Vietnamese ISPs now allowing access to Facebook?

Vietnam restricts access to Facebook no longer?

Recently, about the past 1-2 months, I noticed that I could access the Facebook on my Galaxy Nexus using Viettel 3G.  This was not possible before.  Before you would just get a "404 error".  I thought, "Huh... must be a glitch or something in the system" but fortunately I can still access Facebook from my phone. So I'm guessing they lifted the restriction on Facebook.  At least I thought so.

I still couldn't access Facebook from my home internet service (we use FPT).  But about a few weeks ago I noticed that I too could access Facebook from my home internet service.  No VPN, DNS, or whatever else tweaks necessary.  So I guess we can come to the conclusion that Facebook access is available to all Vietnamese now?  What do you think?  Are you able to access Facebook without any tweaks using a Vietnamese ISP?  Let me know in the comments.

ibVPN releases their All in One VPN Client

 

ibVPN recently released a beta version of their all in one client.  Before you would have had to manually configure the VPN each time you wanted to switch servers.  Now with their new client is simple as can be.  Just select a server from a drop down menu and your done.  The client also handles all connection modes (open vpn, pptp, l2tp).  Best of all it's completely free to free and paid users.  Download link and more info after the break.

Quickie: Apparently beer is a cure all according to this student

"To alcohol the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."

Picture is of a test at one of the locations where I am an English teacher.  This student, needless to say, did not pass the test although he did get brownie points for making me chuckle.

Quickie: Tofu sweet dessert!

Vietnamese tofu sweet dessert "đậu hũ" or "tàu hũ"

This is a popular (I think) sweet dessert that I had a chance to try since coming to Vietnam.  It's made of tofu in a ginger broth with a bit of coconut juice and you can even get it with boba "pearls".  It is served hot (the way I prefer it) or cold.  Usually, you can hear street vendors yelling at the top of their lungs asking if anyone wants to buy some.  Price is about 6-7K VND.  Pretty good stuff.  Give it a try!

A! May Tinh Bang

A! May Tinh Bang's website

I was recently in the market for an inexpensive android tablet to compliment my Galaxy Nexus.  I wanted it mainly to use it as an e-reader, gaming and internet browsing device.  After doing some research I settled on the Ainol Novo 7 Aurora.  The spec sheet was great and the price fit.  So when it came time to finally buy it I faced a choice.  I could a) buy it online and have it shipped to my home in California where I then had to have it shipped to Vietnam or b) buy it here in Vietnam.  Total approximate cost going with the former is $180-190 and a wait time of about a month or $180 and immediate satisfaction with the latter.  So I decided to just purchase it here.  Again, after doing some research I came upon A! May Tinh Bang who had it in stock (according to their webpage) and was located here in HCMC.

Quickie: Vectors no longer available

Due to a lack of customer interest I have decided to pull the vector characterizations.

Quickie: Epic Sax Guy Ringtone

A bit late but I made an Epic Sax Guy ringtone you know in case you are looking for a new one.  The ringtone is 30 seconds long in MP3 format.  It also has metadata and a "cover".  You can find the download below.  Please feel free to share this by directing people to the post and not directly linking to the download. Thanks :)

Taco Bich

Taco Bich, Mexican Food HCMC

I was really (really) in the mood for Mexican food last week.  Fortunately, in Ho Chi Minh City you do have a selection of places that serve the Latin cuisine, like Alfrescos and Mexico Lindo to name a few.  I've tried Alfrescos, the service was good not great and their Mexican food was again good and not great.  I tried their nacho platter with a quesadilla, and washed it down with a strawberry daiquiri.  I won't elaborate too much on what I thought about it other than saying the daiquiri was horrible and the quesadilla was good.  No this post isn't about Alfrescos, this post is about Taco Bich.

Still here...

Vietnamese Seafood Rolls

Just wanted to update really quick to let everyone know that we are still here alive and kicking!  I've been terribly busy with my new job so I haven't had much time to update.  Anyways, I have some new and interesting ideas for posts that I should write out in the following weeks.  Some of which will be:

• Things I hate about driving in Vietnam (with pictures!)
• Viettel 3G speed tests (with pictures!)
• Restaurant Reviews (you better believe with pictures!)

 So check back later.  For now I leave you with a pretty bad photo of us making Vietnamese seafood rolls.

Quickie: 5,000 Views!

Vietnamese school children right before English class.

Can you believe it?  We are at 5,000 views.  I started this blog in Febuary 2011 and one year later I managed to attract 5,000 unique views.  Some may scoff at that number/performance but I think it's actually very good for a humble blog centering on mostly Vietnam and my ramblings.  I'm not sure exactly how to celebrate so I'll just post this picture of some Vietnamese school children who seem to be having fun.  As usual here are some of our stats:

Most popular post: How To: Enable 3G on Viettel UPDATED 1/31/2012
Most readers are from: Vietnam
Highest referral URL: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1716584
Highest referral site: www.google.com
Most popular search keyword: lotteria

Here's to another 5,000 views.  Please feel free to post up some comments.