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.
Saigon's Hotel Majestic to Get High-Rise Addition
Since last June, Saigontourist Holding Company has resumed expansion of The Majestic, its five-star luxury hotel overlooking the riverfront.
Instant Noodles Linked to Heart Disease, Stroke: Study
As the world's second largest consumer of instant noodles – Vietnam chows down on 5.2 billion packs of the pre-cooked blocks every year – this may be hard news to swallow, but studies show t...
[Photos] Saigon's Studio8 Gets Creative With Q10 Row House
Saigon's buildings come in every configuration imaginable. Whether squeezed into impossibly small spaces or built on misshapen plots of land, the city's tube houses present a unique and interesti...
Ready to Trade in Your iPhone for a Bphone?
In what some believe is a last-ditch attempt to offload its remaining stock, Vietnamese tech outfit Bkav is offering local smartphone users the opportunity to trade in their old Apple, Samsung and HTC...
Bill Gates, British Finance Minister Pledge $4.28bn to Fight Malaria
In an effort to quash the potentially fatal illness for good, billionaire Bill Gates and British finance minister George Osborne are pledging £3 billion (US$4.28 billion) to fight malaria around the w...
Dong Nai Proposes Extension of Metro Line 1
As downtown progress on the Saigon Metro inches along, Dong Nai officials are hoping to extend Line 1 beyond the city limits.
[Photos] Check out Vo Trong Nghia's Spectacular D2 Bamboo Pavilions
Vietnam's internationally renowned, bamboo-loving architectural mastermind Vo Trong Nghia has done it again.
[Photos] Future Hanoi: Vietinbank Tower
Though its construction has slowed recently, Hanoi is expecting a pair of fancy new V-shaped skyscrapers in future.
Saigon Begins Testing 4G Service
On the heels of rival company Viettel's trial run in Vung Tau, Vinaphone has begun testing its 4G service in Saigon and Phu Quoc.
Mekong Delta Farmers Are Using Cement to Fertilize Their Fields
Much to the alarm of local scientists and officials, rice farmers in the Mekong Delta have discovered a nifty new fertilizer: cement.
Nha Trang Is Selling Its Old Downtown Airport for $540m
The massive former US airbase located in downtown Nha Trang is set to become a mixed-used shopping development, Khanh Hoa authorities announced on Monday.
Flappy Bird Earns Guinness World Record
Flappy Bird's Nguyen Ha Dong, the guy who created a viral mobile game, earned US$50,000 a day in advertising and later received death threats for removing his highly addictive game from Appl...
Tan Son Nhat Gets Updated Int'l Terminal, Long Thanh Gets Delayed
In an effort to catch up with other major national airports, Tan Son Nhat's international terminal is getting a new addition.
[Photos] Inside District 1's Coolest Kindergarten
Hidden down a quiet street in District 1's Tan Dinh Ward, Chuon Chuon Kim is one cool kindergarten.
Unchecked Pollution is Threatening Southeast Asia's Environment, Economies
Like much of Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a very different place today than it was in 1990. New economic policies, increased development and modernization have transformed the country in many ways, but&...
Vietnam's Abortion Dilemma
While a new draft population law could update Vietnam's regulations on family planning and population control, the country's true challenge lies in addressing the root causes of its sky-high abortion ...
The Lowdown on Vietnam's Uber-Confusing Car Taxes
To put it mildly, Saigon has a complicated relationship with cars. For two-wheeled drivers, the gas-guzzling road beasts are at best an inconvenience, while their fellow four-wheeled friends are more ...
Vietnam, Asian Nations to Launch Satellite Network to Track Natural Disasters
Over the last year, Southeast Asia's weather patterns have been fickle to say the least. One minute, the streets of Saigon are disappearing under water, the next we're facing a months-long drought. In...
Nha Trang Is Getting an Oddly Shaped New High-Rise
Next time you're in Nha Trang, keep your eyes peeled for a new addition to the city skyline.
40 Years Later, Vietnam Begins Identifying Its War Dead
Martyr cemeteries are a common occurrence across Vietnam. In countless communes in every province, modest gravestones mark the resting places of Vietnam's fallen soldiers in neat, orderly rows. T...
