#taiwan

15 Oct 20262 min readTaiwan

Taiwan, seen from Vietnam

Close on the map and familiar in many ways, Taiwan still surprises Vietnamese visitors. A look at the island through a Vietnamese lens: what feels like home, and what does not.

29 Aug 20261 min readTaiwan

Taiwan's cities after dark

From Taipei's towers to the lanterns of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's cities come alive at night. A short look at how the island lights up.

14 Aug 20262 min readThoughts

Being a foreign student, again

An MBA and now a PhD in Taiwan, with work in between. Some thoughts on what it means to keep choosing to be the newcomer.

Performers in painted faces and ornate headdresses at a temple festival

10 Jul 20262 min readPhoto Essays

Temple festivals and painted faces in Taiwan

Painted faces, firecrackers, dragons on the roof. A short essay on Taiwan's temple festivals, where religion is loud, public and shared by the whole neighbourhood.

Commuters crossing a sunlit Tokyo street

8 Jul 20262 min readTravel

Transport cards in Taiwan and Japan: the one thing to buy first

A rechargeable transport card saves time on trains, buses and even at the convenience store. A quick explainer for Taiwan and Japan.

The arched footbridge at Sanxiantai on the east coast of Taiwan

24 Jun 20262 min readTaiwan

Taitung and Sanxiantai: Taiwan facing the Pacific

Far from the western cities, Taitung County is a long strip of coast, valley and mountain, home to many Indigenous communities and some of the earliest sunrises in Taiwan.

A giant golden seated Buddha beside a pagoda in Taiwan

5 Jun 20261 min readPlaces

Temples and Buddhas of Taiwan

Giant golden statues, carved and gilded eaves and fresh flowers on the altar: the many layers of Taiwan's temple culture.

A crowded street market under colourful umbrellas

3 Jun 20262 min readLife

In praise of the morning market

Supermarkets are convenient, but the traditional market is where a city shows what it eats and how it lives. A reflection on chợ in Vietnam and morning markets in Taiwan.

16 Apr 20261 min readTaiwan

Taiwan through the year

Calla lilies in spring, plum rains, summer balloons and winter winds: a short guide to Taiwan's seasons in pictures.

25 Mar 20262 min readLife

Temple festivals and the goddess of the sea

Taiwan's folk temples are loud, colourful and close to everyday life. An introduction to temple festivals, processions and Mazu, the sea goddess.

Stone houses on a hillside above the sea at sunset, Matsu Islands

11 Feb 20263 min readTaiwan

The Matsu Islands: granite villages at the edge of the strait

A small archipelago off the coast of Fujian, named after the sea goddess, shaped by decades as a military frontier and known today for stone villages and glowing seas.

16 Jan 20261 min readPlaces

Taiwan's east coast and outer islands

An arched footbridge over the Pacific, stone villages on the Matsu Islands and wind turbines along the shore.

Rows of red lanterns strung across a space in Kaohsiung

14 Jan 20262 min readLife

One Lunar New Year, two ways: Tết and Taiwan

Vietnam and Taiwan celebrate the same Lunar New Year with many shared roots and plenty of small differences. A side-by-side look.

A neon-lit street reflected on wet pavement at night

4 Dec 20252 min readTravel

How to eat your way through a Taiwanese night market

Night markets are where Taiwan eats, shops and plays after dark. A few habits help you get more out of them, and leave less rubbish behind.

City lights and a pink sky over Xizhi, New Taipei

3 Dec 20253 min readTaiwan

New Taipei and Xizhi: the city around the capital

New Taipei wraps around Taipei like a ring of old mining towns, river suburbs and coastline. Xizhi, on the Keelung River, shows its everyday commuter side.

19 Nov 20252 min readLife

Reading the seasons in two places

Northern Vietnam has four seasons you can name by smell. Southern Taiwan has heat, plum rains and typhoons. Notes on learning a new calendar of weather.