Nearly 15 kindergarten teachers in central Viet Nam have officially
become four to six years younger than they really are. To prove it, the
fact has been embellished on their documents by local authorities.
At 45, Ho Xuan Vinh, was almost three times older than other high-school
graduates at exams in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.
Recently, many people in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa's
Ninh Hoa township have been rushing to buy currency notes valued at
VND1,000 and VND2,000 carrying "70" as the last two serial numbers.
Most people refer to it as "aroma", that pleasant perfume from roasting
and making coffee. They even discuss it in terms reminiscent of those
used by connoisseurs in the wine trade.
My friend, who has entered a Facebook beauty contest based on photos,
phoned and asked with a wavering voice, "Should I pay VND750,000-1
million (US$36-48) for gaining 1,000 ‘likes (approvals) for my photo
offered by some online providers?"
In an urban Ha Noi named Trung Van, uncompleted villas are serving as
temporary residences for homeless people and construction workers.
All major companies in Viet Nam, including public offices, have a carved
wooden seal they use to sign off major documents. Many documents are
only valid if the seal is, as they say, affixed. Given the importance
and significance of a seal, people were flabbergasted at the news that
the Peoples' Committee of Commune 9 in Tuy Hoa City in Phu Yen Province
lost its seal last Monday.
The residents of Vi Rin Village in the far flung mountain province of
Kon Tum have recently become dollar struck, according to outside
observers. It's like money popping from the sky. Or at least that's how
they describe the way these Xo Dang tribal people have treated
compensation money from the Government.
The political leader of a central province often goes to coffee shops
during working hours to see which public officials are wasting their
working hours. He then reports the violations to their offices.
Duong Van Tung, a poor man with many debts living in southern An Giang
Province, recently hit the jackpot with a winning lottery ticket, but in
some ways he wished he hadn't.