Lúa Ma, the Mekong's Ancient Wild Rice Varieties Holding Secrets to Climate Resilience
“It’s been so long I can barely remember. It’s delicious, fragrant, soft but not sticky,” says Trần Văn Lựa, 53, a farmer from Đồng Tháp Province, south-west Vietnam, recalling the taste of wild rice. As a child, he would harvest the grain during flood season, when wild rice flowers. Today, however, it is a rare sight.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cầy Mực, the Fluffy Bearcat Whose Pee Really Smells Like Popcorn
Vietnam is home to a diverse range of species, from the elusive sao la to Hanoi's pungently fragrant hoa sữa. As an ode to the wondrous nature of the country, we're introducing a new article series, Natural Selection. Each article will feature a species of plant or animal native to Vietnam — starting with the laidback cầy mực (binturong).
As Saltwater Intrudes More of Mekong Delta, Durian Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat
Nguyễn Văn Quại, 63, walked slowly on the muddy dirt path in his yard, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped beside a tree split in half, its branches dipping into the stagnant water of a narrow moat, and gestured towards the rest of his leafless crop — their trunks yellow, their bark cracked and brittle.
Khôi Phạm in Tech
On Vietnam's Internet, You're a Mom, I'm a Mom, Everyone Is a Mom
I am a mom. Well, not in the most conventional meaning of the word — I am childless, and it’s still biologically impossible for men to give birth the last time I checked, but for most of my existence on the Vietnamese cybersphere, I have been using the designation “mẹ” amongst my closest friends.
Khôi Phạm in Architecture
On Phú Quý Island, a Curious Collection of Modernist Houses From Central Vietnam
From the 1960s towards the end of the 1970s, urban centers in southern Vietnam saw robust and widespread growth of modernist influences in architecture. Still, outside the usual foci of the movement like Saigon, Cần Thơ or Mỹ Tho, how has this unique form of vernacular architectural expression been transformed?
Văn Tân in Architecture
An Homage to Courtyards, the Heart of Traditional Vietnamese Homes
This time of the year, the giáng hương tree in my grandma’s courtyard is probably blooming with clusters of golden blossoms, enticing the kids in the neighborhood to gather around it and carefully pick off the prettiest petals to create makeshift jewelry.
Mầm in Parks & Rec
The Young Vietnamese Artisans Breathing New Life Into Animals Carcasses
Skeletons and carcasses are often reminiscent of eerie, spine-chilling scenes in horror movies. But in the taxidermy community, animal corpses are of great value for artisans to create unique works that blur the line between life and death.
Ride-Hailing Changed How We Commute. Can Ve Chai-Hailing Change How We Recycle?
Mentions of ve chai might evoke images of uncles and aunties pushing around their cart or perched on bicycles, ferrying a host of plastic bags and scrap metal, and occasionally calling out: “Đồng nát sắt vụn bán nào…” This familiar scene, no matter how nostalgic, might change soon.
The Demise of the Mekong Delta
When it comes to climate change, there's no shortage of bad news these days. On the one hand, Saigon is facing its longest drought in 60 years; on the other, several Vietnamese cities may be unde...
Homegrown Ride-Sharing App Launches in Vietnam
As traffic in Vietnamese cities continues to get worse, one group of local graduates is using the power of technology to help alleviate the influx of motorbikes on Saigon's streets.
Da Nang Theme Park Unveils Flashy New Monorail
Between the Disneyland-esque entertainment complex planned for Ha Long Bay and Phu Quoc's ever-increasing number of larger-than-life attractions, Vietnam seems to have a thing for amusement parks...
[Photos] Majestic Banyan Tree Spared in Hanoi Road Project
It's safe to say Hanoi doesn't have a great relationship with trees.
[Photos] Dong Nai Students Invent Vehicle That Runs on Alcohol
Eight students from Dong Nai province's Lac Hong University recently created a car that is able to join in one of Vietnam's favorite pastimes: getting drunk.
Bkav Doubles Down: Will Launch Bpad, Bwatch in 2016
When Bkav, a local network security company, unveiled its Bphone earlier this year, company CEO Nguyen Tu Quang called it "the best smartphone in the world". The device, however, ultimately proved to ...
Hanoi Official Pushes for Plan to Reduce Private Vehicle Use
During a meeting between the central and local governments on Monday, Hanoi People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung urged the capital to craft a plan to reduce the number of private vehicles on i...
Da Nang May Get an Underwater Tunnel
Da Nang is considering the construction of a six-lane underwater tunnel crossing the Han River.
5 Buildings That Will Rise Above Saigon in 2016
Though change has always been fast in Saigon, 2015 was a big year for the city's development, as new skyscrapers, shopping malls and infrastructure projects sprouted all over town. While some structur...
The Dangers of Saigon Street Coffee
You might want to think twice before buying your next cà phê sữa đá on the street. If you can call it that, really: “industrial chemicals” is not a phrase you want to have associated with your morning...
[Photos] Local Architect Puts Modern Spin on Traditional Saigon Shophouse
In many ways, this narrow shophouse-style structure designed by MM++ Architects is just like any other. The house, not unlike its neighbors, stands four stories high and occupies a slender plot o...
Mai Linh Taxi to Purchase up to 20,000 Electric Cars
Vietnamese cities are about to get a little more eco-friendly, as Mai Linh Taxi and French car producer Renault have announced a five-year deal to import thousands of electric vehicles into the countr...
What Google CEO Sundar Pichai's Visit Means for Vietnamese Tech
If his recent visit is any indication, Sundar Pichai is alright in Vietnam's book.
[Photos] Inside the Metro Station Beneath Saigon's Opera House
The further the Saigon Metro progresses – or doesn't progress – the more we hear about escalating costs, construction hiccups and the project's Japanese contractors seeking compensation...
Construction Begins on New Downtown Saigon Skyscraper
Earlier this month, developers broke ground on the Saigon Me Linh Tower, adding yet another skyscraper to District 1's riverside Me Linh roundabout.
Flappy Bird Creator Releases Infuriating New Mobile Game
Mobile gamers had good reason to rejoice last week, as Flappy Bird creator Nguyen Ha Dong and his company DotGears Studio debuted a flashier second version of the original Swing Copters game.
Dubai Developer Signs on to $1.34bln Thanh Da New Urban Area
The urban wasteland planned for Binh Thanh District's Thanh Da peninsula has a new developer.
Saigon Is Building One of the World's Most Expensive Metros
With construction of the Saigon Metro system well under way, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPS) recently touched upon an unsettling truth about the cost of its forthcoming six-line network:...
Vietnam's Internet Speed Is 102nd in the World
Assuming you got this page to load on your computer, I'm afraid we've got some bad news: Vietnam's internet is pretty terrible.
What the COP21 Climate Change Deal Will Mean in Vietnam
As news outlets around the world pick apart the pros and cons of last week's landmark climate change deal, Vietnam seems to have a few reasons to celebrate.
