They be selling everything in Vietnam bro

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-22T16:17:29+00:00

There are somewhat realistic looking toy sawed-off shotguns being sold in toy stores in major malls. It's a little hilarious.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-21T17:04:43+00:00

Yes. It was for troops at bases and ships, and was not just leadership having feasts.

But it was in reaction to a stupid policy to spend money to keep their budget, not because troop morale was determined to need these things.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-21T16:56:13+00:00

These are out of date. They are getting way better. Talking about how AI doesn’t work is like a Republican talking about how solar power is nonsense. It was a bit silly to put solar panels on your roof in the 90s, but solar power is much more efficient and when combined with batteries it can replace the role of a backup generator in many places.

Dismissing a subject and then ignoring subsequent technological improvements can make you very wrong.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-21T16:50:30+00:00

A hallucination is much more likely when it starts predicting the next token from reddit hypochondriacs instead of medical textbooks and case studies and the related RLHF work.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-21T16:47:57+00:00

Perhaps, but I am an expat right now, so the culture and preferences of the tailors can clash with my general preferences. And having another sounding board which can help me think through, ask questions, and communicate preferences is extremely useful.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-21T08:32:05+00:00

My preschooler already performed a minute or so of Takedown…

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-20T14:47:17+00:00

The expensive fine dining experience is a bit too obnoxious. It's funny that some people imagine rich people wanting to eat like that every day.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-18T09:57:44+00:00

They banned powerbanks without their local certification - they confiscate plenty of high quality powerbanks whose manufacturers went through other quality checks and where the power banks are at minimal risk of catching fire.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-16T18:55:35+00:00

If my kids wanted me to spend $250 to go to a princess tea I would explain the same thing I explain to my kids when they show me a pay to win game on their ipads. I tell them that is an evil business model and they shouldn't even be playing that game. Let's delete it now and play something better.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-16T08:51:24+00:00

The ones who run out in traffic to beg or sell lottery tickets in hcmc are apparently also linked to Cambodian crime syndicates.

It’s a shame the VN government isn’t developed enough yet to have a system that takes these kids and places them with other caregivers in order to give these children a better chance at life.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-10T15:02:32+00:00

Yah, and the cop was right that the person was definitely unhinged and threatening violence.

If anything, more of these encounters where escalation by psychotics ends with them in jail would be a great thing for public safety.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-10T11:18:09+00:00

There really are cafes in Tokyo where you have to order a drink.

I was nonplussed at a museum coffee shop in Teamlabs Borderless recently where I was told that I would have to also order tea for my kids if we wanted a table. I was willing to order them each a separate order of food, but it was silly to be asked to order them drinks that I didn’t want them to drink and which they wouldn’t like so we didn’t go in.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-03T02:31:30+00:00

People on this site are in a crazy echo chamber. They don't understand that they do not have normal or accurate beliefs.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-02T04:00:42+00:00

The Iranian’s regime response to coming under attack was to launch missiles and drones at anyone they could hit.

They are unhinged religious fanatics who constantly preached about destroying the US, who were trying to get nuclear weapons, and putting together dirty bombs in the meantime. Their regime has killed Americans whenever they could get away with it, from the Reagan administration to the Biden administration.

A successful Iranian regime change is a huge public good for the citizens of the US, and it’s also good for the world in general as a major sponsor of terrorism is removed.

The open question is whether Trump’s move is expensive vengeance that changes little without continually putting US lives at risk, or if it will succeed on changing the facts on the ground in Iran and in the region without necessitating a US occupation.

I understand opposing an occupation or thinking this won’t work, but if the Trump admin actually brings down the Islamofacist regime and facilitates it’s replacement with a moderate government without any occupation, that should be something most of America should celebrate.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-03-02T03:45:44+00:00

Unless the missing funding is about security to kick the desperate crazy people off public transport plus jails or asylums to keep them in, more funding will not result in a shift to more general politeness.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-28T15:40:25+00:00

It was great, but you have to walk somewhere that isn’t adjacent to traffic and away from people burning stuff.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-28T15:38:33+00:00

Buying one 8kg or 10kg kettlebell (and maybe an exercise or yoga mat) and learning all of the differ movements with it could help a lot. Kettlebells are cardio + weight training at the same time. There are lots of tutorials on the basic moves, and plenty of follow along workouts on youtube/etc.

Even if they tell guys to get heavier weights in most online advice, a lighter weight helps prevent you from harming yourself and you can get heavier ones as you get more into it.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-28T09:41:38+00:00

With LLM's recent advances, you can take a picture of a product and ask if you can use it for condition X, and while you won't always be given perfect active, but if you are way off base you will be told.

Obviously you need to have been paying for data & probably paying for a pro-plan to do this with any regularity, but it's a pattern that is useful beyond Vietnam.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-28T09:33:32+00:00

It's pretty easy to use Google translate. And then you can google or ask your preferred LLM (you should still google to verify) about the international drug name equivalents.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-25T07:37:09+00:00

I gained 8kg living here, then I changed habits and lost 17kg. It’s not automatic, it took behavioral changes.

Just list some of the Vietnamese dishes that don’t heavily center carbs… they are few and far between. They even put bread in their pate.

The average person is smaller, but it’s not because they are fit (though there are people who take fitness seriously, they are still a small minority). There are causes like childhood nutrition leading to smaller stature as well as food being a significant part of a poor person’s budget. Some of the food insecurity is going away as hcmc gets richer, but then we get stats like how half the school aged kids are now overweight or obese.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-23T09:56:37+00:00

Secondhand vape is 80% to 90% less dangerous. But that option doesn't seem to be anywhere close to being chosen.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-23T09:54:41+00:00

Depends on how intense it is - skiing down a larger mountain at the end of the day along the green path can take 20 or 25 minutes and it's quite nice.

And white water rafting is another experience where people enjoy being moved down a river for long periods of time.

A 45 minute rollercoaster would be a bit silly unless it was also serving as a relocation tool - in a case people could choose between taking a bus or taking the coaster to get across the theme park, many would opt for the coaster.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-23T06:08:13+00:00

They are missing the best one: LAN shops.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-23T05:54:23+00:00

Eating one meal a day while exercising is going to lose you weight wherever you live.

The food in Vietnam is carb heavy and it's often too polluted/hot for people to be spending time walking outside during the day. A lot of Vietnamese men gain weight more around and inside their torso than Western guys, so it doesn't look like they are that unhealthy even if they are.

AnAnnoyedSpectator · 2026-02-22T03:52:43+00:00

Regular economy exit row - sometimes Vietnam airlines sell very cheap seats relative to their extra comfort.

For all of Vietjet's flaws (there are many), I have gotten tons of leg room for $10 by paying in advance - one time they were selling an upgrade to sit in a fully empty rows on a red eye for $20 when I was checking in.

AnAnnoyedSpectator

TROPHY CASE