I just wanted to let you all know that I have moved back home in Australia.
The journey in Vietnam has been a wonderful experience and I have gained so much knowledge in business and culturally as well.
I'm sorry I didn't blog as much as I could in Vietnam, because working 7 days a week just got a little too.. hectic. However, the good news is I am about to start a new blog www.sassavenue.com, which will feature stories on lifestyle, fashion and the good 'ol Melbournian culture. What's in and What's not... thoughts and opinions from not only me, but friends and people around me. It will still be written in the same quirky style while providing you an outlook on how we live here in Melbourne.
Also, I will be inviting all of you to post up anything that you would like to SASS about, so you can share your own experiences, where ever you are in the world.
I'm hoping the site will be live within a couple of months time, so I will keep you all posted.
In the meantime, follow me on, Twitter, youTube and Facebook... and await to be SASSIFIED!!
Yes... it is as cool as it sounds! haha. Trust me
love, VQ in Vietnam (Well... not in Vietnam anymore:))
OMG, my last post was in June. I can't believe that it's been almost 4 month since my last post. That's 4.... months... which like almost 5 months, that is not far away from 6, which kind of means I haven't written in half a year! Yes, It's the same thought process I go through for not going to the gym.
So to my fellow bloggers, I'm sorry I haven't kept up to date with my posts. Let's just say it's been a hectic 4 months and I'm trying to figure out a way to make it up to you. This post here is dedicated to my friend Damond de Quando who Facebooked me and I asked why I wasn't writing anymore. Sorry bud!
I will write some posts as I re-collect what bloody happened in the last few months. But if I don't get to everything, here is a little synopsis of it all:
WORK - DVD NIGHTS - SHITTY CLIENT - AHH SLEEP - FUCK IT'S MORNING - FOOD - FRIEND FROM MELB - YEH - WTF - ANOTHER SHITTY CLIENT - WORK - TAKE THIS YA MONGA-LOID - FLY TO HANOI - WORK - FLY BACK TO HCMC - PRODUCING A TVC - ARGUING WITH CLIENT - VISIT MELBOURNE - AHH SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP - SNOW TRIP-YIPPEE - AT THE AIRPORT - MISS MELBOURNE - ERRR VN AGAIN - MORE PROPOSALS - LOST MY LUGGAGE - FOUND MY LUGGAGE - WORK - SLEEP - MORE DVD NIGHTS - OOH NICE SALMON BAGELS - FRIENDS FROM MELB - WORK - MOVING OFFICES - and here I am.
It's hot, it's fab and it never goes out of style. Now showcasing Da bomb leather sandals for Vietnamese men.
Everybody wants to buy them and everybody wants to wears them. And all you men around the world, if you're not wearing them yet, you are soo... behind the times! I don't know what it is about these leather sandals, but they are definitely Da Bomb here in Vietnam. I ventured on a street which sells shoes for men and besides leather shoes for work, it's the leather sandals are selling like hot cakes. hot cakes I tell you. All the boys in the office wears them and everyone on the street wears them. Don't believe me?
Just this morning, I went to an exhibition and guess how many leather sandals I saw? Well, I lost count. However, here are some photos to prove to you how popular Da bomb sandals are. If you're Vietnamese and you don't own a pair of Da Bomb sandals, then you're not really Vietnamese.
It's everywhere, even Doc Martins have a high-fashion version of Da Bomb sandals. I wonder why this is the case. Do the Vietnamese men know something that the rest of us don't know? Are the sandals super comfy and aero-dynamic which allows you walk faster on the uneven surfaces? WHAT IS IT?
Because seriously, how ugly are they? Look, I'm all for a crazed fashion trends or statement, but how can something this ugly be so popular across the entire nation. I don't know, but I really want to find out why, so I decided to email a couple of shoe designers:
www.shoedesign.com & Manolo Blahnik
Dear Shoe Designer,
I reside in Vietnam and I have discovered that these leather sandals are particular popular amongst the Vietnamese men. In terms of the aesthetics, the design is not so nice. However, maybe style and form of the sandals are comfortable?
Could you please share your thoughts, as it would be nice to know from a shoe designer/manufacturer's perspective.
Kind Regards,
VQinVietnam
So they might think that I'm a spammer and completely ignore my email, but I'll get back to you if they respond. Maybe, I just need to contact a few hollywood celebrities or fashion designers to start wearing Da Bomb sandals. Do you think it will start a trend like what Gwenyth Paltrow did to gladiator shoes a couple of years ago?
If you could swap places with someone for 1 day, who would it be?
Just found this link to Aloha and thought it's a great concept. Join Aloha Fridays, visit other blogs and answer questions. It's a good way to find out new blogs. Looking forward to some answers.
Imagine, you telling a really really funny joke in front of everyone [comedic drum rim shot] ... then no one laughs. The room is filled with awkward silence and wide-eyes are starring right back at ya, with "What the hell is she on about?" written all over their faces.
Example of a bad joke from Kochie (Australian Anchorman):
Awkward, right?? This is what I feel like sometimes in the boardroom. In the creative field, we often come together to brainstorm ideas for marketing campaigns, TV commercials and etc. So what we need is people coming in full of ideas and just simply blurting it out and bouncing ideas off each other. Great ideas come from good brainstorming sessions and people working together to fine-tune. This has proven to be very difficult in Vietnam.
Why the silence?
It is frustrating, however the local Vietnamese are quite reserved in nature and therefore is often difficult to get them to openly share ideas. Why? They are afraid that their ideas are not good, and being embarrassed. It's very hierarchal here, whereby as a child the locals were taught never to disrespect your mother, father and elders. Throughout school, never question or talk back to the teachers and so even when at work (in Vietnamese companies) the boss is... THE BOSS. Shut up and do what he says or else you'll be fired.
Sometimes it's difficult to get a simple yes or no response. For example, "Do you like the idea?" And no one responds. Arrghh.... it drives me crazy!
What am I doing about it?
No idea is a bad idea. Understanding why this is a case, I and our management team encourages everyone to express their ideas, no matter how bad you think your idea is, just raise it. No idea is ever discounted, it's written on the whiteboard for consideration.
Involve people. I often make simple jokes or uses the people in the boardroom as examples, whilst explaining ideas in order to get them involved. Get them to laugh and feel a little more relaxed.
Food & Drinks. Sometimes we order food & drinks to inspire us. It always works because who doesn't like food, right?
Building a team culture. This is really important. We must break away from the hierarchal structure, because true greatness comes from team-effort, not a lone-effort. I was inspired by old my manager, Mr Pete (No exotic alias names this time) years ago. Mr Pete was a good team leader, by bonding the team and actually showed that he cared about the team. As a result, we felt comfortable to tell him our issues which led to changes to better the team. He introduces a thing called "That week that was." It was a weekly e-newsletter sent to the team reflecting on the week in a humorous way. Brilliant I thought.
I now have introduced "The month that was" and present it to the team every month at our company update. It includes funny photos of the teams captured during that month, people's birthdays, funny stories (some are true, some I make up). Everyone has a good laugh, we laugh at each other and it creates a friendly and family environment. It's been running for almost a year now and it works!
Today, we held a brainstorm and I can really see our team shooting off ideas and sharing their thoughts on things. Vietnamese or no Vietnamese, we all have good ideas to achieve greatness! I'm so proud of my team and now so pumped to pitch our ideas!!
I'll leave you with this great Heineken commercial. A result from a good creative brainstorm:
I'm an Australian born and raised girl from and have been living in Vietnam for over a year. If you ask any expat "Why are you here in Vietnam?" - everyone has a story. I'm about to tell you mine and the discoveries I've made whilst being in this wonderful country.
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