In his interview with Frazier Tharpe, JAY-Z said:

Everything in your life, it’s not happening to you, it’s happening for you.

It’s a great interview to watch.

Carlo Iacono writes a fascinating essay on “Books and Screens.” Iacono argues:

The real problem isn’t mode but habitat. We don’t struggle with video versus books. We struggle with feeds versus focus. One happens in an ecosystem designed for contemplation, the other in a casino designed for endless pull-to-refresh.

Reading worked so well for so long not because text is magic, but because books came with built-in boundaries. They end. Pages stay still. Libraries provide quiet. These weren’t features of literacy itself but of the habitats where literacy lived. We need to rebuild those habitats for a world where meaning travels through many channels at once.

Iacono concludes:

The choice isn’t between books and screens. The choice is between intentional design and profitable chaos. Between habitats that cultivate human potential and platforms that extract human attention.

I recommend reading or listening to the entire piece.

In 2023, I created a Vietnamese typographic sample page highlighting the Buddhism teachings, in which I found “The Fourteen Teachings of the Buddha” and “The Ten Commandments of Mindfulness” to be insightful. At the time, I used two Buddha illustrations created by AI to accommodate the text. Even though the graphics were nice, AI Buddha just didn’t feel right. I had been wanting to remove them. This weekend, I finally pulled the plug.

In addition to removing the illustrations, I updated the type. In the previous version, the text was set in a beautiful serif typeface. It could have been fine to leave it as it was, but I wanted to give the sample page a bit of a “Biblical” reference. I decided to set the text in Bradley DJR, designed by David Jonathan Ross for his Font of the Month Club. Bradley DJR started out as display typeface, but David had begun working on the text side last year. Even though it is still a work in progress, it covers enough ground to be used on a project like this one.

I am happy with the update. Take a look if you haven’t and you might find the Buddhism teachings to be useful to navigate your life. It’s a quick read.

When I decided to create samples for Vietnamese Typography, the first piece I sampled was the story of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ. It turns out to be the most visited page to this day.

Last year, someone chastised me for the English translation I was using. It was an oversight on my part; therefore, I removed the English translation and just left the Vietnamese text.

This morning, I went to Bánh Mì Ông Béo to get a bánh mì. On its bookshelf, I discovered a historical graphic novel about the story of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ in three languages: Vietnamese, English, and French, compiled by Bùi Văn Bảo.

I decided to update the Vietnamese typographic sample with the newly discovered version. Typeset in Pliago, designed by Juanjo López.

Hey guys! I just need 3 more YouTube subscribers to reach 500. Can you help? If you haven’t done so, go to my YouTube channel and hit the subscribe button. Thanks!

Casey Cep profiles Jake Reiss who is a successful book seller. Cep writes in the New Yorker:

Outside, the Alabama Booksmith is so unassuming it’s as if Reiss had forgotten that he was running a retail business: a two-story, nearly windowless structure, surrounded by office parks and parking lots, on a dead-end street in a suburb of Birmingham. Inside, the vibe is half 1970, half 1870, with wood panelling, rattan chairs, and a drop-tile ceiling—but also patterned tablecloths, cozy curtains, a functioning fireplace, and an oversized hourglass. As for the books, they sit on uncrowded shelves along the outer walls, almost all facing out so that customers can, indeed, judge them by their covers. Collectively, they are what make Reiss’s store the only one of its kind in this country: the books are all hardcovers, virtually all first printings, all signed, and, except for a handful set aside on a small shelf, all for sale at the regular retail price. “Our books don’t cost more,” Reiss likes to say, “but they are worth more.”

It’s such a fantastic business idea I wished I had came with it.

After receiving both emails from the Cub leaders and the Troop leaders, I sent the following emails.

To the Troops:

Hi Troop Leaders,

Thanks for the update. Why are we cancelling the LD Tết, but not the regular meeting? As a parent of Cub, Troop, and Crew, I find it odd that LDHV will not celebrate Tết together.

Regards,
Donny Truong

To the Cubs:

Hi các trưởng,

Hope you are enjoying the snow.

As a parent of Cub, Troop, and Crew, I find the division to be puzzling, if not troubling. While my younger kids celebrate Tết, my other kids won’t and we will be in the same building.

In the red note said: “Pack would love for you to join but keep in mind your Troop or Crew kids will NOT be able to eat until AFTER ‘official’ Scout hours ~ 8:30pm.”

What if my kids come as family members and not as Troop or Crew? The eating part doesn’t matter. I just don’t want my family to be separated when we celebrate Tết. It is supposed to be the time to be together.

I understand if it can’t be changed. There’s no need to make an exception for us. It’s my fault for having too many kids (LOL!).

Regards,
Donny Truong

PS, I emailed the Troop leaders about this matter as well.

I did not get any response from any leader. Our family ended up staying home. Afterward, one of the Cub leaders sent out an apology and I replied:

Hi Trưởng H,

I understand your intention and support your decision to hold our annual Liên Đoàn New Year Party. I am 100% with you on celebrating Tết together as a family; therefore, I was taken aback when I received both emails from the Cubs and the Troops.

As parents whose kids are in Cubs, Troops, and Crews, we found ourselves in an awkward position—though our family was not alone. I responded to both emails and asked for clarifications. To my disappointment, I did not receive any response from the leadership.

As parents, we could have made the decision to pull our older kids out of the Troops and the Crews to join the Cubs in celebrating Tết together, but we wanted to hear the official words. So when we didn’t hear anything from the leaders, we had to sit out.

Trưởng H, I appreciate that you are taking one for the team, but it was not your fault alone. Leaders need to communicate better and with more transparency with the parents and the scouts. For exemple, an email from the Troops can’t simply say “Feb 13: Lien Doan Tết Celebration – Cancelled (Regular meeting instead)” without any explanation.

Trưởng H, don’t beat yourself up. Your heart was definitely in the right place. If we knew that you voted to hold the party and to keep our Vietnamese traditions, we would have come to support your effort.

Thank you for everything that you do for LDHV. Throughout this experience, you have demonstrated to be a true leader who isn’t afraid to apologize.

Wishing you, your family, and the entire LDHV ride high in the Year of the Horse!

Regards,
Donny Truong

Here’s my latest response to this matter:

Chị T, it’s just the beginning of the year of the Horse and you’re already talking about a dead horse? Then again, I won’t stop beating the horse to death until I hear from Liên Đoàn Trưởng. Yes, it’s the audacity of a parent with too many kids.

All kidding aside, I agree that what’s done it’s done. It’s all good (from the ghetto to the hood). I hold no grudges. I spoke up because I care about the You-and-I-tee-why of the L-D-H-V. I got nothin’ but luv for y’all.

I would have loved to come out to join our LDHV family, but I have to go to work. Looking at the food sign-up sheet, I will be drooling all over the slopes today.

I hope you all have a fantastic day as well as the weekend!

Best,
Doanh

Uyên Đồng writes:

Uyên xin gửi lời chào anh Donny,

My name is Uyên Đồng, and I’m writing to you with deep respect for your work and your long-standing contribution to Vietnamese typography.

Your research and writing, especially Vietnamese Typography and “Diacritical Details,” have accompanied me quietly but persistently throughout my journey as a designer and educator. What I admire most is not only the depth of your typographic knowledge, but the care, clarity, and responsibility with which you approach Vietnamese diacritics as both a linguistic and cultural system. Your work set a foundation many of us continue to stand on.

She went on:

Your work made me realize how essential it is for Vietnamese typography research to continue evolving, not only through books, but also through digital forms that allow knowledge to be shared, revisited, and expanded over time.

I am so grateful for her words of encouragement. I will contribute what I can to continue elevating Vietnamese typography.

Thảo and Duy had written about their thought process behind the branding:

With the intention to build a brand rooted in Vietnamese culture, we set out to have the cultural thread seamlessly woven into Vân Vân’s identity.

For typesetting, they shared:

Typography for our website and packaging was another crucial consideration. We often encountered websites that failed to support Vietnamese diacritics leading to disruptions in our native language. It was important for Vân Vân to have legible and readable Vietnamese texts on all digital and print materials. We turned to Donny Trương’s thesis on Vietnamese typography as a trusted resource.

Thanks Thảo and Duy for trusting my site as a resource on Vietnamese typography. Best of luck with your business.

Tình cờ đọc được bài viết về Vietnamese Typography bên Threads nên copy lại để dành. Cô Quỳnh viết:

Mình tin là ai giữa dòng đời tấp nập này cũng đã lỡ làm chuyện tà đạo là đi đơm dấu cho 1 font không có tiếng Việt, vậy thì tất cả mọi người lại càng phải đọc cái này: vietnamesetypography.com

Vietnamese Typography là luận án thạc sĩ của anh Donny Trương, hướng dẫn căn bản và dễ hiểu nhất và type anatomy của tiếng Việt.

“Việt hoá” hay thiết kế font tiếng Việt thật ra rất khó và xí lắc léo vì tiếng xứ mình có quá trời tầng – 3 dòng baseline, acensder, decensder không chiều nổi.

Dù không chuyên về typography nhưng mình hiểu nôm na là chữ cái tiếng Việt cần rất nhiều dòng phụ: guide cho dấu của chữ cái và guide cho dấu thanh. Dấu của chữ cái thì lại có cái dính với chữ (ư, ơ), có cái tách rời (ă, â, ô,…). Dấu thanh thì nằm trên, nằm dưới. Combo huỷ diệt hẳn là Nguyễn, Thường, Ngớt,…

Cho nên làm dấu tiếng Việt khó xỉu, không phải muốn đơm dấu ở đâu thì đơm đâu ạ (như bộ font Helvetica Neue lỗi tè lè quất nguyên dấu phẩy làm dấu ơ mà mọi người dùng như đúng rồi.)

Có rất nhiều thứ mình thích và mê mẩn và phải vỗ đùi đen đét khi không nghĩ ra cách tiếp cận của ảnh (nếu bạn là designer thì sẽ hiểu cảm giác này của toy). Như cách ảnh miêu tả dấu câu tiếng Việt cho người không biết tiếng Việt nè, kèm những lưu ý về accessibility và thẩm mỹ.

Hay cách ảnh túm gọn lịch sử chữ cái Việt Nam. Hay là đọc tiếng Anh khiến mọi thứ dễ hiểu hơn ta?

Và dĩ nhiên không thiếu những khổ đau trăn trở khi một type designer nhận con job làm typeface tiếng Việt. Ngả mũ trước anh Donny!!

Bữa trước tình cờ gặp bạn nào làm A/B testing hai vị trí đặt dấu huyền/sắc trên các chữ cái có mũ. Đây là nhận định cho các vị trí bao gồm vị trí on top dấu mũ lun.

Cảm ơn Cô Quỳnh