Morning Links: Traffic Cop Allegedly Shoots Colleagues in Vietnam
- Details
- Published on 25 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
- Vietnam’s bad debt attractive to some investors, but regulations still unclear [Washington Post]
- Typhoon Usagi kills 24 in Vietnam [IOL News]
- Little good news as Vietnam reviews economic growth [Tuoi Tre]
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Cho Lon Streetcars
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
From Cho Lon to Ben Thanh Market, streetcars were once a common sight on Saigon's main thoroughfares.
While their tracks have long disappeared, their memory lives on in old photographs like the one above.
Vietnamese Exec Beats Caddy Unconscious. Keeps Golf Club Membership.
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Even with its slow pace, golf can bring out your competitive side. A missed putt or journey to a sand trap can boil the blood of even the most patient player. But that’s no excuse to beat your caddy with a golf club, people! Nguyen Duc Son, director of a state-owned housing company did just that earlier this month in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.
Authorities to Crack Down on Illegitimate Diplomatic Cars
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
You know all those fancy diplomatic cars speeding around District 1? Well, as it turns out, chances are the occupants are not diplomatic officials, but rather locals who bought the car and never transferred ownership to their name. Apparently, this is common enough that authorities are planning to crack down on the practice by seizing and auctioning off incorrectly registered cars.
VNA Flight Attendant Arrested for Smuggling 50 iPhone 5s
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Vietnamese airline employees have been known to cause a stir from time to time. Earlier this year, actress Ly Nha Ky got a VietJet flight crew into hot water when she was invited into the cockpit mid-flight. Now, it’s Vietnam’s national carrier, Vietnam Airlines that is enduring a bit of controversy after a flight attendant was caught brining 50 iPhone 5s into Vietnam without declaring them.
'Frida' - screening @ deciBel
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
From the organizers:
‘Frida’ is a 2002 Miramax/Ventanarosa biopic which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
It stars Salma Hayek in her Academy Award nominated portrayal as Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, Diego Rivera.
Morning Links: Cops Accused of Torturing Suspects in Dog Thieves Murder Case
- Details
- Published on 24 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
- 7 arrested for robbing Ukrainian in central Vietnam [Thanh Nien]
- Vietnamese favor super-expensive mobile phones [Vietnam Net]
- Vietnam intends to grant husbands paternity leave [Tuoi Tre]
10 Old Pictures of Saigon Cyclo Drivers
- Details
- Published on 23 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Even though Saigon has gone through many changes over the last century, there are certain characteristics of the city that have endured.
Before the age of the motorbike, cyclos were one of the most common modes of transportation for locals and foreigners alike.
Hue's Refurbished Airport Reopens
- Details
- Published on 23 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
As Saigon waits for its new, massive airport, some of Vietnam’s smaller cities are focusing on renovations rather than starting from scratch. Hue’s Phu Bai airport, which was reopened yesterday after 6 months of repairs and upgrades, falls into this category.
Foreigner Dies After Jumping Off Roof of Ford Dealership
- Details
- Published on 23 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Last week an unidentified foreigner snuck into the Ford showroom on Cao Thang Street in District 1 and jumped to his death in what authorities are calling a suicide.
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- Details
- Published on 23 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
- Vietnam students give history a modern twist [Thanh Nien]
- The most famous family run economic groups in Vietnam [VietnamNet]
- Foreigner commits suicide by jumping off auto salon building in Vietnam metro [Thanh Nien]
Saigoneer @ Saigon Flea Market
- Details
- Published on 20 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Hey Saigoneers! Just a head’s up that we’ll be at the Saigon Flea Market this Sunday at the Crescent in Phu My Hung.
If you’d like to pick up one of our super cool t-shirts, you can find us outside, near the entrance from 1 – 3pm.
Or just stop by to say hello!
Street Signs: Xô Viết Nghệ-Tĩnh
- Details
- Published on 20 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
In this edition of Street Signs, we’ll tackle Xô Viết Nghệ-Tĩnh, which, in our humble opinion, is one of Saigon’s coolest streets, at least in name. And if you think Xô Viết is the Vietnamese version of Soviet, you’d be correct!
Awesome 24 Hour Time Lapse of Saigon
- Details
- Published on 20 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
We've seen some cool time lapse videos of Saigon in the past, many of which focus on the city's chaotic traffic.
This video, produced by Jan Niederhumer, takes the high road, setting up his camera to overlook the Saigon river.
Turns out boat traffic is just as mesmerizing as bike traffic!
Lead Dust Choking Vietnam's Cities
- Details
- Published on 20 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Break out the facemasks. A new report has found that lead dust pollution is on the rise in Vietnam’s cities and is currently 2 – 4 times higher than accepted levels.
Morning Links: Vietnam Achieves 2013 Foreign Investment Goal
- Details
- Published on 20 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
- 5 missing after car swept away in Vietnam flash flood [Tuoi Tre]
- Vietnam achieves 2013 foreign investment goal [Thanh Nien]
- Vietnam’s 1st ao dai museum to open in HCMC [Thanh Nien]
Beware of the Dog...Napper
- Details
- Published on 19 September 2013
- Written by Eric San Juan.
Hien Pham, a 29 year-old Vietnamese woman still wants to cry whenever she remembers Gina, a pomerian dog kidnapped one year ago.
Nhabeo House: Bringing Green to the Concrete Jungle
- Details
- Published on 19 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
The Nhabeo House, located in Saigon was designed by Trinhvieta Architects with interior design by Quach The Vinh. The house was designed to connect with the outside environment and utilizing the space as efficiently as possible by employing “intermediate space.”
Rhino Horn: Instant Status Maker
- Details
- Published on 19 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
Even as the illicit rhino horn market gets more and more negative press, it’s not stopping status-seeking Vietnamese from consuming the horn’s powder. In a recent piece in Times Live, a New Zealand-based newspaper, Schalk Mouton interviewed users of the horn and found little remorse, even with the knowledge that an endangered animal was slaughtered for it.
Morning Links: Vinashin to Lay Off 14,000 Workers
- Details
- Published on 19 September 2013
- Written by Brian Letwin
- Mass evacuations ordered as storm nears [VoV]
- Prehistoric traces found in Thai Nguyen [VNS]
- Big names set to draw crowds at motor show [VNS]
- 11 Vietnamese trained in aerospace technology in Japan [VietnamNet]
