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.
As Drought Continues, Mekong Climate Refugees Leave Home
It's no secret that the Mekong Delta is in dire straits. Between hydroelectric dams, drought, sinking land and the region's ever-increasing salinization, farmers in the west are facing heavy losses th...
China Slides 100-Year-Old Building to New Home
China never ceases to exceed our expectations when it comes to buildings. From monster bridge-building machines to the 19-day construction of a 57-story skyscraper to 3D printing a mansion, ...
High School Students Build All-Terrain Wheelchair
Vietnam is not particularly well set-up for handicapped people. With broken sidewalks and uneven terrain even in the most developed cities, getting around can be a challenge for those who are wheelcha...
[Photos] Meet District 2's Floating House
Bringing the concept of a flood-proof nhà sàn – the wooden stilt house most often seen in rural Vietnam – to Saigon's sinking terrain, local outfit Nha Dan Architects managed to create a contempo...
Clean Up Vietnam: Changing the Conversation
There has been much ado in recent years about Vietnam’s garbage problem. From the beaches of Phu Quoc to the forests of the Central Highlands, trash is omnipresent and impossible to ignore. To th...
Meet Ex4U, the Taiwanese Electric Car Coming to Vietnam
A two-seater electric car may soon hit the streets of Vietnam.
[Photos] 'Da Nang: COASTAL City' – Architecture and Housing
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...
Sawaco to Build 6 Underground Reservoirs in Saigon
In an effort to protect the southern hub from drought, Saigon Water Company (Sawaco) is working with municipal authorities to create six underground water reservoirs.
Cambodia's Tigers Are 'Functionally Extinct'
Cambodia's tiger population is now “functionally extinct”, according to experts.
[Photos] Saigon Architects Create Charming D7 Wood-and-Concrete Row House
In the last few years, Saigon's architects have come up with some impressive contemporary touches for the city's traditional row houses. Whether adding web-like coverings or a collage o...
Vietnam Could Have Most Cancer Cases Worldwide by 2020: Expert
Registering firmly in the realm of not-so-great news, one expert is estimating Vietnam could have the most cancer cases in the world by 2020.
Brandon Coleman in Development
[Photos] On the Move: Saigon's Changing Transportation
Once the domain of bicycles, Saigon's narrow roads have become jam-packed over the last two decades with increasingly modern vehicles. Following a boom of motorbikes in the 1990s – first described to ...
[Photos] 'Da Nang: COASTAL City' – Change Over Time
The coastal city of Da Nang has undergone a massive transformation in the past 25 years and has developed from a gateway station to a destination in its own right throughout this dynamic process.
[Photos] Da Lat Architects Transform Abandoned House With Transparent Skin
After 20 years of abandonment, this crumbling, countryside Da Lat house was in rough shape. However its owner, whose father had built the structure himself, still had fond memories of the long-empty h...
Ministry of Health Confirms First 2 Zika Cases in Vietnam
Earlier this morning, Ministry of Health officials confirmed Vietnam's first two cases of the Zika virus.
[Photos] Vinhomes Unveils Golden River, Its Ba Son Development
If you've recently driven along District 1's Ton Duc Thang recently, chances are you've seen the large, glass-front building going up on the corner of Nguyen Huu Canh Street.
[Photos] Saigon's D7 House: Where Natural Elements and Contemporary Design Intersect
Combining a narrow space with bright, natural elements and clean, contemporary design might seem a challenge but not for District 7's NA House.
[Video] Meet the Vietnamese Engineer Developing Google's Artificial Intelligence
Next time you ask Google for directions or run an image search, thank Le Viet Quoc.
Lee Starnes in Development
[Photos] Tracking Saigon’s Development From Its Rooftops
Over the past decade, Saigon has transformed almost beyond recognition.
You Can Now Print a 3D Bust of Yourself in Saigon Because Why Not
In the realm of things you never knew you needed but cannot live without, we introduce to you the 3D-printed bust.
