Viet Nam News by Xuân Thu HÀ NỘI — One day in April 2002, Phạm Ngọc Cảnh wrote the ultimate love letter of his life. But he did not write it to the love of his life. Instead, he poured his heart out to then Foreign Minister Nguyễn Dy Niên, about to leave on an official visit to North Korea, as part of the entourage of the then President Trần Đức Lương. He said in the letter that he had been in love with a North Korean woman for 31 years, and pleaded that the Foreign Minister intercede with the North Korean authorities on his behalf and allow him to marry her. North Korea did not allow its citizens to marry foreigners then. It does not do so now. Cảnh gave the letter to his father, a high ranking official in the Foreign Ministry, and asked him to give it to the Minister. And for good measure, he had a friend, another senior official, deliver a similar letter to the President himself. … [Read more...] about You can live on love and thin air: a ‘revolutionary’
Beijing love story
Stuff of legend: a Vietnamese-North Korean love story – VnExpress International
Last Friday afternoon, in a cozy house in Hanoi’s Thanh Cong residential complex, Ri Young-hui and her husband Pham Ngoc Canh hurried about, preparing to attend a dinner at the North Korean embassy. Canh, 69, has been a familiar guest at the embassy in Hanoi since the 1990s. He is the only Vietnamese man to marry a North Korean woman, but behind this simple fact is a very complicated, moving story of love overcoming all odds. "I am currently the only Vietnamese ‘son-in-law’ of North Korea," Canh said, showing his invitation for the dinner. Since North Korea does not allow its citizens to marry foreigners, Canh and Ri’s marriage could very easily have not happened. In 1967, Canh was among 200 Vietnamese students sent to North Korea to learn necessary skills to reconstruct the country after the war with the U.S. Four years later, while he was doing an internship in a factory in the north of the country, he met Ri Young Hui, technician in a chemistry … [Read more...] about Stuff of legend: a Vietnamese-North Korean love story – VnExpress International
Stuff of legend: a Vietnamese-North Korean love story
Last Friday afternoon, in a cozy house in Hanoi’s Thanh Cong residential complex, Ri Young-hui and her husband Pham Ngoc Canh hurried about, preparing to attend a dinner at the North Korean embassy. Canh, 69, has been a familiar guest at the embassy since the 1990s. He is the only Vietnamese man to marry a North Korean woman, but behind this simple fact is a very complicated, moving story of love overcoming all odds. "I am currently the only Vietnamese ‘son-in-law’ of North Korea," Canh said, showing his invitation for the dinner. Since North Korea does not allow its citizens to marry foreigners, Canh and Ri’s marriage could very easily have not happened. In 1967, Canh was among 200 Vietnamese students sent to North Korea to learn necessary skills to reconstruct the country after the war with the U.S. Four years later, while he was doing an internship in a factory in the north of the country, he met Ri Young Hui, technician in a chemistry lab. … [Read more...] about Stuff of legend: a Vietnamese-North Korean love story
What’s on March 5-11 (Daily updated)
MUSIC & PERFORMANCES Hanoi-Song Slam “Connection – Kwal” Mar 10, 8 pm L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street Introducing result of the collaboration between French artist Kwal and pianist Todd Baker and violinist Hélène Lefebvre. Kwal, born Vincent Loiseau, started writing music since he was 15, and has been exploring different aspects of the creative process through his love for the French language ever since. A traveler, he finds his inspiration through trips around the world (Mali, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Québec, Cuba, Tunisia, Turkey, India, Japan, Australia…), all the while creating his own travel handbook and the anecdotes that he tells through his songs. This concert is a rare chance to explore the French language through beautiful, melodic stories sung by Kwal. Ticket price : 210 000 VND Ticket price for members : 130 000 VND Ticket price for students : 100 000 VND Discounted prices applicable until 09 Mar 2018 … [Read more...] about What’s on March 5-11 (Daily updated)
#IamGay backlash a rare win for China’s LGBT community
China's gay community scored a victory after a massively popular social media platform reversed a ban on "homosexual" content, but challenges remain in a country where LGBT culture remains taboo in the entertainment industry. Gay-themed films struggle to make it into movie theaters, same-sex relationships are banned from television screens and gay content is forbidden on online streaming platforms. But the latest censorship move caused a public backlash that prompted Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like platform with 400 million active monthly users, to make a surprising about-face. The popular microblogging platform had abruptly announced last week that it was removing "illegal content" including "videos with pornographic implications, promoting violence or (related to) homosexuality." The move triggered an #IamGay campaign on the platform, with many calling for a boycott. Even the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, posted an essay on Weibo promoting LGBT acceptance, though it … [Read more...] about #IamGay backlash a rare win for China’s LGBT community