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 bombs found in Son La province last week, as a result of the typhoon.

Another Toy Recall - More toys; some made in Viet Nam have been recalled due to high levels of lead. The toys, sold at JCPenney stores in the US, include art kits, Winnie the Pooh playsets, play NASCAR helmets and bendable dinosaur toys. For more information on the recall, please click here.

Bird Flu and Dengue Fever - Bird Flu and Dengue Fever are still causing concern in Viet Nam. Although the country had been declared “bird flu-free” recently, ducks in the Mekong Delta (in southern Tra Vinh) have just tested positive. Along with the new bird flu scare, cases of Dengue Fever are on the rise. In Ho Chi Minh City last week, four hundred people were hospitalized for the disease. To read one of my older posts about Dengue Fever that includes ways in which to protect yourself and your family, please click here.

Cell Phones and the End of a Vietnamese Soap Opera - Viet Nam’s sounding more and more like America…two headlines this week dealt with a television star’s sex tape and the incredibly booming mobile phone market in Viet Nam. “Vang Anh’s Diary”, a wildly popular evening soap opera that was interactive with its teen viewers has been canned by its network. The show’s star Hoang Thuy Linh is to blame for a leaked video that made its way onto the internet. Frankly, I’m shocked that a show such as Vang Anh’s lasted for so long (2 seasons) in communist Viet Nam. It addressed issues concerning Vietnamese youth, but also glamorized the material world that we Westerners live in, and is encroaching on the East.

As far as the cell phone market goes, in the past five years, the number of Vietnamese who have cell phones has jumped by approximately sixteen million! Mobile companies are eyeing up Viet Nam and expect the market to continue to expand.

Resources:
Inquirer
Khaleej Times
Earth Times

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