Paul Christiansen in Travel
The Curious Case of Quy Hoà Leprosy Colony's Park of Busts
A delightfully bizarre place, Quy Nhơn’s Quy Hoà leprosy colony deserves exploration in full, but clustered in a grove of trees on its outskirts in Nhân Ái Park stands a particularly peculiar assembla...
For Trans Vietnamese, Healthcare Providers Are Respectful, but Red Tape Still Hurts
Vietnam has been increasingly progressive in protecting and promoting LGBT rights. In November 2015, Vietnam made a big milestone when it granted individuals who have changed their gender the right to...
Health Ministry Stresses 'LGBT Is Not a Disease' in Response to Rise in 'Gay Cure' Clinics
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health recently issued an official dispatch stressing that homosexuality is not a disease.
Once Derided, 'Lục Xì' Is a Trail-Blazing Lesson in Nuanced Sympathy
Lục Xì is a reportage written by Vũ Trọng Phụng in the first volume of Tương Lai newspaper in 1937. In the series, Phụng describes his experiences visiting the dispensary (nhà lục xì) where prostitute...
The Collector Preserving Decades of Saigon History, From Vintage Brands to Pandemic Memories
"A Việt Kiều customer living in France paid me a visit. She looked at my sofa and started tearing up because its design was so similar to one she had in her childhood home. She said she missed home an...
Due to Bidding Red Tape, Pasteur Institute HCMC Runs Out of Vaccines
Saigoneers wishing to inoculate themselves or their children have recently been turned away at the Pasteur Institute in HCMC as the institute struggles to secure its vaccine supplies.
World Economic Forum Names Vietnam Health Startup Among Promising Tech Companies
Selected because of its contributions to digital health care, Docosan was one of 100 companies globally to receive the distinction.
Hanoi Opens First Milk Bank at National Children's Hospital
The milk bank will provide pasteurized milk for more than 1,000 babies at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi to reduce the risk of late neonatal infection amongst infants unable to...
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Kiến Ba Khoang: A Harbinger of Dread and Divine Punishment
People’s skin erupted with horrific boils that burst open, spilling stinging pus across vicious rashes. According to the Christian Bible, along with water turning to blood, frogs, lice, gnats, disease...
[Photos] Inside a Vaccination Point in Vietnam Nearly 100 Years Ago
A century ago, the colonial government was active in inoculating Vietnamese citizens against a variety of diseases.
From Silicone and Clay, a Hanoi Duo Craft Intricate Cosmetic Prostheses
“The products we make are fake arms, legs, noses, ears…from silicone. The value we create is emotional healing, giving our customers confidence in themselves and their lives — the things they lack aft...
Into the Storm: Saigon's Outbreak Through the Eyes of a Frontline Volunteer
“The best way to overcome fear is to face it,” 33-year-old Hương Nguyễn thought when she decided to volunteer as a frontline worker during Saigon’s most deadly weeks of the pandemic.
As Cases Drop, Saigon Announces Roadmap to Phase out Covid-19 Field Hospitals
Hospital beds were once a scarcity that became filled as soon as they were set up, but the number of cases in southern COVID-19 hot spots has plummeted to the point that many field hospitals are no lo...
Hung Vuong Hospital Opens Care Center for Babies Born to Mothers With Covid-19
As the coronavirus makes its way across Saigon and Vietnam, maternity care has become a particularly serious issue as more and more pregnant residents are getting infected.
FV Hospital Seeks Approval to Collect Fees for Vaccination Services
FV Hospital is seeking permission to both ramp up its vaccination facilities, and begin charging for vaccination services.
Amid Tourism Slump, Saigon's Hotels Provide Free Stays, Meals to Frontline Workers
Amid Saigon’s most devastating outbreak of COVID-19, the city’s various economic sectors have pivoted to supporting frontline workers in their enduring efforts against the epidemic.
Historic Gate of Saigon Children's Hospital Destroyed by Car Collision
The Children’s Hospital 2 is one of Saigon’s oldest medical facilities, dating back to the 19th century.
Dầu Gió, a Poignant Link Between My Family Legacy and Traditional Medicine
This is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of the book Pills, Teas, and Songs: Stories of Medicine Around the World by Debby Nguyen, republished with permission. Debby's family of pharmacists and doc...
Vietnam Begins Covid-19 Vaccinations With Hospital Staff in Hanoi, Saigon, Hai Duong
Less than two weeks after the first batch of vaccine doses landed, Vietnam officially began its national vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
2nd Made-in-Vietnam Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate Enters Human Trials
A second COVID-19 candidate vaccine has officially entered the human trial phase.
Vietnam Detects First Case of New Covid-19 Variant Discovered in UK
The individual in question was quarantined upon arrival, posing no threat to the community.
Saigon to Open New 1,000-Bed Oncology Hospital With Helipad Next Month
After years of delay, the second campus of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital will finally open its doors to patients next month.
US to Open Southeast Asia CDC Office in Hanoi
The office will allow the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to have an increased presence in monitoring, aiding responses to, and learning from health issues, including COVID-19...
Vietnam Only Records 4 New Covid-19 Cases Over the Weekend
The nation's tally for Covid-19 cases hit 241 on Sunday night, but Monday arrived without any new patients testing positive since the previous evening.
Coronavirus Update: 57 Cases, Compulsory Masks and Saigon's Nightlife Closures
Despite tightening restrictions on movement and air travel, Vietnam’s number of Covid-19 cases jumped from 39 last Thursday to 57 by the end of Sunday.
Vietnam Will Pay for Tests, Treatment, Quarantine of Coronavirus Patients
Free treatment will be offered for all Covid-19 patients in Vietnam.
[Photos] Life in the Time of the Masks and Coronavirus
These are strange times we're all living in.
The Moments of Goodwill and Whimsy in Vietnam's Fight Against Coronavirus
In the 2011 medical thriller Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, after an unknown disease strikes the US and then most of the planet, viewers witness a rapidly unraveling world where social deca...
Saigon Opens 300-Bed Field Hospital to Prepare for Coronavirus Outbreak
It is located in suburban Cu Chi District.
New Draft of Medical Treatment Law to Require Foreign Doctors to Speak Vietnamese
Foreign medical professionals working in Vietnam might be required to learn Vietnamese in the future.
E-Waste: How the Ghosts of iPhones Past Haunt Vietnam's Low-Income Communities
The current e-waste crisis in Vietnam is one example of global environmental apartheid.
[Video] A Poignant Insight Into the Life of an Undocumented Young Man
What is life like for those who weren't registered at birth, and therefore lack an official identity, even as an adult?
