Xuân Phương in Hanoi
In Suburban Hanoi, With Summer Comes the Red-Purple Cascade of Mulberries
In suburban Hanoi, this is the season when mulberry branches heavy with bright red fruits dangle in the summer wind.
After Saigon Police Bust Major Pet Theft Ring, the City Rallies to Help Care for 400 Cats
After an extended investigation, the Hồ Chí Minh City Police Department has busted a major cat theft and distribution ring that operated across multiple southern provinces.
A Visit to Lê Minh Xuân, a Rare Craft Village Making Incense Sticks Amid Saigon
From inside the workshop, artisans carry bundle after bundle of freshly made incense sticks into the courtyard amid the morning mist. A gentle scent of spices linger in the air.
As Thanh Đa Faces Redevelopment, Writer Dạ Ngân Reflects on What Will Be Lost
To me, my trip to Cư xá Thanh Đa in summer 1982 was a serendipitous encounter. It was Saigon’s largest-scale residential complex in the first half of the 1970s, with nearly 4,000 separate units housing about 50,000 inhabitants. Cư xá refers to a residential quarter reserved for gainfully employed citizens, with a vision to establish a model community with a high quality of life. Here, in their three-bedroom apartments, civil servants, professors, doctors, and military leaders ranked major or higher lived in pride of being a part of a cư xá like that.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
How Saigon's Free Water Coolers Quench Thirst and Spread Kindness
In recent years, stories about climate change's impacts on the lives of Vietnamese people have been increasingly making the news.
Inside the Covid Memorial Park at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Saigon's Brand-New Green Space
As part of Saigon’s latest initiative to increase green space coverage in the city, a number of abandoned land plots were converted into public parks, including a Covid Memorial Park that’s become a beloved destination for Saigoneers seeking a space to jog, reflect, or just simply touch grass.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
All Aboard Bus 146, Home of Plushies, Rubber Chickens and a Side of Humanity
“Cute” doesn’t seem like a fitting descriptor for any mode of public transport, but a bus in Saigon is driving straight into the heart of Saigoneers for being the quintessence of “smotheringly adorable.”
Saigon Set to Make Bus Service Free for All to Cut Congestion, Air Pollution
Saigoneers without private vehicles might be happy to hear that the city is planning to make the municipal bus system free to ride in the near future.
Foreigners In Vietnam Will Be Able To Get International Driving Permits This Year
Vietnam will begin to issue International Driving Permits (IDPs) for locals and foreigners this October.
[Video] Massive "Komodo Dragons" Are Crawling Through Bangkok's Sewers
Though Bangkok is a sprawling metropolis, parts of the city have proved to be excellent incubators for wildlife.
Saigon To Get $5.9m River Bus System
Saigon has long neglected the potential of its waterways for public transportation, a trend that the city’s Department of Transportation hopes to reverse with river busses.
Phu Tho Man Jailed For Stealing His Own Motorbike
Desperation drives people to do unwise things, like breaking out your motorbike from a police garage. Such is the story of Do Son Tung from the northern province of Phu Tho.
Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Parents Spend $1.8 Billion/Year For Children’s Overseas Studies
Can Tho receives first direct flight from Bangkok [SGGP] Vietnam behind in tourism workforce race in Southeast Asia, experts fear [Thanh Nien] Vietnam plans to end EVN monopoly in power market ...
[Video] China Is Transforming Beijing Into A Supercity 10 Times The Size Of Saigon
China is doing away with strict, decades-old policies that sought to limit the size or Beijing, instead putting the wheels in motion to transform the megacity into a supercity capable of supporting a ...
Vietnamese Banks Charging ATM Card Holders 30 Kinds of Fees
Taking a page out of their Western counterparts’ playbooks, Vietnamese banks are now charging ATM cardholders a slew of fees to withdraw funds and maintain their accounts.
Morning News Roundup: 10 Vietnamese Officials Found Using Fake High School Diplomas For Decades
In Vietnam, collagen makes way into hotpot, sausage as panacea [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam Register disciplines corrupt vehicle inspectors in Ho Chi Minh City [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam to build $2.5 billion seaport...
Vietnam Breaks Ground on Country’s Highest Bridge in Saigon
Work on Phuoc Khanh Bridge began in Saigon last Saturday, which, once completed, will have the highest vertical clearance of any bridge in Vietnam.
Da Nang Threatens To Close Coca-Cola Factory For Dumping Raw Sewage
Coca-Cola is stirring up controversy yet again in Vietnam, with Da Nang threatening to close down its factory following complaints that the multinational corporation has been dumping untreated waste i...
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Dismisses Report Of Defense Minister’s Death
Decree could hasten old building refurbishment [SGGP] Police to install cameras on expressways [Vietnam Plus] Educators urge more training for English-language teachers [Vietnam News]
Marriage Interviews To Be Scrapped For Vietnamese-Foreigner Couples
If the Ministry of Justice gets its way, marriage interviews for Vietnamese-foreigner couples.
Weekend News Roundup: Police Probe Elevator Free Fall That Injures 10 People At Da Nang Luxury Hotel
Police probe elevator free fall that injures 10 people at Da Nang luxury hotel [Thanh Nien] 3 policemen jailed for protecting illegal casinos in southern Vietnam [Thanh Nien] Lao Cai ranked in top 1...
[Photos] Hanoi’s 122-Year-Old Long Bien Bridge Getting Major Overhaul
Repairs to Hanoi’s historic Long Bien Bridge are underway with the aim of both making the structure safer for pedestrians and drivers.
Chinese Island Building Destroying Fragile East Sea Ecosystem: Expert
While the geopolitical fracas in the East Sea has strained diplomatic relations between China and its neighbors, more than just regional stability is at stake.
Saigon Embarks On Slum Demolishing Spree
Saigon has come a long way when it comes to removing the slums that once lined nearly every intercity waterway, but tens of thousands of dwellings still remain. As the city pushes ahead with moderniza...
Morning News Roundup: Those Urinating At Da Nang Beaches To Be Fined Up To $14
Google appoints new Head of Marketing in Vietnam [Vietnam Net] Ha Noi cracks down on unhygienic slaughterhouses [VNS] Deputy PM holds talks with Chinese Vice Premier [Vietnam Plus]
[Photos] 32 Of The Most Ridiculously Mistranslated Shirts You Can Find In Asia
Pick any country in Asia and you’re likely to find a treasure trove of clothes with some seriously lost in translation English phrases.
Saigon’s 130-Year-Old People's Law Court to Get $15m Renovation
Saigon has given many of its stately colonial buildings some love in recent months. The latest to join this list is one of the city’s most impressive historical gems – the 130-year-old People's Law Co...
18,600 Trees to Be Cut for Tourist Road Through Can Gio
Saigon authorities have given the go-ahead for a US$8.7 million road through the UNESCO recognized Can Gio biosphere reserve that will necessitate the felling of 18,600 trees.
