After a much longer break than we expected, we are back with a new, remotely recorded episode discussing a topic that is impossible to escape: Vietnam's severe COVID-19 outbreak, which has the country in by far its worst position of the entire pandemic. How did we get here, and what impact are lockdowns having on daily life? (1:20)

Then, amid the doom and gloom, many people are coming together to help those in need - we each share some uplifting stories that have given us a break from the terrible headlines (23:49).

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (41:16).