Inveterate blogger Ha Kin, whose Chuyen tinh New York (New York Love Stories), has been a hit

Virtual is really real

Blogger Ha Kin, famous for her semi-autobiographical Chuyen tinh New York (New York Love Stories), is back in the Big Apple pursuing photography, one of her many interests Inveterate blogger Ha Kin, whose Chuyen tinh New York (New York Love Stories), has been a hit, makes no distinction between the real and virtual world of the Internet.

“For me, there’s utterly no difference between the real and so-called ‘virtual’ world. Everything that benefits us spiritually is real,” Kin says. She adds that she doesn’t mind being called “slightly crackbrained” for saying such things. Kin’s book, culled from her online writing and one of the pioneers in its category, has been reprinted four times after it was first published in August 2007. The author adores online life and is one of the first Vietnamese to have launched her own website, www.hakinkin.net, at a time when the Internet wasn’t as popular in Vietnam as it is now. “I have spent a lot of time on the Internet since I found out I was infatuated with it. I was one of the few female website administrators in Vietnam. The purpose of creating the website was to share with readers,” says Kin, who blogs partly in English. She continues to have even more online friends since she moved to her current blog at 360.yahoo.com/hakinkin. Readers like the informal language of her blogs and have been intrigued by the abrupt endings that evoked curiosity about what would happen in the next entry the following day. Displaying her personal information online has not been a nuisance, nor has it intruded on her privacy, Kin says. Despite her popularity on the blogosphere, Kin says she is not particularly fond of fame and would try her best to behave “properly” if she’s famous. The story of the book Chuyen tinh New York, an autobiographical account written online over six months, tells the story of a young Vietnamese girl who arrives in a strange place, New York, to visit her family and falls in love with Ryan, a local. “The book tells of a normal girl’s happiness and sorrows, which many can relate to and find solace in,” says Kin. In the preface to her book, she writes, “My works are autobiographical, not literary works, in that they are stories and lessons gathered from reality that want to share with everyone.” Through the love story, the book also delves into an expatriate’s life in New York as well as her take on contentious issues like homosexuality. Kin says the release of Chuyen tinh New York has “slightly” changed her life for the better. She doesn’t mind that some readers don’t like the book, because “that’s life.” Kin, 28, also paints, composes poems, sings, plays musical instruments and has recently taken professional photography, but considers herself “imperfect and a loiterer, besides other things.” “I’m involved in the activities mostly to test out my abilities and for un, as I think an attempt in each field elps me realize the beauty and significance of life.” She adds, however, that she might give serious attention to one of these hobbies in the future. Kin is back in New York to take part in a professional photography course. “I’m more confident this time,” she says. “Living in Hanoi or New York makes no difference to me. I don’t have any difficulty integrating into life in the two places.” Kin, whose real name is Vu Thu Ha, went to senior high school in New York, returned home, graduated in international relations and worked for the foreign ministry for a year before finding work with the Film Casting Department of the FPT Corporation. Kin has plans to make “New York Love Stories” into a film script with additional details. Reported by Cat Khue

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