Beach Baby

Last week, Thien Nhan and his two big brothers went to the beach in Hoi An for a summer holiday. Unfortunately for Thien Nhan (and his mom, Mai Anh), the tot came down with a fever and spent the first three days in the hotel room! Luckily he recovered in time to enjoy the last days of their holiday and had a great time playing on the beach.

Thien Nhan's swimming experiences were less successful, reports Mai Anh. "We put him in a giant life vest," she explains. "But his missing leg left him unbalanced so he rolled around and around in the water!"

To see more photos of Thien Nhan at the beach go to http://bnok.vn/nhatkychulinhchi/

Summer Bug

While winter is typically the "flu season", a nasty flu is going around in Vietnam. Poor Thien Nhan has been ill for three days now, with a cough and a fever. So far, his older brothers are fine, as are Mum and Dad.

"It's summer holidays, so that's an extra miserable time to be sick!" says the boys' mum, Mai Anh. Before this little setback, Thien Nhan had been enjoying a great summer, getting up to lots of mischief with his brothers. Here's a photo of the three of them getting cleaned up after a day spent playing.

[Photo, left to right: Little Minh, Thien Nhan, Big Minh]

Hot & Bothered

It's summer and Thien Nhan and his brothers are home from school. Unfortunately, it's more than 40 degrees Celsius in Hanoi today -- and expected to get hotter over the weekend!

"The kids are very noisy and naughty being inside all day. It is too hot to go out," reports mom, Mai Anh.

Even when the temperature drops enough to turn off the aircon, Mai Anh has taken to keeping the front door closed. "There's a small outdoor market across the street, and Thien Nhan stands in the doorway behind our metal gate and begs the vendors to bring him fruit," she reports. "I have to close the door to stop him from begging for snacks and sweets! He looks very cute so all of the vendor women spoil him!"

In Trouble

In Vietnam, the school term just ended and kids are starting summer holidays. Although Thien Nhan isn't even 3 (his birthday is July 15th) he got an end-of-year report. At his parent-teacher interview, Nhan's preschool teacher reported that the tot "can't sit still."

"The teacher recommended that he work with his hands as he is very skillful at taking things apart and putting them back together again," says Nhan's mom, Mai Anh. The teacher went on to complain that, whenever groups of important visitors (like school inspectors) stop by, Thien Nhan makes a gun out of lego and pretends to shoot them.

"She said that none of the other kids know how to make lego guns," said Mai Anh. Since firearm toys are illegal in Vietnam, Thien Nhan's design skills weren't appreciated!

[The photo shows Thien Nhan (far left) with his brothers Big Minh and Little Minh]