Regional Podcast Pals: Mike Tatarski on Producing the Vietnam Weekly from Ho Chi Minh City [S7.E21]

Greg interviews Mike Tatarski of the Vietnam Weekly podcast. Mike
begins by explaining the podcast originated out of his Substack
newsletter of the same name. After taking a course in
'entrepreneurial journalism,' he got motivated to fire up the
podcast, and the rest is history. He manages to produce a show
per week as a one man band operation but has reached a
substantial audience. 


Greg and Mike then go on to talk about similarities and
differences between his show and the Bangkok Podcast. On the one
hand, both are in English and therefore have a lot of listeners
that are neither Thai nor Vietnamese and also have a lot of
interviews, but on the other hand, Mike's background is in
journalism and his show tends to focus more on serious news
stories. The BP of course is two clueless dudes trying to make
each other laugh with an occasional dose of useful information.


The guys go on to address topics such as the podcast communities
in Vietnam and Thailand, how to find good topics for shows, and
the delicate problem of keeping a show fresh and authentic in
countries that do not share the same appreciation for freedom of
speech that most Western countries do. 


If you have any interest in learning more about traveling to or
living in Vietnam, definitely check out the Vietnam Weekly
podcast!


And if you're wondering what that photo is, make sure to listen
after the end music to hear how Greg's supporting his son's (now
illegal) business with his school pals.


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