
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.

Bạc Liêu-94, Cà Mau-69: In Saigon, a Surprising Reminder of Home Lives on License Plates
Once in a while, I bump into a little sliver of my hometown on a random license plate on the street.

Pristine Blue Sky and Memorial Park: Ruminating on What the Covid-19 Pandemic Left Us
Recently, I visited Saigon’s newly inaugurated COVID-19 memorial park . Located at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Vườn Lài Ward, the park o...

HCMC's Đồng Khởi Among World's Top 20 Most Expensive Retail Streets, Report Says
Saigon’s very own Đồng Khởi has once again made the list of world’s commercial streets with the highest annual rents.

Every Bánh Chưng Season, Vietnam’s Lá Dong Capital Comes Alive With Harvest Frenzy
On the patches of sandy soil by the river in Kim An Commune, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi, there’s a tiny village named Tràng Cát, where dong leaves have been embedded in local history, memory, and economy for centuries. Right in local courtyard, these broad green leaves were transformed into bánh chưng, ready for Tết feasts across the country.

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam’s Public Debt On Track To Unhealthy High Levels
Vietnam will suffer from “technology rubbish” if ministry does not act: scientists [Vietnam Net] Vietnam’s public debt on track to unhealthy high levels [DTI] Vietnam’s FDI disbursement surges in Q1...

[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...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

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...

[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.

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]

[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...

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...

[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.

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]

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...

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' ...

[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...

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...

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.

[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...

