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.
Uber Dodging Taxes on VND1bn in Daily Profits: Official
Vietnam’s battle of the taxi apps has taken another interesting turn: one of the country’s biggest players, Uber, is being called out again for allegedly evading tax payments.
Saigon's Parking Woes: What to Do When a Parking Lot Loses Your Bike
Saigon’s traffic issues are an extremely tough nut to crack for local authorities. In recent years, the government has come up with a slew of solutions in an attempt to ease traffic woes, with va...
Samsung Halts Sales of Galaxy Note 7, Recalls Phones in Vietnam Over Explosion Scare
Samsung Vietnam has announced that it will halt all sales of the new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, while purchased devices will be recalled.
Vietnam Store Leaks iPhone 7 Details Ahead of New Release
Just two days before Apple officially reveals their final version of the new iPhone 7, a store in Vietnam has somehow managed to procure a sample of the top-secret phone.
Mind-Bending New Skyscraper Becomes Thailand's Tallest Building
On August 29, Pace Development Corp announced the completion of their gigantic mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Bangkok.
Saigon’s “Golden Land” Remains Undeveloped Despite Opportunities
While major new construction projects seem to appear in Saigon on a daily basis, some of the city’s most valuable real estate remains undeveloped.
[Photos] The Family That Traded Hanoi for Red River Wilderness
Hidden behind dense bamboo thickets on a bend in the Red River is what some would call a peculiar family of three.
Le Thanh Ton Restaurant Brings Slick Design to Japanese Dining
A visit to District 1’s Hachi-Juu Hachi Shouten Restaurant offers more than just Japanese cuisine, but also a unique dining experience created by the building’s sleek architecture.
Hanoi to Launch Book Street by End of the Year
Hanoian bookworms will be happy to hear that the capital expects to unveil a brand-new book street by the end of the year.
Michael Tatarski in Sports
Can Vietnam Become Asia’s Sports Tourism Mecca?
Sports-minded residents in Vietnam’s major cities don’t have it easy: traffic overwhelms the streets and sidewalks; air quality is generally terrible; open spaces are nearly non-existent and it’s alwa...
Vietnamese Universities Not Stacking Up Against Regional Rivals
The current edition of Webometrics, an initiative from CSIC, the largest public research body in Spain, which ranks universities around the world, shows that, despite their consistent national pe...
[Video] Where Horticulture Meets Corporate Culture: How a Japanese Office Brings Farming Closer to Its Workers
As humans have become increasingly urban creatures, a disconnect between our life in the city and our food sources has created numerous challenges. These include the distances our food travels, contri...
Japanese Consortium to Build Shopping Center Underneath Ben Thanh Market
Besides alleviating the city’s traffic problems, it seems that Saigon’s future metro system will also serve a commercial purpose, as local officials just put forth a proposal to bring in a consortium ...
[Photos] A Bird's-Eye View of Hanoi's Future Metro
If this breathtaking photo collection, courtesy of Zing, is any indication, Hanoi’s metro system is shaping up to be a sight to behold.
[Photos] Maison T: A Dream Bachelor Pad in Hanoi
Nghia-Architect has unveiled an inviting new home called Maison T in Hanoi’s Dong Da District. According to ArchDaily, the residence was designed for a young man who recently returned from living abr...
Saigon's Remote Can Gio Island Gets First-Ever High School Class
Students who wished to complete high school on Saigon’s Thanh An Island will not have to travel to the mainland now that a high school class has been established right in their neighborhood.
Vietnam’s 3G/4G Speeds Still Among World’s Slowest
Mobile internet speeds in Vietnam remain among the world's most sluggish, according to a recent survey.
Khoi Pham in Society
Catching 'Em All in Saigon: Pokemon GO Brings More Than Old School Nostalgia to Vietnam
One of my colleagues threatened to ban Pokemon GO in the Saigoneer office after he saw me catching a Pidgey, a bird-type Pokemon, at our desk.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Development
Saigon’s Traffic Nightmare: Challenges and Potential Solutions
On one particularly horrific Monday evening last summer, I wound up in a traffic jam. Bounding over the bridge between District 1 and Phu Nhuan, my jaw dropped as I found a sea of vehicles on the othe...
Mekong Delta Grapples With Severe Doctor Shortage
The Mekong Delta region is facing a serious doctor shortage which threatens to become even more severe by 2020.
