A casual conversation with a French colleague once made me realize just how different wedding traditions can be.

Cold cuts, sausage, pâté, raw vegetables, pickles, and sauces are all ingredients that should ideally be stored separately. Yet in many banh mi street stalls, they are layered together and kept at room temperature for hours.

Many young candidates walk into interview rooms looking so timid, hunching their shoulders and lowering their voices, especially when asking about pay.

At major airports worldwide, a fast meal typically costs between US$15 and $20, sometimes more, and such pricing is rarely considered unusual.

Many people spend time reading glowing reviews like "amazing", "very satisfied" or "highly recommended". They then choose products with 5-star ratings only to end up disappointed.

As Lunar New Year approaches, ride-hailing drivers say they are working longer hours for small earnings, as low commissions, rising demand and mounting pressure from app-based platforms leave many questioning whether the job is worth the cost to their health and safety.

While many countries are debating a four-day work week, or even shorter working hours, the question of a standard 40-hour work week remains unresolved in Vietnam.

I got off work at 5 p.m., but I did not get home until 9 p.m., even though the distance was only 15 kilometers.

For years, I was told that children should start learning English as early as possible. If they did not begin at the age of three, many warned, they would miss the so-called "golden period" for language acquisition.

When I realized I had spent VND168 million (US$6,477) just to raise my child's IELTS score from 4.0 to 6.5 to gain more university admission points, I began to question whether foreign language certification in Vietnam has become more expensive than university itself.

After checking airfares and other expenses, I decided I could not afford to return home for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Many universities in Vietnam now allow IELTS scores to be converted into admission points, a policy that has helped fuel the test’s growing popularity, raising the question of whether it truly promotes effective learning or simply pushes students into an expensive race for marginal advantages.

When I learned that many of my child's classmates already held IELTS scores of 6.5 to 7.0 while still in Grade 8, I realized that my child had entered the race later than most.

I recently found myself unsettled by a decision made by my four-grade child's parent association: contributing funds to hire someone to clean their classroom.

I made a decision that many people consider risky: I did not let my child spend all their time buried in books, even though they were capable of studying more to maintain strong academic results.

Vietnam's prevailing 48-hour work week - often extended further by overtime - is pushing many workers into chronic exhaustion, making them reluctant to spend on shopping, travel, or even healthcare.

I have long been familiar with the reality of public noise, from loud conversations and casual video calls to people watching TikTok or YouTube on their phone speakers.

The ongoing debate over the value of English-language certificates raises a fundamental question: What is the purpose of learning English, and how much proficiency is truly necessary?

The group chats I am in with close friends are often filled with nonstop talk about food, particularly how and where to find safe food.