The Bonds Between People Are Why I Love Viet Nam
Speaking about Viet Nam, where I currently live and work, brings me many emotions. What I notice most clearly about Ha Noi is the increasingly rapid pace of change across society. Residential complexes, shopping malls, roads and new bridges are continuously being built throughout the city. Some places have changed dramatically in just a few months. Particularly recently, it is easy to see that Hanoi is implementing major projects on drainage and water treatment to reduce flooding. This shows that the Government is taking urban infrastructure improvement very seriously.
30 Minutes of “Quintessential Viet Nam” Every Day
Affection for a country can stem from the simplest of things. For Kaneya Manabu, a Japanese national who formerly served as a police officer in Saitama Prefecture and later chose to make Viet Nam his home, one such thing is the workplace lunch nap. Though it lasts only about 30 minutes a day, this habit has given him a deeper appreciation for the local rhythm of life and a distinctly Vietnamese approach to balancing work and personal time.
A Father’s Love Led Me to Viet Nam
Nearly a year ago, we, reporters from Viet Nam Times Magazine, had the opportunity to meet Alisher Mukhamedov, President of the Uzbekistan-Viet Nam Friendship Association. During that conversation, he shared many stories about Uzbekistan and his affection for Viet Nam. Recalling the unfinished stories, we sent him a letter to ask how he was doing. A few days later, he wrote back:
In Disaster, We Held Your Hands
More than two months have passed since the twin earthquakes struck Caracas, Venezuela, on the evening of June 24, 2026. Yet when recalling those days, Vladimir Castillo Soto of the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity among Peoples, Venezuela, still cannot hide his emotion. His face lights up when he mentions two words: Viet Nam. “I am not simply telling the story of a relief effort,” he begins in a contemplative voice. “I am telling the story of how a people affirmed to the world what the words ‘comradeship and brotherhood’ truly mean.”
I Have Become a Citizen of Viet Nam
June 23, 2026 became a special milestone in the life of Hastie Gonzalez Brizaida (Cuba). It was the day she received the decision granting her Vietnamese citizenship, took the name Tran Ngoc Linh and became entitled to enjoy the full rights and fulfill the obligations of a Vietnamese citizen.
A Robot's Handshake
At the 2nd China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Industry Development Summit Forum in May 2026, a soft "click" of a mechanical joint rang out as the robotic arm slowly extended and reached out to shake hands with Nguyen Quan, former Minister of Science and Technology of Viet Nam. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but to me, it was a fulfilling conclusion to a long journey, as well as the beginning of a new dream that I have nurtured for two decades in Viet Nam.
Together with Viet Nam, I Want to Unlock Its Untapped Potential
Viet Nam's production resources are highly diverse. However, much of the potential remains "asleep" in the lower segments of the value chain. In an interview with Viet Nam Times Magazine, Liu Yitong, Executive Director of the Vista Institute for International Economics in China, said that Viet Nam and China need broader and more diverse connectivity to help address this challenge.
I Came to Viet Nam Because of the Number 11
One morning in July, I met Bob Frank in Hanoi, during his 13th return to Viet Nam. Once again, he had come because of an unforgettable number: 11.
A "Love Letter" to Viet Nam
It was October 1992, and I was lying beneath a mosquito net in a bare hotel room in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, trying to make sense of the noise outside. Motorcycle horns occasionally duelled with bicycle bells. Pots and pans clattered as melodic Vietnamese voices rose and fell—sometimes conversational, but more often urgently bellowed so that the whole neighbourhood could hear them. Above me, a wobbly ceiling fan turned slowly, its repeated ‘whop … whop … whop’ inducing a kind of hypnotic surrender.
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