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.
Vietnam Drank 1bn Liters of Beer in First 4 Months of 2016
Vietnam, one of the world's thirstiest countries, drank over 1 billion liters of beer in the first four months of 2016.
Hanoi's Fancy, New, Boring Street
Last weekend, Hanoi unveiled its first “model street”, on which all storefronts must follow strict aesthetic requirements.
[Video] The People of Hanoi's Forgotten River Island
As more and more economic opportunities come to Vietnam's cities so, too, do more and more people.
Riverfront Construction Could Raise Saigon's Inner City Temperatures: Expert
In a city whose temperatures are already sweltering on their own, Vinhomes' latest riverfront development may turn the heat up a few degrees for city residents.
Korean Company to Develop Tran Hung Dao's 'Golden Triangle'
Along with the dozens of other iconic locations scattered across downtown Saigon, that three-pointed sliver of land bordered by Pham Ngu Lao, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Tran Hung Dao Streets will be getting ...
Canadian Firm to Invest $150m in New Solar Power Plant
Vietnam may be getting another solar power plant thanks to Canadian company CMX Renewable Energy Inc.
Japan to Invest $7bn in Mekong Region Over Next 3 Years
Japan is gearing up to invest US$7 billion into the Mekong region, spreading the funding across parts of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Vietnamese Education Startup Receives $9m in Funding
Yet another Vietnamese education app is raking in the investment money, as tutoring service GotIt! recently announced US$9 million in seed and series A funding.
Vietnamese, Korean Computer Scientists Invent Webcam Algorithm to Read Your Emotions
One day soon, your mobile game may be able to register your joy, anger and frustration thanks to a creepily accurate webcam algorithm.
World Bank Enlists Grab and Uber to Create Open-Source Traffic-Monitoring Platform
Ever since apps like Grab and Uber came to the country, Vietnam's urban transportation has been turned upside down. On one hand, consumers are thrilled to be paying less for car rides in cities like H...
Work Begins on $4bn Hoi An Resort
Last Sunday, central Vietnam's Quang Nam province began its biggest development project to date.
Thai Retailer Buys Zalora's Vietnam and Thailand Businesses
Earlier this week, Germany-based Rocket Internet announced the sale of its online retailer, Zalora, to Thai giant Central Group.
[Photos] 'Da Nang: COASTAL City' – The Soul of the City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of Da Nang: COASTAL City, a large-format photo book exploring the urban development, landscapes and people of central Vietnam. Produced with the support of t...
You're Probably Spelling These Saigon Place Names Incorrectly
Several famous location names in Saigon are believed to be misspellings of their original monikers.
[Photos] Vo Trong Nghia Transforms Rest Stop Into Bamboo Oasis
Thirty kilometers from Hanoi, local architect and global sensation Vo Trong Nghia recently completed another project fashioned almost entirely out of bamboo.
[Video] Driverless Pods May Hit Singapore's Streets by Year End
While we can't imagine testing a driverless vehicle in, say, Saigon traffic, the orderly streets of Singapore seem like the perfect place to give self-driving machinery a whirl.
[Photos] Put Your Mind at Ease in Saigon's Zen House
Embodying its name, every element of the Zen House revolves around harmony, mindfulness and originality, making this contemporary structure more a monastery than a home for the three Buddhist owners.
The World Is Down to Fund Vietnamese Startups
In recent years, Vietnam's startups have proven their worth to both the local economy and the global community.
[Video] Hanoi's Pollution Heading Toward Airmaggedon
Urban Vietnam is on a roll these days. What with a new crop of sky-high monuments on the horizon, a thriving startup economy and an ambitious set of plans for the future, cities across the countr...
[Photos] 'Da Nang: COASTAL City' – People in the City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of Da Nang: COASTAL City, a large-format photo book exploring the urban development, landscapes and people of Central Vietnam. Produced with the su...
