August 2013 news and events updates relating to Vietnamese at home and in the diaspora.
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Viet Kieu in the news
• A report estimates many Vietnamese manicurists working in the UK are victims of human trafficking. [Photo: Getty]
• The Vietnam visa scam is linked to a Vietnamese American University of Denver graduate.
• Michelle Phan, a YouTube beauty consultant, launched her own cosmetic line, Em Michelle Phan. [SF]
• Controversial French lawyer Jacques Vergès who “inherited a fierce sense of the anti-colonial struggle” from his Vietnamese mother dies. [Photo: Khalil Mazraawi]
• In an interview, Thao Nguyen talks about touring and taking time off. [Photo: Lauren Tabak]
• Jimmy Pham’s KOTO, a Vietnamese social enterprise, empowers disadvantaged youth With culinary education. [Photo: Tibor Krausz]
• A Vietnamese owner of an the unincorporated area in Wyoming plans to rename the area to Buford PhinDeli Town and sell imported coffee from Vietnam in the remote area. Surprisingly, to me anyway, the coffee brand will be available on Amazon.com.
• At the 2013 Marian Days celebration, the Congregation of the Mother Coredemptrix also celebrated two anniversaries. As usual, various foods provided bodily need along with the spiritual nourishment. [Photo: T. Rob Brown]
• A book reviewer hopes that Andrew Lam’s book, Birds of Paradise Lost will soon “belong to” stories of America.
News about Vietnam
• Unexploded bombs dropped by U.S. armed forces 40 years ago are still killing innocent people.
• A photographic exposition shows the devastating effects of toxic herbicide sprayed by US Army 40 years ago on the third generation victims of Agent Orange. [Photo: Brian Driscoll]
• In spite of political obstacles, more fast food chains are targeting Vietnam.
• Long Bien Bridge has a long history but its future is uncertain. [Photo: Getty]
• A group of Vietnamese activists intent to form a new political party to promote multi-party democracy in Vietnam. [Photo: AFP]
• Vietnam offers free tuition to students who take four-year courses on Marxism-Leninism and the thoughts of Ho Chi Minh, but many prospective students view the degree as unmarketable. [Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam][Guardian]
• Five individuals living in HCMC are profiled to show the changes Vietnam has undergone.
• In surprising move, a Vietnamese appellate court showed leniency in two cases involving dissidents. [Photo: VNA]
• Vietnam will build its first express highway through a public-private partnerships arrangement with private investment from Bitexco.
• The mass amnesty of 15,000 prisoners has fewer than a dozen political prisoners. [Photo: AFP]
• The newly-founded Social Democratic Party will try to challenge the current ruling Communist Party of Vietnam. [Photo: AFP]
Other News
• A Research Fellow thinks ASEAN is crucial to the ‘Asian century’.
• Treatment for memory loss may be possible as researchers have identified a protein that may be a cause of age-related memory loss. [Photo: AP]
• Studies have shown that disproportionate numbers of Asian-American college students may be at increased risk of depression.
Special thanks to Viet Thanh Nguyen for providing many of the news items.
Peace!
RP