
Đuông Dừa, the Mekong Delta's Unique Squishy Snack and Enemy of Coconut Trees
Towards the deep end of our home, several coconut trees’ fronds started browning and falling off, straight from the bud. For the last few weeks, tiny holes have gradually appeared on the coconut trunk and shoot, from a few to numerous, giving off an unpleasant funk of rotten sap. My dad says that these trees are infested with đuông, and we must chop them all down lest we lose the entire grove.

Chạm Vào Xanh, the Social Enterprise Normalizing Joy for People With Disabilities
Hồng’s parents took her out of school in Grade 5. They weren’t facing financial issues, her grades weren’t bad and she had no behavioral setbacks. It was just because she has cerebral palsy.

Đàng Trong Cafe Marries Gò Công's Nhà 3 Gian Design With Modern Cafe
Major metropolises like Saigon and Hanoi might boast the most concentrated distributions of coffee shops in Vietnam, but a new crop of fresh faces in other up-and-coming towns have emerged in the scene, offering sterling brews, spacious seats, and, in some cases, delightful interior design that blends modern cafe conventions with uniquely local flairs.

A Folk Symbol and Cash Animal, King Cobras Just Really Want to Be Left Alone
The king cobra, or rắn hổ mang chúa in Vietnamese, has great personal branding. For proof, one need look no further than the recent flower display on Nguyễn Huệ celebrating the Year of the Snake: the largest, most impressive statue bore the telltale hood of a cobra.

How You Can Think and Live Sustainably
Frequently touted as environmentally friendly options that help preserve the planet, cotton tote bags require so much energy and freshwater to produce that you must use one at least 7,000 times to make it an effective alternative to plastic bags. Finding out that purchases, habits, and initiatives you thought were good for the planet, such as using tote bags, are in fact not likely to help our current climate crisis can be disheartening. Recognizing how the sustainability movement is rife with performative acts, corporate greenwashing and good intentions thwarted by misinformation threatens to discourage people from the entire concept.

Adding Billiards to Saigon's Pantheon of Pastimes
The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?

In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another
The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.

The Role of Sand Batteries in Responding to the Climate Change Crisis
How does a sand battery work?

Uber’s New Service Promises Cheapest Taxis In Saigon, Hanoi
On April 7, Uber launched uberX, a new service that will be at least 25% cheaper than traditional taxi services in Saigon and Hanoi.

Interview With the Author of the 'Ha Noi: CAPITAL City' Photo Book - Part 2
Following the successful release of their photo book which chronicled urban development in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert are back with a similar en...

[Photos] New Tube House in Binh Duong Offers A Twist On Traditional Vietnamese Architecture
Tube houses have been popular in Vietnamese cities for centuries due to their ability to build airy abodes on small plots of land. Though architectural style has been steadily falling out of favor, ar...

Vietnam Begins to Issue Fines for Helmetless Children on Motorbikes
Starting this week, Vietnamese traffic police officers will issue fines to motorbike drivers with helmetless children over six-years-old in tow.

Medical Musings: Would You Like A Side Of Arsenic With That Rice?
In the last several years, there has been some talk about various chemicals found in the food supply here in Vietnam. You may remember bleach in bún and coconuts, MSG in everything, antibiotics in pou...

Interview With the Author of the 'Ha Noi: CAPITAL City' Photo Book
Following the successful release of their photo book which chronicled urban development in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert are back with a similar en...

Vietnam Delays Launch Of 4G Until 2016
Though many have agreed that 2015 is the “prime time” for Vietnam to launch its 4G services, the country’s deputy minister of information and communications announced last Thursday that licenses for t...

[Photos] Every Corner Of This D7 Home Was Designed For Relaxation And Meditation
The 3x10 House, designed by DD concept, can be found in District 7. Built on a 3×10 square meter plot, the small space forced the architects to "carefully consider the conflicts be...

15 Projects That Will Change Saigon Forever: Part 3
The area between Bến Thành Market and the Saigon Opera House is undeniably the epicenter of changes to the city’s urban fabric with the construction of pedestrian promenades, subway stations, a new ad...

Vietnamese Car Sales Skyrocketing In 2015
If you’ve been noticing more cars clogging the streets on your daily commute, you’re not imagining things.

[Video] Chinese Company Builds 57-Story Skyscraper in 19 Days
When one talks about the pace of construction in Vietnam, many would liken it to watching paint dry. Due to a plethora of reasons, many buildings remain partially built (e.g. the building at Ham Nghi ...

Vietnam to Get Its First Solar Power Plant
EVN is partnering up with a Russian energy company to construct the country’s first solar power plant.

South Korean Investor Puts In US$5 Billion Bid To Redevelop Saigon's Ba Son Shipyard
The sprawling Ba Son Shipyard that occupies a large swath of prime real estate along the banks of the Saigon River may soon be redeveloped into a mixed-use complex.

Google Translate Asks Vietnamese To Help Improve Its Accuracy
If you’ve ever needed to use Google Translate to Vietnamese, you know that it’s not always the most accurate. While it can be said that this is an issue for many of the languages available in the serv...

Uproar As Province Lets Developer Fill In Vietnam’s Largest River
The Dong Nai River is the main water source for 20 million people in Southern Vietnam. It’s no surprise then that experts have “slammed” local authorities for giving a property developer the go-ahead ...

[Infographic] How Vietnam’s New Broadcast Tower Stacks Up Against The World’s Tallest
Vietnam Television Station (VTV), the State Capital and Investment Corporation and BRG Corporation have officially announced their cooperation on the construction of the world’s tallest broadcasting t...

Chinese Company Proposes Rail Link Between Saigon and Phnom Penh
In yet another plan that would change the face of rail in Vietnam, a Chinese firm has proposed the construction of a new international railway line that would span the Mekong Delta.

15 Projects That Will Change Saigon Forever: Part 2
The area between Bến Thành Market and the Saigon Opera House is undeniably the epicenter of changes to the city’s urban fabric with the construction of pedestrian promenades, subway stations, a new ad...

Vietnam to Get High Speed Trains That Can Reach 350kph
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved plans for a massive overhaul of Vietnam’s rail network over the next 35 years.

Medical Musings: Beware Of Fake Alcohol In Vietnam
Vietnam drinks a lot of alcohol. In fact, it tops the list in Southeast Asia at nearly 3 billion liters yearly. While beer is the alcoholic beverage of choice for many, spirits are also a popular opti...