Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Every Morning, I'm Grateful for My Carless Ride to Work on Hoàng Sa Street

In the decade-plus of Saigoneer’s existence, we’ve had six offices strewn across different parts of Districts 1 and 3. Over that period, my homes have been located in Bình Thạnh and Thảo Điền, requiring significant commuting time.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

The Nhiêu Lộc-Thị Nghè Canal's Comeback Story

Water has no hometown.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

Our Toxic Relationship With Saigon Traffic: A Diagnosis

There is no way to describe Saigon traffic literally and have it understood by someone who has not experienced it.

in Hanoi

Sweating for a Good Cause at the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Walk in Hanoi

I learnt of the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in my first year living in Hanoi, through friends that had worked for the fantastic organization, or that were regular donors supporting it. This year, I was super excited to see their “Blue Dragon Marathon Walk” annual fundraiser announced, with the main Hanoian event looping around Thống Nhất Park's lake. Embracing the opportunity to contribute, I put my hand up for a 10K walk and enticed friends and family from around the world to send donations to the wander-for-a-cause.

in Vietnam

In the Mekong Delta, Ferries Are Childhood Friends and Daily Companions

The Mekong Delta is called Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long in Vietnamese — the Nine Dragons River, for the way the mighty Mekong splits into multiple strands as it nears its final destination, the East Sea.

in Hanoi

Glide Over Hanoi in the Calmness of the Cát Linh-Hà Đông Metro Line

In many countries, urban metros are a mundane convenience — so ordinary that their users often take them for granted. But until the birth of Hanoi’s Cát Linh-Hà Đông Metro Line, residents of Vietnam had enjoyed no such air-conditioned, traffic-immune method of transportation.

Back Stories

in Vietnam

Vietnamese Are the Most Frugal Consumers in the World: Nielsen

According to a report released last Wednesday by market research company, Nielsen, Vietnamese consumers are the world’s thriftiest.

in Vietnam

Delegation Of U.S. Senators To Visit Vietnam This Week

John McCain And Jack Reed will lead a delegation of American senators to Vietnam later this week to meet with government officials.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: HCMC All Set For Illegal Street Racing Season

Thailand's Amata nears key approval for $500 mln Vietnam project [Reuters] Three sites suggested for new nuclear reactor in Vietnam [Vietnam Net] River-encroaching project poses threat to Ho Ch...

in Saigon

Saigon To Demolish 150-Year-Old Sewer In District 1

When the French turned Saigon into an urban center towards the turn of the 19th century, they used the most modern infrastructure technologies available at the time. After 150 years, one of their grea...

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Vietnam Rejects Copycat Claim On Design Of $18.7bn Airport

Tracking shisha trading rings in Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam rejects copycat claim on design of $18.7bn airport [Tuoi Tre] Ho Chi Minh City ordered to fix dangerous defect on multi-million dollar roa...

in Vietnam

Vietnamese Petrol Prices Continue to Climb

The days of filling up your petrol tank on the cheap are officially over as the ministries of finance and trade-industry have approved a 6% price hike.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam's Road Network Collapsing

Vietnam to Sign Free Trade Deal With Russia-Led Trade Bloc Next Week [The Moscow Times] Vietnam's road network collapsing [DTI] Japanese investment in Viet Nam tops $37.5 billion as of April's ...

in Vietnam

Vietnam Bans Romance Novels For Being “Poisonous,” “Filthy”

Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture has ordered local publishers to stop publishing romance novels amid reports that the steamy literature is “poisoning” the minds of the country’s young.

in Vietnam

FPT Launches US$3M Seed Fund That Could Put Vietnam’s Startup Scene On The Map

While plans are in the works for a Vietnamese version of Silicon Valley, an even more promising piece of tech news broke this week.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Begins Free Music Programs At Airports

Remittances to HCM City hit US$1.4 billion in four months [VOV] Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific to operate code-share flights [Vietnam Net] Power saving cartoon contest wraps up [Vietnam Plus]

in Saigon

Nguyen Hue Street to Get Free Wi-Fi Network

Visitors to Nguyen Hue’s new pedestrian promenade will soon have access to a free WIFI network.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Cameras Used To Combat Prostitution In Ho Chi Minh City 'Red Light Districts'

Uncle Ho documents to go digital [VOV] Vietnam detains 2 South Koreans in scaffolding collapse [Yahoo] Hang En to appear in movie Peter Pan [DTI]

in Saigon

New Ho Chi Minh Statue Unveiled In Saigon

The new statue of Ho Chi Minh has finally emerged from its blue cocoon in front of Saigon’s People’s Committee Building.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Raises Compensation For Flight Delays, Cancelations

US is Vietnam’s largest importer [VOV] Vietnamese, Chinese armies to promote border links [VOV] Nha Trang Bay beach under threat from developers [DTI]

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Indian Developer Vows To 'Rebuild' Nha Trang With Controversial Megaproject

Indian developer vows to 'rebuild' Nha Trang with controversial megaproject [Thanh Nien] Vietnamese man arrested for excrement attack on nemesis [Thanh Nien] Vietnam in Asia's top 5 beer drinkers [V...

in Vietnam

Vietnam Ranks Ahead Of US, Much Of EU In International Education Rankings

According to the results of the largest global school rankings ever released, Vietnam ranks ahead of the US and many EU countries when it comes to math and science.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: New Terminal For Da Nang Airport Needs $147.4m

Coffee Farmers in Vietnam Seen Hoarding Most Beans Since ’10 [Bloomberg] Vietnam's Risky Move To Strengthen Exports [Forbes] New terminal for Da Nang airport needs $147.4m [VNS]

in Saigon

“Gangster” Saigon Street Vendors Preying On Unsuspecting Tourists: Report

A recent investigation by Tuoi Tre uncovered a large ring of Saigon street vendors who are exploiting tourists by charging up to VND200,000 for a coconut, sometimes even grabbing money directly out of...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Goes Shopping For U.S. Military Hardware

Ex-chief editor of Vietnamese newspaper charged with ‘abusing democratic freedoms’ [Tuoi Tre] Scholars discuss religious culture role in sustainable development [VOV] Vietnam Goes Shopping for&...

in Asia

U.S. Military May Send Aircraft, Ships To Disputed East Sea Zone

On Tuesday, a Pentagon official said that the U.S. is contemplating the deployment of military assets to the East Sea to ensure freedom of navigation around disputed islands that are claimed by 19 nat...