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.
Construction Kicks off on the Crown Jewel of Thu Thiem
The first, and perhaps most significant of the mega developments planned for Thu Thiem broke ground last week, signaling the peninsula’s evolution from swampland to modern urban center.
[Video] Saigon to Complete Flashy New BRT System by 2018
Saigon is hitting the public transportation hard these days, with new metro construction starting along Ton Duc Thang and talks of a 12-kilometer tramway recently announced.
There Are No Traffic Jams In Saigon: Department of Transport Director
Despite numerous reports to the contrary, the director of Saigon’s Department of Transport told the press last week that there are no traffic jams in the city.
Da Nang Is Buying Citizens' Ideas On How To Improve The City
Last Saturday, Da Nang authorities announced that they are willing to pay for citizens' ideas on how to improve the environment and image of the central city, giving local residents a more active role...
'Thirsty' Concrete Drinks Rainwater, Eliminates Flooding
Concrete isn't exactly a sexy topic. Even though we drive on it and build things with it, the average person seldom gives the gray stuff a second thought.
[Photos] This Nha Trang Cafe Is Not Your Average Roadside Haunt
Who says the old can't be new again?
Volkswagen Chooses Vietnam As Staging Ground For SE Asian Domination
While Volkswagen is knee-deep in bad press following its recent emissions controversy, the German car company announced this week that it will start assembling cars in Vietnam next year.
[Video] Saigon Slaughterhouse Caught Dyeing Chickens With Chemicals
You might want to hold off on the phở gà for a while. Apparently, in order to give its produce that tasty, chicken-fat-yellow hue, one local slaughterhouse has been dipping its freshly-killed chickens...
Saigon Slowly Pushes Ahead With 12km Tramway Line
While Saigon’s future metro system grabs most of the headlines, these trains aren’t the only rail-based mode of transportation in the city’s master infrastructure plan.
Vietnam's Very Own Disneyland Is Coming To Ha Long Bay
When the news arrived earlier this week that Vinpearl Ha Long is set to open this November, your reaction was either a celebration of joy...or a facepalm.
Here's Why Saigon Is Missing From This Pollution Map
If you've ever taken a deep breath during rush hour, you know clean air is not exactly abundant in Saigon.
[Photos] Local Architects Transform One Half of This Twin House Into Green Office Space
In rapidly-developing Hanoi, like most Vietnamese cities, green space is increasingly rare. But for landscape development company Mein Garten, an office with plant life was of utmost importance.
Saigon Eyes Japanese Funding For Two More Metro Lines
As work on Saigon’s first metro line chugs along, city authorities are seeking Japanese loans to fund the construction of two more major lines running through the heart of the city.
Ba Son Should Be Preserved, Not Destroyed: Experts
If you've driven along Ton Duc Thang any time in the last week or so, you might have noticed the large corrugated partition that's gone up just south of Le Thanh Ton. As the area overlooking the Saigo...
[Video] Saigon to Get Another LEED Certified Building Next Year
Saigon’s District 8 will soon be home to a LEED standard apartment project, one of the first in the country to meet the international green building benchmark.
[Photos] Vinpearl Halong Bay Opens This November
Halong Bay, the crown jewel of northern Vietnam's many UNESCO World Heritage sites, is about to receive a new landmark.
There Are Only 20 Indochinese Tigers Left in Vietnam
Vietnam's population of Indochinese tigers is dangerously low, with only around 20 animals left in the wild.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Tech
[Infographics] Vietnam's Mobile Games Are Taking the World by Storm
Whether you're reading this on a smartphone or tablet, a desktop or a laptop, look up: chances are at least a few other people are also deeply engrossed in a screen of some kind.
[Photos] Central Atrium Transforms Saigon Tube House
In a city like Saigon, space comes at a premium. It's no wonder, then, that Vietnam – and many other Asian countries – have taken to building tube houses, the ultra-skinny residential buildings you of...
Welcome To Vietnam: Southeast Asia's Silicon Valley
In little more than a decade, Vietnam's tech industry has exploded, attracting international attention and showcasing the country's potential, not just as an outsourcing hub but a key player in Southe...
