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.
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam to Have First-Ever National Wildlife Park by 2025
Farming imports up 20% this year [VNS] Vietnam gains attention in photo contest [DTI News] Vietnam to have first-ever national wildlife park by 2025 [Tuoi Tre]
Morning News Roundup: Chinese Tourists Resume Visits to Vietnam Despite Tensions
Red bauxite sludge covers farms in northern province [VNS] Vietnam music industry hungry for good new songs [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam lifts ship sunk by Chinese vessel attack [Tuoi Tre]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Lamborghini to Open its First Vietnam Showroom
Start your engines! Vietnam is set to get its first Lamborghini showroom this month.
Morning News Roundup: Heavy Rain Uproots Trees in HCMC Again
Vietnam’s credit ratings remain stable despite East Sea tensions [VietNamNet] Heavy rain uproots trees in HCMC [SGGP] One-Pillar Pagoda repairs put on hold [DTI News]
Brian Letwin in Asia
Man Stuck in South Korea After His Son Uses Passport as Drawing Pad
Kids are notoriously bad at determining the boundaries for their artwork, but this 4-year-old took things to the next level when he used his father’s passport as a canvas, leaving his father stra...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
HCMC University to Start Teaching All Courses in English
One of Vietnam’s major universities, the HCMC University of Social Sciences, has announced that it will start to teach some majors in English, effective immediately.
Weekend News Roundup: Vietnam Turns Away 500 Tons of Toxic Chinese Fruit
Vietnam expects Japan coastguard ships next year: vice defense minister [Chicago Tribune] Phu Yen selected as site for US$2.5 billion marina [DTI News] Vietnam turns away 500 tons of toxic...
Morning News Roundup: HCMC Seeks $1.8 Billion for Subway Project
Suspended private Vietnamese airline given deadline for recovery plan [Tuoi Tre] Russia Lays Down 6th Kilo-Class Sub for Vietnam [RIA] Viettel provides free internet access to all schools&...
HCMC Has Stopped Extending Work Permits for Foreign Workers
In yet another blow to foreign workers in HCMC, the city’s labor authority has announced that it will stop issuing work permit extensions.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
[Photos] Cars Crushed by Trees in Yesterday’s Storm
Yesterday’s downpour not only caused massive flooding in Saigon but also managed to destroy 4 cars in the heart of District 1.
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Tycoon Could Get 30 Years
Water shortage grips Kien Giang island [VNS] Vietnam tycoon could get 30 years [Thanh Nien] Vietnam joins UN peacekeeping activities [Global Post]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Dien Bien Man Killed by Lightning While Talking on Mobile Phone
Mobile phones may be linked to brain cancer and have been known to shock people from time-to-time, but there’s a far more dangerous threat to those who enjoy chit chatting in the middle of a thunderst...
Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Youth Take up Smoking
Vietnamese youth take up smoking [DTI News] Massive shark caught near Quy Nhon [VietNamNet] 1 dead, 4 injured in wild-ox attack in Quang Nam [SGGP]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Chinese Fishing Vessel Sinks Vietnamese Boat Near Disputed Oilrig
Late yesterday afternoon, a Chinese fishing boat rammed and sank a Vietnamese ship in the waters around the controversial oilrig that has stoked tensions between the two countries over the past few we...
Morning News Roundup: Honda Vietnam to Launch 10 New Motorbike Models
Vietnam Airlines to launch IPO in Q3 [SGGP] Experts urge delay of 4G application [Vietnam Plus] World heritage sites lack sufficient management [VNS]
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Over 1 Ton of Elephant Tusks Seized in Hai Phong
Hai Phong customs officials seized more than 1 ton of illegal elephant ivory from Hong Kong on May 24, reports Tuoi Tre.
Weekend News Roundup: Real Madrid to Hold Soccer Camp in HCM City
Vietnam Air offering part of push for foreign investment [Sydney Morning Herald] Vietnam car imports soar in May: report [Thanh Nien] Two Vietnamese companies listed in Forbes Global 2000&...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Authorities: Woman Sets Herself on Fire in Front of Reunification Palace to Protest Chinese Oil Rig
According to Le Hieu Truong Hai, District 1's Vice Chairman, a 67-year-old woman from Binh Thanh District set her self on fire in front of Reunification Palace at 6am this morning to protest the Chine...
Morning News Roundup: Firms Pay Fines for Violating Food Safety Rules
Ford pours more investment into Vietnam [Vietnam Plus] ExxonMobil keen on Vietnam market [VoV] Firms pay fines for violating food safety rules [VNS]
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Science and Technology Day Declared
Denture clasp spent 20 years in Vietnamese lung [Thanh Nien] Vietnam to play Thailand to secure World Cup berth [DTI News] Vietnamese lecturer wins Australian prize for outstanding researc...
