8 March 2014 Oh yes! When leaving a place I usually look back and like to reflect on the things I have learned or noticed. The difference between one's homeland (s) are often vast but over time when you get used to the sights, sounds and smell of a place seem to ebb away. So what are the obvious differences? I suppose it depends on your interests somewhat. Architecture shapes a city, so I guess just about everyone is interested in some degree of architecture. M...

2014-03-14 Phu Quoc Even if you don't know Vietnamese you can’t help but notice that the way they speak in the south a very different than the north although they speak the same language . In Hanoi they pronounce Phu Quoc as Fuh Kwok. In the south they say Fuhwock. Anyway I am on the island of Phu Quoc, The cold is long gone; here it is tropical and 30 degrees. I almost feel like I am at home. Phu Quoc is claimed by Cambodia as their island. When you c...

2014-02-28 Sapa-Tavan (far northern Vietnam) The House A bit of a long story but bear with me… Building regulations are not invented to make things difficult but have mainly to do with structural design and safety. In Vietnam, no doubt larger buildings in cities and industrial complexes are subject to these costly rules. Creating an architectural drawing from sketches and having someone to Project Manage it to ensure that everything is constructed ...

Just a short note I have updated my email address list and transferred many of them to my blog mailing list. The reason is that some people have mailed me with the question if i am doing a blog or not. (I have been) These persons would normal pick up the link from their facebook page. Face book has been blocked by the government in Vietnam and China (and perhaps other countries as well. Some people know a way around it but as I don't I have transferred many a...