Sunday, July 6, 2014

English Language Vietnamese Paper Bores to Tears

At newsstands around the Old Quarter there are plenty of Vietnamese language publications to enjoy with breakfast, but so far I've found nothing in English.

In my traveling career, the best bet for American journalism overseas has been the International Herald Tribune which was once co-published by the New York Times and the Washington Post.

The IHT still exists but only online here.

The paper version has been recently re-branded as the International New York Times and it's available in most major cities around the world including Bangkok where it's sold for 80 baht ($2.50).

I'm sure I'd be able to find the INYT in Hanoi at maybe one or two specialized shops such as English language bookstores, but as for finding it on my usual rounds, forget it. . .

This reminds me of my admittedly limited experience with Communist countries over the years.  On my day trip through Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie to visit East Berlin in December 1983--at the height of the Cold War--I wasn't in the market for a Western newspaper, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found the IHT even if I'd been looking for it.

Besides, it was easily available just over the Wall in West Berlin where I was staying.

My only other experience with Communist media was in Laos,  a nation which is linguistically and culturally a cousin of Thailand but which is politically and philosophically tied to Vietnam.

As I recall, the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic's government was so secretive in my day that it didn't even have a Lao language newspaper for sale.  Whenever I entered the Lao PDR for a visa run or a trip down the Mekong from Thailand, I was entering a virtual news-free zone.

Occasionally one could find a week-old copy of the Bangkok Post, but that would've been a very lucky day.

 These days you can read the Vientiane Times here.

Back in Hanoi this year,  after some googling around,  I found the Vietnam News online.  Today's top story reads like a Central Committee memo with the headline "Nation pushed to achieve higher growth" as it outlines a Party plan to reach annual economic growth targets of 8%-9%.

Other headlines and text reveal that "Venezuela becomes strategic ally", "Voter ask PM to take tough stance on East Sea (the South China Sea)", "President praises fishermen for conducting peaceful fight", and "China has broken its promise".

OMG!  Is this all the Vietnam News has to offer its loyal farang readers?  Pretty much, I'm afraid.  You really have to dig for something that doesn't completely bore one to tears, such as this item:

http://vietnamnews.vn/learning-english/256905/meet-ha-nois-music-mechanic.html

But my all-time favorite communist media outlet has to be KCNA, the official news agency of the Korean Workers' Party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also known as North Korea.

Here is a fascinating piece about the recent visit of a Vietnamese delegation to Mangyongdae:

http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm

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