Earlier last week, social media had a field day over a young woman who was wearing an unmistakably Western-style wedding dress while she was supposed to play the role of Bodhisattva of Compassion, a highly revered Buddhist deity figure in Việt Nam, in a Buddhist festival in the central province of Thừa Thiên – Huế.

On August 4, a Ford van carrying a Hà Nội license plate caught fire in a crossroad of Sa Pa town, a popular tourist destination of the northern province Lào Cai. A septic tank truck joined in on the firefighting efforts.

‘Mini turtles’, or miniscule creatures that are barely double the size of a thumbnail with painted-on shells, are the latest fad amongst Vietnamese youngsters in search of cute pets.

Wedding gifts can be tricky business for guests, and though Vietnamese custom dictates cash gifts instead of presents like in the West, choosing the right amount is difficult.

In one of the rare case, the People’s Court in Tháp Mười District in Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp has accepted a divorce triggered by domestic violence filed the husband.

Hundreds of motorbikes carrying loudspeakers have been seen at many street corners around the capital recently. What makes them different is that the drivers are workers from Hà Nội Electricity Corporation (EVN Hanoi).

Many pawn shops in Hà Nội are operating around the clock during the World Cup to serve customers who have lost money betting on football. "Last weekend, at 6am, a 40-year-old man riding on motorbike came to the shop and pulled out his wife’s degree from his pocket with his identity card, trying to pawn it. But I refused,” Kiên, owner of a pawn shop in Đặng Dung Street said.

The World Cup is finally here again. Vietnamese people are just as in love with the sport as any other country, and many people’s lives will revolve around the ball for the next month.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, and neither do houses, but enough money may get you a house, as some shopkeepers in Việt Nam recently discovered.