Vietnam loves instant noodles more than you. South Korea used to be number one, but now Vietnam is the world’s top consumer of instant noodles per capita. According to the World Instant Noodles Association, Vietnam’s consumption rose steadily from 55 servings in 2019 to 87 in 2021. Meanwhile, Korea consumed 80 servings in 2020 but that dropped to 73 last year. COVID lockdowns and inflation both point to why people keep coming back for instant noodles. Here are three Vietnamese favorites.

Heesco, a Mongolian-Australian artist known for his murals, speaks on being born under communist Mongolia, and how he used graffiti to escape. Today, when Heesco paints with the next generation of Mongolian artists, he reminds them that dreams are greater than environment. When Mongolia’s economy collapsed overnight, Heesco’s mum moved to Poland, where he began drawing for his schoolmates to avoid being picked on for being a “foreigner”. From an early age, Heesco was drawn (no pun intended) to graffiti because it was a culture built by kids, and rooted in freedom of expression. He also loved that it cut out galleries, critics, and collectors from dictating what art is, or isn’t. Heesco shares that as a kid growing up in a rough area, he can empathize with how difficult it can be to keep dreams alive and not fall into depression. Today, he is an ambassador for ‘Lantuun Dohio’, a non-profit that crowdfunds to build services and libraries for children in Mongolia. He paints with Mongolian children, and has learned that creating on walls with them is healing and inspiring to them both.

Last Wednesday’s episode of ABC’s “Grown-ish” featured the first Indian lesbian couple on American TV. Zaara Ali, played by Queer model, comedian, and actor Tara Raani, is a recurring character in the show. Her recent lover Yazmine, played by filmmaker, comedian, and actor Sahana Srinivasan, shares an intimate bed scene with her in the latest season. This imagery, reflecting the lived reality for many, is something considered by some to be inappropriate, taboo, and even shameful in Asian culture. For others, this is the most representative the South Asian experience has ever looked. From shame to pride, this mainstream imagery has surfaced a spectrum of feelings in the South Asian community. Both actors are known for leading conversations about identity–from queerness to being South Asian. Raani has amassed a TikTok following of nearly 300,000 followers for her comedy skits, and Srinivasan is known for silly one liners about her cultural identity. “Grown-ish” is known to address issues around sexuality and identity, as exemplified in this latest season. Much like other series have begun exploring previously hidden parts of many people’s identity, such as Partition and Islam in Ms. Marvel, and colourism in Bridgerton’s latest season.

The Vietnam War left over 800,000 mines that have killed and injured over 100,000 Vietnamese people after the war ended. An all-female team through Project RENEW, has taken on detonating bombs in Quang Tri province, where 80% of the land is riddled with mines. Trinh Thi Hong Tham is the leader of this emergency response team. As a child, she would hear bombs going off, and witnessed people dying long after war was over. It left her traumatized, as well as determined to make her homeland safer. Project RENEW has completed over 1,000 missions today using strategic surveying, as well as relying on their own courage. Tham feels proud of the work she is doing to keep her hometown safer, regardless of how dangerous it is, and her family feels the same.

India’s Silicon Valley Bengaluru is flooded, forcing tech workers to ride boats and tractors to get to work, contributing to larger climate-change-induced damages across South Asia. Record heat waves & monsoons are worsening issues of water logging, which left a 23-year-old woman dead. The heavy rain and waterlogging has led to traffic jams, flooded apartments and lack of drinking water. A 23-year-old woman whose first name Akhila has been released, has died after being electrocuted when she grabbed an electrical pole to stand up after her moped skidded on a flooded street. On Tuesday, Karnataka state officials said they would release 300 crore rupees, or over 37 million US dollars, to restore infrastructure in Bengaluru alone. But the lack of stormwater management system remains a larger, long-term problem as unpredictable weather conditions are only expected to get worse in the future.

In 1969, a bunch of Asian-Americans would get high, drink, and write til the wee hours of the morning. ‘Gidra’, the punchy and provocative voice that was formed, became the most influential periodical of its time. Ending when the Vietnam War did, Gidra was a unique lifeline in the 70’s because anybody could write about anything that they wanted, including the rise of anti-Asian sentiments. Randomly named after ‘Godzilla’ character, King Ghidorah, Gidra’s impact was so immense that it paved the way for many newspapers to follow naming themselves after monsters, and just as randomly. Today, a mother daughter duo have revived Gidra as a zine and community hub, where people can address their identities, feelings, and issues rising for Asian-Americans. But, as original members get older, Gidra needs contributions to keep the platform alive.