Title: Our Man in Hanoi (
Vietnam)
Status: Previous VSO
URL:
http://ourmaninhanoi.com/
All Posts Cached via RSS
Monografis - 23/Jan/2019 13:00 - 2143 days ago
Realizar uma monografia não é missão nada possível. São vários detalhes e demandas para que tenhamos um trabalho qualifica...
Como conquistar um homem casado? - 24/Jan/2018 16:36 - 2507 days ago
Quando o assunto é a conquista de um homem casado tudo fica mais complicado, visto que o casamento envolve famílias e muitas v...
Como escolher a maquiagem para o trabalho? - 24/Jan/2018 16:21 - 2507 days ago
Escolher a maquiagem certa é sempre uma decisão delicada, ainda mais quando falamos em como escolher a maquiagem para o trabal...
Como conquistar um homem tímido? - 24/Jan/2018 16:14 - 2507 days ago
Algumas dizem que esse é o perfil mais fácil para conquista, outras dizem que não, que os tímidos são mais difíceis, e nem...
Nghi Tam Sculpture Trail - 03/Mar/2013 08:39 - 4295 days ago
Filed under: ho tay, nghi tam, Pics, tay ho Tagged: art, ho tay, nghi tam, sculpture, tay ho...
Buying an iPad in Hanoi is weird - 02/Mar/2013 06:42 - 4296 days ago
I can think of few places more Apple crazy than Vietnam. Above and beyond the omnipresent hardware the logo decorates more than ...
The sip lid hole - 15/Feb/2013 11:30 - 4311 days ago
In Hanoi the sip lid hole is an inconvenience. Every single coffee shop offering takeaway has a roll of tape at the counter. You...
Searching for Sugar Man - 11/Feb/2013 15:31 - 4315 days ago
I’m not even going to link this because if I link it then you’ll follow the link and it’s best you watch this ...
In Vietnam, it’s Tet (Happy New Year of the Snake) - 09/Feb/2013 05:04 - 4317 days ago
Calling it "Chinese" New Year is like calling it American Christmas. Don't be that guy. #lunarNewYear— ...
Charmed by the Intercon Kitchen Gods - 03/Feb/2013 14:11 - 4323 days ago
I was rather charmed by this little scene outside the back gates of the Hanoi Intercontinental Hotel this evening. If I hadn’t...
Nghi Tam at Tet–in glorious sunshine - 03/Feb/2013 07:01 - 4323 days ago
Full set is here. Filed under: Hanoi, ho tay, nghi tam, Pics, tay ho, tet Tagged: flowers, Hanoi, ho tay, nghi tam, tay ho, tet...
A Blog for Brinkley - 03/Feb/2013 06:17 - 4323 days ago
As the anger at Joel Brinkley and his article on Vietnam shows no signs of disappearing I thought it was worth reminding people ...
Future planning seems obvious–so why fight it? - 02/Feb/2013 06:49 - 4324 days ago
When my wife was recently prescribed a week of rest by the doctor I took on the role of carer. I would work from home, giving me...
Pulitzer Prize Idiot - 30/Jan/2013 15:06 - 4327 days ago
Read it for yourself here. Filed under: News Tagged: chicago tribune, joel brinkley, vietnam...
Starbucks won’t kill coffee in Hanoi - 27/Jan/2013 06:43 - 4330 days ago
If I’m honest I’m not especially fond of any of the big brand behemoths that may or may not be coming to whichever big A...
Fast, flexible, real - 21/Jan/2013 14:15 - 4336 days ago
It seems amazing to note I am just two weeks into my work as a full time member of staff at Animals Asia. Before that, in the ru...
Shopping for Tet - 12/Jan/2013 06:05 - 4345 days ago
Filed under: Food and drink, Pics, tet Tagged: food, Hanoi, pic, tet...
Why do I follow people on Facebook? - 08/Jan/2013 23:03 - 4349 days ago
I recently bumped into an old friend who I hadn’t seen for the best part of a year. Every time I started to update her on my n...
Time for a blog rethink - 06/Jan/2013 04:16 - 4351 days ago
I could say that I was having thoughts over the direction that this was blog was headed except this blog has never really had an...
Happy Christmas - 23/Dec/2012 21:32 - 4365 days ago
Christmas is being spent in Northumberland with family. Today included a trip to a fresh, breezy, blue-skied Tynemouth – t...
King Kong on a Scooter - 09/Dec/2012 10:26 - 4379 days ago
My latest column for The Word is proof, if you hadn’t realised it already, that being married to a strong Vietnamese woman...
A traditional Hanoian wedding photo - 09/Dec/2012 07:14 - 4379 days ago
Filed under: family, Hanoi, Pics Tagged: family, Hanoi, photo, wedding...
A Love Story in Vietnam - 08/Dec/2012 04:40 - 4380 days ago
A few weeks back I heard Ali MacGraw would be visiting Vietnam to promote Animals Asia’s Stop the Eviction Campaign. The first...
…a minute later I met my wife for the first time. - 01/Dec/2012 08:29 - 4387 days ago
There’s a little history with me and the new Cart location. Before I left first time around, I stayed briefly at the Espec...
In defence of Steve McClaren and Joey Barton - 27/Nov/2012 12:20 - 4391 days ago
In defence of Joey Barton and Steve McClaren, an English footballer and manager who’ve headed abroad and adopted comedy foreig...
My life as a bear - 25/Nov/2012 10:44 - 4393 days ago
Pics taken at the Hanoi International Women’s Commitee Bazaar. I had said I’d go in the suit if the weather dipped b...
“Come on Vietnam…sort it out. Please. This is heartbreaking.” - 24/Nov/2012 02:47 - 4394 days ago
The blog post title came from a friend who shared this on Facebook after I posted it. She’s now living in Australia but, l...
Do you feel it too? - 23/Nov/2012 15:43 - 4395 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi...
The Joy of Expats Leaving - 22/Nov/2012 11:28 - 4396 days ago
I’ve read a lot of “it’s so sad when expats leave” articles and it is, it really is. But I have to admit...
Sanctuaries are Forever - 21/Nov/2012 12:29 - 4397 days ago
Last week, 10 days into me joining Animals Asia‘s Stop the Eviction campaign, I finally made it over to the Vietnam Bear R...
I’d forgotten how much I love Vietnamese offices - 10/Nov/2012 05:30 - 4408 days ago
Having spent much of the last few months editing on demand it was rather wonderful to be back to the nine to five this week with...
Tom Watson:“10 days that shook my world” - 04/Nov/2012 05:07 - 4414 days ago
What was so odd about the recent Jimmy Savile revelations was that they weren’t revelations at all. They were like a co...
The Best Job Ever and the busiest time of the year. - 03/Nov/2012 04:53 - 4415 days ago
I was contacted midway through last week by Animals Asia Foundation following my blog post in support of their cause. To cut a n...
The Eldest Son - 02/Nov/2012 05:53 - 4416 days ago
I’ve become fascinated by the role of the eldest son in Vietnam. Not just what is expected of him but also how it colours all ...
Toilets for Tays - 01/Nov/2012 06:46 - 4417 days ago
From Cafe L’Autrec, Hanoi. Filed under: expats, Pics Tagged: cafe l'autrec, Hanoi, toilets...
ENV’s new wildlife ad set to hit VN TV screens - 31/Oct/2012 17:55 - 4418 days ago
I got the above movie sent in a link by the good people of ENV - it’s well worth a watch and is going to be appearing on ...
Digitial Diplomacy, Zing and the US Embassy - 30/Oct/2012 07:23 - 4419 days ago
I though this was a cracking spot of a story, though I found myself in the unfamiliar position of feeling sorry for the US Embas...
When is it okay to stare? - 30/Oct/2012 04:51 - 4419 days ago
It’s okay to stare when someone is embarrassed. It’s okay to stare if someone is new. It’s okay to stare if so...
Animals Asia bear park eviction–the movie - 27/Oct/2012 07:12 - 4422 days ago
On one side you have the plight of the bears and the park employees but the issue goes much further. We often talk about the n...
The“Bun Cha!”Heroes of Xuan Dieu - 26/Oct/2012 07:06 - 4423 days ago
Working from home more than ever, if I eat lunch then it’s frequentally at the Xuan Dieu bun cha place. It being deep in t...
Paint it White - 25/Oct/2012 07:24 - 4424 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, ho tay, nghi tam, Pics, tay ho Tagged: au co, Hanoi, nghi tam, vietnam...
Stretching Myself - 24/Oct/2012 07:17 - 4425 days ago
I’ve recently found myself succumbing to that Vietnamese start-the-day stretch – an up and at ‘em twist with...
Local Heroes and Land Grabs - 23/Oct/2012 11:59 - 4426 days ago
The film Local Hero is one I keep coming back to. It was one of the first films I watched with my wife and, in the middle of a h...
Holding a mirror to Hanoi - 21/Oct/2012 07:47 - 4428 days ago
After six years in Vietnam the temptation to take photos of traffic is lessened but hasn’t completely disappeared. Recentl...
How to like Vietnam after 15 years - 20/Oct/2012 09:08 - 4429 days ago
Advice (ie pub talk) last night from an expat of 15 years and counting in Vietnam. To paraphrase: “It’s okay to not ...
How the Little Blue Dragon saved Christmas - 19/Oct/2012 05:39 - 4430 days ago
About this time of year an email goes back to the UK asking Mum, Dad, sisters, brothers-in-law and nieces and nephew what they w...
Hanoi headphones - 18/Oct/2012 04:05 - 4431 days ago
It’s a constant irritation to me that my headphones won’t go louder. It occurs to me that the volume limiter is ther...
Vietnam can’t always be risk managed - 17/Oct/2012 05:25 - 4432 days ago
As a volunteer here I wasn’t allowed to own my own motorbike, I also didn’t get paid enough to take taxis. Instead I...
Elston Partners&Spam (@elstonpartners ) - 16/Oct/2012 07:01 - 4433 days ago
I have received spam on several occasions from the Australian “Wealth Management” Company Elston Partners. Of particular ann...
Ca Phe Sua Chu at Cong Caphe - 14/Oct/2012 08:44 - 4435 days ago
Pic taken at the new branch of Cong Caphe on Dien Bien Phu, just down from Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Filed under: Food and ...
Tony Blair in Hanoi - 13/Oct/2012 05:56 - 4436 days ago
Apparently Tony Blair arrives in Hanoi tomorrow. Whispers of his arrival hit Twitter yesterday with people wondering what he was...
Photos, stilt hut homestays and Metropole pho - 12/Oct/2012 06:36 - 4437 days ago
One of the relaxing things I find about staying in Hoi An is being a tourist rather than an expat. I can do touristy activities ...
The Day of the Girl - 10/Oct/2012 06:24 - 4439 days ago
I was watching the god awful Being: Liverpool series yesterday – it’s so car crash cringey that you feel compelled to wa...
On pussycats, tigers, basket cases and bad examples - 09/Oct/2012 06:07 - 4440 days ago
I recently found myself spending the day in the nearby countryside and as part of that experience I interviewed a teacher. I ask...
Peel all fruit, don’t drink the water etc - 05/Oct/2012 06:54 - 4444 days ago
I just read a volunteer blog reviewing preparations for an eight-month stay in Vietnam. That was me once. I took a couple of wee...
It’s not the rice that keeps Vietnamese thin - 02/Oct/2012 10:28 - 4447 days ago
Trying my hand at the sweet and sour chicken in a diet book I noticed the accompanying weight loss tips – reverse your mea...
Chasing Pavements - 01/Oct/2012 06:09 - 4448 days ago
Pavements in Hanoi are not so much sidewalks as sideparks. On visiting other countries I find myself suffering pavement envy. ...
How much does it cost to live in Vietnam? - 26/Sep/2012 04:14 - 4453 days ago
So here’s a bash at answering the age old expat forum question. How much does it cost to live in Vietnam? The answer may sur...
Canine Outrage–let’s point and laugh. - 25/Sep/2012 10:45 - 4454 days ago
“Dogs are being snatched and that really, really sucks. But this is Vietnam and sadly people, mostly women and children, a...
Of course Hoi An will get spoiled - 25/Sep/2012 06:35 - 4454 days ago
I found myself thinking, during our recent week away, that if only Hoi An was closer we’d come here more often. Not that i...
Yesterday’s Flowers - 15/Sep/2012 07:31 - 4464 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: flowers, Hanoi...
Enjoying the altitude - 14/Sep/2012 08:35 - 4465 days ago
This pic popped up on Facebook this week and I asked if I could include it on my blog. It’s a pic of an old British Counci...
This isn’t tolerance, it’s denial - 11/Sep/2012 04:42 - 4468 days ago
This weekend we’d done that thing when you think you’ve discovered a Hanoi getaway only to realise you don’t escape from s...
What PR hasn’t figured out about social media - 27/Aug/2012 06:47 - 4483 days ago
(Sorry – non Hanoi related social media work thought occurred to me that I had to write down) For decades PRs have been wr...
A masterclass in NGO tweeting - 22/Aug/2012 06:28 - 4488 days ago
I recently wrote a short piece on NGO use of Twitter which I’ve now shelved as a result of the above. It’s a masterc...
A number everyone needs to carry in Vietnam - 20/Aug/2012 06:58 - 4490 days ago
You may remember this post about visiting a new restaurant here in Hanoi only to find endangered species on the menu. Anyway, I ...
Nu Skin in Vietnam - 19/Aug/2012 08:40 - 4491 days ago
Yesterday my wife received a call from an Australian lady she didn’t know, who had a “business proposition” to...
Hanoi: After Kai-tak - 19/Aug/2012 04:59 - 4491 days ago
My new job means I have a little flexibility as to where I work. I was actually supposed to be off this week but there was a ...
A response from @starwoodbuzz : No lobsters for balls - 17/Aug/2012 03:14 - 4493 days ago
The email below follows this post. It’s a clear demonstration how easily or, not, I can be bought. I’d shamelessy ...
The Best of the Silver Surfers - 16/Aug/2012 16:42 - 4494 days ago
My first big trip pretty much coincided with widespread usage of email. I’d write great long emails home and my Dad would coll...
Lobsters for balls? (Ping: @starwoodbuzz) - 12/Aug/2012 06:02 - 4498 days ago
We live a storey below the Sheraton‘s elevated tennis courts. At least once a week a wayward tennis ball comes bouncing do...
A Chihuahua in a China Shop - 05/Aug/2012 11:44 - 4505 days ago
When I first came here in 2002 and then returned to work in 2004, one of the things I loved most about Vietnam was just how sill...
Must Vietnamese eat only streetfood too? - 02/Aug/2012 03:45 - 4508 days ago
A snippet taken from my latest Word column: I’ve tired of seeing the inverted snobbery of foreigners living in Hanoi who look ...
Olympic Thoughts - 27/Jul/2012 04:11 - 4514 days ago
It’s easy to be cynical about the likes of London 2012 (and I often am) but whether or it was smart to even bid for it, the fa...
We might have left - 25/Jul/2012 16:09 - 4516 days ago
Some three months ago I applied for a dream job in Malaysia that I thought I had very little chance of getting. In fact I reache...
An eating holiday in Penang - 25/Jul/2012 05:49 - 4516 days ago
I’ve often mused on the fact that travellers and expats have their horizoned stretched beyond the elastic limit. Our spoilt ex...
Pitstop - 14/Jul/2012 06:26 - 4527 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, ho tay, Pics, tay ho, transport, Westlake Tagged: bikes, motorbike, motorbikes, scooters...
It’s a hard life… - 13/Jul/2012 09:00 - 4528 days ago
The good news is that I’m gainfully employed again – the even better news is that I’ve spent a summer enjoying...
The Cart @ Bookworm Too–now open - 08/Jul/2012 09:21 - 4533 days ago
We’re delighted to open another little Cart outlet(ette) with Bookworm Too – Bookworm’s second store. With the...
Waterskiing? On Westlake? - 08/Jul/2012 04:27 - 4533 days ago
Filed under: exercise, Hanoi, ho tay, Pics, tay ho, Westlake Tagged: Hanoi, hotay, tayho, vietnam, waterskiing, westlake...
Nghi Tam’s green fingered land grab #photog - 04/Jul/2012 07:11 - 4537 days ago
A year and a half ago, around the time of Hanoi’s 1000-year anniversary, one of the last pieces of road finished to link u...
I’ve become a hoarder of memories - 03/Jul/2012 13:40 - 4538 days ago
As I write this my wife’s sisters are paying us a visit. Eating pizza cross-legged on the floor and all that. On the TV is a f...
In Hanoi you have to plan exercise - 02/Jul/2012 12:05 - 4539 days ago
I’ve been lucky so far that an emergency editing job has meant I’m solvent for another month while I continue to look fo...
This is not a Hanoi blog - 28/Jun/2012 07:58 - 4543 days ago
On reading my thoughts on staying up late to watch football,Hanoi-resident Williams Charles Cole French responded via G+: Hmm...
Sleep, better than football - 25/Jun/2012 05:58 - 4546 days ago
I finally got into bed around 4.30am last night having sat through a goalless 90 minutes, then extra time and penalties which pr...
Something we can all be proud of - 22/Jun/2012 05:39 - 4549 days ago
I often write bits and pieces for my Word Hanoi column that I change my mind about and end up writing on a different topic inste...
Three more months of ice - 20/Jun/2012 06:39 - 4551 days ago
Filed under: Food and drink, Pics, The Cart Tagged: coffee, espresso, hot, ice, punto italia, summer...
Wet and Happy Hour - 14/Jun/2012 13:51 - 4557 days ago
I’m a big person, my wife works in a kitchen, it’s fair to say that we both do a fair bit of sweating through a Hano...
The Skype Sweats: How not to do an interview in a tropical country - 13/Jun/2012 10:49 - 4558 days ago
Virtually as soon as I pressed “publish” on the last post – which included that we’d so far avoided power cuts ̵...
Some more pics from today in hot Hanoi - 12/Jun/2012 14:17 - 4559 days ago
Today, just after a lunch, I realised that the bike was almost out of petrol and that seemed like a good excuse to get out of th...
Any ideas? It wasn’t on fire. - 12/Jun/2012 10:11 - 4559 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, streets...
When did retweeting become all about you? - 09/Jun/2012 08:00 - 4562 days ago
When an expat blog trailed a post including: “Expat news by…” and followed it with three bloggers’ twitter handles, ...
Smart Mosquitoes - 07/Jun/2012 04:09 - 4564 days ago
There’s something that has been quietly creeping me out about mosquitos for some time – it’s their intelligenc...
Thieves! - 06/Jun/2012 09:19 - 4565 days ago
Filed under: Uncategorized...
Flooded - 06/Jun/2012 07:16 - 4565 days ago
Filed under: nghi tam, tay ho, weather, Westlake Tagged: flood weather, Hanoi, ho tay, nghi tam, Pics, rain, tay ho, westlake...
And sometimes skies are blue… - 01/Jun/2012 09:51 - 4570 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, ho tay, Pics, tay ho Tagged: blue skies, Pics, summer, sun, weather...
The Bogeymen - 01/Jun/2012 05:04 - 4570 days ago
Having trekked across town on a warm day we arrived at our planned destination, a newly opened cafe. Nodding our approval to e...
Give Flickr the flick or celebrate its genius? - 31/May/2012 08:12 - 4571 days ago
The pic above turned up in an online magazine this week and when I contacted them to point out its “non commerical” ...
Because not all taxis are crooked - 28/May/2012 04:47 - 4574 days ago
Heard the one about the Hanoi taxi driver and the Interpol agents? Best story of last year I reckon, the world’s finest la...
Two sides to every story and multiple agendas - 25/May/2012 04:08 - 4577 days ago
I wanted to share a couple of recent news articles I thought were excellent in terms of giving a really balanced picture of what...
The countdown to whatever comes next - 20/May/2012 09:38 - 4582 days ago
This Wednesday will be my last day working for the British Council here in Hanoi. There’s no single reason why I decided t...
So full I couldn’t read another thing - 16/May/2012 06:35 - 4586 days ago
Yesterday, in its own automated way, @vietnamblogs churned out six newly written blogs posts on Vietnamese street food.(1,2,3,4,...
On Vietnam, cams and uninstalling Instagram. - 02/May/2012 05:36 - 4600 days ago
It’s been a while since a photo taken with an “proper” camera appeared on this blog, which is a shame really because looki...
Hanoi is even noisier online - 29/Apr/2012 06:43 - 4603 days ago
I’ve been playing around with the following on my Google Docs for sometime but it didn’t find a home. Anyway, it w...
The Trouble with Travel Writing - 28/Apr/2012 12:26 - 4604 days ago
I don’t think that travel writers visiting where you live and airing an opinion is ever a particularly comfortable exper...
This is summer in Hanoi - 24/Apr/2012 11:49 - 4608 days ago
I can end the day with a cold shower but I can’t start with one. So, this morning, having slept with the air con on most o...
Living with The Cart–An Update - 15/Apr/2012 08:04 - 4617 days ago
Follows this post. Back when I used to work at KOTO, they fed me most days – it was part of the deal, there never was a mo...
The Women at Work - 10/Apr/2012 06:00 - 4622 days ago
I worked from home yesterday and came back to find copies of the Word Hanoi magazine, often left untouched by my Vietnamese staf...
How long can Vietnam keep this up? - 09/Apr/2012 11:51 - 4623 days ago
Most of my columns for the Word Magazine can be found online – including this most recent one, a tribute to my colleagu...
Good luck to Twitter and why you shouldn’t do voluntourism with A Broader View - 08/Apr/2012 03:40 - 4624 days ago
On the week when Twitter has taken action against five sites that it accuses of assisting spam, forgive me if I share a bugbea...
Three blogs and a flyover - 02/Apr/2012 06:01 - 4630 days ago
Back then, back when blogging was the only social media, well give or take Friends Reunited, the social bit was the links and th...
The Alley - 01/Apr/2012 11:29 - 4631 days ago
Like a lot of people living in Nghi Tam we don’t have a lake view. Our home is positioned down a back alley, with a left, a ri...
Dinner and drinks with the inlaws - 01/Apr/2012 09:20 - 4631 days ago
Filed under: family, Food and drink, Hanoi Tagged: beer, bia, drink, family, food, whisky, wine...
A few words about @vietnamblogs - 25/Mar/2012 16:08 - 4638 days ago
On the right hand side of this blog you’ll see my complete English blogs in Vietnam list. From that I use RSS via Twitterf...
It seems like years since we weren’t mouldy - 24/Mar/2012 16:36 - 4639 days ago
Late last week I was optimistic enough about the weather to look out my thinner blue linen suit. I hadn’t worn it since ...
So this is Earth Hour? What have you done? - 23/Mar/2012 07:28 - 4640 days ago
Earth Hour in Hanoi is between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday, March 31st. If you work in the centre of Hanoi you won’t hav...
Time for a blog change - 18/Mar/2012 09:00 - 4645 days ago
I never liked the old blog look so time will tell if I grow to love this new one – one thing’s for sure, it’s ...
The Cyclo Diaries - 17/Mar/2012 11:34 - 4646 days ago
Filmed in 2005, this has been a long time coming but it’s a great watch – at an hour in length it’s worth down...
A brain ticks in Taipiei - 17/Mar/2012 04:40 - 4646 days ago
Having just spent a week taking part in a digital training course in Taipei with an array of regional representatives, what stru...
#london2012 in Vietnam - 11/Mar/2012 09:39 - 4652 days ago
The London 2012 Olympics are going to be a constant for me this year. Lots of desk-bound stuff so far but this Danang school ...
I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind - 11/Mar/2012 05:27 - 4652 days ago
Putting aside the fact that in another time in another place we could have hated each other – I wish I’d met my wife...
Do you still need colour when you’re whole? #danang - 11/Mar/2012 04:49 - 4652 days ago
It might seem odd but the only place I’ve ever imagined me living in Vietnam, other than Hanoi, is Danang. Switching HN for HC...
Lobsters, oysters and five star hotels - 03/Mar/2012 09:58 - 4660 days ago
The pic is of the oysters at yesterday’s Lobster Buffet at the Sheraton Hotel. Despite living literally in the shadows of the ...
Vietnam tourism, social media and the Big Bang Boy - 26/Feb/2012 08:50 - 4666 days ago
My head has been whirring this week – a mess of thoughts that, hopefully, once down on “paper” will start to...
Backs, drugs, needles, rhino horns, science and superstition - 11/Feb/2012 03:27 - 4681 days ago
Back when I was still in Cameroon working for an NGO that wasn’t the best organised, overseas students would turn up repeatedl...
Thoughts on Luang Prabang and“different”Hanoi - 04/Feb/2012 12:15 - 4688 days ago
As mentioned earlier, we spent Tet in Luang Prabang one of those places that I initially liked then struggled with the longer I ...
The Dragon’s Deliverables - 04/Feb/2012 08:41 - 4688 days ago
My yearly dynamic has been much altered by the lucky break that is having both local and western holidays. So two and a half wee...
Diep got married - 04/Feb/2012 08:14 - 4688 days ago
I’m taking advantage of the immobility of a bad back to catch up on the blog which has been left idle for some time now. T...
The perfect lunch - 05/Jan/2012 06:00 - 4718 days ago
Football from here. Food (mulligatawny soup and meat and potato pie) from The Cart (obviously). Filed under: Food and drink, foo...
My Hanoi life: sister in law to marry, brother in law nearly overlooked - 03/Jan/2012 06:10 - 4720 days ago
When I married my wife she was the first of four sisters to find a husband. On our way back to Vietnam we learn youngest sister ...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year - 15/Dec/2011 01:38 - 4739 days ago
Right, we’re out of here. Later tonight we’ll be catching a flight back to the North East of England to spend Christ...
A Death Anniversary in the Countryside - 11/Dec/2011 08:51 - 4743 days ago
There’s a balance when it comes to wider family events, particularly the countryside ones. I know behind the scenes my wif...
Working extra hard to get it wrong - 08/Dec/2011 06:51 - 4746 days ago
There’s a moment after you receive newly printed documents here when your heart sinks as you notice a typo. “I could have sw...
The Chicken Feet - 04/Dec/2011 16:14 - 4750 days ago
My wife’s taste for chicken feet is, more often than not, something she indulges when I’m not around. She knows not only can...
Old Hanoi makes new phone cam look good - 04/Dec/2011 03:34 - 4750 days ago
New phone is HTC Sensation. Filed under: Hanoi, ho tay, nghi tam, Pics, tay ho...
Drink responsibly till dawn with Heineken - 01/Dec/2011 04:36 - 4753 days ago
Run a blog and you get some odd requests but this is odder than most. It’s hard to know where to start… Hello, I...
Vietnamese men need to be empowered too - 29/Nov/2011 05:34 - 4755 days ago
Some posts/columns you live with for a while and others you write in five minutes. This one has been knocking around my head f...
Silence is spooky in noisy Hanoi - 28/Nov/2011 18:06 - 4756 days ago
A little while earlier I was lying in bed trying to get to sleep. As usual the fan was whirring. Well, there was the whir, the...
The Irish Stew - 28/Nov/2011 17:49 - 4756 days ago
Earlier this week, The Cart specials popped up on my Twitter feed and I was happy to see, for the first time, Irish stew among t...
This magic is more than just good weather - 19/Nov/2011 11:29 - 4765 days ago
We continue to enthuse about Hanoi’s beautiful weather but the more I think about it the more this feels too good to just be a...
Living with The Cart Nghi Tam - 13/Nov/2011 15:18 - 4771 days ago
So The Cart Nghi Tam has been open a week and we’re getting used to new customers, new tastes, new opening hours and new s...
The New Cart Nghi Tam is open (needs staff urgently) - 07/Nov/2011 06:32 - 4777 days ago
Back at my desk doing my proper job following the excitement of the weekend. But yes, our big news is that The Cart Nghi Tam i...
In London as in Hanoi when you’re getting old - 05/Nov/2011 00:39 - 4779 days ago
From Nick Lowe interview in GQ: GQ: I’ve always been interested in what it was about London in the ’70s that produce...
Chronicling Happiness - 23/Oct/2011 09:09 - 4792 days ago
Last week was frankly a bit of an arse. Long hours at work, the new Cart taking all my time at home, bickering with the missus, ...
Development Working - 18/Oct/2011 07:24 - 4797 days ago
I always took the word “developing” from an NGO point of view to be something of a polite euphemism. After all, “developin...
Weighted luck - 01/Oct/2011 05:32 - 4814 days ago
There’s no polite way of putting this – I’m an utter arsehole in Vietnamese supermarkets and the like. Its jus...
“I gave up my life as a nomadic traveller to become a corporate cog” - 29/Sep/2011 06:34 - 4816 days ago
I am regularly followed on Twitter by people who “gave it all up to follow their dream”. I tweeted my thoughts tha...
A New Cart: We’re building something here. All the pieces matter. - 27/Sep/2011 06:52 - 4818 days ago
We’ve long been looking for a site for a second Cart in the Westlake area. Yesterday, having handed over a cheque for thre...
Support Carl Bart - 16/Sep/2011 10:16 - 4829 days ago
…and so we find ourselves in this awful predicament. Our darling son is hurt in a road accident, we have no knowledge of h...
Jealous of those coffee shop kids - 14/Sep/2011 05:30 - 4831 days ago
Reading online reviews I find myself becoming irritable at people I don’t even know who seem able to spend literally hours eve...
Making sustainability unsustainable - 11/Sep/2011 08:52 - 4834 days ago
When I worked at KOTO the boss used to like quoting that rather over-used fishing analogy: Buy a man a fish and he will be able ...
Paying for health care is about more than money - 06/Sep/2011 05:41 - 4839 days ago
I’m writing this propped up in bed. Next to me there’s a paper bag full of drugs. I got the inevitable cold when flying ba...
Vietnam: The Next Generation - 03/Sep/2011 11:35 - 4842 days ago
With Friday a national holiday we made the frankly ridiculous decision to visit Vincom Towers. We arrived, realised our mistake...
Westlake swimmers - 28/Aug/2011 16:21 - 4848 days ago
Filed under: Pics, Westlake Tagged: exercise, Hanoi, Pics, sunset, swimmers, westlake...
The One Night Stand - 23/Aug/2011 11:30 - 4853 days ago
I promised all-round good guy Daragh Halpin that I’d post this on the blog. Daragh, apparently will be making his stand-up...
Hanoi–did it change too much or not enough? - 17/Aug/2011 06:38 - 4859 days ago
During the two and a half years I spent in Vietnam during my VSO/KOTO era I can recall only ever meeting one person who claimed ...
A talk on blogging: @ourman at Bookworm - 27/May/2011 02:19 - 4941 days ago
A talk on all things “Our Man in Hanoi” and blogging from my point of view Time/Date: June 29th 7.30pm Where: Bookwo...
Closed down till further notice: be excellent to one another - 22/May/2011 12:47 - 4946 days ago
Today has not been a fun day. Purely as a result of mine ( and obviously other people’s) social media activities I spent a...
Taking a break - 14/May/2011 07:56 - 4954 days ago
On Tuesday last week I did a talk on social media to a group of business people – despite the hot weather adding the spect...
Cloudburst! - 12/May/2011 06:35 - 4956 days ago
All pics taken on my mobile so not the finest quality but it was such a spectacular show I thought it was worth including. After...
Tay crapness in the Hanoi heat - 08/May/2011 12:30 - 4960 days ago
The story of the sunburn? It comes with a large helping of expat tetchiness and tay inability to come to terms with living in a ...
Fishing for what in Westlake? - 07/May/2011 08:02 - 4961 days ago
Filed under: Pics, Westlake Tagged: fishing, ho tay, tay ho, westlake...
Nghi Tam 90210 - 07/May/2011 07:38 - 4961 days ago
Been meaning to blog this a while – this house recently appeared, seemingly overnight in Nghi Tam. It was Tet when I first...
Of Kindles, VPNs, torrents and clouds - 29/Apr/2011 03:24 - 4969 days ago
Much of the revolution in how we consume our TV, music and film has been played out while I’ve been overseas. So I tend to reg...
Soft Water restaurant sells endangered pangolins–tell @smpasiaorg to pull out - 18/Apr/2011 11:14 - 4980 days ago
It’s easy to miss in the most recent version of The Word magazine but in the penultimate paragraph of the review for Soft ...
Old Man in Hanoi: 40 Today - 14/Apr/2011 02:31 - 4984 days ago
Forty today. A huge milestone. The above is a gift rather touchingly from my colleagues - two bottles of South African red wit...
Vietnam: Don’t Eat the Snakes! - 11/Apr/2011 05:30 - 4987 days ago
I had been wanting to write this a while so thanks to the Word Magazine for running my piece on why you SHOULDN’T eat at s...
Whooping in the rain - 07/Apr/2011 05:30 - 4991 days ago
Yesterday I was all suited for work as we had a VIP visitor. Once they had left there was a glass or two of champagne left over ...
“This is an incredible country– don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise” - 06/Apr/2011 12:00 - 4992 days ago
Those who have been reading this blog for a while will know that I first worked in Vietnam, starting in 2004, after being placed...
Fruit *is* rock n roll - 24/Mar/2011 06:13 - 5005 days ago
Once, for reasons to long to go into, I found myself on the “tour bus” of a relatively famous Vietnamese girl group. We pick...
It’s amazing what comes out of Westlake - 23/Mar/2011 05:32 - 5006 days ago
Pictures taken this gloriously sunny Saturday. As regards Westlake fish, see also this. Filed under: environment, ho tay, Pics,...
Happy 4th Twitter birthday to me - 21/Mar/2011 06:23 - 5008 days ago
I wouldn’t even have known that it was my fourth Twitter anniversary had it not been for a Twitterbot that popped up and annou...
In cars - 20/Mar/2011 10:17 - 5009 days ago
Last week was just about the most horrible weather I have suffered in Vietnam. It wasn’t the coldest, nor the wettest, n...
An unstoppable sisterhood - 01/Mar/2011 12:00 - 5028 days ago
I returned home yesterday to find the front door open. That’s something I can get stroppy about as the mosquitoes tend to coll...
Well-written, funny, accurate, useful, meh, FAIL! - 24/Feb/2011 17:48 - 5033 days ago
Being so close to a Vietnamese business has been an eye opener. To quickly recap, The Cart, a bakery, sandwich delivery, coffee ...
My own personal bat signal - 16/Feb/2011 05:56 - 5041 days ago
Filed under: Pics, Westlake Tagged: ho tay, nghi tam, sheraton, tay ho, westlake...
Being an expat can feel very much like being middle aged - 14/Feb/2011 06:28 - 5043 days ago
There’s barely an hour of the 18 I spend awake when I am not online in some way. That said despite being plugged in to the int...
The Sleepy Cockerel of Nghi Tam Village - 09/Feb/2011 05:38 - 5048 days ago
Having lived and worked in developing countries on three continents I can confirm that noise is always a feature. Silence is a l...
#whatieatinvietnam - 08/Feb/2011 07:38 - 5049 days ago
There’s such a focus on food among expat bloggers and tweeters in Vietnam that it’s almost a given that you’re a serious s...
Tet: By the time you understand it, it will inevitably have changed - 07/Feb/2011 07:07 - 5050 days ago
Tet, like just about everything else in Vietnam, defies accurate western description. You can attempt to sum it up and then, whe...
Tet is coming - 29/Jan/2011 12:02 - 5059 days ago
All pics from a walkaround late this afternoon. Full set here. Filed under: Hanoi, Pics, tet Tagged: ho tay, Pics, tay ho, tet...
#thayeralert - 25/Jan/2011 03:27 - 5063 days ago
So party congress finishes. The run up had been a series of reminders not to break ranks. Facebook became blocked, visas rules...
Ovulation for the nation - 24/Jan/2011 11:55 - 5064 days ago
As numerous expat blog posts will tell you – come to Vietnam and let slip that you’re over 25 and not married and people...
Vietnam’s culture of being not too successful - 17/Jan/2011 11:00 - 5071 days ago
Probably the first Vietnamese person I ever had a proper conversation with was a cafe owner in Nha Trang. He’d previously spen...
Hotpot at Home - 13/Jan/2011 03:46 - 5075 days ago
I was more than a little knocked out to come back home from the new job at the British Council to this yesterday. I’ve alw...
Hanoi is getting colder - 11/Jan/2011 11:10 - 5077 days ago
The weather has dropped a notch. According to certain reports as low as six degrees centigrade – that’s as cold as I’v...
So if Hanoi’s not that cold then how come it’s so ****ing freezing? - 08/Jan/2011 01:56 - 5080 days ago
I’ve had many conversations where I have tried to explain the Hanoi cold. Earlier this week I returned from a UK in the lower ...
Committing to Hanoi - 06/Jan/2011 14:52 - 5082 days ago
I’ve been threatening to write a blog post on commitment for some time now. In fact, the c-word has been responsible for the b...
From NatWest to HSBC - 30/Dec/2010 00:30 - 5089 days ago
“I’d like to close my bank account please.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Sir. Any particular reason?” “Yes, your inter...
A happy, happy Christmas - 19/Dec/2010 17:36 - 5100 days ago
I’ve had bloggers’ block for some time. It’s hard to explain exactly why but essentially what I’ve tried...
Just leave him, he’s not doing any harm - 02/Dec/2010 05:22 - 5117 days ago
The Hanoian attitude to motorbikes is an odd one. For the most part, despite these being the most necessary of possessions, ther...
Tweet Wisdom - 30/Nov/2010 05:07 - 5119 days ago
Thanks to Mark Lowerson of Sticky Rice for the wise words. Filed under: Blogs and Bloggers, change, environment, Hanoi, Reflecti...
The supposed superiority of foreigners - 27/Nov/2010 04:31 - 5122 days ago
“The only way forward in a cross-relationship is to be accepting and to alter one’s mindset so as to allow for a harmonious ...
Something that was bothering me about the face masks - 23/Nov/2010 05:37 - 5126 days ago
The smog mask culture in Hanoi had long bothered me. I mean, I know why foreigners wear them. They are concerned about p...
Dancing for Hanoi - 17/Nov/2010 04:29 - 5132 days ago
I still hold true with an old theory of mine about living in Hanoi. That the more you allow yourself to become isolated from the...
Just how hard is it to live in Hanoi (or HCMC)? - 15/Nov/2010 09:30 - 5134 days ago
I keep reading expat tales of how living in Hanoi is hard. But if so, why? What is hard and what are we missing out on? Usually ...
The Wedding: Blogged - 10/Nov/2010 04:22 - 5139 days ago
Grooms should be given the same advice as football players at a cup final – take time to enjoy the day or it’ll pass in ...
It finally got warm on our last day in Hoi An - 07/Nov/2010 10:22 - 5142 days ago
Warm weather pics being added to the honeymoon Flickr set as I type. Filed under: getting married, Pics, travel Tagged: getting ...
It’s not getting any drier in Hoi An - 06/Nov/2010 08:39 - 5143 days ago
Growing set of honeymoon pics here. Filed under: getting married, Pics, travel Tagged: getting married, hoi an, honeymoon...
A honeymoon postcard from a rainy Hoi An - 04/Nov/2010 08:44 - 5145 days ago
I am writing this, hood up, on the balcony of our Hoi An hotel room. It’s not warm. Earlier we had planned a motorbike tri...
Married: Pics from the morning do - 30/Oct/2010 08:16 - 5150 days ago
Rest of the pics here. Filed under: getting married, Hanoi, Pics Tagged: getting married, marriage, Pics, wedding...
#hanoi1001–tweeters, bloggers, we need your help - 18/Oct/2010 04:19 - 5162 days ago
Taking a break from wall-to-wall wedding preparations I wanted to share with you details of the upcoming #hanoi1001 three-day ev...
The An Hoi - 17/Oct/2010 18:02 - 5163 days ago
See here for explanation. It starts with tea and then it moves on to beer. Then it’s rice wine because, well, you have to....
Tea, cake, whisky, cigarettes and cash - 16/Oct/2010 12:09 - 5164 days ago
Opposite me on the table are three cylindrical pyramids each over two feet high. The first is made up of individually boxed slic...
I was just the driver - 11/Oct/2010 04:07 - 5169 days ago
We took these shots just as the whole #hanoi1000 was kicking off. For some time we’d been living with a new road being b...
Happy Birthday Hanoi– I love you and miss you - 10/Oct/2010 02:59 - 5170 days ago
A friend, who has been in Hanoi ten years, has said the recent Hanoi millennium celebrations has left him more cynical about the...
“I am not satisfied that you will maintain and accommodate yourself adequately out of the resources available to you without recourse to public funds…” - 08/Oct/2010 08:13 - 5172 days ago
The good news – I received a six month Vietnam visa. Obviously that’s no permanent solution for someone who sees Han...
#hanoi1000 - 03/Oct/2010 10:32 - 5177 days ago
For the uninitiated the title is the searchable “hashtag” that allows Twitter users to follow reports of Hanoi millennium ce...
Visa is a four letter word - 28/Sep/2010 08:35 - 5182 days ago
Getting married, in terms of paperwork was actually quite easy. It seems that wanting to share the whole of the rest of your lif...
A country wedding - 20/Sep/2010 12:28 - 5190 days ago
By ten am I was onto my sixth overflowing shot of rice wine. We had earlier set off, sans breakfast, at seven with me having no ...
Dismembered heads found by Hanoi lake - 13/Sep/2010 06:23 - 5197 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, trucbach...
Sunday afternoon by the lake - 12/Sep/2010 08:44 - 5198 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, hoan kiem...
Hanoi: Smiling and watching - 06/Sep/2010 05:26 - 5204 days ago
Perhaps I am just lazy – but if there’s one thing that characterises my blogging style it’s a lack of research. It seems t...
I can understand the poverty in Hanoi–it’s the wealth I don’t get - 29/Aug/2010 11:37 - 5212 days ago
While I wondered aloud on Facebook where to head for our Hoi An honeymoon a friend made a suggestion. The place she mentioned wa...
Violetly Happy - 27/Aug/2010 09:57 - 5214 days ago
When I first ate this, only about a month ago at an Old Hanoi do, I wondered how the hell I’d never tried it before. Viole...
Hanging on for the wedding, the honeymoon and the sea - 25/Aug/2010 06:59 - 5216 days ago
There’s been a thought that’s been going through my head for some weeks now. I just want to jump into the sea. I jus...
Green, white and blue - 19/Aug/2010 17:49 - 5222 days ago
Filed under: Pics Tagged: blue skies, hotay, pic, tayho, westlake...
Facebook, business and Facebook business in Vietnam - 18/Aug/2010 08:37 - 5223 days ago
This picture started life on my new business website but I thought it deserved a wider audience. A large ad referencing Faceboo...
Her Mother’s. Come hell or high water - 17/Aug/2010 04:09 - 5224 days ago
A while ago, when my wife rang from work to suggest we spend Saturday night visiting her parents, I stupidly, didn’t concur. ...
An hour in Tan Ap: fruit, flags and flowers - 16/Aug/2010 15:30 - 5225 days ago
This must be the third or fourth time that I’ve had to kill time in Tan Ap. Just around the corner is VIP Bikes and they h...
A curry at sunset - 14/Aug/2010 12:57 - 5227 days ago
Taken at Foodshop 45 on Truc Bach lake. Full pic set here. Filed under: Food and drink, Hanoi, Pics Tagged: curry, food, foods...
Motorbike dreams and admissions - 13/Aug/2010 03:24 - 5228 days ago
First the truth: as much as I love driving my little SYM bike around Hanoi, the furthest I’ve ever driven is to the inlaws...
Drained - 05/Aug/2010 10:55 - 5236 days ago
Full set, taken this lunchtime, here. Why did they drain it? It appears to be part of work to link up all the road around th...
Cruel cruel summer (now you’re gone) - 03/Aug/2010 10:34 - 5238 days ago
I recently admitted on Twitter that my blogging mojo had been temporarily mislaid. Somewhere in Hanoi’s long hot summer I’d ...
Three pics from a lunchtime drive - 28/Jul/2010 07:15 - 5244 days ago
Filed under: Pics Tagged: Hanoi, pictures...
Confused by formal Hanoi clothing - 27/Jul/2010 03:58 - 5245 days ago
A management consultant, who I used to ghost write a column for, once told me the real story of Joseph. It appears there was no ...
Happy eaters - 24/Jul/2010 10:43 - 5248 days ago
Okay, I hope this doesn’t read as me being incredibly ungentlemanly. The truth is weight, including your weight , is a perfect...
Cooling off in Hanoi - 20/Jul/2010 03:46 - 5252 days ago
Aloe, mango and coconut jelly drink from Yummy Desserts, 30 Doan Tran Nghiep, Hanoi. Filed under: Food and drink, Hanoi, Pics Ta...
Addictions past and present - 18/Jul/2010 07:34 - 5254 days ago
I can’t remember the exact day last summer when I quit smoking so let’s just call it a year. Something to be proud of I thin...
Launching Our Man in Hanoi–the business - 14/Jul/2010 08:53 - 5258 days ago
Relax, this post isn’t about to descend into a social mediaesque yawnsville of a conversation about how I can “monetise” t...
Sunshine after Hanoi floods - 13/Jul/2010 13:54 - 5259 days ago
My morning meeting, due to take place at 10.am, was cancelled due to flooding. Rescheduled to 1.30pm, it had to be put off ag...
After the storm in Hanoi - 13/Jul/2010 05:27 - 5259 days ago
I kidded myself for a while that I had captured this morning’s storms and floods, but of course, all I caught was the clea...
Sunday lunch at Old Hanoi - 11/Jul/2010 09:19 - 5261 days ago
Old Hanoi, 4 Ton That Thiep, Hanoi. More details here. Highly recommended. Extra pics here. Filed under: Food and drink, Hanoi,...
One Love - 09/Jul/2010 05:36 - 5263 days ago
I remember a story a friend told me a while back. She had grown up in Canada after her parents had fled Saigon. She had often ...
Reflections on reactions to an Asian bride - 07/Jul/2010 16:28 - 5265 days ago
* Although the post below was written in about an hour this morning it’s fair to say it’s the culmination of a lot o...
Eating jelly babies while customers wilt - 06/Jul/2010 01:43 - 5266 days ago
And so, a Thursday night dash to the airport for a flight to Bangkok on a visa run. Onto the Air France plane, mercifully at the...
Married. Just. - 28/Jun/2010 03:34 - 5274 days ago
As previously mentioned – in Vietnam you’re married when the paperwork is done, not when you say “I do” in front of frie...
Creme Caramel, 29 Hang Than, Hanoi - 26/Jun/2010 08:58 - 5276 days ago
Filed under: Food and drink, Hanoi Tagged: creme caramel, food, Hanoi...
Fruit Passion Killer - 26/Jun/2010 08:47 - 5276 days ago
On Friday I was doing my social media thing for the British Embassy and, while taking a break, I couldn’t help but notice ...
Facebook bikini pics - 23/Jun/2010 04:29 - 5279 days ago
A female Vietnamese friend recently returned from the beach. I know this because she has posted several pictures of herself on F...
The New Puku - 20/Jun/2010 11:57 - 5282 days ago
As much as it’s good for my cred to pretend I eat nothing but streetfood the reality is quite different. In the end I prob...
There are people who say that Hanoi is always grey - 16/Jun/2010 17:25 - 5286 days ago
See the full set here - plus this huge 23,000 pixel Westlake panorama. Filed under: Hanoi, Pics, weather Tagged: Hanoi, hot, sun...
Sunny day on Yen Phu - 15/Jun/2010 06:36 - 5287 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics, weather Tagged: sunny, weather, yen phum vietnan...
Hanoi gets the World Cup horn - 14/Jun/2010 05:32 - 5288 days ago
Welcome to World Cup, Hanoi. Friday night saw us braving the rain at the American Club in Hanoi – a rare oasis of green in the...
Twenty Five Degrees Centigrade - 11/Jun/2010 03:20 - 5291 days ago
It’s the thermostat number of the beast. The 666 of temperatures. On one level it may seem that 25 degrees – when outside is...
Is there a bike out there for me? - 08/Jun/2010 04:47 - 5294 days ago
As much as I love Ms Hoa I can’t help but feel she’s ultimately not really me. She’s a little small for me lardy tay frame...
My favourite junction - 07/Jun/2010 07:21 - 5295 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: motorbikes, old quarter, Pics...
Most of the time - 02/Jun/2010 10:47 - 5300 days ago
I once met a woman who on hearing that I’d “done VSO” launched into her own tales of being a VSO volunteer way back in the...
The bounty of the seas - 01/Jun/2010 11:16 - 5301 days ago
Taken on a recent trip to Halong Bay. The rest of the pics are here. Filed under: Pics, transport, travel Tagged: halongbay, l...
Just what I’ve always wanted - 31/May/2010 09:28 - 5302 days ago
Very early during my first time in Hanoi I was invited to a wedding. For some reason the usual cash in an envelope didn’t sit ...
For the love of Hanoi - 24/May/2010 05:34 - 5309 days ago
Recent criticisms suffered by this blogger, when it comes to Hanoi and Vietnam, include being called both delusional and overly ...
…may as well try and catch the wind - 23/May/2010 10:29 - 5310 days ago
After a week of very warm weather we awoke sunday to the sound of raindrops. It soon dried up but left behind an altogether cool...
The Wedding Papers - 19/May/2010 06:04 - 5314 days ago
It still seems strange that the point at which I become married here is not following a ceremony but when a piece of paper is st...
Bring on the dancing horses - 16/May/2010 10:34 - 5317 days ago
I saw this troop of horses hanging out on Yen Phu across the road from the pagoda. Anyone got a clue as to their purpose or sign...
Like finding Zuzu’s petals every day - 14/May/2010 05:29 - 5319 days ago
Awoke this morning with the normal Friday mix of dehydration and inability to walk. Thursday night is boys’ football and b...
Hanoi today - 13/May/2010 09:23 - 5320 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, truc bach...
And it was all yellow - 12/May/2010 08:13 - 5321 days ago
I noted this transformation in progress as I scooted down Le Thai To Street the other day. It rang a bell with me and I remember...
Becoming Vietnam Man - 11/May/2010 04:07 - 5322 days ago
Firstly an apology to any Vietnamese males reading this. I, of course, don’t mean you but you can’t have missed that your ge...
The Emeraude, Halong Bay - 08/May/2010 17:25 - 5325 days ago
As work trips go – this one was a pleasure. I was on The Emeraude as part of website copy writing duties. In particular I ...
The green on the grey - 05/May/2010 03:17 - 5328 days ago
More fun with panoramic pics – although this is a little shaky at the joins in places – here’s the driving ran...
In praise of Highlands Coffee - 04/May/2010 10:28 - 5329 days ago
I’ve a soft spot for Highlands Coffee – although I know it’s not everyone’s cup of..err.. tea. I’v...
The Cart: Bakerman - 30/Apr/2010 05:41 - 5333 days ago
A short video I helped make for The Cart website. Go here for the larger HD version. Filed under: Food and drink, Hanoi, Movies ...
Hanoi Flowers - 28/Apr/2010 11:16 - 5335 days ago
There are times when Hanoi is blue skied, fresh and hard not to love. And there are others, okay the majority of the time, when ...
Long Bien Bridge in a Taxi style - 25/Apr/2010 14:12 - 5338 days ago
Go here for larger version. Long Bien Bridge facts here. Filed under: Hanoi, Movies Tagged: Hanoi, long bien bridge, movies...
Vietnam to the power of 2 - 25/Apr/2010 09:47 - 5338 days ago
A friend recently wrote an article entitled “How to write about Vietnam”. It was a great piece that had a go at all ...
Travel safety tips for the unhinged: Bring your own door stopper - 23/Apr/2010 03:36 - 5340 days ago
The following came to my attention as a result of the seemingly unhinged author adding “Vietnam” to their blog post ...
Big Fat Tay - 21/Apr/2010 03:09 - 5342 days ago
The picture above is only included as I was taking it when the following took place.
Just as I was lining up the shot, a smiley ...
The dumbest hotel marketing ever - 17/Apr/2010 10:22 - 5346 days ago
Link here.
And before people start complaining about Vietnamese scams – that looks like the work of a Tay to me.
Filed und...
East Easy Rider–I cannot deny myself this luxury… - 15/Apr/2010 14:57 - 5348 days ago
Remember my Cameroon journey to work video?
Well, I’ve finally got around to doing the Hanoi equivalent. Having said tha...
Hitting Hanoi’s high spots on my birthday - 15/Apr/2010 04:01 - 5348 days ago
The theme of my birthday night out was definitely height.
We started off at Chica – eight floors up above the Hoa Binh Pal...
It’s beginning to feel like home - 14/Apr/2010 04:37 - 5349 days ago
Filed under: change, expats, Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, home, house, nghi tam ...
Coming to Vietnam: Smiles, Marmite, culture, cheese, bicycles or Laos instead? - 13/Apr/2010 07:25 - 5350 days ago
Once while professing my love (again) for Vietnam I was asked whether I had visited here first.
First that was, as compared to o...
The first day of Spring? - 12/Apr/2010 11:34 - 5351 days ago
A lot of people seem to find my blog by Googling “Hanoi weather” but although I’ve lived through all the seaso...
Hanoi living: Documenting the mundane - 11/Apr/2010 10:48 - 5352 days ago
This morning Iam up early – rare for a Sunday – but I have work to do before plans to head out.
As ever the cockerel...
Bangkok: easy to like but hard to love? - 05/Apr/2010 09:25 - 5358 days ago
I’ve lived in four cities in my life Newcastle, Hanoi, Manchester and Bamenda – after that there’s Bangkok.
I’ve nev...
Caught by/in the fuzz - 31/Mar/2010 06:04 - 5363 days ago
This morning I turned left on a city centre road and the next thing I knew there was a policeman standing in front of me waving ...
Happy Easter from Hanoi - 28/Mar/2010 08:56 - 5366 days ago
Hot Cross Buns from the Hanoi Cooking Centre.
Filed under: Food and drink Tagged: easter, food, Hanoi, hanoi cooking centre, hot...
The summer’s coming–take cover - 26/Mar/2010 04:34 - 5368 days ago
During my first stay in Vietnam there came the inevitable: “should I stay or should I go” point.
I recall at the time, while...
Between grief and nothing I’d choose football - 22/Mar/2010 15:41 - 5372 days ago
I’ve been enjoying the live match experience again with my second footballing love Hoa Phat Ha Noi.
Or at least – mo...
New job - 22/Mar/2010 10:45 - 5372 days ago
Following the concerns raised in this post I am very happy to say that I have secured a job with Mandarin Media.
With partners a...
A quick walk around our new neighbourhood - 19/Mar/2010 15:40 - 5375 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, nghi tam, Pics, vietnam, westlake ...
Hanoi road culture–the rise of the look away - 19/Mar/2010 06:42 - 5375 days ago
Someone recently reinforced my own thoughts on the nature of horn peeping in Hanoi.
My view, which they independently also voice...
Vietnam Sweden Rural Energy Programme - 18/Mar/2010 09:25 - 5376 days ago
The overall objective of the 3-year VSRE programme is that the rural population of Vietnam has increased access to options for r...
Internet addicted in Vietnam - 17/Mar/2010 04:38 - 5377 days ago
Having said recently that I didn’t want to “do links” – I then come across something that I think is wor...
The Happy House (Allons-y) - 16/Mar/2010 05:33 - 5378 days ago
I moved out of Nguyen Huy Tu on Sunday morning.
As with so many other acitivies recently it served as a reminder of just how muc...
Our Man in Hanoi: A Lifetime’s Work - 13/Mar/2010 08:24 - 5381 days ago
I was recently interviewed about this blog and I got to talking about content.
I expressed the opinion that while previous blogs...
Blogging away the nighttime blues - 09/Mar/2010 17:03 - 5385 days ago
Such is my recently charmed life that it’s been a long time since I’ve been unable to sleep due to a headful of problems.
Th...
The New Hanoian Reviews: - 09/Mar/2010 06:28 - 5385 days ago
There’s a new link on the right, under Our Man Social Media, for my New Hanoian reviews.
For the uninitiated the New Hanoi...
The racism of online transactions - 06/Mar/2010 11:27 - 5388 days ago
When I lived in Cameroon I tried to book a flight home with Air France.
After going through the lengthy process you reached the ...
The Sustainable Expat - 05/Mar/2010 06:36 - 5389 days ago
Having spent almost four out of the last five years volunteering it’s very easy to kid yourself that you don’t need much mon...
Avatar in Hanoi - 01/Mar/2010 13:04 - 5393 days ago
Such is the day-to-day irrelevance of the American war to life in Vietnam that I hadn’t even considered the poignancy of w...
A proposal - 23/Feb/2010 07:34 - 5399 days ago
A few weeks ago, I was sat at my girlfriend’s parents’s kitchen table.
I had briefly been allowed to leave the dinner ta...
Stuck in traffic behind the goldfish guy - 09/Feb/2010 06:21 - 5413 days ago
Filed under: Hanoi, Pics, transport Tagged: fish, goldfish, Hanoi, Pics, traffic ...
Pics from a bizarrely sunny Sunday in February - 07/Feb/2010 10:19 - 5415 days ago
It’s freakishly and rather worryingly warm in Hanoi right now.
I should be wearing four or five layers and I’m sweat...
My Vietnam - 06/Feb/2010 02:04 - 5416 days ago
VietNamNet has an occasional weekend series entitled “My Vietnam”. In short, a foreigner outlines how he sees the c...
It’s beginning to look a lot like Tet - 03/Feb/2010 04:43 - 5419 days ago
Yesterday I met a mate for coffee and he relayed his weekend.
The day before he’d been out in Hanoi with his family, when one ...
You don’t get to choose your football team. - 31/Jan/2010 05:47 - 5422 days ago
It’s the start of the V-League football season today.
I started watching Hanoi Hoa Phat FC because their stadium was near the ...
Coming clean about The Cart - 29/Jan/2010 09:32 - 5424 days ago
I’ve been meaning to write this for some time on here.
It follows this mention for The Cart in the piece I did for Travelf...
Tet, trees and Travelfish - 24/Jan/2010 06:12 - 5429 days ago
The pictures are of our Tet blossom /branch/tree – decorations for the forthcoming lunar new year.
We went for the blossom...
Cooking Class - 23/Jan/2010 08:59 - 5430 days ago
Just a quick picture and a few words to trail a new part of this blog.
Basically the Recommended section will include places in ...
British Embassy persists with Facebook launch in Vietnam despite site block - 22/Jan/2010 02:27 - 5431 days ago
This is rather odd but this has appeared on the British Embassy website:
The official Facebook page of the British Embassy Hano...
The wronged trousers - 21/Jan/2010 17:08 - 5432 days ago
Such are luggage limits that when I first came over here there was little space to bring a whole range of clothes.
And I skimped...
A rare foodie post - 20/Jan/2010 14:15 - 5433 days ago
Give or take the odd street butty, I don’t tend to do the foodie thing on here.
There’s already plenty of others ...
Flower seller jumps the lights - 19/Jan/2010 15:55 - 5434 days ago
Posted in Hanoi, Pics Tagged: flowers, Hanoi, vietnam ...
New Annoyance - 19/Jan/2010 08:09 - 5434 days ago
I just watched in horror as a shameless expat refused to pay for his lunch in a local cafe.
He complained about both the sandwic...
Blessed - 03/Jan/2010 09:21 - 5450 days ago
I’m back in Hanoi and while fighting off a cold it was a joy to get out today.
In the very centre of town there is current...
Thank you Martin Satchell - 27/Dec/2009 14:35 - 5457 days ago
News reached me on Christmas Day that my friend Martin Satchell had died in Australia.
Without going too much into detail, it wa...
The end of first chapter of the sequel - 16/Dec/2009 05:41 - 5468 days ago
I’ve always found trips to and from Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport especially poignant.
I’ve a hunch that it’s ...
H*n*i! - 07/Dec/2009 19:36 - 5477 days ago
I attempted to introduce a Vietnamese friend to The Wire.
Thirty seconds in and the f-count was already pretty high and I notice...
A new lake - 07/Dec/2009 04:13 - 5477 days ago
Only in crowded, densely-housed Hanoi could you live 300 yards from a lake and not know about it.
In the end I spotted it via Go...
Can Vietnam cope with change? - 07/Dec/2009 03:08 - 5477 days ago
I had seen and shared the above picture via Facebook.
A while later, on a night out, a friend’s Vietnamese wife in her ear...
Chom Chom - 27/Nov/2009 07:35 - 5487 days ago
Posted in Food and drink Tagged: chom chom, drink, food, Hanoi, rambutan, vietnam ...
Old Quarter fruit cup - 24/Nov/2009 04:00 - 5490 days ago
Posted in Food and drink, Hanoi, Pics Tagged: food, fruit, old quarter ...
The Wire: Hanoi one day at a time - 23/Nov/2009 11:29 - 5491 days ago
I had to do something similar to this recently – albeit on a much smaller scale.
I moved into the new flat and once I̵...
Lenin Park–drained - 21/Nov/2009 16:28 - 5493 days ago
Originally when I returned to Hanoi I had this idea that I would live next to Lenin Park and go jogging everyday and try and kee...
Springs rolls and sausage casserole - 15/Nov/2009 09:17 - 5499 days ago
There’s not much to add to the blog post title - except to say Sunday lunch was spent with friends.
On Hanoi’s col...
Retired at 38 in Vietnam - 14/Nov/2009 03:11 - 5500 days ago
When asked recently how things were going in Vietnam I joked it felt like I was retired
And then the more I thought about it the...
I’ll take it - 13/Nov/2009 15:14 - 5501 days ago
I’ve been watching this building take shape while drinking my coffee from across the narrow alleyway in Tho Xuong every mo...
No time for nerves - 07/Nov/2009 10:51 - 5507 days ago
I spent the afternoon with friends at Hanoi’s Museum of Ethnology.
More specifically we enjoyed a pinic in the grounds. ...
Hanoi Huffed - 07/Nov/2009 09:42 - 5507 days ago
It’s early days for the revisited version of this blog.
But already there’s a pattern that I can quite easily fall i...
Under the bridge - 02/Nov/2009 14:21 - 5512 days ago
Posted in Hanoi, Pics Tagged: Hanoi, long bien, long bien bridge ...
Hanging around in Hanoi - 01/Nov/2009 11:41 - 5513 days ago
If you’ve been bored enough to follow my Twitter feed you might have noticed that earlier this week I went into work and r...
No smiles in Vietnam. Really? - 31/Oct/2009 15:05 - 5514 days ago
From Paul Theroux’s Ghost Train to Eastern Star
Most writing about travel takes the form of jumping to conclusions. And...
From a gorgeous day in Hanoi - 24/Oct/2009 15:15 - 5521 days ago
Posted in Hanoi, Pics Tagged: flickr, Hanoi, pictures ...
The Family - 22/Oct/2009 11:06 - 5523 days ago
In the past week or so a close expat friend has been in hospital in Hanoi where he underwent a very serious operation.
The good ...
Pre-beer butty - 22/Oct/2009 10:51 - 5523 days ago
Okay so I left work around 40 minutes ago wondering what I’d eat for dinner.
About 35 minutes ago I spotted a new sandwich...
Worshipping at the altar of optimism - 15/Oct/2009 06:58 - 5530 days ago
The first time I walked up the stairs to my new apartment I saw this Buddhist altar outside the door
I smiled. It was an aspec...
Aristotle says… - 05/Oct/2009 08:41 - 5540 days ago
There’s a great piece at Hanoi Scratchpad on unhappy westerners in Vietnam.
It finishes with this Aristotle fable/quote w...
In which I predictably crash the bike - 04/Oct/2009 06:05 - 5541 days ago
So how to write a blog post about crashing my motorbike in such a way that it won’t cause my poor mother further worry?
T...
Sandwich shop in the shade - 03/Oct/2009 07:44 - 5542 days ago
I’m just in from a stroll around Hanoi’s Old Quarter. More pics here.
Posted in Hanoi, Pics Tagged: old quarter, p...
A return to Hanoi - 26/Sep/2009 12:05 - 5549 days ago
Posted in Hanoi, Movies Tagged: Hanoi, movie, return ...
Now officially spoilt - 25/Sep/2009 01:40 - 5550 days ago
I’m settling very nicely into the new place and into my new life.
I must admit when I handed over the deposit I thought I ...
A silly love song - 22/Sep/2009 01:31 - 5553 days ago
You’d think that people would have had enought of silly love songs.
But I look around me and I see it isnt so.
Some people...
Hanoi hits me - 16/Sep/2009 09:24 - 5559 days ago
I had wondered when the Hanoi return would hit me.
I’d been due to arrive yesterday evening but a tropical storm over Hong...
Can Hanoi be forever? - 02/Sep/2009 01:10 - 5573 days ago
So this is the first real post on OMIH since January 2007.
Since then there’s been a great deal of change both personally and ...
Our Man returns to Hanoi in September‘09 - 26/Jun/2009 18:53 - 5641 days ago
Posted in Uncategorized ...
This is the end - 22/Jan/2007 22:40 - 6527 days ago
WE DID IT.
So the new KOTO is open. Officially.
The Australian Ambassador did his duty and later, less formally, the KOTO grad...
Interim post - 04/Jan/2007 15:58 - 6545 days ago
I’ve written before, while we dreamed of the new KOTO restaurant, that I fantasised about the opening night.
When everythi...
the saddest, proudest moment ever - 28/Nov/2006 21:19 - 6582 days ago
I’m now no longer a KOTO employee.
Yesterday was the last day and with it came the goodbye speeches, the presents, the flo...
Closing chapters - 25/Nov/2006 23:56 - 6585 days ago
Like I’ve said before it’s starting to feel more and more like the end of the film.</p> <p>The old &...
Goodbye 61 Van Mieu - 17/Nov/2006 15:32 - 6593 days ago
First a couple of very cool links.
There’s this rather wonderful film about KOTO which gives you its history from it’...
the big finish - 12/Nov/2006 06:56 - 6598 days ago
If this was Our Man in Hanoi – The Movie we’d just be gearing up for the big finish.
Brad Pitt, because who else wou...
a quick smug post - 09/Nov/2006 02:06 - 6601 days ago
Still no cigarettes. It’s been over three weeks.
I rule.
...
hey there singapore canon dude - 02/Nov/2006 15:44 - 6608 days ago
Somebody from Canon in Singapore is checking out this blog a lot.
They started by repeatedly Googling hanoi, apec, canon and now...
do you agree? - 27/Oct/2006 01:13 - 6614 days ago
From my experience the thoughts below from Lisa are not accurate. I would say it is an absolutely massive generalisation ̵...
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