
The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams
I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush an...

The Ugly Truth of the Life and Impending Demise of the Hoàn Kiếm Turtle
Everyone knows the mythological story of the Hoàn Kiếm turtle.

Thanh Long: How Dragon Fruit Proves Beauty Is Only Skin-Deep
Of all my accomplishments in life, my greatest may be the creation of The Banana Line. This is a ranking tool, based on the belief that if all fruits were lined up from worst to best, taking into acco...

Khỉ Vàng: The Shit-Stirrer, Snack Thief, and Petty Criminal of Vietnam's Forests
I’m not a fucking idiot — That’s what I thought while looking at the sign hung from the door of my hotel room in Đà Nẵng.

The Prehistoric Permanence of Cá Sấu, Vietnam's Farmed Predator
I’ve always hated cá sấu. Not because they’ve threatened my safety or had any real impact on my life whatsoever, but simply because they survived. When a meteor cratered into Earth 66 million years ag...

Gõ Nước: An Endangered Tree That Offers Hope for Conservation Efforts
Is it true that the more names something has, the more beloved it is? Consider all the nicknames you have for your best friends, or the myriad of terms people have invented for deities. If one can ass...

Đom Đóm: Why the Light Is Going Out for Fireflies in Vietnam
Much like their brief existence on Earth, once-common fireflies are quickly disappearing from Vietnam’s natural and oral histories.

Mangroves: The Everyday Superheroes Protecting Vietnam Against Climate Change
When you think of ways to combat the inevitable ravages of climate change and sea level rise, what comes to mind?

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...

Cầy Vằn Bắc: Caught in the Crossfire of the Cà Phê Chồn Industry
While Saigoneer’s Natural Selection series has already covered a number of iconic species and types of animals, including the tiger, Asian elephant, dogs and cats, there’s a good chance most of the pe...

A Eulogy for the Last Wild Cọp of Vietnam
The story of Vietnam and cọp is not one where we will come out looking good.

Cá Chuồn: The Fish That Dreams Beyond Its Realm
Insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats: flight evolved on Earth independently four times, so why do you think it’s so unlikely that you’ll find love again?

Bồ Kết: When Nature Dreams of Bubbles and Silky Hair
The first memory I have of bồ kết was when it was concocted into something completely different from its unassuming, modest self.

Lêkima: The Flower Worthy of a National Heroine
Don’t you find it bewildering when you have existed for centuries, and are suddenly thrust into stardom due to a small cameo in a nationalist saga?

Chó: The Four National Breeds of Vietnamese Doggos
It’s an inarguable fact that dogs are the purest of animals.

Voi: From Hai Bà Trưng's Fearsome Companions to Tourism Servants
Does art need a purpose?

Lá Dứa: The OG Queen of Vietnamese Desserts
There’s a 99% chance that a Vietnamese child’s first exposure to lá dứa, or pandan, is in the form of rau câu.

Sao La: The Real-Life Unicorn of Vietnam
Disney’s Aladdin, Super Nintendo, digital fingerprint technology: the outside world was familiar with all these by 1992. Sao la, however, remained unknown.

Cò: The Symbolic Soul of Vietnam's Countryside
Is Chim Lạc based on a real bird?

Voọc Cát Bà: The Endangered Primate of Karst Land
Imagine being born one color, and growing up into a very differently hued adult.