
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.

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.

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.

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]

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...

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.

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.

Morning News Roundup: Blind Lottery Ticket Seller Falls Into Manhole In Downtown HCMC
Blind lottery ticket seller falls into manhole in downtown Ho Chi Minh City [Thanh Nien] China, Vietnam pledge peaceful resolution for sea dispute [Reuters] Company plans second Arsenal-su...

Da Nang Unveils Talking Robot to Assist Pedestrians
In yet another reminder that Da Nang wins when it comes to technology, they city is testing a talking robot to help pedestrians cross busy streets.

Morning News Roundup: World Bank Partners With GrabTaxi To Improve Road Safety In VN
In Vietnam, residents barricade streets with bikes to protect houses from rainwater [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam's bikers race to upgrade as auto sales explode [Tuoi Tre] Is Japanese capital leaving Vietnam? ...

Video Shows Daily Physical Abuse At Center For HIV-Positive Children In Saigon
Tuoi Tre recently published an exposé cataloguing the abuse of HIV-positive children at a care center in Saigon’s Thu Duc District.

Vietnam Considers Reviving Late Night Alcohol Sales Ban
Vietnam may not be able to agree on its most popular beer, but there’s no question about the drink’s popularity. To curb the “social evil,” the government is considering reviving an unpopular proposal...

Container Holding Radioactive Material Has Been Missing From A Vietnamese Steel Mill For 3 Months
Authorities in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau are searching for a container with highly radioactive material that has been missing from a steel mill for over three months.

Morning News Roundup: Provider Of Sex Workers For Foreigners In Saigon ‘Backpacker Area’ Arrested
8,000 festivals a year contribute to VN's poor labor productivity? [Vietnam Net] PM pushes for signing of Vietnam – EU free trade deal [VoV] New Mekong Delta highways to cut travel time to HCM ...

“Haunted” 727 Tran Hung Dao To Be Demolished
606 Tran Hung Dao isn't the only historic building on the street to be threatened by the wrecking ball. In a move that was seemingly inevitable, the decaying apartment block at 727 Tran Hung Dao will ...

[Video] American Tourist Chased By Police And Angry Mob In Thailand After “Road Rampage”
In what sounds like something out of a movie, an American tourist managed to escape the wrath of an angry crowd in the resort city of Pattaya after a “wrecking spree” that damaged 13 vehicles and an r...

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Buys Nguyen Dynasty Rickshaw At French Auction
Vietnam buys Nguyen Dynasty rickshaw at French auction [DTI] Belgium helps Vietnam preserve documentary films [DTI] Uber gets Gov't nod with legal conditions [Vietnam News]

Vietnamese Company Offers Women With 100cm Breasts Huge Salaries
A Vietnamese firm made headlines over the past week for a job posting offering “qualified candidates” with a breast size of 100cm or more as much as VND100 million per year.

Weekend News Roundup: Architects Want Houses To Grow Rooftop Trees In Vietnam's ‘Suffocating’ Cities
VN set to host 31st SEA Games [Vietnam Net] Ocean science takes big step forward in VN with purchase of well-head platform [Vietnam Net] Consumers switching to safer vegetables [DTI]

Another 'Dead' Saigon Canal Will Soon Be Revived
Running over 10 kilometers through four districts (Tan Binh, Tan Phu, 11 and 6), Tan Hoa is one of Saigon's longest canals. Like many of the city's urban waterways, it has been receiving treatmen...

Morning News Roundup: 4 Foreigners Reportedly Break Into Vietcombank ATMs To Steal $70,000
Epidemic outbreaks found in HCM City [DTI] Vietnam to be Asia's new manufacturing powerhouse [DTI] Total lunar eclipse to occur on April 4 evening [Vietnam Plus]

Nguyen Hue Pedestrian-Only Promenade To Open This Month
It’s been months since crews began to tear up Nguyen Hue Street in order to transform it into the city’s first pedestrian-only thoroughfare. It looks like we’ll only have to put up with this construct...

Morning News Roundup: Ho Chi Minh City Suggests US Charity Supply Helmet Cameras To Traffic Cops
Vietnam Idol show hits licence issues [Vietnam News] HCMC multiplies new school model [SGGP] Vietnam to benefit from new wave of Japanese investment [Vietnam Net]

