As Infrastructure Lags Behind, Saigon's Poorest Hardest Hit by Worsening Flooding
In April 2023, in the first downpour of southern Vietnam’s rainy season, the narrow rented room where Mã Thị Diệp and her children were staying in Hồ Chí Minh City was inundated by knee-high water.
Khôi Phạm in Environment
What I Talk About When I Talk About Vietnam's Penguin Trashcans
Compared to the average Vietnamese, I might be thinking about trashcans a smidgen too much — not just any trashcan, but the infamous penguin-shaped trashcans that are ubiquitous at every corner of our public spaces.
Linh Phạm in Parks & Rec
House Dance Hanoi Teaches You How to Free the Body
I stood on the top floor of a building on Khâm Thiên Street, feeling grateful for the cold air. I came out here to take a break from the other side of the floor, which was divided into three rooms — three dance studios.
Inside Saigon's Grassroots Carton and Aluminum Recycling Plants
With plastics claiming many of the headlines worldwide and constituting a major issue in Vietnam, scant attention is being paid to other recyclable materials, namely cardboard and aluminum.
How Táo Xanh Forum Created a Safe Space for Gay Vietnamese Before Social Media
Before Vietnamese could hop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our hot takes of the week, there was an era of past cybersphere when online forums were the crucial online space to connect local netizens.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
As Climate Change Threatens, Flood Waters Usher In Sustainable Opportunities for Communities in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is developing faster than Google Maps can keep up with. A stretch of road that was too narrow to accommodate cars and required a transition to motorbikes just six months ago was under construction during our August visit. Gargantuan machines for laying pulverized gravel inched aside to let our 7-seater pass so we could reach the home of Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy to check in on her small fish drying home business.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
In the Vietnamese language, the word “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. Chó cỏ is the general term for the adorable mutts, usually mixes between Vietnam’s native dog species, born without the prestige of named breeds, while gym cỏ and net cỏ denote the casual gyms and internet cafes in one’s neighborhood. In the same vein of logic, may I put forth a new name for a special genre of Vietnamese fruits: trái cỏ?
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples or the ornate regality of Nguyễn-Dynasty palaces. This time-honored style is widely accepted as the hallmark of Vietnam’s cultural wealth. What’s more fascinating but lesser-known is how this cultural vestige — which distinguished our architecture from that of China and Japan — has also managed to evolve in the new age, finding ways to exist right in the middle of our modern lifetime.
Da Nang Suspends 2 Steel Plants Due to Pollution
On the evening of February 26, hundreds of residents of Hoa Lien commune gathered at the gates of the two companies to protest against their polluting practices.
What’s Inside Hanoi’s Upcoming Entirely Made-in-Japan Smart Town?
In less than a decade, some Hanoi residents might be able to live and work in a smart town that’s built entirely with Japanese technologies.
Tet Comedy Special 'Tao Quan' Under Fire for Transphobic, Body-Shaming Jokes
The show has been a comedy staple that's loved by many for its use of humor to shed light on the country’s social and economic issues; however, it tends to fare poorly on gender and sexuality matters....
Vingroup, T&T Want to Undertake Feasibility Studies for 3 Metro Lines in Hanoi
Two local conglomerates have expressed interest in conducting feasibility studies for three metro routes in Hanoi.
Dangerous North Korean Hacker Group Targets Vietnam, Japan, Middle East
The group, called Reaper (code name: APT37), was previously responsible for several attacks on private and public entities in South Korea, North Korean defectors, and even individuals involved with th...
Pollution, Animal Abuse Turn Vietnam's Time-Honored Tet Tradition Ugly
Many of the carps Hanoi residents released into the city’s waterways as part of a symbolic Lunar New Year ritual quickly died due to pollution.
Top Italian Football Club Juventus to Open Training Academy in Saigon
Saigon will soon become home to the first Juventus Academy in Southeast Asia.
The Value of Connected, Collaborative Education in Vietnam
Saigon is constructing new office towers, financial buildings, malls and luxury apartments at a frantic pace, but the building frenzy is not all about commerce and housing, as exemplified by the Briti...
Quang Ninh Wants to Build a Tunnel Under Ha Long Bay
To address heavy traffic and storm-related disturbances on the bridge which currently connects to Ha Long Bay, authorities have proposed a 1.3-kilometer long tunnel to serve the UNESCO heritage site.&...
[Photos] Hanoi's Stunning Koi-Inspired Cafe Has an Entire Ecosystem Inside It
Designed by a group of architects at Farming Architects, the "Koi Cafe" in Hanoi is not only an architectural gem but also a self-sustaining aquaculture and hydroponics eco-system.
[Video] A Visit to Saigon's Jade Emperor Pagoda 2 Weeks Before Tet
Every year during the month leading to Tet, Saigoneers flock to local temples and pagodas to arrange food offerings to pray for an auspicious new lunar year.
Michael Tatarski in Society
500 Startups' Investor Trek Highlights Vietnam's Robust Tech Scene
It’s no secret that Vietnam's rapidly growing tech industry is garnering the attention of international investors thanks to an active startup scene and an expanding digital economy.
[Photos] Thao Dien's 'Serene House' Combines Industrial Chic With Indochine Elements
Saigon’s “Serene House” blends austere prefab materials with Indochine elements.
Southeast Asia's Fondness of Air-Conditioning Is Putting Strains on Local Environment
As our world continues to warm up, tropical dwellers depend heavily on cooling technologies to combat their habitat's harsh elements. For most of Southeast Asia, this means cranking up the air-co...
[Video] A Tour of Saigon's 100-Year-Old Hẻm, Hao Si Phuong
What better way to learn about Saigon’s Chinese-Vietnamese heritage than to pay a visit to one of the city’s oldest residential enclaves?
Delay Threat Still Looms Over AFC U-23 Final as Heavy Snow Blankets China
There’s still a chance that heavy snowfall might affect the schedule of today’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 final match.
Vietnam Hopes to Start $50bn Project to Build High-Speed North-South Railway in 2020
The long-delayed project is expected to be actualized, beginning in 2020.
[Photos] Ambulance, Tractor, Hearse: A Compilation of Vietnam's Football Shenanigans
It is a nationally known fact that after every big football win, Vietnam's road network will be flooded with flown flags, vigorous chants, and random objects blaring odd noises.
Khoi Pham in Sports
It's Official: Vietnam Beats Qatar, Advances to Final of AFC U-23 Cup
Un-f*cking-believable!
Vietnamese-Thai Wildlife Kingpin Arrested in Thailand for Smuggling $1m Worth of Rhino Horn
A notorious Vietnamese wildlife trafficker was arrested by Thai police for his involvement in the smuggling of over US$1 million worth of illegal rhino horns.
