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.

in Saigon

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.

Uyên Đỗ

in Saigon

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.”

in Saigon

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.

in Vietnam

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.

in Saigon

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...

in Saigon

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.

Xuân Phương

in Hanoi

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.

Back Stories

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Auto Manufacturers Worried About HCMC’s Proposed Restrictions On Cars

WB keeps Vietnam’s GDP growth at 5.6% in 2015 [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam airliner makes emergency landing as Chinese baby develops convulsions [Tuoi Tre] Schools ordered to check students' medical hist...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Separate Jails Proposed For Transgender, Gay Prisoners

Vietnam plans for transport restructuring by 2020 [Vietnam Net] Investigation team on collapsed tunnel in Lam Dong set up [Vietnam Plus] Power group continues proposing power price increase [SG...

in Asia

Hong Kong Man Detained After Strapping 94 iPhones To His Body

In the grand scheme of things, smuggling electronics is a less risky proposition than say, drugs, but that doesn’t mean it’s an act without consequences as one Hong Kong man learned the hard way.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Airlines Attempts To Bar Striking Pilots From Working For Other Carriers

Changes to area code, digital prefixes to happen in phases [Vietnam Plus] Ha Noi air traffic control centre begins operations [Vietnam News] Samsung requests $15.5 mil tax break to start HCMC factor...

in Vietnam

Restaurateur Arrested for Buying Stolen Dogs in Southern Vietnam

Police in Binh Duong Province, just outside of Saigon, arrested a man last Thursday when he was pulled over with 10 dead dogs stacked on the back of his motorbike.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: HCMC To Offer Downtown Electric Bus Tour For $1

Rough waves destroy homes in central Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam’s Got Talent contestant drinks acid by mistake [DTI News] HCM City to add more 23 CNG buses [SGGP]

in Vietnam

$14 Million Approved For Restoration Of Hanoi’s 112-Year-Old Long Biên Bridge

The fate of one of Vietnam’s most beloved and storied structures took another positive turn last week when the government approved a $14 million restoration package for Long Biên Bridge.

in Saigon

Saigon Post Office To Be Repainted Yet Again Following Complaints

Following public outcry and criticism from street vendors, historians, artists and tourists, Saigon Central Post Office officials have announced that they will repaint the iconic building after consul...

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: HCMC's Underground Parking Lot Plan Appears To Implode

Foreign banks look local for CEOs [Vietnam Net] MobiFone to offer 2 million new 10-digit numbers [Vietnam Plus] Unemployment rate projected to rise in HCM City [Vietnam Plus]

in Saigon

HCMC Seeks To Set Limits On Cars, Motorbikes

To combat the mind-numbingly horrible gridlock and worsening pollution in the city, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation is seeking the government’s approval to limit the flow of personal...

in Vietnam

Repair Date Set For Vietnam’s Undersea Internet Cable

The operator of the Asia America Gateway cable has announced that repairs will be completed on January 23.

in Vietnam

Major Changes Announced For Vietnamese Phone Numbers

On March 1, Vietnam will change up the area codes of 59 provinces and restrict mobile phone numbers to 10 digits.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: HCMC Cabbie Returns $11,600 Vertu Phone To Passenger

Vietnam upholds life sentence in largest-ever white collar case [Thanh Nien] Vietnamese-American wins $46,700 claim against eye hospital [Tuoi Tre] Cabbie in Vietnam metropolis returns $11,600 Vertu...

in Vietnam

Vietnamese Taxi Companies Finally Drop Fares As Fuel Prices Plummet

After government pressure, Vietnam’s taxi companies have announced that they will lower their fares to bring them inline with plummeting global oil prices.

in Vietnam

Are Sharks to Blame for Vietnam’s Broken Internet Cable?

In the many breaks that have occurred along the Asia America Gateway internet cable since it went online in 2009, Vietnamese telecoms have been unable to determine the culprit. According to The Indepe...

in Saigon

Masterchef Christine Ha Is Eating And Drinking Her Way Through Saigon

Vietnamese-American Masterchef, Christine Ha, is back in Saigon and seems to be eating and drinking her way through the city.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Spends $1.57 Bln On Foreign-Made Cars In 2014, Highest Rate Ever

Vietnam expects to manufacture 200,000 automobiles in 2015 [DTI News] Hanoi aims at green, clean 2015 [Vietnam Plus] City streets named Vietnamese talent artists [SGGP]

in Saigon

Everyone Seems To Be Unhappy With The Saigon Post Office’s Makeover

Over the past few months, one of Saigon’s most beloved old buildings has been undergoing a serious makeover, trading in its subdued, light pink paint for a bright, golden yellow coat.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Airlines Flight Delayed As Escorted Criminal Utters False Bomb Threat

Vietnam introduces measures to regulate online games [Nhan Dan] Petrol prices drop for first time in 2015 [Nhan Dan] Small banknotes come with exorbitant fees [DTI]

in Vietnam

It May Take 1 Month To Fix Undersea Internet Cable: Viettel

Get ready for an extended period of snail’s pace Internet.