Opinion

Opinion by Wally Tuan

Imitation does not equal quality in Vietnam’s hospitality industry

Cafes in town that have elevated emotional distress into an art form. Its playlist is the poor soul’s calendar: every song insists the seasons are changing — always spring-to-summer, autumn-to-winter, the whole metaphorical bingo. You cannot sit here in peace. The city’s noise palette has a new worst instrument: a steady stream of syrupy lines about falling leaves, thawing hearts, and smiling like summer, looped until your eardrums beg for asylum.

But what’s even more excruciating is the timing. Just as you settle into your coffee, getting comfortable and ready to relax, the cafe decides to play that one song – you know, “Marry Me” – that one that highlights a man’s tragic loss of both testicles. The repetition is intolerable, and you can’t help but wonder if the cafe’s staff are secretly sadists, taking pleasure in the misery they inflict on their customers.

When cruelty becomes too intimate, when the cafe’s emotional weather report reaches catastrophic levels, you can always flee to your favorite craft-beer sanctuary for refuge. Ha. There is a predictable second-line attack: the craft beer place obligingly switches its own soundtrack to blaring V-Pop at a decibel that makes your neighbor’s barking dog — ten kilometers away, probably retired now — perk up in sympathetic pain. The craft-beer crowd, once a bastion of low-key clinking glasses and subdued talk, transforms into an amphitheater of manufactured joy. Volume increases; melodic simplicity decreases your ability to taste hops. It is globalization’s triumph: every refuge converts into an auditorium for sound-based punishment.

Originality is not a core value here. No, the city prefers the comforting lie that imitation equals quality. Good things are not copied; instead, another “French Taco” opens on the next corner. It arrives … Read more

visit nokings.org

October 18^th, 2025 is officially dubbed No Kings Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the absence of tyrants, despots, and, of course, the ever-controversial President Lardass McBully of the United States. As we prepare for this momentous occasion, one thing is for certain: the media—both local and international—will definitely not ignore it. After all, who could resist the allure of a day dedicated to calling out authoritarian corruption?

In a world where the media is often seen as a puppet on the strings of corporate and government interests, it’s refreshing to know that they will not be “snakes that eat their own heads” by ignoring the glaring issues surrounding Lardass. The consolidated media outlets, known for their unwavering loyalty to the status quo, will surely rise to the occasion. They’ll be there, cameras rolling, pens poised, ready to report on the president’s latest scandalous escapades.

Take, for instance, the infamous Trump golf course deal in Vietnam. This little gem of a scandal involved Lardass’s administration allegedly using tariffs as a bargaining chip to secure favorable conditions for his golf course. The deal, which raised eyebrows and questions about influence peddling, is a prime example of how the president’s interests often intertwine with his political maneuvers. But fear not! The media will be there to cover it all—right after they finish reporting on the latest celebrity gossip.

No Kings Day is not just a celebration; it’s a reckoning. It’s a day for the media to shine a spotlight on the authoritarian corruption that has seeped into the highest offices of power. And what better way to do that than by highlighting the president’s questionable dealings? The media will undoubtedly remind us of how Lardass’s administration has been marred by scandals, from the golf course debacle to the … Read more