Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

The Simple Pleasures of Having Your Hair Washed at the Hairdresser’s

I get my face shaved by sidewalk barbers; stop at every roving laminator I pass to have ticket stubs, photos, and doodles ...

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon

Letter to the People I Met as We Hid From the Rain Under a Bridge Together

“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”— Vladimir Nabokov.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's Bát Tràng Ceramic Village Turns Historic Craft Into Global Fame

Bát Tràng has been producing ceramics for over 700 years, but it’s the recent decades that interest me most: a period in which this small village has mirrored Vietnam’s rapid economic growth.

in Vietnam

Final Merging Plan Brings Vietnam's Locality Number From 63 to 34

After extended working sessions to gather insights from experts and locals, Vietnam’s state government has announced the final version of the country’s administrative map.

in Saigon

Múa Lân Is Officially Recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage

In Chợ Lớn, every Tết, amid the aroma of burning joss sticks and an onslaught of red-color decorations is the echoing beats of lion dance instruments. For generations of Saigoneer, the presence of múa lân, or lion dance, is a sign of festivity and celebration.

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.

Back Stories

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Metro Vietnam Found Owing Over $23.6mn In Tax In Transfer Pricing Inspection

Vietnamese shrimp and fish exports found to have antibiotic residue [Vietnam Net] Vietnam to ease foreign ownership ceiling in banks-govt [Reuters] Metro Vietnam found owing over $23.6mn i...

in Vietnam

[Video] Mayhem Unfolds At Hanoi Waterpark After Impatient Customers Jump Fences

A promotional program for free entrance to Hanoi’s Ho Tay Water Park started off innocently enough but quickly devolved into total chaos as those who arrived late began to scale its fences.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: It Will Take Vietnam A Long Time To Ease Visa Rules, Insiders Say

PHL, Vietnam ironing out details of strategic partnership amid China’s reclamation work [GMA] Vietnam firms struggle to expand in Russia [Asia One] Vietnam's HCM City to host pro break-dan...

in Vietnam

VietJet Passenger Opens Emergency Exit Mistaking It for Restroom

51 people were ultimately forced off their flight last Friday afternoon after a passenger on a VietJet leaving Hanoi opened an emergency exit believing it to be a restroom.

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Vietnam Police Warn Of Sex Tourism Boom As Child Sex Abuse On The Rise

HCM City ranked top 5 of PCI 2014 [SGGP] Vietnamese spend $1.5 billion a year on studying overseas [Vietnam Net] Vietnam police warn of sex tourism boom as child sex abuse on the rise [Tuoi Tre...

in Vietnam

Hanoi Police Push To Move Hanoi Railway Station Out Of Downtown

Hanoi police have sent a proposal to the Transport Ministry requesting that it move the Hanoi Railway Station out of the city center to reduce congestion and accidents.

in Vietnam

2 Vietnamese Fighters Suffer Midair Collision, Pilots Missing

Two pilots are missing after their airplanes crashed in midair during an aerobatic training exercise off the coast of central Vietnam yesterday morning.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Airlines Pilot, Flight Attendant Arrested in South Korea for Smuggling Gold

Last Friday, a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) pilot and flight attendant were arrested in South Korea for smuggling 6kg of gold bars in their shoes.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Illegal Fishing Destroying HCMC's Newly-Revived Canals

EU helps improve legal nuclear safety framework [VOV] Da Nang plans to open representative office in RoK [SGGP] Vietnamese willing to spend more in 2015, brand-name goods market warms up [Vietnam Ne...

in Vietnam

HCMC Is About To Lose Its Stock Exchange

Plans are in the works to merge Vietnam’s two stock exchanges into a unified Vietnam Stock Exchange headquartered in Hanoi.

in Asia

Indonesian Politicians Push To Ban Alcohol

If two of Indonesia’s Islamic parties have their way, those caught drinking beverages containing over 1% alcohol will get slapped with up to two years in prison, or a fine of up to US$38,529.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Highway Jammed For 10 Hours By Power Plant Protest

Ernst&Young: Vietnam needs only five major banks [Vietnam Net] Noi Bai Airport to slash prices for sleep pod services [Vietnam Net] Hanoi to host ‘Day of Vietnamese Book' [Vietnam Plus]

in Saigon

As Saigon’s First Pedestrian-Only Street Prepares To Open, Details and Criticisms Emerge

As construction of Nguyen Hue Street’s pedestrian-only promenade nears completion, new details about its operation as well as critical voices have emerged in the Vietnamese press in recent weeks.

in Stories

Saigon Bank Exec Pulls Gun On Taxi Staff Over Parking Spot

In a story that seems like something out of an American newspaper, Saigon police took a bank executive into custody last week for pulling a gun on a taxi dispatcher during a dispute over a parking spa...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: HCM City Bans Teacher-Student Romantic Relationships

Vietnam betting on more casinos [VOV] Authorities unlawfully allow almost 600 pines to be felled in Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam automobile industry faces collapse after Toyota announcement about poss...

in Asia

[Video] How Japan Is Using Anime To Justify An Expanded Military Role

Japan is in the midst of expanding its military’s operating limits to a point unseen since the end of World War II. To help “justify” what many see as an illegal pivot when it comes to the use of mili...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Watch Out For These ‘Time Bombs’ When You’re In HCMC

Vietnamese incinerators create deadly dioxin gases [Vietnam Net] PM approves 36 mln USD textbook reform project [Vietnam Plus] Da Nang, Hoi An host Vespa roadshow [Vietnam Plus]

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Dog Thieves Saved From Mob Attack After Crashing Into Woman

US architects introduce PhD thesis on Saigon architecture [Tuoi Tre] Teen fined $300 for riding motorbike with feet on highway [Thanh Nien] Helmet law for kids largely ignored across Vietn...

in Saigon

Saigon’s Central Post Office Goes Back To Its Original Color

After complaints from street vendors to architects, the Saigon Central Post Office is finally back to its colonial color scheme following a VND5 billion (US$233,013) repainting.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Pledges To Ease Visa And Work Permits For Foreigners

Following feedback from businesses with domestic operations, Vietnamese officials have vowed to simplify visas and work permits procedures for foreign workers.