Typhoon Dan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Saling, was the third of a series of tropical cyclones that impacted the Philippines and Vietnam in October 1989. The storm developed on October 6, and tracked generally westward throughout its course. After crossing Luzon, the typhoon emerged into the South China Sea and reached its peak intensity, with sustained 10-minute winds of 140 km/h (85 mph), 1-minute winds of 130 km/h (80 mph), and a minimum barometric pressure of 960 millibars. The storm moved ashore in central Vietnam and dissipated after moving inland. The storm caused extensive damage throughout its course. In the Philippines, Dan left hundreds of thousands homeless and killed 58 people. Power outages were extensive in the Manila region. In Vietnam, the storm's high winds and heavy rains caused extensive damage and loss of life. More than 500,000 structures were damaged or destroyed and at least 43 people were killed across the country. (Full article...)
Image 8Wooden doors in the Imperial palace in Huế, Vietnam
Image 9Water puppetry, lit. "Making puppets dance on water") is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam.
Image 11Dong Ho painting is a line of Vietnamese folk painting originating in Đông Hồ village (Song Hồ commune, Thuận Thành District, Bắc Ninh Province.
... that Charles Larson became one of the first Americans to teach African literature, after working in Nigeria for the Peace Corps to avoid the Vietnam draft?
... that the statue of Trần Hưng Đạo in Mê Linh Square was erected by the South Vietnamese Navy, who regarded him as a patron saint?
... that Lài dogs were instrumental in the Vietnamese Lam Sơn uprising against Ming China in 1418–1428?
... that the owner of the bus service connecting the two largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States was the target of an assassination plot by a competitor?
... that Esmond Venner Keogh was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in World War I and later protested against the Vietnam War?
Image 5A trio of Vietnamese musicians performing together. The man on the far left plays kèn đám ma, the man in the middle plays the đàn nhị and the man on the right plays the trống chầu. (from Culture of Vietnam)
Image 1719th-century manuscript of "Mysterious tales of the Southern Realm" (Lĩnh Nam chích quái), a copy of 15th-century original tale. (from Culture of Vietnam)
Image 18Vietnam map of Köppen climate classification zones (from Geography of Vietnam)
Image 19A Kinh Vietnamese woman with blackened teeth. (from Culture of Vietnam)