I’m your host, Niall Mackay. Each week I share my personal stories, my wife and I's and with guests connected to Vietnam — entrepreneurs, artists, locals, Viet Kieu, expats, and voices from across the community, including the LGBTQ+ world.
Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast takes you inside the stories shaping life in one of the world’s most dynamic countries.
The conversations are honest and unscripted. Sometimes funny, sometimes challenging — always real. Together, we discover what it means to live, work, and thrive in modern Vietnam.
If you’re curious about Vietnam beyond the headlines and guidebooks, this podcast offers the insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else.
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Niall and his frequent guest and friend, Mischa Smith, embark on a conversation about Mischa's favorite Bloody Mary spots in Saigon.
Reviews cover the Bloody Marys from Bardo, Malt South, Layla, Ministry of Men, Wkend, and Summer Experiment, culminating with their top pick.
The episode is part of a broader theme of exploring stories and experiences connected to Vietnam, including insights into brunch cultures, cocktail bars, and the growing craft beer scene.
Listeners also get a glimpse of their upcoming podcast venture focused on rewatching the series Deadwood.
00:00 Hungover Brunch and Bloody Mary Revelation 01:01 Introduction to the Vietnam Podcast 02:26 Exploring Saigon's Craft Beer and Cocktail Scene 03:38 The Quest for the Perfect Bloody Mary 17:05 The Downside of Free Flow Deals 17:43 Testing the Limits at Malt's House 21:44 Exploring Saigon's Best Cocktail Bars 24:35 Top Bloody Marys in Saigon
Most people have NEVER HEARD of this Vietnamese food!
Season 10 · Episode 19
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 • Duration 29:16
Niall meets up with his friend and personal trainer Thinh to try bánh bèo, a traditional dish from Central Vietnam. They discuss Vietnamese regional cuisines, accents, and Thinh's experience as a personal trainer while enjoying the food at a local restaurant in Saigon.
Key Points: Discussion of regional differences in Vietnamese cuisine (North, Central, South) Comparison of Vietnamese and British regional accents Thinh explains the proper technique for eating bánh bèo Conversation about Thinh's work as Niall's personal trainer They learn about the restaurant owner's background and menu expansion Plans to return to try other dishes like bánh xèo
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Nam Den, The Host of Afro Viet TV is BACK!
Season 10 · Episode 10
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 • Duration 32:41
"Your life like 80 years, 90 years max, you are old sickly if you get to 90. So if you are 30, you are 1 third there. What have you done with that 30?"
Niall Mackay reconnects with Nam Den, a Nigerian YouTuber and content creator based in Vietnam. Nam reflects on his journey since their last conversation, sharing how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped his perspective on life and work-life balance.
Nam discusses the challenges of maintaining his YouTube channel while juggling multiple responsibilities, including running a business, teaching, and participating in various TV productions. He offers insights into the intricacies of creating multilingual content and the technical hurdles of video editing and subtitling. The conversation also touches on the financial aspects of being a YouTuber in Vietnam and the quest for social media verification.
Key Takeaways:
COVID-19 taught Nam to appreciate life more and prioritize self-care [05:50]
Creating multilingual content presents unique challenges in editing and subtitling [17:10]
YouTube revenue in Vietnam is significantly lower compared to Western countries [20:40]
Nam balances his YouTube channel with other professional commitments [14:30]
The importance of consistency in content creation and maintaining audience engagement [11:00]
Rosi Happi is the Creative Director of The Happievent and Managing Founder of Social ChangeMakers. She spent time studying and living in Europe (Germany, Spain, France & England) and Australia before returning to Vietnam.
She is an atypical Vietnamese - a mixed soul: half traditional, half modern.
In this episode we talk about; - making herself visible in the Australian hospitality industry as an Asian female - the causal racism found in some Australians - her social impact journey: from personal charity to philanthropy - how she is building long lasting social changes - helping the process of Vietnam moving from a developing country to developed
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission. Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
TEASER A Social Impact Journey: Building Long Lasting Social Change In Vietnam | Rosi Happi Teaser S8E9
Season 8 · Episode 17
Sunday, May 1, 2022 • Duration 02:35
Rosi Happi is the Creative Director of The Happievent and Managing Founder of Social ChangeMakers. She spent time studying and living in Europe (Germany, Spain, France & England) and Australia before returning to Vietnam.
She is an atypical Vietnamese - a mixed soul: half traditional, half modern.
In this episode we talk about; - making herself visible in the Australian hospitality industry as an Asian female - the causal racism found in some Australians - her social impact journey: from personal charity to philanthropy - how she is building long lasting social changes - helping the process of Vietnam moving from a developing country to developed
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission. Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
I met Anastasia Sokyrka in Government Quarantine in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. You can listen to my episode with her and my wife, Adrie, about our experiences while we were living them.
Since then we have become close friends, a silver lining of a tough experience (17 days with no mattress, no air con and no booze!)
Finally, after two years of the pandemic Anastasia was able to return to her home of Ukraine and reunite with her family. Despite the fact that Russia was escalating it's forces on the Ukrainian border and the threat of was was real, Anastasia needed to see her family and take that risk.
Unfortunately, 5 days after she arrived she awoke at 5am to the sound of the first rocket attack and her life changed in an instant.
In this episode Anastasia shares in detail; * why she made the decision to return home * what it felt like to be under attack and sheltering in her basement * how her family escaped from Kharkiv and eventually made it to the Polish border * the reality of being a refugee and having to leave behind your home and family members * how she was able to return to Vietnam with her mother
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
TEASER Ukrainian Returns Home Days Before War - Escapes Back To Vietnam | Anastasia Sokyrka S8E8
I met Anastasia Sokyrka in Government Quarantine in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. You can listen to my episode with her and my wife, Adrie, about our experiences while we were living them.
Since then we have become close friends, a silver lining of a tough experience (17 days with no mattress, no air con and no booze!)
Finally, after two years of the pandemic Anastasia was able to return to her home of Ukraine and reunite with her family. Despite the fact that Russia was escalating it's forces on the Ukrainian border and the threat of was was real, Anastasia needed to see her family and take that risk.
Unfortunately, 5 days after she arrived she awoke at 5am to the sound of the first rocket attack and her life changed in an instant.
In this episode Anastasia shares in detail; * why she made the decision to return home * what it felt like to be under attack and sheltering in her basement * how her family escaped from Kharkiv and eventually made it to the Polish border * the reality of being a refugee and having to leave behind your home and family members * how she was able to return to Vietnam with her mother
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
"Just Another Lesbian" In Saigon On LQBTQ+ Acceptance and Sex Education | Phuong Truong S8 E7
Phuong Truong, "just another lesbian in town", is the owner of Twist coffee bar in Thao Dien, a fun place for everyone and a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
We discuss the LQBTQ+ community in Vietnam in the context of religion, region and generational acceptance.
We also talk about sex education in Vietnam in light of a recent story in VNExpress with the headline, It's not working: sex education makes teachers and students squirm and another story about a parent finding her 12 year old child had been watching pornography.
Phuong herself started watching pornography at only 8 years old.
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission. Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
Editing - Descript https://bit.ly/3FM3IFB
Host - Buzzsprout https://bit.ly/3cFbQvk
Design - Canva https://bit.ly/3oW2S2n
Support - Fiverr https://bit.ly/3FI7EXZ
Website - 10 Web https://bit.ly/3HNTOoU
TEASER "Just Another Lesbian" In Saigon On LQBTQ+ Acceptance and Sex Education | Phuong Truong S8 E7
Phuong Truong, "just another lesbian in town", is the owner of Twist coffee bar in Thao Dien, a fun place for everyone and a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
We discuss the LQBTQ+ community in Vietnam in the context of religion, region and generational acceptance.
We also talk about sex education in Vietnam in light of a recent story in VNExpress with the headline, It's not working: sex education makes teachers and students squirm and another story about a parent finding her 12 year old child had been watching pornography.
Phuong herself started watching pornography at only 8 years old.
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission. Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
In Episode 5 I talked with Richard Harcus is the CEO of Harcus Consultancy Group, a football consultancy company based in Asia about his background and football development in Asia..
We also are both reformed conspiracy theorists!
In Episode 6 we move subjects to talk about a variety of conspiracy theories and why, like me, he believed them and how we came out of that rabbit hole…
Buy us a coffee. ------------------- Theme music composed by Lewis Wright. Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay. Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission. Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
Editing - Descript https://bit.ly/3FM3IFB
Host - Buzzsprout https://bit.ly/3cFbQvk
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