English - Minh Daniel

My work in English

At Saigon's Oldest Ornamental Fish Market, Fish Are Friends, Not Food

It is a street, not a river, that comes to mind when people talk about vibrant fish in Saigon. Located in District 5, Lưu Xuân Tín Street is only approximately 500 meters long but it is home to dozens of aquarium businesses.

The short thoroughfare is more than 40 years old, known amongst enthusiasts as the oldest street for ornamental fish in the city.

Lưu Xuân Tín Street is not only a well-known place for commerce, but it is also a popular tourist destination in District 5. Aquarium aficionad

Vọng Cảnh, the Picturesque Hill in Huế That Even Emperors Cherished

The poetic Hương River flows calmly, the fresh air and breeze whisper through the lush pine forest, a coming sunset colors the peaceful natural spectacle. All of this can be experienced during a late-afternoon visit to Huế's Vọng Cảnh Hill.

Vọng means "to observe" and "to watch" and Cảnh means "sight" and "scene," so Vọng Cảnh Hill can be translated to "the hill for sightseeing." It earned this name because the historical emperors of the Nguyễn Dynasty designated it as a special place for sight

Pack a Basket, Fill up Your Water Bottle, It's Sugarcane Harvest Season in Đắk Lắk

In March, at early dawn in M'Drắk, long baskets follow farmers to sugarcane farms to bring back wealth. The people here were in the midst of a sweaty and sweet season.

The sugarcane harvest lasts from December until April every year. This is the season when M'Drắk’s residents, who mainly belong to the Ê Đê ethnic group, eagerly await. M'Drắk is a rural district in the highland province of Đắk Lắk.

The soil in this area makes it difficult to grow a diverse range of crops. However, sugarcane bec

The Lifestyle Collective

Why Is Everyone Talking About Clubhouse?

The first time I wandered around the Clubhouse app, I felt like I was in a coffee shop with people sitting around talking and telling different stories. I grabbed a seat and joined in. I loved it!

On a professional level, experiencing Clubhouse is like going to a big convention and discovering many rooms filled with bustling conversations on appointed topics. You can enter any room to listen and share your opinions or ideas. Yes, it’s like being at a virtual conference, but it’s more relaxed an

The Lifestyle Collective

Showering Is More Than Just About Keeping Your Body Clean

I usually travel a lot, and wherever I go, one of the things I enjoy most in my lodgings is the bathroom. This is because I am a big fan of taking a shower. In the morning, I usually kick off my day by taking a cold one as it helps to renew and freshen me up for the day. In the evening, I regularly take a hot one as it relaxes my body and mind.

When I come out of the bathroom, I can really notice the difference. I have almost a feeling of being reborn, energised, and inspired. My time spent bat

The Lifestyle Collective

Turn Off The Screens, Read A Book, Why It Makes Big Impact

As I often travel, I mostly read using my Kindle so I can move around with a lighter backpack. But I still love that feeling of reading a paper book. Once, I was doing a spiritual training course, and I was assigned some books from the library to read. I loved to take whatever I was reading to the park, sit on a bench with a cup of coffee and dive in.

I would read under the gentle shade of trees, devouring both the words and the pristine air, loving the pleasing smell from the paper of the book

In Lockdown, Saigoneers Draw Strength From an Unexpected Wealth of Support: Each Other

They largely didn't know each other, except for their flatmates. Then the COVID-19 outbreak began, and they got closer. They are now more accommodating, caring and loving.

As Vietnam's business and financial hub, Saigon draws many people from other provinces to work and live. As a result, long-term rental housing in the city is extremely crowded, and oftentimes people rent one room in a big house or a building. Many people inhabit the same place, but they generally live separate lives.

“Ordina

The Lifestyle Collective

Five Trips That Inspire You To Visit Vietnam When The Pandemic Is Over

During this pandemic time with travel restrictions, I often think about the interesting destinations I have visited. Imagining being there has helped me to relive past experiences while fantasising about future revisiting trips with more new travelling ideas.

I found out that this process is called “mental time travel”, and it is a way to cope with the pandemic, according to Anna-Lisa Cohen, professor of psychology at Yeshiva University.

She states that when you remember past travel stories, y

Life on the Last Remaining Ferries in Hoi An

These ferry boat trips may no longer be seen in Hoi An in the future, but they have been reliable partners in daily life and work for years.

Cam Kim Commune is in the countryside in Hoi An city. It's separated from Hoi An's downtown by the Thu Bon River. People from both sides travel across on a daily basis to conduct business. When there was no bridge, the ferry boat was the primary mode of transportation.

Over time, bridges were built to connect the two areas, but they still cannot completel

A Day in the Life of Madame Xuân, Hoi An's 85-Year-Old Vegetable Vendor

She is not famous but has silently become a part of Hoi An’s cultural beauty for years.

At the age of 85 years old, she still walks more than 10 kilometers every day to sell vegetables around Hoi An. She has been doing this business for more than 40 years, rain or shine. Her name is Huỳnh Thị Xuân, a native Hoi An resident. Her husband passed away during the war, and none of her relatives are still alive except her two sons and one daughter who are grown up and married, so she lives alone. A lo

Nha Trang's 22-Year-Old Bánh Canh Cá Sings the Praises of the Sea

Traveling in Nha Trang wouldn't be complete without tasting this delicious bowl of bánh canh which makes you enjoy eating almost every part of the fish, from its meat to its organs.

This dish has been part of many Nha Trang people’s daily meals, and it makes for such a complete, memorable fish soup bowl in this fishery beach city. You can grab this bánh canh at the corner of Trần Văn Ơn and Yersin street, and the eatery has existed there for more than 20 years.

One normal serving of bánh canh

Three Nha Trang Residents on How Covid-19 Affected Their Livelihood

Normally, Nha Trang is one of Vietnam’s most famous tourism destinations.

During this pandemic time, amidst this COVID-19 scare, the windy beach city seems to be much cooler, and I reckon that this is because of the enormous amount of empty space that allows the wind to freely settle in.

The emptiness was quite overwhelming as I recently traveled around the city. The central roads were missing their normal daily rhythm, and these spaces seemed to be wider and larger. On an empty street, a moto