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Traffic policing in Vietnam?

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:18:55 +0000

Once again many internet users in Vietnam are unable to access Facebook and Blogspot. A number of other websites may be inaccessible at this time as well. It is a big hinderance especially those of us that rely on Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family back home. As usual, rumors are flying about another internet upgrade. If that was the case, though, why are the majority of other websites, including Twitter, still accessible.

There is a big difference between this “inaccessibility” versus other times. Normally the first thing I do is do a traceroute and ping (using mtr) of facebook.com which results in a huge packet loss with an IP address originating in Hanoi. This time around, I am getting 15 hops to facebook.com with zero packet loss. I then emailed a couple friends suspecting that Vietnam may be traffic shaping, instead of filtering or blocking, for the very first time. One of them suggested that I use tcptraceroute on port 80 to facebook.com and sure enough, users in Vietnam will be unable to access Facebook from Vietnam on that particular port (Notice that users in Vietnam can still access Facebook on mobile or browser apps since they use different ports).

So in short, Facebook and Blogspot are not blocked in Vietnam, they are being traffic shaped. For me, I think this is quite funny because Vietnam can honestly say that they are not blocking websites. They are not, really great strategy and guess what, this is even done in Western countries. In the US, Comcast was accused may times by their customers of traffic shaping in the past though it may be illegal to do so now. Schools, universities, companies, etc., may also traffic shape as well. It is a form of traffic policing, in a nutshell.

So how to get past this while you are in Vietnam?

Quite simple, just use a VPN. I current use VPNVIP and pay roughly $4 US for a 5 GB data plan. You can purchase this from the App store if you area an Apple user. StrongVPN is another popular one if you do not have access to the App Store. I use the same account for both my iPad and Macbook Pro. For those of you who regularly use WiFi at coffeeshops should be using a VPN anyway for protection.

Reasons to restrict access to Facebook in Vietnam?

Last summer I had a discussion with a former director from one of the large Vietnamese government owned IT company. His response was not surprising. Facebook is not a registered company in Vietnam yet they are making money from advertisements focusing on Vietnamese users within Vietnam. In short, they are not paying their taxes in Vietnam. Google was mentioned as another company that does not have a legal registered office in Vietnam making money from Vietnamese-focussed advertisements. What I heard was that 2012 was going to be the year to force these companies to abide by Vietnamese laws. It looks like it is starting.

It makes you wonder if the Mark Zuckerburg trip to Vietnam may have played a role in initiating this traffic policing in Vietnam.

Edit 1: Urko gave his comments on saying this is not traffic shaping but just port blocking: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117883371271673786109/posts/BWyLnQGkGAL

Edit 2: Other users are having problems accessing Facebook on their mobile phones now.

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Blogging in Vietnam (2011)

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:36:34 +0000

It has been over a year since I posted an article (now a private posting) about the possibility of the Vietnamese government arresting foreign bloggers. Several Vietnamese bloggers have been arrested and released since then but now rumors are spreading that foreign bloggers, meaning Westerners, may become targets. It is something that a blogger such as myself needs to keep attention of.

I have always self-censored my blog posts with a rule that I will only post articles that are positive about Vietnam. Yes, I got a lot of criticism of this back from 2007-2008 but after the new Vietnamese legislation regulated blogs in Vietnam in 2009, the criticism stopped. The Western media coverage of Vietnam’s Blog Regulation clearly told readers that a blogger must learn to self-censor if they want to write while living in Vietnam.

I did still write about many different topics in Vietnam but I was given a reality check in 2010. A Vietnamese joint stock company asked me to come to their office to discuss a comment I made about their company with on my blog. They threatened legal action in Vietnam even though my site was hosted in the US and governed by US laws. Since this company had a reputation for paying government officials bribes, I knew that maybe it was better to remove that comment from my blog. The rule of law in Vietnam is money, not rules or regulation and this company did not care about rules or individual rights.

Hence many people will notice that SaigonNezumi.com became more of a photo blog since mid-2010 though I am starting to write more about other topics again.

There are not that many blogs coming out of Vietnam anymore. Only a few write about current topics, mostly the guys in Hanoi. The rest of blogs are about “HAPPY” things in Vietnam or focus on “self-help” or professional improvement which make for boring reads. That is the state of blogging in Vietnam nowadays though there are still many, ironically, calling themselves bloggers even though they really do not blog. It is still cool to be called a blogger, I guess.

With this new attention on foreign bloggers in Vietnam, I am curious to see what will happen in 2012. Will I need to self-censor further?

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What I brought from the US to Vietnam

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:32:33 +0000

Well, it is hard to believe I have now stayed in Vietnam for over 2 weeks now after my 7 week trip to the US. I have finally got over my jet lag. I sleep at somewhat normal times now. I can actually do some real blogging versus the photoblogging you have been seeing for the last couple of months.

This post I want to talk about the three top items I brought from the US that are helping improve my personal quality of life in Vietnam. They may just be minor things but they are making a difference in my daily activities and free time now.

Oral-B Dual Clean Electric Toothbrush

It may not seem much to you but this electric toothbrush is a life saver for me. If you can remember my past posts, I am terrified of dentists. After my last visit, my dentist convinced me to take better care of my teeth. Since my last dental visit, I actually have thank to this Oral-B toothbrush.

I actually read the reviews for the Oral-B Dual Clean Electric toothbrush before leaving Vietnam. At that time, it cost about $28 US from Amazon but I was lucky enough to find it for about $17 US at Bartell Drugs in Seattle though I did search for it in Athens, Ohio, and later in California.

I really liked this toothbrush from the beginning. It actually feels like it is cleaning your teeth and it only takes 2 minutes per session. My dentist will be happy when I visit her in April of this year.

It was tough to find the replacement heads for this electric toothbrush but I was lucky, Target has some in Lynnwood, Washington. I had actually searched many different stores (until I realized I could search the store inventories online).

For now, I do not need to worry about my teeth going bad while living in Vietnam. I just have to pray the electricity does not go out. I did hear that you may be able to buy this toothbrush here in Saigon. Not sure though but at least my visits to the dentists in Vietnam will not be as scary.

iPad

Apple iPad

Yes you can buy this in Vietnam but it is much cheaper, and safer, to purchase one in the US. Many of you will laugh at me since you all know I was, at one time, anti-Apple. I considered Steve Jobs in the same league at Bill Gates.

Well not anymore thanks to the Japanese businessman who used his iPad for nearly the entired United Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Chicago. After that 14.5 hours trip, I fell in love with the iPad. About a week later in Palo Alto, California, I purchased the iPad and never looked back.

Getting an iPad in the US has many, many advantages. For one, I NO LONGER had to haul back 20-30 books from the US to Vietnam. Ebooks make the day and I can use the extra luggage space for other items such as the one below.

Also, no more having to fight the magazines guys in Saigon for a good rate on the Economist or Financial Times. I can digital versions of both on my iPad now. There is nothing better than downloading the Economist on my iPad on Monday evenings now. FT is not bad either.

I download many different apps and TV shows from iTunes. I did have problems accessing them in Vietnam but I purchased a VPN from iTunes and now I have no problems. I got a lot of good games and yes, I even use it for word processing, presentations, etc. I will keep that for another post.

I consider the iPad one of my best buys ever. It has really made life more interesting for me in Saigon in my free time and at work. If you have not bought one yet, I highly recommend it.

Ultimate Body Press

Ultimate Body Press Pull Up Bar, Dip Station & Rings

While I was in Seattle, I started to use my brother-in-law’s pull up bar. The next day I felt it. It reminded me of the exercises I did when I was in adult’s gymnastics back in 1993-1994. Now, in Saigon I do have a gym I can go to but I either have to wake up early or go in the late afternoon when the gym is packed. Usually after work, I prefer to go straight home.

I wanted to see if I could find one to take back to Vietnam. As I was researching for portable pull up bars, I came across the Ultimate Body Press website. What drew my attention was the dip station. Dips are one of the best exercises to build up muscles on your chests and back. After reviewing it, I decided to purchase the dip station, pull up bar, and rings.

The difficult task was to decide where to ship this package that weighed about 31 pounds. I did not want to have to pay $25-35 US each trip for extra baggage so instead, I sent it to New Jersey where I packed it in my luggage for the long haul back to Saigon.

On Day 2 of my return to Vietnam, I assembled the dip station and pull up bar and started my workout. It has been two weeks now, I am still sore. This is one of my best workouts I have had in a long time. It is convenient too, I can come home and start to work out easily. I will leave the weightlifting for the weekends.

Now, the exercises in the picture on the left may look easy but in the video, you do see his arms shaking. They are not easy. These are similar exercises gymnasts would go through. The dip station takes little space and you can always disassemble it. The pull up bar fits in the doorway though you better check to see if it is stable. Mine is not but it can at least support my weight. More about the ultimate body press in another post later.

Overall, the ultimate body press with the iPad and electric toothbrush may seem trivial, it still amazing at what an impact they can actually have on making me feel better. Now I am much better focused since I feel much better.

I am curious to see what my readers brought to Vietnam from their countries to make you feel better…

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MOF- A nice Japanese style teashop in Saigon

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:48:12 +0000

Thanks to both Lawrence and Hiro, I now know there is a Japanese-style teashop in Saigon call MOF. MOF is owned by a Singaporean from what I was told. The cafe itself is nice an quiet.

MOF serves a large assortment of Japanese green tea including my favorite, genmaicha. If you are hungry, get yourself a nice reasonably priced bento box. MOF even offers desserts though on this particular day, I just settled for tea which was very good. I am a fan of green tea.

MOF is located on 30 Le Loi Blvd in District 1 of Saigon. There is motorbike parking available.

Pictures below:

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Blogging Boom Faces Gov’t Blockages (Helen Clark – IPS News)

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:57:23 +0000

Helen Clark published her article in relation to the new blogging regulation for Vietnam last Friday. Originally, the blogging regulation was supposed to include all bloggers but has since focused just on bloggers who host blogs within Vietnam.

Anh Hung (Fresco 2.0), Chris Harvey (charvey in Vietnam), and I were interviewed by Helen Clark via telephone. This will be Anh Hung’s second interview. Over a week ago, he appeared in Geoffrey Caines’ SFGate article, Bloggers the new rebels in Vietnam.

It will be interesting to see how the law will be implemented next year. What about blogs not affected by the new Blog Law, will they just be filtered out? As we have seen with Geocities for many years, the Vietnamese government has the capability to filter out websites. It will be relatively easy to filter out ‘controversial’ blogs as well. We will just have to wait and see but as I told two other reporters, I think the Western media are a bigger threat to Vietnam bloggers than the new blog law

Excerpt of Helen Clark’s article:

Though blogging regulations have been discussed before the issue again came to prominence in November, with reports running in local media that the Ministry of Information and Communications was planning a law which would counteract “incorrect information” about Vietnam.

Read more here -> http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45171

or here -> http://www.google.com/search?&q=Blogging+Boom+Faces+Gov%27t+Blockages+Helen+Clark

Oh yeah, one little mistake. Helen mentioned that I ran Barcamp Saigon. Actually, I just formed it and helped obtain the venue though my network. The Barcamp Saigon organizers ran the event. Want to make sure they get the credit here, not me

Other Press Reports on the Blog Regulation

Edit 1:

Reuters published their report on the blogging regulation. A bit more negative in tone than Helen Clark’s article. John Ruwitch seemed to just quote online news sources without checking out the facts. As I mentioned earlier, nobody seems concerned about the new blog regulation except the Western media. They are blowing this out of proportion.

Read article here -> Vietnam Bans Submersive Blogs

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Are Expat Bloggers in Vietnam affected by the Draft Blog Resolution?

SaigonNezumi (Kevin) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:09:37 +0000

VietnamNet Bridge just posted a piece on the current draft resolution to regulate ‘harmful’ blogs in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has wanted to regulate blogs within Vietnam as an effort to control the number of sites from posting “…incorrect information about religion, political system, state and government of Viet Nam.”

Now it seems that the current draft regulation will be able to prosecute bloggers, including Expats, who reside in Vietnam but host their blogs outside of the country. When asked how Vietnam can manage blogs overseas, Nguyen Tu Quang responded:

…This is to more complicated. If the violation relates to two countries, police of both sides will work together or through Interpol to investigate the case. If however, the blogger only breaks Vietnamese law but not the laws of the country he/she resides in, there’s little we can do. However, we still can solve this technically. The most important thing is to raise consciousness among internet users. (Source: VietnamNet Bridge)

So even if a blogger who resides in Vietnam did not break the laws of the country where the blog is hosted, they may be prosecuted here in Vietnam. That is my interpretation at least.

I will be curious to see if the draft resolution will have a clause for Expat bloggers residing in Saigon.

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