If you are reading this blog, you probably have some level of understanding of Vietnamese. Obviously, the longer you study and/or live in the country the more you understand. Part of gaining that understanding is watching the news. I have watched the news here for many, many years and some categories of news come easier than others. If you watch the weather, it shouldn't take long to increase your rudimentary Vietnamese to be able to grasp most of what's going on. That being said, some understanding goes beyond just knowing the vocabulary.
Having gone to school to learn Vietnamese some 30 years ago, I am a little embarrassed to admit that it wasn't until recently that I gathered enough curiosity that I actually did some research into what the written and broadcast weather reports meant when they referred to wind force levels, i.e., level 4 winds (gió cấp 4). Apparently the Vietnamese use the Beaufort Wind Force Scale developed by Francis Beaufort in 1805. I won't go into the history of it, but if you go to the link, you will see everything you need to know about the system.
I only felt compelled to write this down, because it wasn't an intuitive research project. It took me a while before I finally found a good point of reference to figure it out. Maybe the Beaufort Scale and wind measurements are well known in Europe and Asia, but I had never heard of the scale before.
It is pretty obvious that I don't update this blog often. My interests ebb and flow and I have been extremely busy in my work. I have a lot of ideas on new posts, and I hope to have some new material soon.
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