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.
FPT Gearing up for Massive Global Expansion
The future looks bright for FPT, one of Vietnam's largest telecommunications companies. Over the past 13 months, firm has opened its largest international office in Los Angeles, California; was dubbed...
Future Saigon: District 5’s Dragon Riverside City
Vo Van Kiet is quickly becoming a favorite thoroughfare for Saigon developers with a number of large-scale projects planned for the road that runs from District 1 to the edge of the Mekong Delta.
China Embarks on Quest to Build World’s Largest Supercollider
After bolstering its space agency, China is looking a bit farther afield but closer to home for its next great scientific leap forward.
Vietnam Looks to Add Another Airport Near Saigon
Amid approvals for massive new airports and expansions/upgrades to existing ones, it seems like the airport money tap is wide open in Vietnam. Seeking to jump on the bandwagon and boost tourism access...
Wrong Turn Adds 7km to Bangkok Half-Marathon
As runners set out on what was meant to be a 21km half-marathon in Bangkok last weekend, many were surprised to find a significant addition to their route.
[Photos/Video] Saigon's Second-Tallest Skyscraper Is Officially Open
A project several years in the making, Saigon's second-tallest skyscraper to date is now officially open.
Petition Against Mekong Delta Dam Construction Receives Thousands of Signatures
As Laos prepares to move ahead with the construction of its second Mekong River dam, citizens of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are expressing their disapproval of the project.
Vietnam Considering $2.5bn Hanoi-Vientiane Highway
Vietnam is hitting the infrastructure projects hard these days. Just last month, transportation officials unveiled a sleek new expressway linking Hanoi and Hai Phong.
[Photos] Nha Trang Villa Has Its Own Rooftop Park
Continuing along with his trend of creating beautiful, functional modern green spaces, local architect Vo Trong Nghia and his business partner, Masaaki Iwamoto, recently completed our newest dream hou...
Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Visit Vietnam Next Month
Next month, one of Apple's founders will come to Vietnam.
Metro Line Contractor Seeks Compensation for Delays
While Saigon Metro's Line 1 has made considerable downtown progress over the last year or so and parts of 19.7-kilometer line are beginning to take shape in District 2, the city's massive public ...
Vietnam Must Invest in Renewable Resources to Solve Energy Crisis: Experts
In order to keep up with its growing energy demand, Vietnam must invest more heavily in renewable energy sources, experts say.
Vietnam Posts Average Ranking Among World's Healthiest Countries
Between pollution, beer consumption and cigarettes, Vietnam faces its fair share of challenges in the health department.
Saigon's Air Quality Report Just Came Out and It's Not Good
As you may have noticed over the past month, Saigon's ambient air pollution is getting worse.
Vo Trong Nghia Is Building a Leafy Green LEED Housing Development in Saigon
Vo Trong Nghia is no stranger to high-profile, cost-effective and environmentally friendly buildings. In the last few years, the Saigon-based architect and his firm have garnered to international reco...
[Photos] This Is What Hanoi May Look Like in 2030
With all the infrastructure projects and construction barriers, housing developments and half-finished skyscrapers, it's hard to imagine what urban Vietnam will look like in five years, let alone 15.
Vietnam's Coc Coc Could Give Google a Run for Its Money
Google owns the world of search engines. When it comes to random online queries, the company's user base is so ubiquitous that its name has become a verb in the English language and attempted to enter...
Antibiotic Resistance Is Growing in Vietnam at a Dangerous Rate
As antibiotic resistance in Vietnam continues to rise, the country faces a growing number of powerful superbugs which experts warn could jeopardize public health.
[Photos] Hanoians Have Mixed Feelings About Their New Metro Trains
Though it's not yet complete, Hanoi's metro construction is much further along than the subway down south.
District 5's Haunted Thuan Kieu Plaza to Reopen
District 5's towering 33-storey Thuan Kieu Plaza is about to get a revamp, as a new owner is swooping in to save the deteriorating complex.
