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Park Yong-Ki, 40, a computer salesman in Seoul, recently found the love of his life through such a service. “I’ve seen (South Korean men with Vietnamese brides) living will in South Korea and Vietnamese women are homely and they become good wives and I’ve seen them happy in their marriages so I came all the way to Vietnam to get married,” said Park, who recently traveled to southern Ho Chi Minh city to meet prospective brides. The process starts with a meeting between the man and bride candidates mediated by an agency, often at a discreet restaurant or a cafe. In Vietnam, the international mail-order bride business is illegal and the agencies which introduce South Korean men to Vietnamese women are registered as “trading” companies and not marriage brokers. The Vietnamese government is aware of the business and crackdowns have been made, but the business is secretly thriving. In South Korea, the matchmaking business is legal and Kim Hong-ki, a representative of the Cheongshil Hongshil International Marriage Agency says men are attracted to Vietnamese brides due to the many similarities in culture. “They have similar food, a rice-based diet, and the life style of Vietnamese farms nowadays is quite similar to that of South Korea in the 1960s-70s,” said Kim. Many of the brides come from the Mekong Delta, which is primarily an agricultural area, and are keen to make a better life for themselves and their families by marrying South Korean men who may not be rich in their own …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Jordan Chan attempts to cross Victoria Harbour in the satirical comedy Escape From Hong Kong Island, directed and written by triple-terror writer/director/actor Simon Lui Yu-Yeung. Chan is Raymond Mak, a despicable “Master of the Universe” stock trader who gets handed a day from Hell. First he’s fired by his boss (Law Kar-Ying), then he’s robbed by a harried businessman (Paul Wong of rock band Beyond). Raymond already has a new job lined up across the harbour, but getting from Wanchai to Tsimshatsui requires at least three dollars for the ferry, or more for the MTR or a taxi. But without any cash or ID, Raymond will have to call in a favor or two. Too bad he’s a major prick; folks begin lining up to screw him out of an easy handout, and even the cops (personified by ubiquitous Chapman To) seem to have it in for him. With a deadline of 5:00 pm fast approaching, Raymond needs a solution to get across the harbour. But can he overcome his past misdeeds to earn even some minor charity?
Video Rating: 5 / 5
