Sophea lives in a small village in rural Cambodia. Her house sits back from the road, surrounded by the everyday rhythms of village life—cooking, farming, children moving between houses, neighbours stopping to talk. Money is always carefully managed. Food comes first. Everything else has to fit around it. Sophea’s grandmother has difficulty walking. Going to … More When being included is not enough
This post begins a short series reflecting on the field experiences and questions that shaped my recent book, Social Impact with the Capability Approach: Unlocking Development Stories in Vietnam and Cambodia. The ideas in the book did not emerge neatly from theory alone — they were shaped by real-world tensions, institutional constraints, and unexpected moments … More When Distance Became Insight: Evaluating Social Impact in Vietnam and Cambodia
I came across this piece Bên vỉa hè Sài Gòn in the Chiêu Dương (Sunrise) newspaper, a Vietnamese newspaper in Sydney Australia, on the eve of April 30 — a date many Vietnamese living in the diaspora refer to as Tháng Tư Đen (Black April), marking the fall of Saigon. This piece captures the sentiment … More Lives at the Crossroads of Sài Gòn
I have been watching MasterChef Australia for some time. One part of me is drawn to the idea of watching ordinary dishes turned into something so remarkable simply through the art of plating. Another part of me enjoys the competitive tasks and people’s creativity. It’s hard to not like a show where ordinary people are … More MasterChef Australia and the reality of reality TV
Lien Pham 