One way to understand the level of development of an economy is by the availability of paper napkins and/or tissues in local restaurants. When I had lived in Seoul in the late 1980′s, it was really difficult to get decent-sized paper napkins at local restaurants. If lucky, you would be given a small single-ply piece. Please [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Vietnam’
What Paper Napkins Tell About A Country
Posted in travel, Uncategorized, tagged environment, Korea, travel, UK, Vietnam on June 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Vietnam Office Wins Over Visitors
Posted in business, Digital Marketing, travel, tagged Alterian, Vietnam on April 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Now it’s almost become routine. Work visitors from all over the world coming through the Alterian Vietnam office in Ho Chi Minh City, leaving with warm memories and a real affinity for the team. This past week we had 10 visitors in the office. One group was there to launch projects for a wonderful new client, who has really [...]
Ok, Things I Loved About Vietnam
Posted in society, travel, tagged anthony boudain, Ho Chi Minh City, lunch lady, Quan An Ngon, tourism, travel, Vietnam on August 11, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Travel is a passion of mine. It is for a lot of people. Once in Jakarta as a young businessman, I moved out of my five-star hotel for a weekend, just to stay with back packers in another part of town. That, however, was a long time ago. Yet, with such perspective in mind, let [...]
Maneuvering Through Opportunities & Traffic in Vietnam
Posted in business, entrepreneur, tagged entrepreneur, Ho Chi Minh City, Paul Song, start-up, Vietnam, Vietnam business on July 16, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I hold on tightly behind my brother as he deftly maneuvers his scooter through the seemingly chaotic traffic of Ho Chi Minh City. At first, watching hordes of cars and scooters sharing the streets and avoiding each other without apparent defined rules can be both astonishing and terrifying. But from the back seat of Paul’s [...]
Asia Offers More Than Just A Business Opportunity
Posted in business, Entrepreneurs, tagged Asian business, Diversity, lift9, Vietnam on July 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
One of my criteria for a new start-up venture was to have an international twist. Having lived and worked in Europe and Asia, I was comfortable with either or both. As fate would have it, I’m heading back to Asia and couldn’t be happier about it. If the business plan is well executed, we’ll be [...]
Joe Chang Finds Another World In Southeast Asia
Posted in People, society, tagged Belltown, cultures, Joe Chang, relationships, Seattle, southeast asia, Thailand, travel, Vietnam, world travel on October 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Meet Joe Chang, who just returned from vacationing in Thailand and Vietnam. Yes, he has a big smile on his face when not yawning from jetlag. He loved it: The weather, the culture, the food, the nightlife. Joe is a single 30-year-old Korean-American, born in Vancouver, WA and never lived outside of Washington state. He [...]
Life is but Series of Experiences
Posted in business, Entrepreneurs, People, tagged Aaron Song, ARIS, Entrepreneurs, Father and Son, Met Vuong, Noetix, overseas business, Paul Song, Vietnam on October 3, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Guest Post by Paul Song When John asked me to share one of my business experiences as a guest contributor to his blog a few months ago, I started to think which one would be the most interesting and relevant. Should I talk about starting an IT services company in my 20’s and what it [...]




