'Going to the chapel, and they're...'
Miss T works in the daycare centre run by her local church. Brought up in a Christian family, she and her sister came to the city from a neighboring province to train in early childhood education. T also teaches Sunday school, is involved in the youth group and sings in the choir - if there's something on at church, she's sure to be part of it.

Last year, a young man she knew started sending her text messages on her mobile phone. This correspondence continued for a while, but T felt uncertain. He was a student at Bible College and wanted to go back to his rural hometown to pastor a church there. Was she ready to be a pastor's wife? Well, to cut a long story short - they're getting married this month.

Miss L is well-educated and stunningly beautiful. After getting her heart broken once, she accepted the overtures of a gangly, awkward acquaintance from a rich family and well-connected to the Party. They've dated for a couple of years now, but she finds him boring, unattractive, and he has bad breath too. L is getting older, though, and there's a certain stigma to remaining single. She would prefer to get married and divorced, than to never marry at all.

Brides for sale
'They're coming - two foreign men are coming to the house tomorrow, and I will choose one of them to be my husband to take me overseas!' she gasped excitedly. In some families, the marriage of daughters to foreigners is highly prized because they will gain foreign citizenship and send money home. Little do they realize that such 'marriages' may lead to indentured servitude, abuse, or being hired out for sex. Some girls hope to avoid this by meeting their 'love-match' at one of the many foreign bars and clubs - but is this any less dangerous?

The hospital, my home
I am nearly 10, and I have HIV. My younger sisters are also infected because our mother has it. One day, she couldn't look after us anymore, so she took us to a room at the hospital. They told us she left a note on the door handle: 'I don't have money to nurture my babies, please help me to take care of my children.'

The number of children with HIV orphaned or abandoned by relatives who can no longer care for them has more than doubled in the past year. Doctors and nurses in the overcrowded hospital wards have become their de facto family.

• Ask the Lord to raise up those who will show his love to these children. Also uphold their practical needs for medicines and care, as hospitals have insufficient funding to treat those in the third and fourth stages of HIV.

A golden calf?
This month in Ho Chi Minh City, construction commences on a 6.3m bronze statue to commemorate the Buddhist monk who burned himself to death in 1963 to protest South Vietnam's puppet regime's oppression of Buddhists.

• Pray for the Vietnamese. The entwinement of nationalism and Buddhism is a powerful lure - without the Spirit's discernment, it is difficult for Vietnamese to see the truth of Jesus.

You who were once enemies...
About 40 years ago, the war between the US and Vietnam was at its height. In June this year, Presidents Triet and Bush met in the White House for frank and friendly discussions. President Bush described how he and his wife were apprehensive about the welcome they might receive in Vietnam during APEC last year, but instead they were touched by the warmth and sincerity of the Vietnamese people. Likewise, President Triet had enjoyed his visit to Virginia the previous day. The visit ended with President Bush having a brief lesson on the dan bau, a one-stringed fiddle.

• The greater war still wages - pray for Vietnam's people to become God's friends.

Bringing anti-corruption content into training programs
This month sees the launch of a new scheme to teach the anti-corruption law in schools, universities and vocational colleges. State employees will also be required to attend training in the implementation of this law.

• Pray for God's help in stamping out corruption in Vietnam. May honest people prosper and set a good example in leadership, business and the community. May the integrity of Christians shine before their neighbors and colleagues.

Carmens for Christ
Work on Hanoi's second opera house will commence at the end of this year, with completion anticipated in 2012. If you sing and love Jesus, maybe it's time to get cracking on those high Cs!

• Christians aren't well represented in the performing arts in Vietnam - send out workers, Lord