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Big Head and Dennis carry on their journey to healthiness (kind of?) and down the coastline of Vietnam. I will also never run out of excuses - for being unhealthy and not telling Big Head and Dennis about Vietnamese stuff.

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Dennis definitely found a better way of saying Fire Horse. Welcome to Outside Viet and our annual tradition of breaking in the Lunar (Chinese) New Year. We check in folks in the past, we talk random Viet related things in the present and Jon fails to make any predictions about the future.

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This is not a paid promotion - Dennis discovered this challenge and signed himself and Big Head for it. Be aware, there is a cost to this challenge ($39 or $70 USD and you get merch with free shipping).

Dennis and Big Head have signed up for the Vietnam Coast Virtual Challenge (website: https://www.theconqueror.events/vietnamcoast/). Per the website, it is a an interesting fitness challenge, matching your workout (run/walk or cycle) and linking it to features along the Vietnamese coast. This includes discussions of Local Spots, National Sites, UNESCO sites, historical and cultural information.

This is the first of their updates on this journey across 2026. I am still looking to see if I am up for this.

PS: Jon is a sphere and this is the best episode yet. An episode on Hanoi is coming.

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This is a rough methodology Vietnamese use to figure which pronouns to use to speak with one another. This does not include work place, LGTBQ+, imperial era or any other scenarios beyond contemporary ones.

A summary of considerations are:

1. Which part of Vietnam everyone is from (North vs. South).

2. Are you speaking with family or with a stranger.

3. For families, are you talking about your mother or father's family.

4. When speaking about someone, they become a reference point to decide which set of pronouns to use.

5. Who you are addressing.

Realistically, the best solution for Vietnamese who are confused (especially overseas Viets who were not suffused in Viet culture), is to ask an older family member for clarity. Most people will politely correct you, only a few will get mad (they're big jerks). Or follow Dennis' recommendations.

PS: Nice little guide for immediate family - https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ4TDkCie5p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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What makes bar food (foods to have while drinking) great? Which country has the best? Canada/US, the UK, Vietnam, China? Why do half of Vietnamese bar foods seem like they were made up by drunks?

Note: we didn't include the European ones like tapas or German varietals, because we never had them before. We try to stay factual.

Whatever your favourite foods that go with drinks are, we hope you enjoy them this holiday season. Stay safe, stay warm and stay inebriated. Merry Christmas and Happy (western) New Year!

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Vinfast is Vietnam's only current domestic car manufacturer and part of the larger Vingroup of companies. Dennis and I go for a spin and cruise through the available information about the company.

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Stories of the Forest People (người rùng) were abound during the Vietnam (or American, depending on your perspective) War. Stories about these tall, powerful and hairy people stretched back to French colonial times. We hope Rolando Bautista found what he was looking for.

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Two Vietnamese have reached the highest heights, space. One under the USSR banner and under the Stars and Stripes. We have a chat about them, a failed back up pilot for the SRV cosmonaut and a failed attempt at having an F1 race in Vietnam.

PS: Amanda Nguyễn, an American social entrepreneur and civil rights activist (EN Wiki) was able to achieve her dream of reaching space on the Blue Origin New Shepard flight on April 14, 2025. This was after a devastating rape during her college years and due maliciousness or ineptitude in the legal system, her rapist was never charged and the evidence was destroyed. Amanda persevered, dedicated her life to social justice and has become the first Vietnamese woman to reach space. Unfortunately, her achievement was overshadowed by her co-passenger's [Katy Perry and Gayle King] actions and the media circus around it. A related article: https://joysauce.com/in-defense-of-amanda-nguyen-who-actually-did-something-on-the-blue-origin-flight/

PPS: The former last emperor of Việt Nam apparently like F1 or going to it because he was living high on the hog. Here is a photo of him attending the 6th F1 Italian Grand Prix after he abdicated the throne ending Nguyễn dynasty. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOge_Re3gLO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

PPPS (26 Sept 2025): "Alex Sawer Hoang Dat clinched the F4 Southeast Asia Championship, becoming the first Vietnamese to win a Formula-level title sanctioned by the FIA." He's 17, hope his future is bright. https://www.instagram.com/p/DPAnjUTjPFd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

PPPPS (03 February 2026): The first Vietnamese (and the first Asian!), Phạm Tuân, who went to space is still alive! From Saigoneer's article - https://www.instagram.com/p/DULNWDgkwYI/