In the past months, healthcare has remained top of mind for the majority of the world’s population. The speed with which COVID-19 is spreading means the overstretched medical system and traditional healthcare solutions are no longer working. A visit to a major hospital could be an inadvertent cause of contagion. To protect themselves and their loved ones, Vietnamese people are seeking out modern healthcare models. In response, Vietnam’s medical and healthcare industry has risen to the occasion with a roll-out […]

In recent years, kombucha has been steadily gaining popularity in many western countries among health-conscious individuals. The origins of this centuries-old fermented beverage remain shrouded in mystery, and the beverage is believed to provide a wide-range of health benefits. Chill Kombucha founder, Diana Park, first discovered kombucha in 2008 when she relocated to South Korea. Under the pressure to conform to Korean definition of “beautiful”, the young Korean American struggled with body image, jumping from one fad diet to the next, until […]

Yesterday (31 March), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a directive announcing the start of a 15-day nationwide social distancing campaign to slow the transmission of COVID-19 in Vietnam. It comes into effect today, April 1st. What does aggressive social distancing mean? Under aggressive social distancing, people are required to maintain a distance of at least two meters from others at all times. In most countries, this is one step before a loose form of lockdown or a total lockdown is implemented. […]

From sitting out in the sun to sleeping in past noon, long weekends and holidays are a wonderful escape. But when holidays are over, we get back to reality. Returning from a break can be a real bummer: an excess of caffeine, one too many nights out, an avalanche of unread emails, and so on. With a packed working schedule, inner peace may seem impossible to achieve. That’s why many people turn to Akoya Spa and their treatment for the […]

On Tuesday morning (11/02), the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus has surpassed 43,000 worldwide, causing over 1,000 deaths. Despite its urgency, the flood of hourly updates on the outbreak has led to a stark dilution of fact versus fiction. Yet, for us, the fundamental questions remain unanswered. What, exactly, is 2019-nCoV or COVID-19? Is it the deadliest virus at the moment? In the midst of the media hype, are we worrying for the right reasons? What should […]

With Greta Thunberg ushering the obscure Swedish word flygskam (‘flight shame’) into mainstream English in 2019, swapping planes for trains and taking fewer trips is quickly becoming de rigueur. If the international jet set who descended on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island for the fourth edition of Epizode festival had any qualms about the carbon dioxide emitted by their flights, those pangs of conscience were probably short-lived. On the ground, the festival organizers put their eco credentials on full display, flying […]