The air was warm, and heavy with humidtiy. This is Vietnam. We stopped for a break near a pearl farm on a quiet lagoon. This was a tiny village of sorts that stood out over the still water. I thought the little structures, that looked like tiny houses were so simple, yet perfect. I feel such peace when I look at this scene. A simple life.
#Vietnam#DataCenters#DigitalSovereignty: "Viettel projects the south-east Asian country’s data centre market will expand 15 per cent a year for the foreseeable future, possibly more if a big cloud company such as Alibaba invests there, the company said.
The expansion is fuelled in part by the data localisation rules, which Hanoi admits violate its free trade agreements but which ease the one-party state’s ability to access data.
The rules have been a boon for cloud providers that already have server farms in Vietnam, including gaming unicorn VNG and IT company CMC, which said it would construct at least two data centres in the next few years, potentially doubling its capacity."
#OtD vor 70 Jahren: Schlacht um Điện Biên Phủ. #Vietcong rulez.
Die Schlacht um Điện Biên Phủ gilt als die entscheidende Schlacht des Französischen #Indochinakrieges zwischen den Streitkräften Frankreichs einschließlich der #Fremdenlegion und den Truppen der vietnamesischen #Unabhängigkeitsbewegung#ViệtMinh. Der Kampf um die französische Festung im Kreis Điện Biện nahe der damaligen Kreisstadt Điện Biên Phủ begann am 13. März 1954 und endete am 8. Mai mit der Niederlage der #Franzosen, die das Ende des französischen #Kolonialreiches in Indochina besiegelte (ehemals Französisch-Indochina, heute #Vietnam, #Laos und #Kambodscha). Den Việt Minh gelang es vor allem durch menschliche Arbeitskraft, die notwendige Logistik für eine #Artillerieüberlegenheit gegenüber den aus der Luft versorgten Franzosen herzustellen. Dadurch konnten sie die Franzosen, die mit einer solchen Leistung ihrer Gegner nicht gerechnet hatten, größtenteils von der #Luftversorgung abschneiden und nach wenigen Monaten die Befestigungen um Điện Biên Phủ einnehmen. Ein großer Teil der in Gefangenschaft geratenen #Soldaten starb in Gewahrsam der Việt Minh.
Der Ausgang der Schlacht führte in Frankreich zum Sturz der Regierung Joseph #Laniel und bahnte den Weg zur #Verhandlungslösung des Konflikts, der Teilung Vietnams und dem Ende von Französisch-#Indochina auf der #Indochinakonferenz.
Tourists and expats always complain about how cash-dependent #Japan is, but after visiting #Taiwan and #SouthKorea for the first times in years, noticed that both countries are similar. Stark contrast from #China and #SEAsia where digital payments have taken over the markets.
Is it a cultural thing that differentiates these countries from others?
@ncoca
Have been to HCMC and Binh Duong province in Southern #Vietnam in March.
Guess what: Some hotels would only accept cash or bank transactions, European credit and debit cards were only accepted in very few places. Last time I checked Vietnam was part of #SEAsia - and cash very much is king over there Paper money with uncle Ho on it.
@bikejourno Interesting! #Vietnam is my missing country in SE Asia. Though now that I think about it, when in Sulawesi last year (#Indonesia) it was also mostly cash, unlike QR-code crazy #Jakarta.
"We are witnessing a historic process -- Russians are leaving for the first time in two centuries," independent Azerbaijani analyst Elhan Shahinoglu told AFP.
I never thought I'd hashtag Ukraine & the South China Sea in the same post 😬
#Russia is the top supplier of weapons to #Vietnam and also plays a crucial role in the exploitation of Vietnam's gas reserves in the #SouthChinaSea, in waters that #China claims as its own.
The #EU, an important trading partner for Vietnam, has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on #Moscow over its war in #Ukraine.