Greetings New Hanoians. November has come and gone but will not be soon forgotten in these parts. We had big events, tons of contributions here on the site, and a wonderful little meet up full of beer and good cheer. The only blemish on the month was yet another printing fiasco. I'm not quite sure what it is about Hanoi that makes printing such an....adventure. Sure, other service sectors have their ups and downs that are to be expected in a place like Hanoi, but printing can drive you nuts. It's its own special brand of tribulation. If you picked up one of the shirts at the meet up that we recently got printed, please contact us. We've had reports that the first wash is doing bad things to them. We want to make sure that we can get them replaced for you as soon as we find a new printer and properly deal with the drama that will inevitably entail. When all that is wrapped up, we'll be ready to go and get more of those fine little items out and available for all of you. But for now, back to the remarkably good side of what was November, and the prizes that accompany those performances.

Granteralus plus five head to Pane e Vino for dinner and wine

First up, we have a prize for a reviewer who it seems should have won something long ago. He's been a consistent presence on the site from its very earliest incarnation, and while he stepped away from Hanoi for a couple years, he's back with a flourish. The day has come to finally give granteralus his due. November was a big month for him on both the review pages and as an ever present poster to Ask A.N.H. For his efforts, he and five lucky friends will be heading to Pane e Vino. The six will be enjoying La Spaghetta al Mezzanotte ("Spaghetti at Midnight"), along with two complimentary bottles of Danzante Wines. Danzante is a collection of contemporary Italian wines from the prestigious partnership between two renowned winemaking families: Marchesi de' Frescobaldi of Tuscany and Michael Mondavi of California. He and five friends will be rolling up to one of Pane e Vino's two locations to enjoy this fine dining opportunity. They can choose from either the original location on Nguyen Khac Can with its cozy atmosphere, or the newest incarnation on Hang Trong and its airy yet refined space popular for group functions. In either case, they'll have a great night compliments of TNH, Pane e Vino, and the work of one of our truly top notch contributors.

Set Dinners for mackyhernandez and five friends at Cafe Smile

Next up, we have a relatively new member who has consistently made his presence felt, both as a reviewer and as an Ask A.N.H. contributor. To thank mackyhernandez, we're sending he and five friends off to a little cafe with a big heart. Cafe Smileis an outlet of the Hoa Sua School which provides disadvantaged Vietnamese youth with culinary and hospitality skills. Just down the street from the similarly missioned KOTO on Van Mieu and across from the Temple of Literature, Cafe Smile has been providing Hanoi with a charming spot to drop in for dinner, lunch, or an afternoon drink while also allowing you to help some of Hanoi's most vulnerable youth get a foothold. Our lucky six will be enjoying a dinner set menu complete with appetizer, a main course, dessert, and drinks. While they are there, they can get a feel for how Cafe Smile and the entire Hoa Sua operations work toward helping Hanoi become a better place.

Reading is Useful

It's especially useful for those who read more than the headline in the article. We're happy to hear that so many people were eager to get a chance to read the new Vietnam Nation newspaper, but a bit disturbed by the irony of their not reading far enough into the article to understand that the free three month subscriptions are only going to the winners of the monthly user contribution prizes. So, if you're not either granteralus or mackyhernandez, don't go calling them demanding your free subscription. What you should be doing is giving them a ring to set up your paid subscription for this weekly publication, as the cost to get it delivered to your door is quite small for what you're getting. The crew at The Vietnam Nation, "look to "offer in depth and incisive news coverage on the economy, politics and foreign affairs, travel, events, shopping, leisure, restaurants, fashion, art-show and bar reviews, with features on topics including human trafficking, martial arts, nude photography, abortion, rural life, the environment, divorce, traditional arts, music events and much more." If you're simply dead set on getting yourself a free three month run, then I suggest you get yourself working on those site contributions. Those reviews aren't going to write themselves.

A West End musical, right here in Hanoi

Finally, before we sign off, everybody needs to take a long look at what they have planned for the start to their evenings this weekend and decide if they'd rather do that or attend a Hanoi International Theatre Society production of Willy Russell's classic musical Blood Brothers. There are a lot choices for how to start out an evening in this fine city, but some of those choices will be there next weekend, and some will not. Do yourself a favor and head to Duong Thanh Street to catch a performance of some of Hanoi's most talented and involved community members. The Friday and Saturday night shows are at 8pm, while the Sunday show starts at 7pm. If it hasn't yet sold out, tickets will be available at the door with a suggested donation of 200,000VND per ticket, though people may pay according to their means. Advance tickets have been made available at The Oasis, Green Mango and Tonkin Travel, so drop in and scoop up the last ones. All profits from the weekend's showing will go to benefit REACH, an NGO helping provide vocational skills and employment to disadvantaged youth. Have a fun night, support a great cause, and show your appreciation to those who made it possible.

We'll be back in touch before long with December's prizes, the next meet up, and anything else the community needs to be up on.

Enjoy the H.I.T.S. show,

The Staff of the New Hanoian