This sporty episode is on-location at Baseball Cage in District 7, a bar with four batting cages, beers and fun vibes. We talk Vietnamese sports and our own tragic sporting careers, followed by an interesting interview with Australian pro-triathlete, Tim Van Berkel, who is one of the world's top athletes in the sport of triathlon.

All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.

Also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Website: https://thebureauasia.com

Join our growing Discord Chat:

https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu 

Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority has submitted a 4-phase plan for the resumption of international flights to Vietnam, and in the meantime, recommends travellers from 15 countries be allowed to holiday here, including those from China, Russia, Cambodia and Thailand, among others.  So our China expert, Andy, reveals what Chinese travellers will be looking for in their travel experience to Vietnam, while Mel, our...err..cough...cough...Russia "expert" tells us the hotspots our friends from Moscow will be zeroing in on. Matt also surprises when he reveals that it's common for Cambodians to visit Vietnam for medical and beauty reasons, including for nips and tucks and other "bolt on" accessories. In addition, The Bureau Crew leave time to give a big f**k you to critics who have nothing better to do but hate from way up on their high horses.

All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.

Also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Website: https://thebureauasia.com

Join our growing Discord Chat:

https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

Bars and restaurants are beginning to reopen in Ho Chi Minh City, so Matt, Mel & Andy discuss what it will take for establishments to entice them out of their homes. Also, Facebook and Instagram are tweaking vanity metrics, so what does this mean for influencers and content creators? Then, food trends in Ho Chi Minh City over the past couple of years – which ones are legit and which ones are simply taking the piss?!

All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.

Also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Website: https://thebureauasia.com

Join our growing Discord Chat:

https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

Now that Ho Chi Minh City has slowly begun to open up allowing double-vaxed citizens to leave their homes and travel across districts, we finally get to have co-host Andy Tran in the room for the first time ever! We talk about Ho Chi Minh City's remarkable Covid-19 turnaround that's seen it go from hard lockdown with a 24/7 curfew one week, to bars and restaurants being allowed to open in District 7 the next. In a slightly controversial segment, we call out some headlines and social media updates by influential people that we deem to be simply untrue, and then follow it up with a handful of stereotypes about Vietnamese people that will surely make the snowflakes among us melt. 

All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!

Website: www.thebureauasia.com

Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

The hard social distancing measures that have kept Ho Chi Minh City residents confined to their homes for the past two months have finally been lifted. Matt, Mel and Andy talk about what they can and can't do until the next directive. Meanwhile, the private company that manages Saigon Zoo has asked both the public and the local government for funding to keep one of the world's oldest zoos open. Then they have a go at creating a short ad each in an attempt to entice foreigners to come to Vietnam to live.   

All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!

Website: www.thebureauasia.com

Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

A recent online magazine ranking of the best cities in the world inspires Matt, Mel & Andy to come up with a list of 9 Best Streets in Ho Chi Minh City to visit, which is then followed by a wide-ranging discussion on the value of backpackers in Vietnam and whether they should be encouraged to return as soon as travel restrictions ease. A highlight is the expert comments and opinion by Dr Nuno Ribeiro, a senior lecturer and leading researcher in tourism and hospitality at RMIT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, who sheds light on the narrative at all levels regarding the arguments for and against their return. 

All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast!

Website: www.thebureauasia.com

Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

Our resident Milliennial Andy gives Gen-Xers Matt and Mel a quick lesson on language they're clearly too old for in a lighthearted segment that includes their suggestions for 2021's Word of the Year before they tone things down to remember the tragedy of 9/11 – 20 years on since the terrorist attacks in the US that shook the world. In this segment they recall what they were doing at the very moment the World Trade Centre twin towers collapsed, which is followed by a quiz featuring some of the world's most historical moments. As usual there's an update on Ho Chi Minh City news and its Covid-19 situation, including a discussion on the potential issues confronting venues and patrons once bars and restaurants reopen. Wrapping up the show is a segment for anyone who's missing travel in which some truly unique experiences in the Philippines are revealed, followed by Matt, Mel and Andy's dream trips in Vietnam they want to take once road trips are allowed again.

All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast. 

Also on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia 

Website: https://thebureauasia.com 

Join our growing Discord Community: https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu

Vietnam remains under 24/7 curfew, and with caseloads increasing, there appears to be no end in sight for the pandemic. Yet, amid this gloomy forecast, some hope for those of us confined to our homes has emerged as the Prime Minister implies via the media that lockdowns can't go on forever and that the country needs to move on. We also interview Dr Nuno Ribeiro, a senior lecturer and leading researcher in tourism and hospitality at RMIT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, about the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on travel businesses in Vietnam, including what steps will be taken to open up a travel industry that reported approximately US$33 billion in tourism revenue in 2019 but is now in tatters. 

All this and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.

For the full interview with Dr Nuno Ribeiro, visit our YouTube Channel:

The Bureau Asia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmo8lbl_vZo

Website: https://thebureauasia.com

Matt, Mel & Andy provide fresh updates on Ho Chi Minh City's increasing Covid-19 caseload, how the current curfew from 6pm to 6am is affecting the city, and what can be expected with the latest announcement that from August 23, the city will be under curfew 24/7 indefinitely with the military in place to ensure everything goes to plan. Despite arguably the strictest lockdown on the planet, Vietnam is still playing with the idea of a travel bubble agreement with other countries and has earmarked Phu Quoc as a possible destination. Meanwhile, the old Saigon was in the news again this week with images of the US military's withdrawal from Kabul conjuring up reminders of its withdrawal from Saigon almost 50 years ago. Off the back of that, each of the crew recommend a historic place in Vietnam to visit once travel is open again. The episode concludes on a lighter note with a pirate story too crazy to be true!  

All that and more on Vietnam's award-winning podcast.

LINK TO THE OLD CIA BUILDING: https://thebureauasia.com/2020/12/01/the-fall-of-saigon-1975-now-you-can-visit-the-rooftop-made-famous-by-hubert-van-es/

Also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebureauasia

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBureauGroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebureauasia

Website: https://thebureauasia.com

Join our growing Discord Community:

https://discord.gg/QFmUkUsWJu