Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

An Ode to Lục Bình, Vietnam's Invasive, Destructive, Beautiful Aquatic Jerk

Knotted gnarls of lush stems, leaves, vines; a verdant scrimmage of tangled plant matter kept afloat by buoyant bladders accented by pleats of pink petals that resemble the skirts of ballerinas trapped inside music boxes: the water hyacinth.

in Sports

Saigon Heat Wins Intracity Rivalry Over HCMC Wings, Closing Out VBA Regular Season

Families of fans filed into the “Fire Pan” on September 3, wearing red, white, and black jerseys. The atmosphere hums with anticipation.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Vignette: Local Ox Rampages Airport, Stops Flights, Gets Put in Museum in Huế

Name a famous buffalo.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Vignette: Behold Vietnam's Oldest Rock, a Memento Mori of Human Insignificance

While lamenting how long it had been since I’d last sent a postcard, a coworker at Saigoneer revealed that she is too young to have ever seen a stamp in person, let alone affixed one to a letter. The fashions I wore in high school have come full circle and are once again in style. New slang terms initially baffle and then enrage me. I read popular music festival fliers without recognizing a single name. 

in Parks & Rec

Tiny Tracks, Big Passion: Inside the Miniature World of Vietnam's Model Train Enthusiasts

“When you turn it on, the train is not only moving, but it can make sounds too. The sounds are so authentic that when I listen to it, I feel like I am sitting on a real train right now,” Minh Tú, a Saigon-based model train aficionado, shares with me the satisfied feeling every time he gets a mini train to run.

in Architecture

A Delta Nest in Cao Lãnh Fit for a Solitary Poet

Who says a single person can't nest?

in Environment

Learning to Coexist in Peace Is the First Step to Protect Vietnam's Last Remaining Elephants

A trail of enormous footprints, criss-crossing slabs of cracked concrete, lead to a battered ranger station in Vietnam’s Pù Mát National Park. Park staff say the wild Asian elephant that left the tracks is as friendly as it is lonely.

in Parks & Rec

In Hanoi, Waacking Is Not Just a Dance, but a Home for Creativity and Gender Fluidity Too

“I get to express my madness.” That is what Trần Khánh Linh, also known as Lyna, says when asked why she has been waacking for the last 10 years. By day, Lyna is a jewelry and gemstone seller, but by night, she joins her friends at the Soul Waackers, a waacking group based in Hanoi, and practices a dance style that allows her a vibrant way to self-express.

Back Society

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Voi: From Hai Bà Trưng's Fearsome Companions to Tourism Servants

Does art need a purpose?

in Architecture

[Photos] D2's Okkio Cafe Is an Architectural Homage to Wong Kar-Wai

Today's architecture feature will be familiar to frequent visitors of Thao Dien.

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

A New Documentary Tells the Story of Ethical Elephant Tourism in Dak Lak

While some documentaries come together after years of planning and storyboarding, others happen almost by chance.

in Environment

UNESCO Recognizes Nui Chua, Kon Ha Nung as Vietnam's New Biosphere Reserves

They are in Ninh Thuan and Gia Lai.

in Health

Vietnamese Company Buys 50m Doses of Spanish Covid-19 Vaccine

Another vaccine will come to Vietnam in the future.

in Society

Love in the Time of Corona: Long-Distance Relationships When You're Just 1km Apart

In an ever-moving world, “long distance” has become a well-established concept in modern relationships. It’s easy to spot couples with one half living in a different time zone among our social circles...

in Society

Without Ride-Hailing, Public Buses, Saigon's Taxis Are Thrust Into the Frontline

Through the windows of a taxi cab making its way through deserted Ho Chi Minh City, the once-bustling Vietnamese metropolis is almost unrecognizable as empty street after empty street rolls by.

in Health

95% of Hanoi's Residents Over Age 18 Have Received At Least One Dose of a Covid Vaccine

According to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Vaccination Portal, about 95% of resident Hanoians aged 18 or above have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. On Sunday alone, the city administered 573,829 ...

in Environment

5ha of Coastal Protection Forest Destroyed by Solar Power Project: 'It Was an Accident'

While carrying out site clearance for a solar power project in Binh Dinh Province, workers unlawfully destroyed a large swath of local coastal protection forest.

Khôi Phạm

in Natural Selection

Lá Dứa: The OG Queen of Vietnamese Desserts

There’s a 99% chance that a Vietnamese child’s first exposure to lá dứa, or pandan, is in the form of rau câu.

in Environment

Storm Conson Weakens While Typhoon Chanthu Gains Strength; Both Will Make Landfall this Weekend

As both storms move closer to land, Typhoon Chanthu has stolen energy from Tropical Storm Conson. Chanthu's wind speeds accelerated from 50 km/h to 260 km/h within just 48 hours.

in Environment

Dr. Plastic, the Hanoi Duo Who Give New Life to Single-Use Plastic

Plastic pollution is considered one of the main environmental threats to our planet’s health.

in Architecture

[Photos] Renovation Project Brings Comfy Classrooms to Remote Son La School

It's hard to nourish the mind when the body is suffering.

in Sports

With Just Few Games Left, VBA Cancels 2021 Basketball Season

There is more to life than ball.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Sao La: The Real-Life Unicorn of Vietnam

Disney’s Aladdin, Super Nintendo, digital fingerprint technology: the outside world was familiar with all these by 1992. Sao la, however, remained unknown. 

in Health

Hung Vuong Hospital Opens Care Center for Babies Born to Mothers With Covid-19

As the coronavirus makes its way across Saigon and Vietnam, maternity care has become a particularly serious issue as more and more pregnant residents are getting infected.

in Health

What We Know So Far About Vietnam's Domestic Covid-19 Vaccines

Aside from buying COVID-19 vaccines from elsewhere in the world, Vietnam is also trying to create its own version, with the hope of reaching herd immunity as soon as possible.

in Health

Vietnam to Receive 10m Covid-19 Vaccine Doses From Cuba This Year

The vaccines will arrive from Cuba between now and the end of the year. 

in Tech

Cryptocurrency Use Surges in Vietnam

Despite it not being seen as a legally approved means of payment in Vietnam, ownership of blockchain-based currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are soaring here. 

in Tech

Gojek Launches New Car Ride-Hailing Service

But you'll have to wait to use it.