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Khôi Phạm

in Natural Selection

A Case for the Sweet-and-Sour Tamarind as Saigon's Official Municipal Tree

What is the municipal tree of Saigon? In popular culture, Hanoi is perhaps intricately linked with the paralyzing but often romanticized aroma of hoa sữa, while just over a hundred kilometers to the e...

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

Ruminate on Our Natural Legacies While Surrounded by Cây Sao at Ao Bà Om

I never pass up an opportunity to reflect on chò nâu and its dipterocarp relative, cây sao. The massive trees that gracefully drag bare limbs upwards to unfurl canopies far above our heads were brough...

in Environment

Requiem for a Bàng Tree That Was Cut Down in Front of My Home

Curiosity drove me downstairs into the downpour. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the municipal workers — clad in orange-and-green uniforms, their clothes soaked — gathering around a crane. Thei...

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

To Appreciate Tao Đàn More, Study the Park's Past, Present, and Future

Shallow shrub and fern roots tussle to send shoots, tendrils and stalks up and outwards, sprawling across uneven ground and grasping at patches of light. A musky, funky, fetid soil stink emanates from...

in Architecture

Keeping Cool in Thủ Đức With This Humble Abode’s Well-Ventilated Design

Thick multi-layer brick walls, shaded areas, water features, and natural ventilation allow this private home to stay cool amidst the city's stifling heat.

in Architecture

A New Reading Space in Trà Vinh Creates Comfort From Recycled Materials

“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us,” according to famed Czech writer Franz Kafka.

in Architecture

'Slow/ed/ing Architecture': When Architects Ruminate on Architecture Together

The super cute duo that make up the design studio “Exutoire” are Bùi Quý Sơn and Paul-Antoine Lucas. Life and work partners, they moved back(ish) to Vietnam from Oslo last year, and are currently prep...

in Architecture

A New Company Headquarters Brings a Green Respite to Industrial Đồng Nai

Hammocks, koi ponds and mature trees are not typically associated with industrial parks.

in Saigon

New Renderings Show Saigon's Plans to Revamp Quách Thị Trang Square

At an estimated cost of VND157 billion (US$6.17 million), the controversial renovation work on the square in front of Bến Thành Market is set to begin this fall and be completed by April 2025.

in Saigon

Hidden in the Heart of D5, an Architectural Vestige of 1970s Vietnam-Korea History

For years now, the verdant pine green pavilion in the heart of Hòa Bình Park in District 5 has been a familiar landmark for denizens of Chợ Lớn.

Khôi Phạm

in Natural Selection

The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams

I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush an...

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

What to See, Taste, and Do If You Have a Free Morning in Tân Định

There’s not much you’ll need to do to persuade me to drive, walk, crawl, scuttle or skate along the Nhiêu Lộc-Thị Nghè Canal — I adore its shaded, tree-lined pavements that much.

in Architecture

On a Hill in Huế, a Glass-Filled Home Welcomes Natural Light With Open Arms

Are hills simply mountains that lack ambition?

in Environment

Xanh Hà Nội Aims to Plant 1m Trees to Improve Hanoi's Living Environment

Amidst glooming effects of global warming, Xanh Hà Nội’s efforts since 2017 have played a crucial role in trailblazing a community-reliant framework for keeping Vietnamese cities green.

in Architecture

In Huế, a Glass Cottage to Spend the Rest of Your Life With Your Beloved

If somehow your relationship manages to survive illnesses, conflicts, and external temptations to endure until both of you are in your sunset years, how would you spend the rest of your life?

in Architecture

[Photos] This Buôn Ma Thuột House Is a Cottagecore Dreamland

In recent years, the Central Highlands has slowly become one of the most sought-after regions in Vietnam for young people to travel and live in.

in Saigon

Saigon Plans to Add 10ha of Public Parks by End of 2022

The additional parks are part of a goal to have 3–4 square meters of green space per Saigon resident by 2030.

in Architecture

[Photos] At Hanoi's Astronomy Park, an Earth-Bound Journey to the Stars

Vietnam's major cities are infamously short on green space, so any new park is noteworthy — particularly when they are as uniquely designed as the Astronomy Park in Hanoi's western suburbs.

in Saigon

Felled Heritage Trees on Nguyen Binh Khiem Cause Outrage Among Saigoneers

Over the weekend, some Saigoneers were shocked to see images surfacing online showing city maintenance workers chopping down heritage trees along Nguyen Binh Khiem Street.

in Environment

A Factory Where 'Dead Plastics' Are Reborn as Contemporary Furniture

Saigoneer arrived at PLASTICPeople’s factory on a Friday afternoon after a long-winded ride on National Highway 1A. The sides of the road we took there were casually strewn with unpruned bushes, depos...

in Environment

5ha of Coastal Protection Forest Destroyed by Solar Power Project: 'It Was an Accident'

While carrying out site clearance for a solar power project in Binh Dinh Province, workers unlawfully destroyed a large swath of local coastal protection forest.

in Architecture

[Photos] In Quang Ninh, a Dilapidated Park Receives New Lease on Life

The 1990s Quang Ninh Park was nearly abandoned in need of a revamp to attract local exercisers and loafers alike.

in Saigon

D1 Proposes VND32.5bn Revamp Project of Me Linh Square Park

The VND32.5 billion (US$1.4 million) effort will focus on repairing the T​rần Hưng Đạo Statue, planting ornamental trees and performing road repairs.  

in Saigon

Saigon Approves Removal of 178 Trees for Bach Dang Wharf Renovation Project

They were nice while they lasted.

in Vietnam

After Storm Noul, Hue Mourns Its Unnamed Victims: 10,000 Trees

Last weekend saw the arrival of Storm Noul, which wreaked havoc on the central coast of Vietnam, causing massive destruction and displacing many families.

in Saigon

The Delay Continues for Saigon's Parking Lot Project Under Tao Đàn Park

Ten years after it was first approved, construction of the parking lot below District 1's Tao Đàn Park has again been delayed.

in Saigon

Saigon Begins Redesigning Park Project in Front of Opera House

When complete, the 1,300-square-meter area will feature trees, vegetation, grass and pathways for communal use.

in Saigon

Saigon Launches Citywide Tree Inspection After Falling Phượng Kills Student

In the near future, some students from Saigon’s public schools might witness the removal of their favorite canopy trees.

in Development

Saigon Announces Plan for 150-Hectare Multi-Purpose Park in D12

The park will be located in Thanh Xuan and Thoi An wards.

in Society

[Video] In Remembrance of a Green Ton Duc Thang Past

October 2017 spelled the death of Ton Duc Thang Street in spirit after Saigon maintenance workers started slaying its trees to make way for bridge construction.