Culture

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • May 19, 2020 • 6 min read

Art in Singapore Discussing life, colonialism and migration with poet Theophilus Kwek

By Miriam Deprez • May 19, 2020
Ahead of the release of his upcoming book of poetry Moving House, award-winning Singaporean writer Theophilus Kwek sits down with the Globe to discuss the themes of colonialism, politics, racism and migration that all served as inspiration for his latest work

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • May 18, 2020 • 8 min read

Tales of the Pandemic Reflecting on face masks as Vietnam enjoys Covid-19 ‘liberation’

By Alex Sheal • May 18, 2020
Against the odds, Vietnam has become a global success story in combating Covid-19 as its started to open up once again. Hanoi resident Alex Sheal has been present for Vietnam's latest "liberation", and believes attitudes towards the humble face mask highlight the difference between his new home and the West

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • May 12, 2020 • 4 min read

Social media Facebook: The cause of and solution to Myanmar’s fake news problem?

By Kiana Duncan • May 12, 2020
Long closed off to the world, free engagement with the internet for Myanmar's citizens only began in the past decade. Today, media literacy remains low and fake news abounds on social media platforms like Facebook – but there are companies working to change that

Culture • May 11, 2020 • 5 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

Poetry from Singapore’s migrant worker dorms: ‘First Draft’

The conditions for 20,000 migrant workers in Singapore's migrant worker dormitories has made headlines in the city-state in recent weeks. Bangladeshi writer Zakir Hossain Khokan offers his insight in the form of a poem on life for those inside
By Zakir Hossain Khokan • May 11, 2020

Culture • May 07, 2020 • 16 min read
History

How to get away with murder in Thailand: The downing of flight CX700Z

On June 15, 1972, Cathay Pacific flight CX700Z tumbled out of the sky while flying over southern Vietnam, killing all 81 people on board. While the disaster officially remains unsolved, there was one clear suspect – Thai police officer Somchai Chaiyasut. Did he get away with mass murder?
By Andrew MacGregor Marshall • May 07, 2020

Culture • May 07, 2020 • 5 min read
History

On this day in 1954, victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

When the Viet Minh forces captured the fortified French base at Dien Bien Phu on 07 May 1954, it was a spectacular victory. But ultimately, it would not end the fighting immediately or in the long term, with decades of war in Vietnam yet to come
By Walter Pearson • May 07, 2020

Culture • May 06, 2020 • 3 min read
Covid-19

Bangkok’s millionaires’ club enjoys lockdown luxury

While the majority of Thai citizens suffer with a lockdown that has crushed the economy, left millions unemployed and created lines for food donations, the kingdom's super-rich have not forgone luxury during the pandemic and are enjoying a VIP delivery experience
By Dene-Hern Chen / Agence France-Presse • May 06, 2020

Culture • May 04, 2020 • 9 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

Lockdown with the monks at Myanmar’s Pa-Auk monastery

As much of the world struggles with enforced isolation to stem the spread of Covid-19, there is one group who are better prepared than most to weather this storm. Buddhist monk Bhante Subhūti gives an insight into how his monastery near Mandalay is coping with this not-so-slow pace of life
By Bhante Bhikkhu Subhūti • May 04, 2020

Culture • Apr 30, 2020 • 8 min read
Vietnam reunification

Reunification Game: How a 1976 football match brought Vietnam together

In 1976, a recently unified Vietnam was busy in its efforts to restore a sense of national unity between North and South. A football match was proposed, bringing men from opposing sides of the conflict together in the name of the People's Game
By Scott Sommerville • Apr 30, 2020

Culture • Apr 29, 2020 • 14 min read
War reporting

A homage to the photojournalists lost to decades of war in Vietnam

April 29 marks 50 years since the Cambodian Campaign began, while April 30 marks the 45th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, bringing an end to the US-Vietnam War. Marking the dates we return to one of our Most Read stories of 2008, a profile on book Requiem, serving as a tribute to the 135 photojournalists from all sides of the conflict who lost their lives in battle
By Tad Bartimus • Apr 29, 2020

FROM THE PRINT ARCHIVE
Culture • Apr 28, 2020 • 4 min read
Myanmar tribes

Finding Nagaland: Tribes on India-Myanmar frontier dream of unity

Separated for generations by a British-created boundary following World War II, the Naga tribes straddling the India-Myanmar border have long fought for reunification. But now, amidst the coronavirus lockdown, they are more distant than ever
By Richard Sargent / AFP • Apr 28, 2020