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

[Photos] People Tempting Fate At Vietnamese Rail Crossings

Vietnamese rail crossings are notoriously unsafe due to poor signage and lack of barricades. But some pedestrians and motorists aren’t doing themselves any favours by crossing in front of oncoming tra...

in Vietnam

Vietnam Considers Raising Visa Fee For Tourists, Overseas Vietnamese

Though Vietnam is struggling to keep its tourism numbers up, the country’s finance ministry has proposed raising visa fees for tourists and overseas Vietnamese.

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Month-Long Road Closings In Downtown HCMC Start Next Week

HCMC leaders inspect key infrastructure projects [SGGP] More Vietnamese politicians use emails, social networks [Vietnam Net] MOET’s entrance-exam ban could lead to payments for seats at the best sc...

in Vietnam

Vietnam Planning To Drop Death Penalty For Drug Crimes, Robbery

Vietnamese justice officials announced Tuesday that they plan to abolish the death penalty for a number of crimes including robbery and drug trafficking.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Set to Become Southeast Asia's Economic Powerhouse: Bloomberg

There are numerous global and domestic trends that may be setting Vietnam up as the region’s economic leader, according to a recent report in Bloomberg.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Drunk Drivers Should Be Charged Criminally - Vietnam Road Directorate

Drunk drivers should be charged criminally: Vietnam road directorate [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’ as US-Russia rivalry deepens [Thanh Nien] Singapore Increas...

in Saigon

Saigon McDonald’s Chaos The Result Of “Dud” US$40 Million Marketing Campaign

If you happened to pass by the Dien Bien Phu McDonald’s on Monday night or anytime Tuesday, you probably found yourself in a massive plume of motorbike traffic headed directly for the fast food restau...

in Vietnam

[Photos] At Least 16 Killed In Scaffolding Collapse In North-Central Vietnam

Last night at 8pm, iron scaffolding weighing thousands of tons collapsed on top of hundreds of workers at Son Duong Port, killing at least 16 and injuring 27.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: 5 Sentenced To Jail In Vietnam For Running Massive Porn-Sharing Website

Ha Noi to crack down on illegal taxi enterprises [SGGP] Vietnam wants full lifting of US arms embargo [Yahoo] Vietnam mulls national brand for rice [Bangkok Post]

in Saigon

[Photos] McDonald’s Giveaway Event Causes “Absolute Chaos” In Saigon

Thousands of people showed up to the McDonald’s restaurant on Dien Bien Phu Street this week for free food and swag, resulting in massive crowds, traffic jams and as one resident described it, “absolu...

in Saigon

The Saigon Post Office Is Being Repainted. Again.

When it comes to urban beautification projects in Vietnam, Hanoi’s recent tree massacre has been getting all the press. However, it wasn’t long ago that the Saigon Post Office’s new paint job was grab...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Hanoi’s Streets Before And After 500 Trees Were Uprooted

Hanoi authorities may have halted the controversial plan to fell 6,700 of the city’s trees, but at least 500 have already been removed.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Ha Noi Wants Vendors, Temporary Markets Gone

A book street for Ho Chi Minh City, why not? [Tuoi Tre] Hazards from games for children at funfairs in Vietnamese parks [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam to reform its aviation sector by 2020 [Vietnam Net]

in Asia

Car-Sized Stingray Caught In River Outside Of Bangkok

While we see massive Mekong giant catfish pulled from the rivers around Saigon every few months, scientists in Thailand have one-upped us with this enormous stingray that may be the largest freshwater...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Official Gets Downgraded For Striking Another With Beer Glass After Drinking

Vietnam official gets downgraded for striking another with beer glass after drinking [Tuoi Tre] Japan provides 44 Toyota Camry Hybrid cars for Hanoi police [Tuoi Tre] Ministries hinder ‘green' ...

in Asia

[Video] A Look Into the Lives of South Korea’s Food Porn Superstars

It’s been a while since we checked in with the latest food trends in South Korea as Japan typically captures our gaze when it comes to outside-of-the-box food styles in Asia. But today, instead of arg...

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: BKAV to Produce Truly Made-In-Vietnam Smartphones

Vietnam proposes allowing foreigners to wholly own listed brokerages [Reuters] Vietnam Top Global Outsource Market as Chinese Labor Cost Rise [World Property Journal] Seedcom.vn is a new f...

in Vietnam

Hanoi Suspends Uprooting of 6,700 Trees After Public Outcry

The chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee has asked that the plan to fell a quarter of the city’s trees be put on hold following public outcry.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Outrage As Hanoi Begins To Uproot 6,700 Trees

On Wednesday morning, Hanoi launched its plan to cut down more than a quarter of the trees that line the city's streets. Both experts and the public have taken to the press and social media to express...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Restaurateur Threatens To Burn Gov’t Office After Officials Delay Paying Bills

Proposal to combat overloaded vehicles [Vietnam News] Electricity price in nuclear power-era remains unpredictable [Vietnam Net] Vietnam launches hotline to handle questions, complaints from tourist...