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

Brian Letwin

in Asia

[Video] Taiwan's Motorbike Waterfall

If you thought your morning motorbike commute was bad, check out what it’s like in Taiwan.

in Saigon

High-Speed Boats To Replace Hydrofoils Between HCMC – Vung Tau

A new fleet of tourist boats is set to replace the notorious, soviet-era hydrofoils that ran between HCMC and Vung Tau before being banned earlier this year after a series of breakdowns and fires.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: New Team To Monitor Airline Flight Delays And Cancellations

Vietcombank earns VND2.7 trillion for first six months [Nhan Dan] 90,000 students join in 2014 Green Summer Campaign [SGGP] UAE becomes fifth largest Vietnam export market [Gulf News]...

in Vietnam

Drunk Man, Likely Korean, Arrested For Stealing Mai Linh Taxi

Binh Duong Province police are investigating a case wherein a drunken foreigner stole a Mai Linh taxi on July 12.

in Vietnam

Survey: Hanoi Is More Expensive Than Saigon

Based on a recent report by The Mercer Human Resource Consulting (UK), which ranks cities across the world based on cost of living, even without Starbucks or McDonald's, Hanoi is a pricier place to li...

in Vietnam

Conditions For Work Permits For Foreigners To Be Loosened

At a meeting at the end of June, officials decided to loosen the controversial conditions for foreigners to obtain work permits in Vietnam.

in Vietnam

104-Year-Old Great-Great Grandmother Fights Off Robber

Taking advantage of the elderly will inevitably result in some bad karma, a lesson a Dong Nai man quickly learned after attempting to rob Vo Thi Bai, a 104-year-old woman.

in Vietnam

Weekend News Roundup: Air Traffic Controller Suspended For Near-Collision

Authorities seek to control viral internet series [DTI News] Hanoi water pipeline breaks 9th time [DTI News] Official: Progress made on reducing HIV transmission [SGGP]

in Vietnam

[Video] Thief Receives Epic Beating After Failed Motorbike Theft

We’ve seen plenty of videos of things being stolen on Vietnam’s streets, from motorbikes to iPhones. While the thief seems to execute his caper successfully more often than not, the video below is an ...

in Stories

Morning News Roundup: ASEAN On Verge Of Borderless Economy

Vietnamese youth shortest compared to peers in nearby countries: expert [Tuoi Tre] Aussie man dies in Vietnam motorbike accident [Tuoi Tre] Excessive arsenic content found in water of Hano...

in Vietnam

Chinese Man Detained For Stealing $5,000 on Vietnam Airlines Flight

On Tuesday, a Chinese man was caught stealing $5,000 from 2 Japanese passengers on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Jakarta to HCMC, reports Tuoi Tre.

in Vietnam

Is Vietnam Committing Tourism Suicide?

A recent piece in Thanh Nien looks at how the country’s pristine beaches, rivers and mountains are being literally ripped apart in the name of development. While much of this environmental degradation...

in Saigon

[Map] New “HCMC Region” To Include Vung Tau, Long An, Others

HCMC is about to get a whole lot bigger. Prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to create the Ho Chi Minh City Region by 2030 that will better integrate key economically areas into the ur...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Says Chinese Tourist Number Up By 34%

Viettel proposes slashing mobile phone charges [Nhan Dan] Girl, 18, dies after 10 day self-starvation to lose weight [SGGP] Vietnam drugmaker DHG to expand as antibiotic curbs bite [T...

in Asia

Satellite Photos Of Japan’s Super Typhoon Neoguri Are What Nightmares Are Made Of

Super typhoon, Neoguri, the largest storm on earth is bearing down on Japan with 270kmph winds and generating 13m waves. These satellite images capture the vastness of the deadly storm.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Fire Badly Damages Millennium-Old Temple In Central Vietnam

Vietnam's economy forecast to grow 5.8% in 2014 [DTI News] Vietnam Grounds Helicopter Fleet After Crash [WSJ] Fire badly damages millennium-old temple in central Vietnam [Tuoi Tre]

in Vietnam

Starbucks To Open Its First Hanoi Location

After opening 6 stores in Saigon, American coffee giant, Starbucks, is gearing up to open its first store in the capital, according to VN Express.

in Vietnam

[Video] Death Toll Reaches 19 In Hanoi Helicopter Crash

According to reports from Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien, the death toll in yesterday morning’s military helicopter crash has reached 19.

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Three Consecutive Earthquakes Hit Quang Nam

Vietnam Stocks Set for Best Year Since 2009, VNDirect Says [Bloomberg] FDI to continue flowing into Vietnam, experts [SGGP] Renowned Vietnamese writer To Hoai dies at 94 [Tuoi Tre]

in Stories

Vietnam To Get Its First International Fashion Week

Vietnamese fashionistas rejoice! At a press conference and ceremony held by MultiMedia JSC and FIDe Fashion Week on July 6, it was announced that Saigon will host Vietnam’s very first international F...