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Smelly, salty, savory, the life blood of the Vietnamese, Thais and other southeast Asian peoples. Also a few folks from China, Korea and Japan. We touch upon this crucial condiment in this episode.

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Forget the other lists you ever seen (I looked at most of them), this is the real list of what I think are the worst food (or food categories). Don't think for a second these aren't foods! They are popular for different people. As a bonus, we included some whack foods from neighbouring countries. And Dennis has found out about century eggs (Trứng vịt bắc thảo) and their long partnership with congee. Now who wants to eat some live octupi (thanks Korea)!

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Is Lý Long Tường (Yi Yong-sang) one of Vietnam's greatest exports to Korea? The Grand Tutor, a general who defeated Mongols invaders twice, showing that it was not just the Trần in Đại Việt who could get it done. The progenitor of the Hwasan Lee clan, his influence has stretched across the centuries.

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Reunification. An innocuous word in general, a dirty word for many overseas Vietnamese. In light of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam being reunified on April 30, 1975 (whether some choose to accept it or not, the reality is that Vietnam is unified as a Socialist Republic), these are some stories from my parents, before and after this seminal event. Many of these memories are fragments that surfaced in the mind of my parents across the years. Often times, neither wants to remember that time period. 

These are only echoes of what they saw, what they lived through, what they carry. Many others have captured the memories of their parents and grandparents, their aunts and uncles, in books, in audio and in video. These are my family's now and for the future.

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During this 161 year rivalry, the figurehead Lê emperor watches helplessly as two prominent families who helped reclaim the throne from the Mạc usurpers, vie for power. A prelude to the later division of Vietnam in the 20th century, the two halves of Vietnam (at the time Đại Việt or Great Viet) would continue to march forward, or in the case of the Nguyễn, march south, into history until the Tây Sơn uprising. Who was the winner amongst these cousins? Let's hash it out.

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Vaping is banned in Vietnam and we couldn't be happier!

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Chúc mừng năm mới! We ring in the new year by denouncing nagas, learn about characteristics of people born in the year of the snake and rank a selection of those people. Remember, it's the Wood Snake this year.

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Happy 2025! I learned many songs that I like in the Vietnamese repetoire are actually covers of Cantonese and Mandarin pop songs. In doing the research, I was surprised how some of these Chinese songs were in themselves covers or inspired by other songs (generally Japanese). I also learned how many famous bands started out as cover bands, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

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Just a summary of what's to come in the next little white.

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Green gold with a black secret. Do you know where your food comes from? This episode we look at the similarities and differences in the avocado industry between Vietnam and Mexico.