There’s a Vietnamese expression “Bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần”, which roughly translates as “A nearby stranger is better than a far-away relative.”

A girl from the northern mountainous province of Thái Nguyên has confessed on social media that, thanks to some unfortunate timing with regards to her bowel, she had to pay triple the price for her journey from the province to Hà Nội, from around VNĐ70,000 ($3) to VNĐ200,000 (US$8.8).

A homeless man was caught red-handed nabbing clothes that were hung up to dry outside a house in the northern city of Việt Trì. Desperate for warmth, he had no idea he was being watched by a security camera. Three men quickly came out to stop him.

With Valentine’s Day coming up there are all sorts of discounts and promotions on offer for lovebirds. But perhaps none was more thoughtful than a cinema in Hà Nội who will include a ‘special’ gift with every two tickets purchased… a free condom.

Among the tasks a university professor is expected to perform, babysitting an infant should be very far down the list. Last week, however, an accounting professor at the Hanoi College of Technology and Trading took on the unusual job so his student, the infant’s mother, could finish an exam.

A Literature teacher in a mountain district in central Nghệ An province late last month wrote a poem about not being paid as usual in the middle of January, making preparations for Tết difficult. He posted it on Facebook as an open message to the chairman of the province’s People’s Committee.

The People’s Court in District 10 in HCM City has asked a restaurant owner to pay VNĐ140 million (US$6,100) in compensation to a man who had his motorbike stolen from outside his restaurant.

In a feat many have called inconceivable, the Vietnamese U23 football team beat former champions Iraq to secure their place in the Asian Football Cup’s semi-final. In the celebrations that immediately followed the win, people and vehicles poured into downtown streets, wearing clothes of bright red and yellow, waving national flags, and singing and screaming at the top of their lungs, all in good fun.

The complicated traffic situations at BOT (build-operate-transfer) toll booths hit a ridiculous point recently when a bridal procession became trapped in a long line of vehicles waiting to pay the disputed toll. In fact, without a bit of quick thinking, their day of happiness was headed for the wall.