The period 1994 to 1999 was a singular one for Vietnam and for Vietnamese-American relations. In 1994, it was illegal for Americans to visit Vietnam without a U.S. Department of Treasury license. By 1999, every multi-national corporation was either doing business in Vietnam or trying to figure out how to. A year later President Bill Clinton visited Hanoi, where his wife fell in love with a small handbag shop. Today those handbags are hot items on
Madison Avenue. For a journalist, it is tempting to use such facts as markers of a nation's rapid transition from third-world to first,
or to suggest that because some Vietnamese now drink Coca-Cola that the U.S. is ironically the ultimate victor in
the war waged between the two countries a quarter century ago. I believed that readers desired deeper insight,
which unveiled mirrors and secrets of the business world, based on leg-work, knowledge, wit and instinct. As Founding Editor and then Hanoi Bureau Chief of The Vietnam Business Journal, a regularly-published 70-page color magazine focused on industry and economic issues and trends for decision-makers, I was able to act on this belief. From 1994 to 1999 I attempted through my writing and editing to portray a more nuanced, frustrating, fascinating Vietnam. The VBJ dug deep, and was unafraid to be witty and contrarian. The style served us well -- when I left
Hanoi in 1999 and returned to New York after several years there, I left 70,000 loyal readers in 30 countries. I am sharing this web site to keep alive some interesting and telling stories that, in my opinion, embody a perfectly relevant portrait of today's Vietnam, and to various extents today's Asia, along with a few snapshots of Brand America, and how it is perceived beyond its borders. I remain interested in Asia and Vietnam, and continue to value the lessons I learned there. I hope you enjoy these articles and photos, and your comments or questions are welcome.
Josh Levine jjlevine at hotmail dot com related sites: Tonkin Gossip
Photos
Nam-o-Rama (message board) |
Mme. Goose got her M.B.A. by selling goose soup on the streets of Hanoi for ten years. 
Is this consumer market a hyped bust -- or untapped gold mine? In one of the world's poorest nations, meet the cadres of Sony and Armani. 
