A new helmet law has been passed in Viet Nam requiring the wearing of a helmet when on a motorbike. Annual governmental reports state that traffic accidents in the country result in approximately 13,000 fatalities (half of which are caused by brain injuries) and 11,000 injuries. I cringe to think that I zipped around Hanoi without a helmet!

The government’s Resolution 32 states that all motorbike riders (drivers and passengers) must be wearing a protective helmet. The resolution went into effect on December 15th and will be enforced on every road in the country. Those not... more

*There was more flooding in central Viet Nam last week, and more lives were lost as a result of the torrential rains. Forty eight people were killed, several are missing and over two hundred are injured. The Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai was assessing the damage and organizing the effort to provide food, water and shelter to those left homeless. He also addressed the environmental impact of the floods and noted their efforts to prevent illness from spreading.

*A bomb... more

Last week the United States Embassy in Hanoi issues a statement confirming an outbreak of acute diarrhea in Northern Viet Nam. Some of these cases have tested positive for carrying the bacteria that causes cholera, and there have also been some confirmed cases of cholera infection. The Deputy Health Minister noted that the likely culprits for the outbreak are street food, water, shrimp products and salads. If you are in Hanoi or other northern provinces now, or will be traveling soon, please steer clear of the above mentioned foods, and stick strictly to bottled water.

You can read the Embassy’s complete warden message here,... more

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued an official statement (posted by the Joint Council of International Childrens Services)about the new submission procedures for the I-600 petition. The announcement echoes much of the content of my last post on the subject, but goes into greater detail about the steps the process will entail starting on Monday. I applaud... more

More Flooding in Central Viet Nam –It hasn’t been very long since the severe flooding brought by Typhoon Lekima wreaked havoc in Viet Nam, yet there was more flooding last week. The Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Thua Thien-Hue provinces were among those hit this time. Human lives were lost in the most recent flooding as well as rice paddies and fields. The Vietnamese government is predicting that the provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kontum (all in the Central Highland area of... more

Bomb Uncovered After Typhoon - Typhoon Lekima; which caused massive amounts of damage and loss in Viet Nam last week has uncovered quite a shocker; a five hundred pound bomb that was apparently dropped by an American plane during the war. Found near the Ham Rong bridge in Central Viet Nam, the bomb had been unearthed by the destructive storm’s floods and landslides. Officers and engineers were working to diffuse it over the weeend. Authorities are also revealing that there were two other... more

I wrote earlier this week about the typhoon and accompanying floods that hit Viet Nam recently and the damage that has been left behind, and just can’t get it out of my head. I’ve been checking my news updates to see what updates; if any, are coming out about what the situation is like now that the storm has passed. What I have found is upsetting.

The northern and central provinces that were hit the worst by Typhoon Lekima (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ninh Binh) had already endured a few days of rain before the storm even started to flood the area. Now, although the typhoon has subsided, Viet Nam is... more

Massive Floods in Viet Nam - There was severe, horrific flooding in Viet Nam last week. Lives were lost and homes were destroyed as a result of Typhoon Lekima in Northern and Central Viet Nam. The provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ninh Binh seem to have seen the worst of the damage from the storm. Current reports are stating that there are fourteen people missing and the death toll is in the high sixties. Approximately six thousand Vietnamese homes are reported to be completely destroyed and over fifty thousand are severely damaged. Irrigation systems, roads and dykes... more

A bridge in Viet Nam collapsed on Wednesday killing many members of the crew that were working on it and leaving scores of other people trapped or missing. The bridge was being built in Can Tho City which is south of Ho Chi Minh City. This piece of the bridge (which was actually a ramp leading to the Can Tho Bridge,) seems to have collapsed due to problems with the support of the scaffolding. The bridge... more

When I can, I like to spend some time reading and surfing around online to see what’s going on in Viet Nam. Here are some news stories that I found interesting this week:

People’s Daily Online reports that over seventy five percent of fatalities among Vietnamese children are due to injuries (traffic accidents, burns and drowning.) The article says that the country is taking it upon themselves to try and lower these numbers, but in all of their good ideas there is no specific mention of traffic safety education or... more