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 preparing the opening of the exhibition “OUTLET: Slow/ed/ing Architecture” in Saigon.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Octopus? In My Cà Mau Swamp? It's More Likely Than You Think.

Worms live in the ground, birds live in the air, cá lóc live in lakes and octopuses live in the ocean, right? Wrong! Octopus can also live in the river.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

In Awe of the Mekong Delta's Majestic Sluice Gates

A row of impenetrable watchtowers tasked with inflicting ruthless law and order upon a dystopian borderland seething with marauders, bandits and brigands? No. Sluice gates.

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.

Paul Christiansen

in Architecture

The Pedestrian Bridge That Teaches You the Values of Patience

“We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.”

in Tech

Honda to Cease Production of Super Cub 50cc, Vietnam's Beloved Bike, in November

By the end of 2025, Honda will cease the manufacturing of all motorbikes with 50cc engines, including the beloved 50cc Super Cub, to comply with stricter emission standards. 

in Ẽplain

The Unhinged Genius of the Caty Dragon Fruit Noodles Meme

- Dragon fruit has existed in Vietnam for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 21st century that it made its debut in instant noodles. 

in Natural Selection

Sấu Ushers in a Hanoian Summer of Sweet-and-Sour Nostalgia

A former coworker called me to playfully nag me about my previous plan to visit Hanoi: “Are you waiting for all the sấu to drop before making a move?”

Back Society

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...

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Octopus? In My Cà Mau Swamp? It's More Likely Than You Think.

Worms live in the ground, birds live in the air, cá lóc live in lakes and octopuses live in the ocean, right? Wrong! Octopus can also live in the river.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

In Awe of the Mekong Delta's Majestic Sluice Gates

A row of impenetrable watchtowers tasked with inflicting ruthless law and order upon a dystopian borderland seething with marauders, bandits and brigands? No. Sluice gates.

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.

Paul Christiansen

in Architecture

The Pedestrian Bridge That Teaches You the Values of Patience

“We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.”

in Tech

Honda to Cease Production of Super Cub 50cc, Vietnam's Beloved Bike, in November

By the end of 2025, Honda will cease the manufacturing of all motorbikes with 50cc engines, including the beloved 50cc Super Cub, to comply with stricter emission standards. 

in Ẽplain

The Unhinged Genius of the Caty Dragon Fruit Noodles Meme

- Dragon fruit has existed in Vietnam for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 21st century that it made its debut in instant noodles. 

in Natural Selection

Sấu Ushers in a Hanoian Summer of Sweet-and-Sour Nostalgia

A former coworker called me to playfully nag me about my previous plan to visit Hanoi: “Are you waiting for all the sấu to drop before making a move?”

Khôi Phạm

in Natural Selection

10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity

In the Vietnamese language, the suffix “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will...

Khôi Phạm

in Natural Selection

Trái Thị: The Fruit of Heavenly Smell and Infernal Taste

If you had to pick a national smell that represents Vietnam, what would it be? There are a host of strong contenders: durian, lotus-scented green tea, fragrant pandan sticky rice, that enticing aroma ...

in Ẽplain

A Brief Primer Into the History of K-Pop Chế in Vietnam

My middle school memories are often peppered with the honking voices of adolescents chanting some silly chorus about household cleaning.

in Development

Saigon Metro Line 1 Announces July Launch Date, Free Rides in Phase 1

Will 2024 be the auspicious year when our legs could finally step on the metro platform for the first time?

in Health

Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines

We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Charting the Flow of the Nhiêu Lộc Canal From Start to Historical Start

When I fall in love with an album, I seek out the artist's first mixtapes and demos. When I come to admire a poet, I hunt down their early poems and chapbooks. I even linger over the old highlight ree...

Khôi Phạm

in Society

Nhiêu Lộc Canal Hosted Trudeau's Night Run. Why Is It Not as Famous as Obama's Bún Chả?

You know how much Vietnamese culture revolves around food by the fact that one of the first questions we pose to any foreign visitor is “What’s your favorite Vietnamese dish?” Asking about other aspec...

in Architecture

In Hanoi, a Family Home Balances Commercial Hustle With Spiritual Haven

If many Vietnamese families often opt to reserve one room in their house plan for ancestor worship, this household in Hanoi decided to dedicate an entire backyard to their family altar.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Homage to the Mekong Delta and Its Bag-Wearing Fruits

Rats, mice, mosquitos, snakes, centipedes, caterpillars, snails, beetles and slugs: the more fertile a region is, the more pests inhabit it.

in Environment

Preserving Cambodia's Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins: Community-Based Ecotourism and Nature-Based Solutions in the Mekong Flooded Forest Landscape

At dawn, the blunt foreheads of Irrawaddy dolphins breach the calm surface of the Mekong River the way an epiphany enters one’s mind; unexpected, graceful and profoundly welcome.

in Tech

Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in...

in Environment

WWF-Viet Nam’s Support of Mekong Delta Farmers Combating Climate Change in the Mekong Delta with Floating Rice, Fish-traps, and Lotus Seeds

“Compared to 10 years ago, for every 10 fish we once caught, we now only manage four or five,” explained Nguyễn Văn Dê, a lifelong resident of Vĩnh Đại commune in Long An Province.