
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.

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.

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]

It May Take 1 Month To Fix Undersea Internet Cable: Viettel
Get ready for an extended period of snail’s pace Internet.

Morning News Roundup: HCMC Offers $84k Salaries To Reverse Brain Drain
Vietnam hub offers $84k salaries to reverse brain drain [Thanh Nien] Vietnam Fumbles For New Plan To Attract (And Repel) Foreign Funds [Forbes] Technical malfunction forces emergency landing in...

A New Year, A New Break In Vietnam’s Undersea Internet Cable
After numerous interruptions in service in 2014, the notoriously unreliable, 20,000km, $560 million Asia-America Gateway cable has ruptured at multiple points on the segment that lies off the coast of...

Jay-Z And Beyonce's SE Asia Holiday: Motorbikes And $25k Per Night Villas
Star couple, Jay-Z and Beyonce, took a break from their busy schedules to visit SE Asia in recent days.

Weekend News Roundup: 136 Vietnamese Women Freed From Prostitution Den In Malaysia
HCM City: Tourist boats face uncertain future [Vietnam Net] Da Nang to hear out critics of controversial skyscraper [Thanh Nien] CGV opens art house cinemas in Hanoi, HCMC [Thanh Nien]

Phạm Ngũ Lão Pickpocketing Ring Busted
After weeks of investigation, HCMC police have arrested 12 suspects who allegedly targeted tourists in the city’s backpacker area.

Drone Video And Photos Of Saigon’s New Years Celebration
Thousands of people flocked to the streets of downtown Saigon on New Year’s Eve, jockeying for position to catch a glimpse of the elaborate fireworks displays.

Morning News Roundup: 20-Year-Old Dog Thief Sentenced To Death In HCMC
Intense controversy erupts over project to build 25-story ‘lighthouse’ in central Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Large cluster of ancient stone shot discovered in Thanh Hoa [Vietnam Plus] Japanese exp...

Morning News Roundup: Motorbike Owners In Saigon Required To Pay Road Fees From Jan 1
Most schools eager for “university autonomy” [Vietnam Net] Art stages find ways to lure foreign tourists [Vietnam Net] Vietnam extends visa, residency terms for foreigners [Thanh Nien]

Đà Nẵng Set To Complete Another Ambitious Public Works Project
Đà Nẵng, home of the now famous Dragon Bridge is set to get another impressive conduit.

Massive Fire In District 3 Kills 1, Destroys At Least 5 Buildings
Last night just after 9pm, a deadly fire broke out at a District 3 karaoke parlor and quickly spread to neighboring buildings.

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Waives Visas For Tourists From Seven Countries
20-year-old dog thief sentenced to death in Vietnam [Thanh Nien] Vietnam waives visas for tourists from seven countries [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam seeks high-tech solution to traffic death toll [Thanh Nien]...

Officials: Bodies Recovered In Search For AirAsia Flight QZ8501
After three days of searching for AirAsia Flight QZ8501, The Indonesian Navy has announced that 40 bodies have been found in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo, reports the The Jakart...

[Photos] The Ghost Ships Of Ha Long Bay
Nine abandoned ships worth millions of dollars sit idle in a corner of Ha Long Bay. Not only do the rusting hulls represent another black eye for state-owned shipping giant, Vinashinlines, but also an...

As Fuel Prices Plummet, Vietnamese Taxi And Bus Companies Refuse To Lower Fares
A massive drop in global fuel prices can already be felt at Vietnam’s petrol pumps where topping off your tank will cost you significantly less than it did a few months ago. But even though the countr...

Morning News Roundup: Ban On Organizing Same Sex Marriage To Be Lifted Next Year In Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines signs $6 billion 2015-16 insurance coverage contract [Thanh Nien] HCMC’s working women aren't so crazy about kids: health official [Thanh Nien] Ban on organizing same sex marriage t...

2 Men Arrested In HCMC For Trying To Ship Gun and Grenade In Guitar Case
Two local men were arrested last Tuesday after attempting to ship a rifle, grenade and 5 bullets to Hanoi in a guitar case. Surprisingly, neither of the men were Antonio Banderas.

Collapse On Hanoi Metro Construction Crushes Cars On Street Below
At 4am yesterday morning, a section of the Hanoi railway project collapsed, raining concrete and scaffolding onto the street below.


