Monthly Archives: August 2010

Enjoying Pho in Ho Chi Minh City

In order to attend an ASEAN meeting, I had the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh City in March 2010. On the sidelines of the meeting, I had the opportunity to taste the Vietnamese typical food called Pho (Vietnamese pronunciation: [f??]). It is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer.

Book Review: Indonesia – Russia Relations

Book title: Sahabat Lama, Era Baru: 60 Tahun Pasang Surut Hubungan Indonesia-Rusia.

Book language: Bahasa Indonesia

Author: Tomi Lebang

Publisher: PT Grasindo Widiasarana Indonesia

Year: I, Juli 2010

Pages: 180 + xx pages

Price: IDR 55.000,-

The Russian Federation is one of a respected superpower and leader of the Eastern Bloc countries in the cold war era (1947-1991). Geographically, Russia is the largest country in the world (17.8 million km), consisting of 11 time zones (compare with Indonesia which only has three time zones). Politically, Russia is a permanent member of UN Security Council, members of Group 8 (D-8), G-20 and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), an alliance of powerful nations in the world besides the United States.