The Vietnam Weekly Podcast

Today’s guest is Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia Program Director at the Washington D.C.-Based Stimson Center, project lead of the Mekong Dam Monitor, and author of the 2019 book Last Days of the Mighty Mekong.This wide-ranging conversation covers the proposed Funan Techo Canal in Cambodia (2:45), how the Mekong Dam Monitor is doing a job regional governments should be doing (20:40), a new dam that China has not announced the completion of (25:20), the role of Laos in the river’s declining health (29:34), and what can be done to ensure that these are not the Mekong’s last days of might.Relevant links:Mekong Dam MonitorThe Mekong’s Forgotten FishesQ&A: How Cambodia’s Chinese-backed Funan Techo Canal Risks Destabilizing the Lower Mekong DeltaFollow Brian on Twitter @aikunming Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guests are Truong Thuy Ngan, Communications Lead at Saigon Children’s Charity; and Damien Roberts, the organization’s Executive Director.We discussed how the longstanding charity - now in its 32nd year - has evolved over time, including:* Campaigns to inspire future generations of female leaders in Vietnam* Efforts to raise awareness of mental health while supporting families with neurodivergent children* How international economic conditions and new regulations have impacted fundraising There are multiple ways to support them:* Sponsor a scholarship for an individual student: https://sponsorship.saigonchildren.com/en/home/* Contribute to the Anhi Chi Em monthly donation initiative to support emergency cases: https://anhchiem.saigonchildren.com/* Or, for those in Vietnam, take part in the annual Charity Cycle Adventure starting in Phong Nha and ending in Đà Nẵng from March 28-April 1 while raising funds: https://www.saigonchildren.com/vi/engage/charity-cycle-adventure/Visit Saigon Children’s website to learn more: https://www.saigonchildren.com/Sign up for the Vietnam Weekly here, and connect with us on Threads, LinkedIn, or Instagram @vietnamweekly. The Vietnam Weekly Podcast is available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and other major podcast platforms. Please rate or review the show! Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guest is Tu Phuong Nguyen, a lecturer of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne. Tu’s research focuses on labor in Vietnam, particularly the country’s social insurance system. We discussed the precarious nature of factory work, even in the vaunted tech manufacturing sector, the challenges facing social insurance after 2023’s mass layoffs in the garment and footwear industries, and the government’s troubled efforts to reform this system.Keeping these issues in mind is vital in the context of the overall positive news regarding Vietnam’s FDI and manufacturing growth. For more on this topic, check out my previous coverage, as well as Lien Hoang’s recent story for Nikkei Asia.The Vietnam Weekly Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your preferred podcast platform.Sign up for the newsletter here: https://vietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guest is Michael Brosowski, Founder & Strategic Director of the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. Blue Dragon works to rescue Vietnamese people from slavery, homelessness, and extreme poverty and then works with them in the long term so they can heal from trauma, injustice, and disadvantage.We discussed how the organization’s work has evolved over the last two years, the rise of scam compounds across Southeast Asia and how they are driving new forms of human trafficking, the impact of the ongoing civil war in Myanmar on trafficking networks, and more.This conversation covers disturbing material, but understanding these issues is vital.You can learn more about Blue Dragon and support them through their website: https://www.bluedragon.org/Subscribe to The Vietnam Weekly Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform, and follow the Vietnam Weekly on Threads, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

I’m thrilled to announce the relaunch of The Vietnam Weekly Podcast, which ran for seven episodes way back in 2021. The first new episode will be released next Monday, February 19.Every two weeks, I’ll talk to people doing fascinating work in - or about - Vietnam. Initial topics include the anti-corruption campaign, scam compounds across Southeast Asia, the quest to write a comprehensive Vietnamese recipe book, efforts to fight dengue by using mosquitoes against themselves, and the environmental challenges facing the Mekong Delta.You can listen to the podcast on Substack, or via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.If you have an idea for a guest or want to be on the show yourself, please reach out!See you on the 19th.Mike Tatarski Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

My guest on the latest Vietnam Weekly Podcast episode is Thao Lam, Executive Director of the LIN Center for Community Development. Thao has deep experience with NGOs and grassroots organizations, and we talked about how this sector has responded to the end of lockdown in southern Vietnam, as well as the challenges it still faces. For example, it is easy to raise funding and get community involvement in the midst of a severe crisis, but creating sustainable action on long-term issues is more difficult.If you’d like to learn more about Thao’s work, you can visit the LIN Center’s website, or check out their new You Impact initiative, which aims to raise awareness on how to effectively create positive social impacts. Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

The Vietnam Weekly Podcast is back after some delay with guest Dr. Leigh Jones, Head of Training at the Oxford Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City. Leigh has a PhD in Immunology and is one of my go-to sources for information related to COVID-19 vaccines and other scientific issues related to the pandemic.We discussed the different types of Covid vaccines and how they work; the significance of the timing between your first and second doses; the global debate over the need for boosters; research on the use of vaccines in children; and what current clinical data says about Ivermectin, the medicine being widely touted in some corners as a cure-all to the pandemic. Leigh is a fantastic science communicator who does a great job of breaking advanced concepts down into language that can be easily understood by people without a technical background. I learned a lot from this conversation, and I hope you do too. Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re anything like me, you are really missing Vietnamese food during lockdown. I’m a decent home cook, but with all street food shut down, I have been craving my favorites, particularly cơm tấm and bún thịt nướng.With no end in sight to social distancing regulations, I talked to cookbook author Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen to get some pointers on making Vietnamese food at home.We covered the basic ingredients you’ll need in your kitchen (4:30) before discussing a range of dishes, including cơm tấm (8:25), canh (10:52), bún thịt nướng (14:13), tofu (17:19), món kho (19:04), phỏ (23:22), gỏi (25:32) and bánh mì (28:03). I can’t wait to try these out, and I also invite listeners to check out Andrea’s cookbook Vietnamese Food Any Day, which makes many aspects of this wonderful cuisine entirely approachable for the average home cook. Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

I’m pleased to present the fourth Vietnam Weekly Podcast episode, which is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever podcasts are found. My guest is Neagha Leonard, project director of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project. He has lived on Cat Ba since 2014 and is a leading expert on the island, its biodiversity, and the numerous issues facing both human residents and flora and fauna. I strongly recommend following the organization’s Facebook page, linked above, which provides very detailed updates on their work.We covered a wide range of topics, including the project’s work documenting the critically endangered Cat Ba langur population; the impact of mass tourism and developments such as Sun Group’s cable car on the environment; the importance of providing livelihood alternatives to people moved from their home in the name of environmental protection; the island’s incredible overall biodiversity; and what people can do wherever they live to get involved with conservation. For more background on Cat Ba, I recommend checking out my Mongabay feature on the island from 2019. I met Neagha during that reporting trip, and he has been an invaluable resource since then. His willingness to speak bluntly on conservation is welcome. Mike Tatarski Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

As discussed in the Vietnam Weekly on Monday, Ho Chi Minh City’s hard lockdown is creating economic pain for many, particularly those on the margins of society who rely on daily income to survive - whether from selling lottery tickets, running a food cart outside a factory, working as a non-contract day laborer, or something similar.With this work now impossible as the city fights a huge COVID-19 outbreak, many people are in a fairly desperate situation: no income, family support networks stretched thin, cramped living spaces, higher food prices, and heavy restrictions on outdoor movement. In two separate interviews, I spoke with Damien Roberts, executive director of Saigon Children, about the vital work the charity is doing to keep marginalized kids (and their families) fed and mentally stimulated; as well as Kelly Vo, head of the Philanthropy Services department at the LIN Center for Community Development, who discussed the challenges that grassroots NGOs in Ho Chi Minh City face due to COVID-19 restrictions (25:56). You can donate to Saigon Children here, and learn more about the LIN Center’s work here. (Also, check out Kelly’s own podcast, Dear Our Community, here.) Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

On the second episode of the Vietnam Weekly podcast, I spoke with Beth Lopez, the co-founder and CEO of Docosan. This website/app connects prospective patients with hundreds of doctors in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang, and allows people to book appointments without going through the process of dealing with a hospital or clinic admin team.I’ve used Docosan several times and it is hugely helpful for foreigners, who often go to the expensive international-focused clinics simply out of perceived convenience - but it also helped many Vietnamese people, especially those looking for help with mental or sexual health. Beth and the team at Docosan have created an incredibly useful platform, and she shared some insight gleaned since its launch in April 2020 - right in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also find the Vietnam Weekly podcast on Spotify. Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe

Good morning, and welcome to the first episode of the Vietnam Weekly Podcast, a new addition to this project. Twice a month, I will interview people from a broad spectrum of industry and society, either working in Vietnam, or with a focus on the country from overseas. If you are already a newsletter subscriber, you’ll receive new episodes in your inbox just like the weekly updates, and this will also be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms soon. If you aren’t a subscriber, you can sign up below - I plan to eventually segment episodes into free and paid versions, the latter of which will fit into the US$5/month subscription that is already available.Please share any feedback you have on this first episode, and note that the audio quality will improve in the future as I’m currently hunting for a proper microphone. The podcast’s first guest is Michael Brosowski, founder and co-CEO of the Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. Michael and his team do incredible work in helping street kids and rescuing survivors of human trafficking - mostly young women who have been trafficked into China for either brothels or marriage. We talked about how Blue Dragon began conducting cross-border rescues, what drives trafficking into China, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this underground industry in surprising ways. I’ve known Michael for some time now, and while these topics are undeniably disturbing, they are extremely important to understand, and he is a leading expert on the issue of trafficking in Vietnam.You can learn more about Blue Dragon’s work and support their efforts through their website. Michael Tatarski Get full access to Vietnam Weekly at thevietnamweekly.substack.com/subscribe