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27 December 2009

For Xmas, Not For Life

If R had stayed, I would have certainly rented him a girlfriend for Xmas.


I expect that this company's next peak trading period will be during Tet, when people travel back home and do lots of family things. Vietnamese Lunar New Year is called "Tet" and is the most important celebration of the year (in terms of both holidays and gifts).

This year, Tet is toward the end of February and I will still be living in Vietnam at this time. The article had me wondering whether I could also get R back here for Tet. He's the only person I could think of who would find this type of gift a both a compliment and an opportunity.

I think I can line up some work for him. I'll make the poor thing think we couldn't manage without him. And I guess I can't, given that my supply of fall guys has now dried up. This plan cannot fail.

Gets me thinking though ... what if Tet swings around and my secretary still has (vocal) concerns over my girlfriend status? What if she and the other secretaries (the ones who like me) decided to chip in and rent me a girlfriend for Tet? Anywhere else, the thought would seem ridiculous but in Vietnam I would give it high 80's in probability.

I think I'm going to have to invent a girlfriend in January. They already think my divorce was based on a real marriage ... and some speculate that a dead child was involved ... a leukaemic tragedy. So how hard can it be?

Stay tuned.

26 December 2009

Two Wheels Of Cheese

Old ladies do love a trip into town. Yes they do.

They usually do their hair and run a bit of lippy around their mouth a few times. My Nana used to say that she was putting on her face.

Sometimes a splash of rouge as well. Sometimes lipstick can double up as rouge. But don't do this in a rush: the effect can be clown-like.


Whatever you call it, to some people it's always important to "look good" "in town".

Of course, to certain other people, "looking good" can be an obstacle to "getting there as quickly as possible". My passenger makes this claim and chooses the latter.

She claims that there's never enough time to do both. Rather than look appropriate, she is happy to run the risk that a child will run up and attempt to put a pingpong ball in her mouth.

That said, there is always time to hunt down a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the way out. Go figure.


But one thing is universal: once the fat lady sings, it's over.


I wish people would stop calling me a fat lady.

Boxing Day

We just came back from a couple of days in Ha Long bay.

I couldn't find my camera before we left, so we have no evidence of all the joy and laziness. Our recollections will remain subjective and alterable.

The weather was misty and the scenery was grey. It was quite beautiful so I made one last desperate hunt for the camera: through my bag and my pockets and Cheesel's bag and Cheesel's pockets. Just in case. But nothing.

Thankfully the old girl's memory is quite shot. I didn't tell her we had no camera and she didn't ask about it. So in a few days I will be convincing her that photos from my previous trip are her memories. Snap!

"Remember this? Remember when we sailed past this?"
-- "Oh yeah ... hmm ..."

"This was just magnificent wasn't it?"
-- "Yes ... [long drag of the cigarette] Yes it was. [nodding] Absolutely magnificent."

We got back to Hanoi on Xmas Eve and I had a thorough look through the apartment for the camera. I don't know where it could have gone, but I couldn't find it.

I decided to blame the maid. It's always the butler maid. This assumtpion never turns out to be true, but it wraps things up neatly and is more efficient than scrambling through the sock drawer.

So rather than waste any more elbow grease, I quickly got used to the idea of losing the camera. I didn't like this contraption anyway because it (yes it) takes shithouse photos. I still wanted to capture some Xmas memories but somehow, without the camera it didn't seem worthwhile doing anything interesting. So we ended up having a boring day that didn't miss a camera.

Then this afternoon I saw something so horrific, so disgusting, that I moved mountains (and vases) to capture evidence of it. Ha Long could go without evidence but this could not. The public has a right to know the truth about what's going on here.

So I went on a desperate scramble for the camera. Even at the outset, I knew that I would find it. I had to. There was no longer an option.

"I know I can, I know I can" kept running through my head as my pulse quickened and my fingers were a blur.

And I did. Found it, that is. Under a black folder.

And just in time.

In time to capture this.

Capture this horror:

On the balcony, sucking up the fresh air and the view.

I told her not to wear that hat out in public. I now see some loopholes in my instructions; and regret them.

23 December 2009

Non Plussed

Day 1 in Hanoi.

I picked her up from the airport in a cab but had to leave straight to work. There was no time to easing her into the bike so I had to put the old stick straight on the back, nervous wobbles and all.
I can't understand how a purse, a magazine, some crocheting and a pack of cigarettes warrants such a trolley bag.

I dropped her off at the Little Hanoi, a famous landmark cafe which is easy for both of us to find. We had some lunch and she was happily left to her own devices for the day.

The Little Hanoi was also the pick-up point that evening. As I pulled up, this is what was waiting for me. It was standing there with 2 locals who were attempting to form meaningful, mercantile relationships with her. She said "these are my friends!" as I tried to yank the "non" (which is what the pointy hat is called) off her head.

At the time, I was in too much shock to take a photo - hurrying as I was to flee the scene - so I waited till we got home.

She didn't see me pull up. I should have just driven away. Called her mobile saying that the traffic was bad and she should get a cab. But this would mean her arriving home in this state. And this is something I don't need the Jones's to see.

"You just wore this to embarrass me when I picked you up, didn't you?"
-- "No no. Not at all."
"I don't believe you. It's not possible."
-- "I bought it hours ago. I've been wearing it all day.
"You - wha - are you serious? For how long?"
-- "I dunno. Hours. It's been great."
"Where did you even get it?"
-- "From my friend here."
I tried to ignore her new friend, who was now smiling at me and trying to sell me a lighter. Or postcards. Or heroin.
"Just get the fucking thing off and get on the bike."
-- "No I won't! I'm wearing it home."
"Good luck trying to get the helmet on it."
-- "Oh. I didn't think of that."
"I promise if you keep that thing on your head, I'm going to deliberately crash. I'm not sure whether the goal is to kill myself or you but either way this has to end."
-- "Alright alright I'll take it off!"

For the rest of the trip, the Non was wedged between us on the bike, spiking me in the back:

"Did you see any other tourists wearing one of these hats?"
-- "I don't care. I liked it. It was my goal for Day 1."
"Well from now on, I will be vetting the daily goals."
--- "You will not!"
"Oh really? How are you enjoying this traffic? Care for a little crash?"
--- "Alright alright."

I asked a few other questions about the Non. Apparently, it's difficult to see street signs while wearing it so she was constantly getting lost. I hoped that this also meant people couldn't see her. I soon realised that this brim was no guarantee of anonymity. People here are very short and most could have still seen her grinning face.

"Brother can you spare me a dime?"

There has since been a stern lecture about the Non and it won't be making its way out in public again.

22 December 2009

Headline of the Day


"Christmas carols turn ugly: officer punched, teen zapped with stun gun."

I think it's missing a semicolon.

19 December 2009

Last Night's Concert

Yosuke Yamashita played Gershwin with the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra last night. It was at the Hanoi Opera House, which is a tired yet cosy little venue.

We were seated to the right of the stage, but when Yosuke arrived I moved around to the left and stood beside a column. I always need a view of the hands.


One of the violinists was wearing a strange sleeveless fluffy pink mohair top; oversized with a black belt around it. I think I spotted black jodhpurs when she stood up. A bold choice for someone on a stage, surrounded by ball gowns.

Some of Yosuke's earlier installations are also quite remarkable. This one below, from the 70's, is called 'Ecstasy of the Angels'. It seems to start with a hidden (oversized) vibrator, closely followed by an axe, then wraps up via a tribute to some kind of Japanese Patty Hearst.


Back to the concert.

Look closely at the applause at the end. Vietnamese people don't really stand up to applause but there is a lonely old girl in the distance, on her feet.


It was so fantastic that we want to go again. It's sold out so we are going try to sneak in tonight during intermission, brandishing last night's programs.

17 December 2009

Within minutes ...

... the apartment was filled with the smell of cheap perfume and duty free cigarettes.

As per usual, I was late to pick her up from airport so rushed into the main waiting area. She wasn't there but I knew she wouldn't be far. Within minutes I spotted her outside, tucked behind a No Exit door.

First Hanoi sighting of the blue baboon - in camouflage

After a cursory check of her travel insurance (date and conditions) she will be helmeted and plonked onto the back of the bike, then dumped in the old town so that I can get to my meeting at work.

16 December 2009

The Potato Harvest (Part 2)

Here is the transcript from a recent "chat session" I had with our HR Leader:

Quyen: Hi Anthony, i want to talk to you about the stretch assignment

Anthony: hi. ok. i'm at the airpor t about to board my flight but i'm ok to chat for for a few minutes though

Quyen: thanks, it is about the stretch assignment on marketing. i need you to supervise our emerging leaders to work on it

Anthony: what do you need me to do? are there guidelines?

Quyen: i sent a note to you all on 11 Dec

Anthony: yes I read this. but are there specific guidelines?

Quyen: you could appoint a team leader

Anthony: do we have a ppt presentation or something which outlines what the initiative is all about? what are the desired outcomes?

Quyen: yes, the outcomes would be marketing activities to promote services

Quyen: there is no specific guidelines

Anthony: what are the goals of this assignment? How will we know if we have achieved it or not?

Quyen: marketing activities to promote services.

Anthony: is there more info than this?

Quyen: it is like a small project

Anthony: so in terms of a goal ... you know the SMART principle to goals right? a goal needs to to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable etc ...? what are the specifics of this assignment and how would we measure (or even know) if it was achieved?

Quyen: let me know if you could manage your time to supervise the team

Anthony: yes. i can manage my time. the only thing missing is the guidelines. is this a global initiative?

Quyen: yes. just treat it like a small project. about marketing.

Anthony: ok. thanks for clarifying it.

Quyen: you're welcome [smiley face]

Anthony: we can talk more tomorrow as i'm about to board a flight

Quyen: thanks anthony. this sounds great. [smiley face]

I'm fucked.

15 December 2009

Word of the Day

Today's was particularly good.

Word: "Tiger's Wife Mad'

The act of being so angry at someone that you find the item they cherish most and beat them with it.

Chris was so Tiger's Wife Mad at Joe that he grabbed Joe's Wii remote and beat him with it.

It doesn't even bother using her name. She's just (and only) Tiger's Wife. And Mad.

13 December 2009

There's No R In Hanoi

Socially speaking, R is a very open person. He will unblinkingly recount stories or situations that would put most of us to shame. He doesn't mind people knowing anything, really. It extends well beyond A-said-B-to-E and into vignettes of personal grooming, sexual pecadillos or belittling awkwardness.

I don't even like people knowing that I went to the shop ... "I saw you up the road yesterday getting some milk, I think it was milk." will fill me with dread.

Not R, though. He can be told: "I saw this girl keep rejecting you last night when you were really drunk and tried to talk to her like 4 or 5 times until she hit you across the face." ... and he will be all like: "Oh yeah - that was really embarrassing, wasn't it? Great night though."

On the flip side, this trait is not so good for him in a corporate world where loose lips sink ships.

That’s why I couldn’t tell R about this blog. I was busting to share it with him because he’s been living here and knows the people and the culture. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any risks.

There is a risk that he would accidentally mention the blog when he was pissed. Something simple like "Oh yeah- that was on your blog" ... or leave the page open on his desk in the office. Granted, these are very small risks for me, but they are not ones I can take in this culture. Some of my opinions could have me fired or deported. At best, I would be marginalized. Although I think I'm already living the best.

So rather than take tiny risks with big consequences, I couldn't tell him.

This also means that all my visitors to Hanoi get a briefing: don't mention the blog. I may as well be living in Brazil with a German surname.

In the interest of full transparency – or at least translucency – I told R that until he had “tackled” the issue of his open mouth (no, Ben, not in that way), there were a few things I was unable to tell him about myself. I'm sure he was expecting something salacious, much like the things he left me to discover when I cleaned out his apartment, so this will probably come as a disappointment.

But yesterday R finished his contract and left Vietnam: probably for good. We had a final meeting to reflect on his performance and experience over the past 8 months. It was also an excuse for me to get some one-on-one time and give him a few gifts during the final frenzied departure actions.

The first present I gave R was a wincing ceramic doll on all fours. It's an inside joke. A kind of inside joke befitting of toddlers. Toddlers with bad parents. The second was a few books which have either changed my life, or my mood, or both. The third was the address of this blog.

This last presentation went something like this:

Me: "So what are you going to do in the next few months?"

R: "A few things. I’d really like to take some time out to maybe write down some memories of this trip. It’s been hard work but really memorable and there are many things I don’t want to forget about Vietnam."

Me: "Well on that subject, I’ve actually got one more gift for you."

R: "I think you’ve given me enough, Anthony. I'm not going to help you with your shirt."

Me: "No. Remember when I told you there was something I couldn’t trust you with because you were a bit of a loose cannon?"

R: "Yeah. Of course I do."

Me: "Well I’ve been keeping a blog. Just writing about the occasional thing that happens here. You have the occasional mention in it as well. I didn't want you to know because I've written things about work that could get me in trouble."

R: "Are you kidding? Really?"

Me: "Yes. I couldn’t tell you because I couldn’t risk some of the things come out that I say about work people. But you are mentioned only as 'R'. So my final gift to you is to tell you what the web address is, and to hope that you read and enjoy it."

R: "Wow. Thanks. Does that mean you trust me now?"

Me: "No. I just means that you’re leaving Hanoi and no longer pose a risk. You’re still untrustworthy."

R: [laughs] "Oh. OK. Thanks."

Me: "I mean it though."

R: "Yes. Yes I know."

He was pretty touched. So I asked where my gifts were. I had already scanned the room, discretely searching for swatches of wrapping paper hidden behind columns or under tables.

"So where's my present then?" I finally asked him. R stopped feeling touched and started being awkward, which as good as a gift to me.

The second gift I procured from him was permission to write about a couple of things he’s been up to whilst in Vietnam. He complied readily, not out of willingness but out of empty handed guilt.

So now R has gone. I’m glad I kept this secret, though. But he has been a significant part of my Hanoi trip to date and can hopefully relate to the stories on his own level. It would be fun to read them in restrospect. I’m also a bit sad though; but that will pass. Like an ill wind. Bad R. Bad everyone.

11 December 2009

The Potato Harvest

This email just landed in my Inbox. It's from the head of HR.

"Dear Huong, Kien, Hung, and Thanh

"As anh Tam say, the next one year ahead of you will not only be excitement, pride and joy, but will aslo be hard work, going extra miles, and very strong will power. I am sure though your sweat will harvest you great crop.

She's certainly strong out of the blocks; I'll give her that. But I have my reservations. This quote is clearly a fake. anh Tam is our CEO and he does not use such stirring words. Never. He also does not even have any farming experience. Piracy is rampant in Vietnam and emails from HR Leaders are no exception.

"The next step in our LIV programme is working in teams on stretch assignments. These stretch assignments are real business challenges we are facing in our company. Your task is to analyse the problem, identify the issues, develop an actionable execution plan and follow up on the actions.

The next step? The next step after what? You haven't told us the first step. What was the first step? Are you talking about the harvest? Is the harvest the first step? What does all this mean?

And what is an LIV programme?

Look at the difference in grammar, structure, style and pace between the first paragraph and the second.

It's a completely different author.

This paragraph was obviously air-lifted out of some PowerPoint presentation during some emergency operation.

Things start to crystallise in my head. It's starting to make sense. The LIV Programme is part of some global initiative, mandated by HQ in the US. Hang on though. American's spell it like "program" and in our company most of the Australians have given up. All of the non-English countries write Program. It's a very common word in my company. Only the English have remained stubborn enough to use the "correct" spelling, unless they have lived in the US for a while and it's beaten out of them. I think the email has still been issued out of the US, but it was by a recently-arrived English person. This is her first initiative since being posted to HQ in a Global role. This was written by an English person. It's a woman because it's HR. Also because English men don't get as many global roles in our company as women; probably because they are more stubborn about adjusting to new cultures.

I start to get distracted. "I wonder if she's going back home for Xmas?", I ask myself. I wonder whether anyone invited her to a Thanksgiving dinner. I'll bet her hair is really dry, maybe because she has not found the right conditioner in the US but probably because she just doesn't care enough. She takes shortcuts in the shower and doesn't leave it in.

She must have told Vietnam months ago on a conference call that it needed to initiate a local version of her LIV Initiative. It's a but like the Idol franchise, except that every judge is mean.

Our HR Leader still doesn't know what the LIV programme is, though. No one does. She does know that it the English woman has started putting it into her fortnightly Status Report and she needs to demonstrate that Vietnam is making progress.

The final warning from HQ would have come via a machine generated email. Our HR Leader would have still read it with alarm and called an emergency meeting with her team to walk them through the Global LIV Initiative Presentation Deck.

Her team would have sat around a large table. No one would be paying any attention to the presentation, except for the secretary assigned to take minutes. The others would be doing emails on their laptops or sending sms's on Blackberries. This is completely acceptable behaviour in Vietnam. I once a presentation in our boardroom to about 25 people around the table, and all of them were typing on their laptop. No one even bothered wasting time to feign interest.

I'm sure the above sentence is the intro to some very important and relevant Global HR initiative which aims to develop talented people within our organisation. Taken out of context, as it is in this email, it makes no fucking sense at all.

"I am happy to advise you that your team: Huong of Marketing, Kien of Technology, Hung of Sales, and Thanh of MIS, is assigned the following project, which is really a very practical issue for us to solve:

Given the nature of these loose instructions, I feel sorry for Huong, et al. Not too sorry because I don't know these people. On the whole though, I am relieved that I'm not part of the team and hoping it stays that way.

Anyway though ... what is this "practical issue" she speaks of?

"Marketing strategy/programmes to effectively promote services in Vietnam market"

This of course makes no sense. It's English, sure, but not as I know it.

It is not a practical issue. It is a broad, sweeping statement. It could pretty much describe the challenges of any current (or potential) company in Vietnam.

"This challenge is raised by Khue. You might want to ask her for further clarification if needed.

Ahh. Got it. Here's what happened.

At the end of the emergency meeting, our Leader asked some questions to the group about possible next steps. No one said anything for a while. The silence became a bit awkward, so Khue said "What about marketing? We always need marketing.". This would have been followed by a mexican wave of relieved nodding.

There is no way that Khue has any idea about this. If she did, she would have helped write the email. Khue knows nothing.

By now I am 100% very fucking glad that I'm not on this poor team with their ill-described, pointless assignment.

Then this.

Anthony, our BD Manager will supervise you on this assignment. Please note that the assignment shall be completed by March 2010 and the presentation of assignment outcomes to the Country Leadershhip Team will be in mid March.

He ... who ... I ... wh ... umm ... WA WHA WHAT????

You-I-You-I-You're-fucking-kidding-what-the-fucking-WHAT??

"Anthony: thank you.

Many responses come to mind. "You're welcome" is not one of them.

"Anthony please help schedule the first meeting with your team and work out the plan.

Anthony Anthony Anthony ... sure sure sure.

I am now sure how their emergency meeting ended. Once Khue had trotted out the fantastic platitude about Marketing, the next issue was to decide who should be responsible for it. To put it bluntly: who are we going to blame?

More blank stares into the laptop screens. This time they are feigning interest ... in their emails ... in their shoes ... anything to not be noticed.

Then the penny would have dropped. I mean really. It's obvious.

Who do you call when there is a silly, impossible task that no one understands? Who do you call when failure is looming? When the job is doomed, who is the best man for it?

"The Potato"

I'm sure this part of the meeting was unanimous. Possibly even in unison.

So now I get to start calling some meetings. Firstly, a few questions. What is my meeting about? What am I supposed to be saying? Will anyone tell me what I am supposed to do? Who can give me some direction? Will I be sent any background material?

My questions are of course rhetorical.

I hold out absolutely no hope for any positive experience from this little hospital pass I've been given. I will not make new friends or learn new things. I will not be invigorated by teaming or personal growth or professional development. We will not achieve any tangible results. I'll bet the Status Report starts looking pretty healthy, while the rest of us still struggle to work our what LIV stands for. These are not statements of pessimism, these are statements based on experience and probability.

My charges are not idiots. They know it's doomed and they're just relieved that my name is on the top of the pile. I can already see them roll their eyes as they read our final report in March. But they won't have turned up to any of my meetings. When I say that "we" will complete this project, I mean that "I" will complete it. This is going to be the worst harvest ever.

24 November 2009

Tree Houses

R: "Have you noticed that there don't seem to be any homeless people in Hanoi?"

-- "Yeah. What's with that?"

R: "I wonder if they ship them away from tourist areas. Like in Beijing before the Olympics?"

-- "I wouldn't be surprised ...

-- "But you do still see a lot of very poor people hanging around ...

-- "You just never see them sleeping out."

R: "Hey - Olive! Can we ask you a question?"

O: "Yes kiwi. Yes daddy. What?"

R: "Are there any homeless people in Hanoi?"

O: [Wide eyed interest] "People?"

R: "Homeless. You know? No house. Have to sleep outside."

O: "Yes. Homeless. Yes there are many homeless."

[She couldn't have looked less interested if she tried. Complete unconcern.]

R: "But we don't see any? Where are they?"

O: "They go to the park." [Smiles]

R: "All of them?"

O: "Yes." [Smiles and nods, somewhat dismissively.]

R: "Really? Are you sure?"

O: "Yes kiwi. Yes daddy." [Smiles ethereally and returns to her work.]

23 November 2009

The Whole Set Of Permanent

Today I registered for our company health and life insurance program.

Even though the marketing material is in Vietnamese, it is littered with photos of goofy- joyous potatoes.

Case in point:


This is a very cheery family portrait. So I figured it must have something to do with dental benefits. Or pregnancy. But I still wanted to know more. Exactly why were these potatoes were so happy? So I asked Google Translate to help me and the results were somewhat unexpected.

"Tử vong" MEANS Death

"Thương tật toàn bộ vĩnh viễn" AKA"Injury the whole set of permanent"

What is Injury the whole set of permanent? Google Translate couldn't offer alternatives so I asked one of the secretaries.

"The Whole Set of Permanent" took some explaining. It demanded quite an insensitive reenactment of a severely disabled person. Think zombies; lots of grunts; more than a little gurning.

THEREFORE "Injury the whole set of permanent" MEANS Complete and permanent incapacitation, often mental disability.

So this is the part of the discussion where we talk about worst case scenarios.

$5,000/ người MEANS I will get $5,000 if I die or if I become a zombie.

This is the type decision that can only be made lightly. It's not every day that you get to put a price on your life. I headed straight to the dotted line and signed.

So now my life is insured for $5,000.

Then I realised why that goofy potato family in the picture are so happy. There were probably 3 ugly children in that photo the week before. Now there are 2 ugly children and a $5,000 windfall. Hence the smiling. Greedy potatoes.

"Horray! You're sick."

"Ha ha! Our kids are well but yours are sick!"

Perhaps these images capture the mood after all. Vietnamese people love being sick. I called my Travel Agent today and said "Hi Hana - how are you?" to which she replied "Not good. Tired. And a little Sick." I could hear through the phone that she was gently smiling as she told me.

By this stage I had given up on Google Translate and asked someone to walk through the rest with me.

Turns out I can also claim up to $400 per year on dental. $400! That should net me 2 cleans and a filling. The thought of what I could get for $400 turns me off sugar.

And if I am admitted to hospital I will be paid a stipend of $5/day. I wouldn't know what to buy. (I really wouldn't know what to buy.)

So much pain. So little gain. Who would be bothered with suicide nowadays? Especially with the US dollar being so weak. You can forget about wearing couture in your open coffin. These numbers say "get a tracksuit, deady".

The reason for including this next image was becoming clearer and clearer:

"Don't think you will avoid using this if you get sick - we're not a charity."

There is also up to $500 per year in medical. Hence this doctor, below.

"Heart surgery is expensive. Luckily, our surgeons are not fully trained, so they are quite cheap. "

This is a cheerily ill man:
"I'm off to present my Insurance Card and Id Card at the Hospital"

That's really what it says. He doesn't seem too sick to me.


"I'm going to collect all necessary documentation."

That's really what it says. I'd seen enough. If he was charging around with his briefcase like that, I would be asking him for a lot of evidence, too.

I started to speculate: what if Marsh Insurance is using these happy potatoes to incite racism? What if it is implying that the potatoes are still mocking dead or sick Vietnamese people, a generation after the Saigon had fallen? I wouldn't be surprised.

I can imagine the Marsh Insurance marketing workshop in Ho Chi Minh City ... "Let's shove some healthy smiling potatoes alongside tales of medical woe. Show how the potatoes don't care ... that they even think it's funny when we get sick."

By the time got to the part about claiming, I was certain this was the case.

"We're going to get 2 gay guys to laugh at your claim before we reject it."

"It wasn't us that rejected your claim, it was the fucking potatoes."

It's great to know that someone's got my back. I hope they don't have a knife. Insurance is so reassuring.

21 November 2009

Oh! First Kiss

... is the name of my new favourite somewhat dated Vietnamese pop song.


The first scene of this video is the best. Just seeing the frenzied excitement of the young folk attending a pop concert. Vietnam's finest. I guess you'd have to be in the audience to really feel the mood.

Why would the editor decide to use that particular audience shot to kick-off this concert video?