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: MobiFone Offers New Data Services for Tourists
TPP meeting fails to reach final agreement [Vietnam Plus] HCM City officials pledge wastewater cleanup [VietNamNet] No river in Hanoi found as unpolluted or slightly polluted [VietNam...
Brian Letwin in Stories
Saigon’s First Multi-Story Parking Lot Opens in District 1
While Saigon’s massive underground parking lots may be indefinitely delayed, the city’s first multi-story parking lot has opened in District 1 at a price tag of $24 million, according to VietNamNet.
Morning News Roundup: Ha Long Bay Relocates Houseboat Dwellers
Vietnam apologizes, mulling tax cuts for Taiwanese businesses [Focus Taiwan] Authorities to crackdown on dangerous ‘eggshell' helmets [SGGP] Vietinbank report reveals bad debt increase&nbs...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines Adds New Flights to Japan
While some European Airlines have been cutting their Vietnam service, Vietnam Airlines, as part of its effort to expand its international presence, has announced 2 new routes to Tokyo.
Weekend News Roundup: Expert Warns of Mutant Dengue Fever in Vietnam as 4 Die
Vietnam urged to allow paternity leave, improve maternity protection [Thanh Nien] Museum puts evolution on show [VNS] Citizenship regulation for overseas Vietnamese to be revised [DTI...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Saigon’s Caravelle Hotel Set to Undergo Major Renovations
The Caravelle Hotel is about to undergo a major facelift starting this summer as it begins its most significant renovation in 15 years, according to AmCham Vietnam.
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
How Much is Vietnam Airlines Worth?
Ahead of its long-awaited IPO, Pham Ngoc Minh, General Director of Vietnam Airlines said that the airline is worth $2.74 billion, shares of which will be sold in accordance with public demand, reports...
Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Man Confirms Incredible Walk From China to Pakistan
Vietnamese man confirms incredible walk from China to Pakistan [Thanh Nien] Vietnam makes low-cost 3D scanner [Tuoi Tre] HCM City rolls out mobile digital library [SGGP]
Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Fashion Student Wins $30,000 Prize
Under pressure of exams, many students develop mental disorders [VietNamNet] Vietnam may lift retirement age to save pension fund [Thanh Nien] Vietnam Television buys football World Cup ri...
US Grants Immigrant Visas for Married Gay Couples
The US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City has declared that it will grant immigrant visas for married homosexual couples, according to VNExpress.
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam's Mekong Delta May Toss Out Rice for Corn, Soybeans
Vietnam women eye World Cup berth via Asian tourney [DTI News] Vietnam’s Viettel Signs Content Deal With Germany’s A Company [Variety] Crowdfunding for Vietnam comic warmly embraced&...
Morning News Roundup: TPP Negotiators Begin Talks in Vietnam in Bid to Conclude a Deal
Vietnam Stocks Tumble to Four-Month Low as China Tensions Rise [Bloomberg] Da Lat to export veggies to South Korea [SGGP] In Vietnam, Japanese investors eager to find local talent [Th...
Weekend News Roundup: Second McDonald’s Vietnam Restaurant Complete
Second McDonald’s Vietnam restaurant complete [VietNamNet] Obama sends Vietnam nuclear deal to Congress [Times of India] Vietnam’s southern province holds int’l kite festival [Tuoi Tr...
Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Tycoons Lost Over $85 million Yesterday Morning
Japanese expert to manage Vietnam national football team [Nhan Dan] Vietnam launches ‘golden spoon’ contest to promote tourism via cuisine [Tuoi Tre] World Bank approves $106mn credit for ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
39 New Caves Discovered in Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park
After discovering Son Doong, the world’s largest known cave in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park 5 years ago, a team of researchers has been scouring the area, measuring, charting and photographing 39...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Stocks See Biggest Drop in 13 Years as East Sea Dispute Intensifies
By now, you’re probably aware that Vietnam and China are locking horns over a Chinese oil rig which Hanoi says constitutes a gross intrusion into the Vietnam’s territorial waters. As tensions heat up ...
Morning News Roundup: Toyota to Recall 43,000 Cars in Vietnam
Toyota to recall 43,000 cars in Vietnam [SGGP] 39 new caves found in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang Park [Thanh Nien] Cluster bomb kills farmer in central Vietnam [Thanh Nien]
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam, US Sign Nuclear Agreement
Vietnam suffers sharp drop in Mothers’ Index [VoV] Vietnam highlanders have new bridge to stop crossing stream in bags [Thanh Nien] Vietnam's Remote Sensing Satellite Programme Reviewed Af...
Da Nang’s Dragon Bridge Wins International Engineering Award
Da Nang’s Dragon Bridge, probably our favourite (and without a doubt the most badass) modern structure in Vietnam, received international recognition last week at an award ceremony in Washington DC.
Morning News Roundup: VN Prioritizes Solar Energy Development
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi Report Strengthening Economic Numbers [Vietnam Briefing] Vietnam protests China’s illegal operation of drilling rig in Vietnamese waters [Tuoi Tre] Junior colleg...
