Life around us

From a greeting to a liveable neighbourhood: connecting with neighbours while keeping your privacy

Miscellany - Life around us - Relationships with neighbours rarely begin with something big. A regular greeting, a heads-up before building work, or taking in a parcel can build a thin but important layer of trust. Closeness tha ..

21/09/2026
4,933

The stories from grandparents that families should record while they still can

Miscellany - Life around us - One day the old photograph will still be there, but no one will remember who is standing in it. Recording what grandparents have to say is not a grand project; it is a way of keeping names, voices a ..

20/09/2026
4,913

The Meaning of the Cold Food Festival for Vietnamese People

Miscellany - Life around us - Although originating from China, the Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn thực) of Vietnamese people still possesses its own distinct nuances, deeply imbued with Vietnamese culture. Every year, on the 3rd da ..

04/08/2026
5,030

Coffee for the Soul

Miscellany - Life around us - Each of us has our own quiet space in our soul. But because no one shows it, you cannot see it. I, an introvert, have never thought that I belonged to the noisy, rushed crowd. Being alone with the q ..

01/08/2026
5,185

How Hotel Star Ratings Are Calculated

Miscellany - Life around us - Basically, to be rated, a hotel needs to meet standards for service, amenities, cleanliness, location, and price. The hotel star rating system is widely recognized as a way to determine the overall ..

30/07/2026
4,835

WHY LIVING AN ORDINARY LIFE IS A WONDERFUL THING?

Miscellany - Life around us - MIRACULOUS EVERYDAY LIFE: WHY LIVING AN ORDINARY LIFE IS A WONDERFUL THING? We live in an era that excessively admires extraordinary lives—lives that most of us will never attain. Our heroes have bu ..

30/07/2026
5,017

Comparing Arabica and Robusta Coffee: Which One Tastes Better?

Miscellany - Life around us - The preference between Arabica and Robusta coffee usually depends on personal taste and the intended use of the coffee. Both types of coffee have distinct characteristics and flavor profiles, and it ..

30/07/2026
4,703

A Series of Collages Contrasting Two Realities

Miscellany - Life around us - Artist ugurgallen makes a strong impression with a series of collages contrasting two realities. Each frame juxtaposes joy and tragedy, art and war, forcing viewers to reflect on the modern world. i ..

30/07/2026
4,759

The Calligraphers on Hang Bo Street, near Tet in 1907, there seem to be few customers hiring them to write couplets.

Miscellany - Life around us - The Calligraphers on Hang Bo Street, near Tet in 1907, there seem to be few customers hiring them to write couplets. But each year they grew fewer Where are the patrons now? The red paper grieves, u ..

30/07/2026
4,755

Understanding the Hippie Lifestyle

Miscellany - Life around us - The hippie movement, sometimes spelled hippy or known by a less common name as flower children, is a movement advocating a lifestyle shift from traditional to unconventional across many aspects. Thi ..

29/07/2026
4,708

[Hanoi] Introduction to the Over 1,000-Year-Old Pagoda with Unique Wooden Architecture

Miscellany - Life around us - Van Nien is a pagoda located on the western shore of West Lake, Hanoi. The pagoda was formerly named Van Tue, belonging to the territory of Quan La Hamlet, now located in Ve Ho Village, Xuan La Ward ..

29/07/2026
4,768

The Cultural Beauty of Traditional Craft Villages in Nam Dinh

Miscellany - Life around us - Along with the development of agricultural civilization thousands of years ago, Nam Dinh province is home to many traditional craft villages associated with the history of formation and development ..

29/07/2026
4,856

A photo series of Hanoi's 36 Old Streets - 30 years after the war 1985 - 2015

Miscellany - Life around us - Photographer William E. Crawford is known as one of the first Western photographers to visit North Vietnam after the war ended (1975), using photography primarily to document the changes and human d ..

28/07/2026
4,812

What is Robusta coffee? Let's learn about Robusta coffee

Miscellany - Life around us - Robusta coffee is an important and popular type of coffee around the world, especially in tropical regions. Below is some information about Robusta coffee: Origin: Robusta coffee originated in Afric ..

28/07/2026
4,951

20 THINGS "MADE FOR" HANOI WINTER

Miscellany - Life around us - 30 THINGS "MADE FOR " HANOI WINTER 😻 MUST DO THEM ALL UNTIL THE VERY LAST ONE Sip a rich egg coffee at Giang Cafe Eat grilled corn and sweet potatoes on the sidewalk. Nutty grilled sweet potatoes + ..

28/07/2026
4,895

[Nam Dinh] Dich Diep Trang - An ancient purely Vietnamese village over 1,000 years old

Miscellany - Life around us - Dich Diep Trang (Dich Diep village) in Truc Chinh commune, Truc Ninh district, Nam Dinh province, is an ancient village with a very long history. Dich Diep village was formed around the early 11th c ..

26/07/2026
4,766

A Hanoi as Autumn Approaches

Miscellany - Life around us - A Hanoi as autumn approaches On such beautiful days as autumn approaches, people often tell each other: "Not going out in weather like this would be doing a great disservice to the weather. " So... ..

26/07/2026
5,115

[Hanoi] Introduction to a Thousand-Year-Old Pagoda with Unique Wooden Architecture

Miscellany - Life around us - Van Nien is a pagoda located on the western shore of West Lake, Hanoi. The pagoda was formerly named Van Tue, situated in Quan La hamlet, now Ve Ho village, Xuan La ward, Tay Ho district. Pagoda add ..

25/07/2026
4,779

Traditional Tet of a Hanoi family in 1915

Miscellany - Life around us - Let us take a look at some photos of traditional Tet in 1915 within an old Hanoi family. Photos: Léon Busy | Via Old Hanoi

25/07/2026
5,196