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I write a Vietnamese-language newsletter, Insights with Norah, about insight, learning and everyday life. Below are short excerpts that AI aided with translation and I finalized it, each with a note on why it matters for my research and design work. The full posts are on Substack. The translations are mine and stay close to the original.
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October 2026 · Vietnamese · Read Full Post
Have you ever realised that you are schooled but not knowledgeable? In English the contrast is between “educated” and “literate”. Google translates “literate” or “literacy” as “having manner”. I don’t quite agree with that translation, because it leans toward formal education and degrees. The last time I asked myself this question was when I realised I knew nothing about the reality of ageing in Vietnam. When I heard “ageing population” and “ageing society”, I used to understand it simply as: “who doesn’t get aged?” Without a recent project, I might still be blinded about this topic.
The concept of healthy ageing is closely tied to health literacy. That is another blind spot of mine, and I wonder about yours. … Exercise, diet and mental wellbeing are just sub-headings under “health”. But being literate about them means understanding each one in the context of your own body, along with the underlying basics. For example, I never realize that ‘a full stomach is not equal to a balanced meal’. And nobody teaches these things at school.
Discovering this was genuinely fascinating for me. It helps me look squarely at what I think I know and what I actually know. It also gives me a fairer, clearer view of inner effort versus the outer shell of “recognition”. In a world that changes every day, the longer we cling to outer shells and labels, the harder it becomes to replace ourselves with a better version.
Why it matters
July 2026 · Vietnamese · Read Full Post
I still remember the first time in decades of living that I felt so confused, even deeply ashamed, because I could not order the food I wanted in the school canteen (Mensa). The chef was patient, but not patient enough with a long line of people behind me. Survival instinct took over, and I raised a finger and pointed at the dish I thought I could eat. After that first time I felt I had two options: study the day’s menu carefully at home and look up how to pronounce every word, or eat with a friend who could order for me. How constraint! After many episodes like this I reached a conclusion: I should try to learn to use the local language. I am older than before. The language is hard, but it’s not impossible.
After almost three months, alongside two months of language classes, I could order without a hitch… Yesterday I took a language test and realised: “This language is really hard. I am also older than in previous years. But I can still learn something new.”
Learning something is never only about learning a “hard” skill (functionality). It is always shaped by layers of personal emotion, mostly fear and its link to our past experiences.
Why it matters