What news about Vietnam are you interested?

I live in Vietnam.
Vietnam news that I read I find in either in my Facebook feed, or reddit.com/r/VietNam/ , posted by a redditor.
The Facebook or Reddit articles link to articles in either of:

- tuoitrenews.vn
- vnexpress.net
- vietnamnews.vn  maybe?

There are no particular topics I am interested in. I don't read these news sites regularly because the reporting is generally shallow compared to reporting in Western media. Meaning, I don't learn much.

" Which topics do you think that the Vietnamese news publishers are lacking?"

Ok now there is a question I haven't seen asked on expat.com! It is not that Vietnamese news is lacking topics. It is that the reporting is shallow. The stories are short. The reporters don't return for followup stories. Some examples:

- A government official is arrested for corruption. Corruption happens in every country, I am happy to see that the press reports bad news along with happy news. But that is beginning and the end of the story. There is no follow up. What was the evidence? How was the crime discovered? Was the man convicted? What was the punishment? Who else was implicated? Who will replace him? What changes will be implemented to prevent such crimes in the future?

We wonder, why was this story reported? Everyone knows there are other corrupt people. why aren't they arrested too?

- There is a car accident, a lady in a BMW crashes into motorbikes at a stoplight and kills people. She blames her high heels. The news website has gory pictures. What happened? Who was she? Was she arrested? Did she go to jail? Is she still allowed to drive a car? Were the families compensated?

Readers are curious especially about stories of crimes and disaster. Expats and Vietnamese both. Curious people want to know. Where are the news stories about what happened?

Here is one story I don't think was reported at all...
- A condominium project in Vung Tau went dark. Construction stopped. My wife and I had half-considered buying an apartment there. We talked to a fruit lady across the street. She said the owner left the country with the money! True or false? Luckily the next year it got back on track and completed. What happened? (Could be it was reported but I didn't see it, and google isn't showing me.)

Maybe you don't know, but in the West we rely on the news organizations to investigate stories and report the truth. They assume the role of society watchdogs. Google "investigative journalism". Politicians may lie, corporations may hide illegal operations, bad things happen every day that the citizens want to know about. Good news organizations and brave reporters do the hard work to find the truth, expose the crooks, and society is made safer.

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I agree that the Vietnam news is shallow and covered by a politic theme that the government wants audiences to know what they want people to know.

That is the reason why I need a deep demand from expats on what they really need to read when they are in Vietnam.

I might not be the social news, government announcement, but it might be the news of services that can help them in daily life such as F&B promotions, spa services, massage deals, transport rental, travel tips, travel tour providers, culture, festivals, traditions, and something like that.

I would be better for my assignment because it is related to the economy or services rather than society.

louispotter117 wrote:

Hi guys,

I am from Vietnam, I'm now learning in tourism department of a university in Danang.

To prepare for my report next term, I would appreciate if you spend time reading my thread and letting me know your opinions.

I would like to know:
- If you are living in Vietnam or planning to move to Vietnam in the near future?
- If you usually read news about Vietnam?
- If yes, which sites do you usually visit?
- Which topics do you care about the news in Vietnam? (such as F&B promotions, travel, education, medical care, politics, spa, laundry, pet,...)
- Which topics do you think that the Vietnamese news publishers are lacking?

Once again, thank you for spending time on my thread.

Wish you have a good day!

I live in Vietnam.

I only read "news" about Vietnam when it pops up in my Google newsfeed or on Facebook or in a post here on this website.

I search for the weather and currency exchange rates using Google.

IF I need to search Vietnam news, I use this website first:

Việt Nam News

I also read the daily print version of Việt Nam News if I am flying on Vietnam Airlines or if it is available in the lobby of a hotel where I'm staying.

I am drawn to stories about the economy and infrastructure development.

I also enjoy reading feature articles about places I've never visited in Vietnam.

I might be drawn to a promotion of a spa or an entertainment venue for live music.

I would definitely like to see more coverage of Visa and banking regulations.

It would especially be helpful if the online newspaper kept a regular section for frequently asked questions by foreigners, with links to actual documentation of policies and rules.

There is far too much reliance on rumors and heresay regarding the topics of employment, immigration, finance and residency.

I think it would be a great public service for the newspaper to maintain such a section on their website.

Certainly related advertising could be run in the same space (tying our concerns in with TOURISM promotions).

Also, as mentioned by Gobot, I would like to see more follow up coverage of important stories.

For instance, whatever happened to Vietnamese citizen Phạm Thành Hiếu who drove his truck into a large group of motorbike riders?

I just searched and finally found this story:

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/drunk … 19152.html

It seems this incident cried out for much more coverage over the past year, especially concerning the survivors of the deceased plus those who have been recovering from injuries.

gobot wrote:

- There is a car accident, a lady in a BMW crashes into motorbikes at a stoplight and kills people. She blames her high heels. The news website has gory pictures. What happened? Who was she? Was she arrested? Did she go to jail? Is she still allowed to drive a car? Were the families compensated?

Readers are curious especially about stories of crimes and disaster. Expats and Vietnamese both. Curious people want to know. Where are the news stories about what happened?

Gobot -- I've been travelling so not reading much of anything including this site.  Can't get involved on this thread, but I can answer one of your questions:

- What happened? Who was she?

The woman's name is Nguyễn Thị Nga, 48 years old, the owner of a restaurant on Pasteur St (Q3).  On the evening in question, her driver took a day off so she drove herself home in Q12 after participating in a birthday party (her father's, I believe).  She testified that she was sober when leaving the restaurant.  She ran a red light near Ngã Tư Hàng Sanh (very often misspelled as Xanh).  She blamed the back strap of her high heels that hooked under the gas pedal, preventing her from engaging the brake.

According to the police, she wouldn't be able to engage the brake anyhow because her BrAL was at 0.94 mg/L.  In VN, it's illegal to drive with a 0.25 mg/L BrAL.  (Her BrAL was equalled to 1.974 BAC in the States.)

- Was she arrested? Did she go to jail?  

Yes on both.

- Is she still allowed to drive a car? 

For that BrAL, her license would've been suspended for 4 - 6 months plus a fine of 16M - 18M.  It didn't apply to her because she didn't have a license to drive the car in the first place.

- Were the families compensated?

Yes.  She was very remorse and actively compensated the 6 victims (1 dead, 5 injured).  The family of the dead victim asked for an additional 2B (B, not M).  The newspaper did not state whether they received it.  All 6 families wrote letters to the court asking for her leniency so I assumed they felt their losses were compensated fairly.

After the compensation was done, she and her lawyer also asked the court for mercy, stating that it was her first time breaking the law, that her husband is an elderly foreigner who has cancer,  that her children are young and one of them has autism.

She received a sentence of 3 years and 6 months.

BTW, your sources for news are all good.  The only thing that would make it better is if you could read them in Vietnamese.  All the update above were in 5 or 6 issues of VNExpress (Vietnamese version).  I don't know about other news, but that particular one was followed every step of the way.

OB -- Re: Phạm Thành Hiếu, that's another news that were followed very, very thoroughly.  I don't have time to translate, but a glance at more than 2 dozen newspapers online and a couple legal websites show that every detail of the accident, the driver's mental, emotional, and all other aspects of his life, pertinent facts on some of the victims, and what happened with the case were in print just about everywhere on the Vietnamese web.

Ciambella wrote:

All the update above were in 5 or 6 issues of VNExpress (Vietnamese version).  I don't know about other news, but that particular one was followed every step of the way.

That's it.
The Vietnamese version of VietnamExpress provides much more detailed information than the English version.
The automatic Google Translate translation in Google Chrome provides more or less a translation you can understand in context.

Ciambella wrote:

gobot wrote:

- There is a car accident, a lady in a BMW crashes into motorbikes at a stoplight and kills people. She blames her high heels. The news website has gory pictures. What happened? Who was she? Was she arrested? Did she go to jail? Is she still allowed to drive a car? Were the families compensated?

Readers are curious especially about stories of crimes and disaster. Expats and Vietnamese both. Curious people want to know. Where are the news stories about what happened?

Gobot -- I've been travelling so not reading much of anything including this site.  Can't get involved on this thread, but I can answer one of your questions:

- What happened? Who was she?

The woman's name is Nguyễn Thị Nga, 48 years old, the owner of a restaurant on Pasteur St (Q3).  On the evening in question, her driver took a day off so she drove herself home in Q12 after participating in a birthday party (her father's, I believe).  She testified that she was sober when leaving the restaurant.  She ran a red light near Ngã Tư Hàng Sanh (very often misspelled as Xanh).  She blamed the back strap of her high heels that hooked under the gas pedal, preventing her from engaging the brake.

According to the police, she wouldn't be able to engage the brake anyhow because her BrAL was at 0.94 mg/L.  In VN, it's illegal to drive with a 0.25 mg/L BrAL.  (Her BrAL was equalled to 1.974 BAC in the States.)

- Was she arrested? Did she go to jail?  

Yes on both.

- Is she still allowed to drive a car? 

For that BrAL, her license would've been suspended for 4 - 6 months plus a fine of 16M - 18M.  It didn't apply to her because she didn't have a license to drive the car in the first place.

- Were the families compensated?

Yes.  She was very remorse and actively compensated the 6 victims (1 dead, 5 injured).  The family of the dead victim asked for an additional 2B (B, not M).  The newspaper did not state whether they received it.  All 6 families wrote letters to the court asking for her leniency so I assumed they felt their losses were compensated fairly.

After the compensation was done, she and her lawyer also asked the court for mercy, stating that it was her first time breaking the law, that her husband is an elderly foreigner who has cancer,  that her children are young and one of them has autism.

She received a sentence of 3 years and 6 months.

BTW, your sources for news are all good.  The only thing that would make it better is if you could read them in Vietnamese.  All the update above were in 5 or 6 issues of VNExpress (Vietnamese version).  I don't know about other news, but that particular one was followed every step of the way.

Not sure if she was very remoresul, she just used that in her defence.

There was a picture of her sitting in her BMW talking on the phone while the body of the dead lady was uner her car near the drivers door. She should have got 10 years for being a self centered cow.

Drunk Nga

I am interested in the economy, seems to be growing quite well. Investments from other countries.
Tourism, perhaps relaxing visa issues etc. Travelling blogs, little places off the beaten track I have not visited yet.
I am currently researching northern Vietnam, making plan s for a motorcycle journey.

Ciambella wrote:

BTW, your sources for news are all good.  The only thing that would make it better is if you could read them in Vietnamese.  All the update above were in 5 or 6 issues of VNExpress (Vietnamese version).  I don't know about other news, but that particular one was followed every step of the way.

Thanks so much for the update. Finding out this stuff restores some of my faith in Viet journalism, in the court, glad the families were helped and were grateful, and I feel sorry for the driver too.

Apparently when I see nothing afterwards (because I really didn't search, just rely on the feeds to tell me!), I assume the worst of mankind, and fall in with the expat sourpusses who find fault with everything.
Bad me!    No chocolate today.