers from 15 countries be allowed to holiday here, including those from China, Russia, Cambodia and Thailand, among others. So our China expert, Andy, reveals what Chinese travellers will be looking for in their travel experience to Vietnam, while Mel, our...err..cough...cough...Russia "expert" tells us the hotspots our friends from Moscow will be zeroing in on. Matt also surprises when he reveals that it's common for Cambodians to visit Vietnam for medical and beauty reasons, including for nips and tucks and other "bolt on" accessories. In addition, The Bureau Crew leave time to give a big f**k you to critics who have nothing better to do but hate from way up on their high horses.
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
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Bars and restaurants are beginning to reopen in Ho Chi Minh City, so Matt, Mel & Andy discuss what it will take for establishments to entice them out of their homes. Also, Facebook and Instagram are tweaking vanity metrics, so what does this mean for influencers and content creators? Then, food trends in Ho Chi Minh City over the past couple of years – which ones are legit and which ones are simply taking the piss?!
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
Join our growing Discord Chat:
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Now that Ho Chi Minh City has slowly begun to open up allowing double-vaxed citizens to leave their homes and travel across districts, we finally get to have co-host Andy Tran in the room for the first time ever! We talk about Ho Chi Minh City's remarkable Covid-19 turnaround that's seen it go from hard lockdown with a 24/7 curfew one week, to bars and restaurants being allowed to open in District 7 the next. In a slightly controversial segment, we call out some headlines and social media updates by influential people that we deem to be simply untrue, and then follow it up with a handful of stereotypes about Vietnamese people that will surely make the snowflakes among us melt.
All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!
Website: www.thebureauasia.com
Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia
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Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu
The hard social distancing measures that have kept Ho Chi Minh City residents confined to their homes for the past two months have finally been lifted. Matt, Mel and Andy talk about what they can and can't do until the next directive. Meanwhile, the private company that manages Saigon Zoo has asked both the public and the local government for funding to keep one of the world's oldest zoos open. Then they have a go at creating a short ad each in an attempt to entice foreigners to come to Vietnam to live.
All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!
Website: www.thebureauasia.com
Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia
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Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu
A recent online magazine ranking of the best cities in the world inspires Matt, Mel & Andy to come up with a list of 9 Best Streets in Ho Chi Minh City to visit, which is then followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the value of backpackers in Vietnam and whether they should be encouraged to return as soon as travel restrictions ease. A highlight is the expert comments and opinion by Dr Nuno Ribeiro, a senior lecturer and leading researcher in tourism and hospitality at RMIT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, who sheds light on the narrative at all levels regarding the arguments for and against their return.
All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!
Website: www.thebureauasia.com
Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia
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Our resident Milliennial Andy gives Gen-Xers Matt and Mel a quick lesson on language they're clearly too old for in a lighthearted segment that includes their suggestions for 2021's Word of the Year before they tone things down to remember the tragedy of 9/11 – 20 years on since the terrorist attacks in the US that shook the world. In this segment they recall what they were doing at the very moment the World Trade Centre twin towers collapsed, which is followed by a quiz featuring some of the world's most historical moments. As usual there's an update on Ho Chi Minh City news and its Covid-19 situation, including a discussion on the potential issues confronting venues and patrons once bars and restaurants reopen. Wrapping up the show is a segment for anyone who's missing travel in which some truly unique experiences in the Philippines are revealed, followed by Matt, Mel and Andy's dream trips in Vietnam they want to take once road trips are allowed again.
All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
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Vietnam remains under 24/7 curfew, and with caseloads increasing, there appears to be no end in sight for the pandemic. Yet, amid this gloomy forecast, some hope for those of us confined to our homes has emerged as the Prime Minister implies via the media that lockdowns can't go on forever and that the country needs to move on. We also interview Dr Nuno Ribeiro, a senior lecturer and leading researcher in tourism and hospitality at RMIT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, about the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on travel businesses in Vietnam, including what steps will be taken to open up a travel industry that reported approximately US$33 billion in tourism revenue in 2019 but is now in tatters.
All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
For the full interview with Dr Nuno Ribeiro, visit our YouTube Channel:
The Bureau Asia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmo8lbl_vZo
Website: https://thebureauasia.com
While US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Hanoi this week with very little fanfare, the same can't be said of Vietnam's military who landed in Ho Chi Minh City to manage the city's Covid-19 crisis. In a true act of winning the hearts and minds of the citizens – especially the hearts – the boys in green lit up social media in Vietnam's biggest town with steaming images of them topless sorting out rations on the streets and in warehouses. Tiktokers, both straight and not, city-wide hoped that the eventual knock at their front door would be from the scantily-clad footslogger of their dreams delivering essential goodies and saving the day from evil. Meanwhile, this rollicking episode wraps up with a tasty chat about what unusual Vietnamese ingredient Matt, Mel and Andy would like to see in a burger. All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast. Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia Website: https://thebureauasia.com Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu
Matt, Mel & Andy provide fresh updates on Ho Chi Minh City's increasing Covid-19 caseload, how the current curfew from 6pm to 6am is affecting the city, and what can be expected with the latest announcement that from August 23, the city will be under curfew 24/7 indefinitely with the military in place to ensure everything goes to plan. Despite arguably the strictest lockdown on the planet, Vietnam is still playing with the idea of a travel bubble agreement with other countries and has earmarked Phu Quoc as a possible destination. Meanwhile, the old Saigon was in the news again this week with images of the US military's withdrawal from Kabul conjuring up reminders of its withdrawal from Saigon almost 50 years ago. Off the back of that, each of the crew recommend a historic place in Vietnam to visit once travel is open again. The episode concludes on a lighter note with a pirate story too crazy to be true!
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
LINK TO THE OLD CIA BUILDING: https://thebureauasia.com/2020/12/01/the-fall-of-saigon-1975-now-you-can-visit-the-rooftop-made-famous-by-hubert-van-es/
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Join Matt, Mel & Andy talking superstitions, Pizza Hut and Vietnam's own Pizza 4Ps in Cambodia, the Nas Daily backlash in the Philippines, and what it's like trying to make a living in Vietnam as an influencer or content creator.
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
Also on:
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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
Join our growing Discord Community:
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Some restaurants and bars in Ho Chi Minh City are offering vouchers as an alternative form of cash flow during forced closures - good idea or not? Meanwhile, one of our favourite neighbourhoods in District 1 is but a shadow of its former self. Our new co-host AT has flip flops on the ground there and he provides a grim-looking snapshot of the alleyway in which he lives. As this is all going on, Aussies in Vietnam are divided over the Australian Embassy's stance on accessibility to Covid-19 vaccines, and both Mel and AT call out tone deafness on social media at a time when discretion is probably the best policy.
All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.
Also on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia
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Website: https://thebureauasia.com
Join our growing Discord Chat:
https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu
The history of Vietnam's largest city has had as many twists and turns as a best-selling thriller. The truth it seems really is stranger than fiction. How did a small group of river pirates led by a man who would become a national hero, emerge from the swamps south of Saigon to become a fully-fledged army fighting for independence against the French?
For more information and stories about Vietnam, visit thebureauasia.com
The history of Vietnam's largest city has had as many twists and turns as a best-selling thriller. The truth it seems really is stranger than fiction. How did a small group of river pirates led by a man who would become a national hero, emerge from the swamps south of Saigon to become a fully-fledged army fighting for independence against the French?
For more information and stories about Vietnam, visit thebureauasia.com
This is my entry for the 2021 My RODE Cast competition!
It's a 2-minute teaser for my Blood Debt episode about the legend of a small neighbourhood in central Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Give it a listen, and if you like it, support me by voting for it at myrodecast.com/listen
The full episode can be found HERE
Wish me luck!
1975 and Vietnam was finally at peace and reunified after centuries of fighting for its independence. The victors set about renaming every street and neighbourhood in the former South after national heroes and significant others who helped create and defend the nation. This is how Ho Chi Minh City got its name. Today, in the city centre, there's a small neighbourhood named after a young South Vietnamese university student from the Mekong Delta called Nguyen Thai Binh who at the height of ant-war demonstrations in the United States became a beacon for peace on its university campuses across the country. But he was stripped of his scholarship and sent home to South Vietnam to face the music as a result of what he stood for. This is one of the few known stories about a man who stood for peace at a time when it was deadly to do so. What happened to him?
For more information and stories about Vietnam, visit thebureauasia.com
The charming seaside town of Vung Tau is just a 2-hour drive or ferry ride from Ho Chi Minh City and is typically regarded as a place just to get away from the city for the weekend to enjoy the fresh sea breeze and ocean views. But, in fact, it's little known that Vung Tau is actually one of the best destinations in Vietnam for foodies.
In this episode, your host, Matt, introduces you to 5 of the best 'no name' joints to eat local Vietnamese food that you can only find if you're "in the know!"
By the end of this podcast you'll be in the know, too!
Find out where some of the best snails can be found under a tree on the corner of a T-intersection that many of the locals don't even know about, or the place where a banh xeo lady spins up to four woks at a time and looks like a DJ spinning tunes at their decks, and discover what the odd looking creature is in a piping hot bowl of bun be be.
That and more in this tasty little episode that's educational, fun and downright mouth-watering.
If you'd like more info on the places featured in this episode, visit thebureauasia.com for the complete article, including pictures and video for each dish!
Vũng Tàu, a beachside town approximately 100km southeast of Hồ Chí Minh City (Vietnam's biggest city), is often left off the itineraries of international travellers and dismissed by expats as a seedy getaway for men wanting to escape the city to get up to no good behind closed doors.
But as Matt and Mel discuss, Vũng Tàu deserves more respect. It's long been loved by the Vietnamese for beach holidays and has arguably one of Vietnam's tastiest foodie scenes, after all, it's regarded as the home of bánh khọt, everybody's favourite little deep-fried snack.
It also has a rich history. Vũng Tàu's name has changed multiple times, it once harboured Malay pirates tracking the busy trade routes that ran up and down Vietnam's east coast, the Portuguese popped by for a bit, along with the French, and there's been a sizeable Russian community living here for decades.
And to top it off, the fisherfolk worship whales.
Playlist
00:00 - 01: 55 Intro
01:55 - 08: 03 The basics about Vũng Tàu (getting there, weather, lifestyle & sights)
08:07 - 12:37 A brief history
12:41 - 22:36 Food
22:41 - 26: 58 Cool discoveries (an ocean view cafe, a pool by the beach & a mega Club Sandwich)
27: 02 - 38:48 Whale worshipping & the small fishing village of Phước Hải
38: 53 - End (41:31)
For more about the places, addresses & locations Matt visited in this episode, be sure to check out:
Website: https://thebureauasia.com
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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH9Y7j-cBFe9rWNHtVCArEg
Follow Matt:
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2beIeu-y4Z33mnKqE5u6cg (coming soon!)
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The Bureau Podcast theme & bumper by Lionel Valdellon at http://acid42.com
In this long-awaited return of The Bureau Podcast after a lengthy hiatus, The Chief (Matt Cowan) gets Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam editor-at-large Chris Thompson on the blower who tells us whether or not his predictions came true for Vietnam hospitality trends during this weird and unpredictable era of COVID-19. Chris also reveals what F&B trends are emerging and are likely to become a “thing” moving into 2021, and he tells us about one place Saigoners really must visit, especially while international tourists for the moment are absent. After that, we deep-dive into the prickly and controversial world of influencer marketing, celebrities, content creators and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram with The Bureau’s own content manager Melanie Casul who also happens to lecture on digital marketing at RMIT Vietnam in Saigon. She enlightens us on what digital marketing actually is, points out the amount of tiers (no, not tears) of influencers there are and what they constitute, including at the same time letting Matt down gently once he comes to the realisation that he’s not a micro-influencer at all and perhaps just scrapes in as a nano-influencer - either way, he's at the bottom of the heap! Beers are never too far from the microphones during the recording of any Bureau Podcast and this time is no different. Matt and Mel blind taste a couple of locally-made craft frothies, Pasteur Street Brewing Co's Pomelo IPA and a newcomer to the scene, Mix Tape’s Peaches & Cream IPA. Somehow after that, they manage to get through Get Excited where they tell each other which venue in Saigon has got them excited, before finishing off with the cheeky new fun segment Insta-worthless, where Matt calls out a couple of Instagram accounts for their whacked updates that you would never be able to come up with in a million years! Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, stop, pop the top off a cold one, sit down and enjoy the listen.
With the biggest public health crisis we’ve confronted this century playing out, it's forced us indoors for the foreseeable future. Governments are demanding that we stay home and leave only for essential purposes like grocery shopping or medical checkups.
Schools have been closed for most of the year in Vietnam, students aren’t likely to return until at least June and workers in non-essential industries have either been stood down or are required to work from home until further notice.
As this existential threat to our health and livelihoods is mostly seen as coming from beyond the four walls of our homes, what about the impact it’s having within them?
To find out, I spoke to health and fitness professional Phil Kelly, the founder and master trainer of Body Expert Systems based in Ho Chi Minh City.
We ask Phil the following questions:
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What impact has COVID-19 had on the health and fitness industry in Vietnam?
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How quickly do you believe the industry will bounce back and why?
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How have you adapted your program/s to the restrictions that have been put in place?
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What advice and activities do you have to keep us moving?
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Are there any online challenges that we should just simply avoid?
When you think of Italy, you think of great food and wine and great cities like Milan and Venice.
In 2018, over 60 million tourists visited Italy, making it the 5th most visited country in the world behind France, Spain, the US and China.
Meanwhile, Venice is Italy’s most popular city for tourists with close to 28 million foreign visitors checking out its romantic canals and architecture in 2017.
However, sadly, Italy has become the epicentre of the COVID-19 spread, with the highest number of recorded deaths from the virus (at the time of recording this episode).
To find out more about life on the ground in Venice, we speak to world-renowned Venetian tattoo artist, Crez, who operates from his Adrenalink studio in Marghera, not far from his city’s tourist mecca.
Crez is one of just 100 tattoo artists globally who earned the right to be included in Anna Felicity Friedman’s World Atlas of Tattoo published in 2015 – an honour that recognises inductees as the most significant practitioners in the history of tattooing.
He also has a strong connection to Vietnam.
We ask Crez the following questions:
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Where in Venice are you in relation to the tourist areas that many people listening would know about?
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How has your neighbourhood been affected?
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How will this change Italy?
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Usually you would be spending your days tattooing people, how are you spending your days at the moment?
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You have a strong affinity with Asia, including with Vietnam, what message do you have for listeners in this part of the world?
In this episode of The Bureau Podcast, we're celebrating the first 10 Bureau Bites episodes, our new shortened "pod-bite" series in which we interview a whole bunch of interesting people with a connection to Vietnam. In this first part of two, we revisit the first five stories which delve into the impact COVID-19 is having on travel and hospitality in Vietnam. And for a little added extra fun, we mix it up with a playlist of songs befitting of the stories and the pandemic experience we're going through right now. So crack the top off your favourite beer or mix up your favourite tipple and kickback for 30 minutes as Matt and Mel recap with a mix of fact, fiction and fun.
Vietnam can be quite a perilous place to live. Traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of fatalities in the country. While the number of fatalities has been steadily falling each year from around 14,000 deaths in 2010 to around 7,600 in 2019, there were still 48 reported traffic accidents that claimed 21 lives per day last year on our roads. Meanwhile, drownings remain the leading cause of death for children in Vietnam. A conservative estimate suggests that on average, 16 people drown every day in Vietnam, a rate that is believed to be ten times that of developed countries. And then there are all the other dangers at workplaces and around the home that pose a risk to everyday life. Fortunately, however, there are a few organisations in Vietnam that are working with government departments to turn things around. One of those is Survival Skills Vietnam, a social enterprise that strives to raise awareness of hazards in our environment and who conducts first aid and evacuation training for businesses and the general public. To find out more about Survival Skills Vietnam, we spoke to co-founder Trang Nguyen, who’s based in Ho Chi Minh City.
We ask Trang the following questions:
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Why is there a need for social enterprises like Survival Skills Vietnam?
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What have been some of the challenges you and your co-founders have faced in setting up your organisation?
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What are some of the myths associated with survival skills and first aid in Vietnam?
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What are some everyday things that people typically overlook around home that can be dangerous?
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What are the essentials for an at-home survival kit?
Singapore has been widely praised internationally for its efforts in containing COVID-19 and limiting fatalities to two people so far. But concern is afoot as the number of COVID-19 cases in the small island state has doubled over a 48-hour timespan, with an estimated 200,000 citizens yet to return home from overseas. Meanwhile, the livelihoods of just about everyone in every industry have been hard hit, no less so for people working in the entertainment and creative industries in Singapore. In order to find out more about how Singaporeans are coping with COVID-19 and more, we speak to Singaporean actor, host, environmental activist and Netflix' Singapore Social star, Paul Foster.
We ask Paul the following questions:
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How are things in Singapore at the moment?
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How have you been spending your time since the COVID-19 crisis started?
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What is it about Singapore and Singaporeans' ability to simply get things done?
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What environmental projects are you currently involved in?
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Is there going to be a Season 2 of Singapore Social?
As of March 25, the Vietnamese Government reported that there has been a total of 141 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak, with 17 of those having fully recovered already, which leaves 124 cases, with 93 of those being Vietnamese and the rest foreign. It's a very impressive result so far, indeed, although those numbers have risen since this recording. According to the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, “the virus is somewhere near everyone, thus anyone may contract it and transmit it to others if we do not seriously abide by official instructions.” One of the best-known directives the world over is for people to social distance and stay home, easier said than done if you don't have anything fulfilling to do. One person in Saigon who’s been keeping himself occupied with a side project for quite a while now, is Doru Tudose. By night he’s a DJ, but by day, he’s building his own electric car.
We ask Doru the following questions:
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How’s the social distancing going?
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Tell us more about your electric car.
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What does the average Saigonese need to do to help the environment?
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What impact has COVID-19 had on nightlife in Saigon and how will it affect it in the long term?
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Who should we be listening to at the moment while we’re practising our social distancing?
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Is there any chance you have a playlist for social distancing that we can share on thebureauasia.com?!
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
The Australian Government has increased measures in its bid to stem the rise of COVID-19 infection rates across its states and territories. They include operating bans on pubs, gyms and indoor sporting venues, cinemas and nightclubs, restaurants and cafes, and places of worship, and include the avoidance of non-essential travel. While the Australian Government has acknowledged that these new restrictions will change the way Australians live, with business owners and their employees being severely affected, what of Australians and Australian businesses in Vietnam? Where do they find themselves in all of this? In order to find out more, we spoke to Simon Fraser, the executive director of AusCham, who is based in Ho Chi Minh City.
We asked Simon the following questions:
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How would you describe your past week?
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How have Australian businesses in Vietnam been faring since COVID-19 has ramped up?
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What financial support or otherwise will Australian businesses in Vietnam receive, if any?
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Does a contingency plan for Australians and Australians with business interests in Vietnam exist should COVID-19 escalate further and continue well into the year and perhaps into next year?
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What advice is there for Australian business owners in Vietnam at the moment, especially for those that have been or will be hit hard by the situation?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
Walter Mason is an Australian author who has been visiting Vietnam since 1994 and since then has kept coming back. He has travelled the country with a Vietnamese-Australian monk, stayed in remote monasteries, and spent six months back in 1999 studying Vietnamese language at the Ho Chi Minh City Social Sciences University. Walter has a lifelong interest in Eastern spirituality (he's a practising Buddhist) and Vietnamese food. In 2010, he published his first book, an entertaining travel memoir called Destination Saigon, which he says is "a love letter to Vietnam." In 2013, he followed up the book with Destination Cambodia, another memoir but this time about his adventures in the Kingdom and the reasons why the country has drawn him back again and again since his youth. We were able to speak briefly with Walter over the phone while he was visiting Saigon last week before he had to rush back home to Sydney to be with his family.
We asked Walter the following questions:
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How long have you been coming to Vietnam?
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Which places would you recommend travellers to visit in Vietnam?
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How would you describe Destination Saigon to people looking for a great read?
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How has your trip been this time round with the Coronavirus playing out?
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What differences have you noticed in the way Vietnamese are reacting to the Coronavirus compared to Australians?
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Do you have any uplifting stories about Vietnam amidst all the depressing ones we've been hearing and reading about?
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Is there a new book in the pipeline?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
The outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide has dominated the news for weeks now with stories of illness, death, economic hardship and isolation. This means there hasn’t been many positive, uplifting, feel-good stories at the top of local and international news feeds. However, recent stories like the reappearance of dolphins in Venice and the visibility of fish in its canals began to catch our attention. There were also reports of a group of elephants that had apparently sauntered into a village in Yunnan, China, got drunk off corn wine and then passed out in a tea garden. It appeared that animals were bouncing back and in the meantime raising our spirits at a time of despair. But were these stories really true?
We spoke to Megan Ly from PR Newswire based in Ho Chi Minh City and asked her the following questions:
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Why do so many untruths go viral?
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What example comes to mind of an untruth on Vietnamese social media that went viral recently?
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So how can consumers of news and social media safeguard themselves better from being “scammed” by fake news?
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And finally, do you have a memorable uplifting “true” story that has come across your desk at PR Newswire since the news of the COVID-19 virus broke?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
In a previous episode, we reported that bars and nightclubs in all of Saigon's 24 districts were to be closed from Sunday, March 15th from 6pm. However, a high-profile case has emerged since, where a British man unknowingly carrying COVID-19 visited a District 2 bar on multiple occasions after the supposed lockdown. It's created anxiety within the tight-knit community and has raised questions about a seemingly grey area between the definition of what's a bar and what's not.
We ask hospitality industry insider Richie Fawcett from The Studio Saigon his thoughts on the situation and its possible impact on the hospitality industry in Saigon for the foreseeable future.
We ask him the following questions:
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What are your thoughts given that there was supposed to be a lockdown on bars in all districts of Saigon?
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What impact is COVID-19 going to have on the hospitality industry in Saigon for the foreseeable future?
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What innovations in hospitality do yo predict might come out of all this?
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If he were to create a cocktail to sum up the situation we find ourselves in, what would it be like?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
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The Vietnamese Government has moved swiftly in its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
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Travellers entering the country or who have travelled or transited through COVID-19 hotspots will go into quarantine (as of recording date).
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Some businesses have been directly affected and forced to close after unknowingly serving patrons carrying the virus.
We talk to Stanley Boots, founder of 7 Bridges Brewing Co. in Danang, who, along with his staff of 45, has been under house quarantine for almost two weeks after it was discovered two patrons carrying COVID-19 had visited his Danang taproom.
We ask him:
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What exactly happened?
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How is life under house quarantine?
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What does the future hold for 7 Bridges Brewing Co.?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Episode Background
- The Vietnamese Government has announced temporary changes to the entry & exit of foreigners due to Coronavirus
- Visas on arrival for all foreign nationals have been suspended
- Vietnam's tourism industry has been decimated with estimated losses starting at US$7 billion for the first quarter of 2020
We ask Linh Le, principal founder of Luxperia, an inbound travel company tailoring boutique travel experiences throughout Asia, the following questions:
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What impact is COVID-19 having on tourism in Vietnam at the moment?
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What are the short-term and long-term repercussions that the industry can expect?
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What are companies like Luxperia doing to survive this downturn?
Bureau Bites is a regular "pod-bite" bringing you the latest news from Vietnam and the region.
Background
- City officials have decided it's time to close bars and nightclubs in Saigon indefinitely in a bid to contain COVID-19
- Restaurants remain open
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Chris Thompson (editor-at-large Harper's Bazaar Vietnam magazine) answers these questions:
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What immediate impact is the decision to close bars and clubs going to have on businesses in the hospitality industry?
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Why have restaurants been spared for now?
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What's the long-term impact going to be for Saigon's hospitality industry?
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What options are there for people who still want to dine out or go for a drink?
In this "sporty" episode on location at much-loved Saigon pub Coolabah, we celebrate International Women's Day with special guest Naomi Skinner (namrunsnam.com) who has spent the past 6 months running 2,000km from Hanoi to Saigon to raise money for charity. On her rest day, she pops in and tells us over a few sneaky "rehydrating" beers about her odyssey and how she reckons roadside dogs in southern Vietnam are way more chilled than their northern counterparts who, she says, "chase to kill". On the panel, Matt and Mel are joined by the effervescent Jackie Lam who's filling in for Mike this episode. Jackie is a wine connoisseur and with her husband has grown a successful wine distribution business called RADA Vietnam (ilovewines.vn) supplying premium Australian wines to consumers Vietnam-wide. We also find out that she loves nothing better than (with a glass of vino in hand, of course) watching her AFL Sydney Swans boys run around the field in their tighty tight shorts and flexing their rippling muscles . We also get on The Bureau Hotline and cold-call concierges from three 5-star hotels in Saigon and ask them to recommend a bar and a restaurant to take our lovely lady for International Women's Day. #GetExcited
In the 2020 return of The Bureau Podcast, Matt, Mike & Mel get straight into Bureau Bites, a segment in which they tell each other what they've got up to related to F&B in Saigon since the previous episode. Mel revisits some old favourite dining haunts from over a decade ago, Mike let's us know about a new burger joint in town, and Matt introduces his #MealsOnWheels side project on Instagram that has him visiting the best street food joints he can find on his motorbike. During The Bureau Hotline segment, the 3M's give carnivore-turned-vegan Hien Tran a call. Hien is passionate about sustainable food production, animal welfare, farming, cooking and eating. He has his own blog called Green Schug (www.greenschug.com) and is also a mentor for Challenge22 (www.challenge22.com), a project that supports people transitioning towards becoming vegan. Then in the final segment Get Excited, the trio reveal one thing each that's got them excited about trying. #GetExcited!
In this "Royal-themed" episode with Matt, Mike & Mel, The Bureau Briefs returns in which Mel gives a big tick of approval to an iconic Saigon teahouse & bakery that has reopened its doors, but then stunningly cries "foul" over a much-hyped (and highly-rated) flame grilled chicken restaurant new to town. Meanwhile, Mike pays out on Matt for taking him on their own wild goose chase in search of a new Japanese-themed venue out the back blocks of Thu Duc. We give the Queen of Sambal, Imelda Van der Wulp of Imelda's Kitchen, a call and she talks us through an eye-watering taste test of her beautifully fragrant and spicy new batch of authentic Indonesian sambal made right here in Saigon, after which we roll out the first category of our Best of The Bureau 2019 cocktail bars. Finally, as usual, we give a shout out to some interesting social media accounts that we like from Vietnam and the region, followed by our final observations on what's happening in hospitality in Saigon. #GetExcited!
In another fun-packed episode with Matt, Mike & Mel, The Bureau Briefs is back bigger than ever in which we chat about some of the many events we wriggled our way into AND didn’t quite make it to over the past two weeks, we get the lowdown on the Harper's Bazaar Vietnam Star Awards night of nights, we get all fuzzy and excited about some new arrivals on the Saigon foodie scene, and we announce the prizes for next month's Movember.
This episode The Bureau Briefs is back with some of the events we wriggled our way into over the past fortnight, we drool over some of Saigon’s best set lunches for business meetings as recommended by 5-star hotel concierges about the city, then we get all fuzzy and excited about some new arrivals on the scene, and finally, we give a shout out to some of our favourite influencers. Get excited!
In this episode of The Bureau Podcast we’re at long-running, neighbourhood favourite Ruby Soho, a Saigon bar dedicated to pop-culture and the love of music, we introduce The Bureau Briefs, a new segment in which we review our past week or so in hospitality, we reveal what's got us excited in F&B since our last episode, and we chat to our headliner, French animator and Ruby Soho owner, Fred Serra, about his radio station project that creates playlists to dine for. Mike also gets humiliated by Mel in our pub quiz! Get excited!
This week on The Bureau Podcast we’re at The Studio Saigon and we chat about what’s got us excited in F&B in Saigon since our last episode, the "bartist" Richie Fawcett steps in for Mike who's gone MIA in Danang, and we chat with architect Dr Hoanh Tran about Saigon's rapidly changing skyline and its gentrification, while Richie talks about his Cloud 9 Project.
In this episode on location at Fresh Catch Vietnam, we chat about what's got us excited in F&B in Saigon since our last episode, we sink our teeth into Beyond Burgers, then catch up with serial Saigon restaurateur Albin Deforges to talk about seafood sustainability, we "sip test" two beers about to be released on the market, and we ask, what ever happened to the Strawpocalypse?
In our very first episode we chat about what's got us excited in F&B in Saigon the past week or so, we wonder whether we actually care if food is "authentic" or not, the meaning of W.T.F.A.T.B.A.O.F.N. is revealed, and we wonder what ever happened to celebrity chef Bobby Chinn?