Some more details:
MySQL version is 5.0.x (depends on server )
OS: XP Pro, XP Home, Vista Home Premium, Vista Ultimate, Linux (depends on server). The problem exists everywhere.
Wrong order: Let's say we have a column "word" with 2 records: apple and ๖nt. The correct order is:
1. apple
2. ๖nt
But the "order by word asc" results:
1. ๖nt
2. apple