That New Yorker Article; Smartphones in Public Schools

On this week's show, we begin (0:53) by looking at the uproar over a New Yorker article titled 'The Public-Shaming Pandemic' that was published last week. The feature covered, among other things, the social media abuse aimed at two wealthy Vietnamese sisters who caught the coronavirus back in March, but painted Vietnam poorly and contained several errors regarding the country's response to the pandemic. What does this episode say about foreign coverage of Vietnam, and of the way some Vietnamese perceive journalists and media outlets? A link to the article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/28/the-public-shaming-pandemic Then (18:48), we discuss a new proposal from the Ministry of Education that would allow students at public middle and high schools to use their phones during class for 'educational purposes.' Is this realistic? What are the pros and cons? There is no Bánh Mỉ Banter this week.