Xuân Phương in Hanoi
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Chinese Oil Rig Withdraws From Vietnamese Waters
After months of drama over the Chinese oil rig that had encroached on Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, Xinhua News Agency reports that the platform has finished its exploration and is on the move.
Morning News Roundup: Public Outcry Over Work Permits Granted To 2,100 Chinese
Vietnam border guards shoot out tires to stop Lao drug traffickers [Thanh Nien] No abnormalities found in Chinese mushrooms in Vietnam: official [Tuoi Tre] Jet Airways to start flight to V...
Statues In Front Of Bến Thành Market To Be Permanently Removed
As the Trần Nguyên Hãn an Quách Thị Trang statues that sit in front of Bến Thành Market continue their slow deterioration, the HCMC People’s Committee has agreed to remove, repair and relocate the pie...
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.
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.
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]...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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]
[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 ...
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...
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.
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...
[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...
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...
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.
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]
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.
