
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.

[Photos] 11 Hilarious English Translation Fails On Chinese Signs
While Vietnam may boast an impressive amount of entertaining signage, it looks like China has it beat in this category thanks to what appears to be an over-reliance on Google Translate.

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam To Offer Largest Ever Rewards (Up To US$250k) For Whistleblowers
Why Vietnam’s agriculture industry is unsustainable [Vietnam Net] HCMC to complete traffic projects this year [SGGP] HCMC borrows US$1.08 billion for anti-flooding [SGGP]

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Named 5th Most Recognised Coffee Producer In US
Vietnam named 5th most recognised coffee producer in US [Vietnam Plus] High hopes for TPP signing in 2015 [Voice of Vietnam] VN retailers face pressure as foreign firms enter the market&nb...

A Sneak Peek Into Saigon’s New Metro Cars
We might have to wait another five years to ride in one of them (at least physically), but soon you can check out the interior of the carriages that will eventually run on Saigon’s first metro line.

41,050 Hospitalized In Vietnam For Brawling, Food Poisoning And Traffic Accidents During Tết
Tết may be the Vietnam’s most festive holiday, but it’s also the most dangerous if measured by the number of people admitted to the country’s hospitals.

Walls of Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral Being Stained by Graffiti, Urine
Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral is facing something of an aesthetic crisis as sections of the church’s brick walls, which were imported from France well over a century ago, have been defaced by graffiti...

Morning News Roundup: Toxic Tet Kumquats Highlight Vietnam's Pesticide Problem
IT companies in search of more experts in 2015 [DTI] Can Tho strives to become Mekong Delta economic hub [DTI] Berlin to host Vietnamese music and fashion show [Vietnam News]

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!
Chúc mừng năm mới, Saigoneers! We'll return to action on February 24. Have a safe and happy Tết!

[Video] Tết Decorations On Majestic Hotel's Façade Catch Fire
Tết decorations hung on the façade of District 1’s Majestic Hotel caught fire yesterday evening. Though hotel staff quickly extinguished the fire, the ensuing rush of emergency services resulted in he...

Weekend News Roundup: Re-Edited "50 Shades Of Grey" Hits Vietnam Theaters After Premiere Setback
McDonald’s continues expansion in Vietnam [DTI] Thousands of poor labourers given free trips home for Tet [Vietnam Plus] Gun found in cargo at Tan Son Nhat airport [Vietnam Plus]

[Video] Tornado Tears Roofs Off Homes In District 7
When you think of inclement weather in Saigon, tornados are about the last thing that comes to mind. But residents of District 7’s Tan Thuan Tay Ward may want to add some extra nails to their roofs af...

New Nguyen Hue Walking Street To Be Vehicle Free On Weekend, Holiday Nights
The Nguyen Hue phase of the $20.2 million promenade that will eventually connect downtown Saigon to Thu Thiem will be closed to vehicle traffic on nights, weekends and holidays when it opens later thi...

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam To Become World's 22nd Largest Economy By 2050
Central Highlands focuses on sustainable poverty reduction [Vietnam Plus] Minister urges transport firms to lower fares [DTI] VN should discard conservative views on pig-chopping rite: Ministry of C...

18 Incredible Photos of 1950s Hong Kong
Like Saigon, Hong Kong has long been one of Asia’s most important commercial centers and both had been shaped by European colonial powers for nearly a century before being captured by the Japanese dur...

Morning News Roundup: World Bank Blacklists 8 Projects In Vietnam For Tardiness
Three condemned to death for smuggling 11kg of heroin in Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam-Laos border marker planting to be completed this year: officials [Tuoi Tre] World Bank blacklists 8 proj...

[Video] 11 Injured After Car Crashes Into Crowd at Tan Son Nhat
Last night at 7:15pm, a black Audi A8L crashed into a crowd in front of the international terminal at Tan Son Nhat Airport, injuring at least 11 and damaging nearby cars and billboards.

Morning News Roundup: Despite Criticism, Vietnamese Villagers Make Blood Oath To Protect Pig Slaughter Fest
High-tech geriatric facility inaugurated in Hanoi [Vietnam Net] Hanoi to get disabled taxi service [Vietnam Plus] Solid waste piles up as country industrialises [SGGP]

Vietnamese Cities Launch “Taking Drunkards Home” Service
Feeling a bit too drunk to drive after an all-night nhậu session? Don’t worry, there’s a service for that.

Cambodia Deports Another Group of Tourists for Nude Angkor Photos
Another week, yet another group of international tourists was deported from Cambodia for taking “nude pictures” at the holy temples of Angkor Wat.

Morning News Roundup: Counterfeit Goods Undermine Vietnam’s Economic Prosperity
Fake labels on foreign alcohol flood Tet market [DTI] Counterfeit goods undermine Vietnam’s economic prosperity [Voice of Vietnam] Hanoi set ambitious goal on new-style rural building by 2020 [...

