PART 1

Where do you live ?

I am currently living in Saigon or people would call it HCM city, but I prefer Saigon cause it is kind of
reminiscent of the past, you know ?
Is that your hometown ?
It is actually my hometown.  I was born and raised here and I actually have been living here, you know,
my whole life. I think I know that I did move to Singapore to study for a few years and then I came back
here. But my life, it doesn’t feel, very different from before, so I am living here currently.
What do you like about Saigon or HCM city ?
Oh, I feel pretty fortunate to be living here because I got, you know, I got access to pretty much any
amenity that you can possibly think of, right ? and it is very modern. It is very convenient to live here.
And I am a foodie as well. So, you know, like, I love eating. So I have a passion for eating, trying
different cuisines and Saigon, particularly Saigon has, you know, a variety of cuisines and I can try as
many kinds of foods that I can think of. 
Has the city changed over the years ?
I didn't really pay attention, but the most striking change is probably the fact that it has gotten more
polluted and hotter. So much hotter than before.
 I think it’s the same situation for a lot of mega cities that are growing. But Saigon definitely has a lot
more residential areas. Apartment Complexes and Skyscrapers. So  I think that it is a nice thing to have.
But at the same time the infrastructure cannot accommodate that many people.
And I think it’s a good and bad thing. And also it’s getting more polluted  over time because of the
volume of traffic on the road as well.  So I really hope that in the future something should be done about
the congestion issue  over here. So that would definitely help with the air pollution problem as well.
What do you do on the weekend ?
Well, I don’t know if people know this fact about me, but I’m self-employed,  I don’t work for other
people  so I don’t have clear boundaries between weekdays and a weekend.
But, I try my best to schedule some downtime on the weekend to,you know, hang out with friends, catch
up with them, grab a coffee together because I love coffee. Of course, we all need to relax sometime,
right ?  So that's what I tend to do on the weekends, but if work calls for it,  sometimes I would have to
spend the whole weekend just working on my deadlines. 
What  did you do last weekend ?
Let me try to remember. Well, it was like just a , it was just a typical weekend like any other weekend. 
So I started my day by finishing some of the tasks on my to-do list. Then I just grabbed a coffee with my
best friend and just you know, took it easy, to spend some quality time with him.So that what I did, I 
think
How  do people spend the weekends in your hometown ?
People  in my hometown, like people in Saigon, as far as I k know  , I  think Vietnamese   people are
really big on, you know spending time at cafes and drinking coffee in the morning, especially on
Saturdays and Sundays with either their families or friends.  And I am no exception.  What else do they
do ? Well, a lot of youngsters and even older generations, they hang out at the mall as well.  Because,
you know, Vietnam, Saigon in particular , is so warm. So people tend to seek refuge in those malls, you
know, that are air - conditioned, and do a bit of window shopping  or drink tea, coffee or have lunch in
those malls. I think that is what a lot of people do here.
Have you got any plans for next weekend ?
Next weekend.  I don’t know if it is going to be very different from this weekend, but most likely I am
going to be doing the same stuff I do this weekend, but considering the fact that I am kind of  up to my
neck at the moment in deadlines, I think I am going to spend my next weekend working on my
deadlines before I can think of any taking any time off.
Do you live in a house or an apartment ?
Well,I live on the 15th floor of a 30-storey apartment building. And  I feel fortunate to be living pretty
high up. Cause I am not too close to all  the chaos below which is traffic.
What can you see from the window of your apartment ?
Well, living on a high floor comes with certain perks such as being able  to have unobstructed views of
the surrounding landscape.From where I live, I get to see rows of coconut trees and a park,  which I
really feel grateful for because green spaces are pretty rare in Saigon. My close friends even joke to me
that I am living in the countryside.
How do you decorate your house?
I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to interior design, so as you can imagine, there’s a somewhat
Scandinavian feel to my home, as all the rooms are predominantly white with minimal furniture. And 
there’s  also a tree in the middle of the living room with a skylight above it which brings in natural 
light. It feels like I am living in a little oasis of my own which  is refreshing.
What food do you eat during the new year celebration ?
Well, when it comes to the Vietnamese new year, also known as Tet, It would be a crime if you don't try
Banh chung, the most quintessential dish served during this occasion. So basically it is made of
glutinous rice, stuffed with mung beans and pork. You  can either steam or fry it,and when paired with
pickled vegetables, It’s just perfect
What was the best new year celebration you had experienced ?
To tell you the truth, the New Year has definitely been losing its meaning to me over the last few years,
especially since I came back to Vietnam after finishing college in Singapore. The last time that I truly
felt happy celebrating the new year was perhaps during my college years. I  guess it was because I  got
to reunite with my family members after months of not being able to see them in person.
PART 2 : DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF WEATHER

Well, speaking of my favorite type of weather, it would be hands down the cold weather. And I guess
the reason why I’m so in love with it is because I absolutely loathe the hot weather of where I'm living.
Having been born and bred in Vietnam with a tropical climate, It comes as a surprise to many people
when they find out that I’ve never actually gotten  acclimated to the hot and humid weather in my
country.
You know, I sweat easily, my skin is really sticky - the heat really puts a damper on my mood.  On the
other hand, I take great pleasure in spending time in areas with cooler climates.
And there are a number of reasons why I feel this way.
First of all, lower temperatures are conducive to outdoor activities,   And  given the fact that over the
last few years , I have grown to  enjoy taking walk and doing outdoor sports more and more ,  I would
feel more comfortable and can actually work out for a  longer periods  of time, compared to when it is
hot. You know,
And I’ve notice that  I spend more time outdoors and stay active during the colder months of the  year,
whereas when it’s sweltering outside, I ’d just be all cooped up in own room with the A/C  on 24/7,  I 
know it’s unhealthy but I can’t help it 
And secondly, when it is cool or a bit chilly, everyone seems to be in a better mood somehow .  People
around me seem to be more social and easy going even thing don't go their way. I suspect that the cold
air does have a soothing effect on us.  Therefore lowering the chance of people feeling grumpy or losing
their temper. 
And I personally feel pretty chirpy waking up on a crisp morning. And those are the reasons why I love
the cold weather. 

 
PART 3
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RAINY SEASONS IN YOUR COUNTRY ?
Honestly, I am no meteorologist so I wouldn't know the answer to this question.  But I venture a guess
that perhaps if we need to classify them, it would be based on criteria such as the duration and intensity
of the rain, and perhaps how often it rains.
HOW DO SEASONS AFFECT TOURISM IN YOUR COUNTRY ?            
To my mind, seasons do play a crucial role in the tourism industry in my country. In fact, seasons
determine vacationers' choices of destination. Take the northern part of Vietnam as an example.  During
the summer months it gets unbearably hot, so in order to escape the sweltering heat, people would flock
to beach and resorts  /rɪˈzɔːt/ ,  and as you can imagine, this is the peak season for beach towns and
cities in the north.  As for southern vietnam, the high seasons for tourism is actually the dry season
which coincides /ˌkəʊ.ɪnˈsaɪdz/   with winter and spring in the north. This shows that tourism relies
heavily on seasons to thrive.
ARE THERE ANY CELEBRATIONS OR CUSTOMS IN YOUR COUNTRY RELATED TO
THE RAINY SEASON ?
I’m not entirely sure if there are any, but if  I am not mistaken, I remember being told that certain ethnic
minority groups in mountainous regions of Vietnam perform ritual dances to summon the God of Rain. 
Such practices probably stem from the fact that they live in drought stricken areas, coupled with theis
superstitious /ˌsuː.pəˈstɪʃ.əs/   beliefs that dates back centuries.
DO SEASONS AFFECT WORK PATTERNS ?
Absolutely. Seasons do exert certain impacts on the way we work, or where we work, but their effects
are more probably pronounced in places nearer to the North and South poles I suppose. For example, for
countries with cold climates, during winter months some people have no choice but to be based at home,
especially when there is a blizzard raging outside, whereas those living near the equator are not affected
so much by seasons I guess.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE CLAIM THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING CLIMATE
CHANGE ?
Although some climate skeptics may argue that climate change is a hoax /həʊks/  , I firmly believe that
this is a very real and dire problem that humankind is facing.  This claim is actually backed by science,
and statistics /stəˈtɪstɪks/ have shown that the world’s glaciers together with the polar ice caps are
melting at an accelerating /əkˈsel.ə.reɪt/ rate. On top of this, many parts of the world are now
experiencing erratic weather patterns with more frequent floods and droughts, which are arguably
caused by climatic shifts.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING ?
 Global  warming could have catastrophic  /ˌkæt.əˈstrɒf.ɪk/  consequences around the world. But
perhaps the most imminent threat  is the flooding of cities, with the hardest hit being along the
coastline.  So millions of people could be displaced and become climate refugees in a few decades.
Another effect of the warming of the planet is perhaps the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats.  In
other words, thousands of species would become endangered or even go extinct.
1. DOES WEATHER AFFECT YOUR MOOD?
Now that I think of it, the weather does influence the way I feel. If I recount correctly, I have been the
most productive when it’s sunny outside. On the contrary, when it’s hazy and gloomy, I tend to be down
in the dumps and I do slack off on such days.
2. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GET WEATHER REPORTS? 
It used to be the case that we could only get weather forecasts on television at certain times. Nowadays,
it’s at the tips of our fingers. You can download mobile applications for weather reports, you can also
watch them on video hosting platforms like Youtube.  I think this is fantastic and is a major positive
development.  We all know that weather can be sporadic and it’s really difficult to predict weather with
absolute certainty so getting news about the weather once a day may not be enough,  especially for
people whose work depends on weather such as farmers and taxi drivers.
3. WHY ARE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE WEATHER? 
I would say that people are more concerned about the weather than they are interested in it.  The
weather dictates how we operate our society on a daily basis.  Even seemingly unremarkable decisions
like whether I should walk to school or take a taxi are influenced by the weather.  This is why people
tend to pay close attention to what happens in terms of weather. Of course,  there are exceptions. There
are people who are genuinely fascinated by meteorology and dedicate much of their time learning about
weather patterns and prediction.  They’re extremely helpful to our societies. However, I don’t think that
many people are like this.
4. WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ON RAINY DAYS AND SUNNY DAYS?
Assuming that they’re not working on that day, if it’s sunny, outdoor lovers would go on a picnic, go
camping, hiking and maybe go swimming in ponds and lakes.  On the other hand, rainy days are perfect
for family gatherings.  They could prepare a meal together with their relatives, play board games, or
watch a movie.
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