The Childhood of Côn Đảo's Baby Turtles Caught on Film
In July, I visited Côn Đảo National Park as part of a group of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) sea turtle volunteers to see first-hand conservation efforts aimed at the local sea turtle population.
Ward off Your Monday Blues by Joining Me on Beginners' Skateboard Night
Usually in life, niche topics are commonly associated with unpleasant stigmas and misunderstandings — skateboarding in Vietnam is no exception. Once, I admittedly was influenced by such one-sided assumptions.
Pure Passion Turns Dark: The Unexpected Dangers of the Wild Turtle Trade
Seeking a companion during quarantine, Khánh*, a 25-year-old Hanoian, bought a baby turtle through a Facebook group.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
A Case for the Sweet-and-Sour Tamarind as Saigon's Official Municipal Tree
What is the municipal tree of Saigon? In popular culture, Hanoi is perhaps intricately linked with the paralyzing but often romanticized aroma of hoa sữa, while just over a hundred kilometers to the east, Hải Phòng proudly brandishes the name “the city of red phượng flowers.” Đà Lạt has too many flower varieties to choose just one, and settles for “the city of a thousand flowers.” Down south, Bến Tre’s abundance of coconut trees is famous nationwide. Ask any Saigoneer this question, and you’re likely to get one of two answers: chò nâu (dipterocarp) or me (tamarind).
Requiem for a Bàng Tree That Was Cut Down in Front of My Home
Curiosity drove me downstairs into the downpour. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the municipal workers — clad in orange-and-green uniforms, their clothes soaked — gathering around a crane. Their attention was focused upward. Following their gaze, I looked up, and froze.
How the Ghosts of iPhones Past Haunt Vietnam's Low-Income Communities
The current e-waste crisis in Vietnam is one example of global environmental apartheid.
Keeping Cool in Thủ Đức With This Humble Abode’s Well-Ventilated Design
Thick multi-layer brick walls, shaded areas, water features, and natural ventilation allow this private home to stay cool amidst the city's stifling heat.
Saigon's VOH Radio Building, a Marvel of Architect Lê Văn Lắm's Modernist Intuition
In the middle of the 20th century, Vietnam grew to become one of the world’s prominent centers of modernist architecture. Saigon at the time was an economic and cultural heart of the region, with many official government structures constructed and designed in the style of modernist architecture. They were created with aesthetics and form in mind, laying the groundwork to usher in a new period of growth for Vietnamese creative independence.
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...
The 10 Tallest Buildings In Vietnam
After hearing that Hanoi is planning to build the world’s largest broadcast tower, it got us wondering – what are the tallest buildings in Vietnam?
Launching Event: “Hà Nội: CAPITAL City” & TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City" Photo Books
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...
Lotte, Japanese Firms Partner up on $2bn Eco Smart City in D2
Perhaps the development of Thu Thiem is finally underway with the announcement that South Korean multinational Lotte will team up with two Japanese developers on a US$2 billion mega project in the pen...
Fake Fanpages Of Vietnamese Politicians Flood Facebook
As some Vietnamese politicians embrace Facebook, others have been a bit slower to adopt it. However, many in the latter group are already represented on the social network with fake Fanpages.
World’s Tallest Broadcasting Tower To Be Built In Hanoi
Plans are in the works for what will be by far the tallest structure in Vietnam.
Microsoft To Move 2 Nokia Factories From China To Vietnam For Lower Labor Costs
It looks like Vietnam’s master plan to lure global tech companies is panning out with the announcement last week that Microsoft is closing two of its handset plants in China and moving operations to V...
15 Projects That Will Change Saigon Forever: Part 1
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 n...
Inside Nhà Bè District's "B House"
This small but impressive home in Saigon's Nhà Bè District was built on a premise of “open but introverted space.” The structure, designed by i.House Architecture and Construction, feat...
US$100 Million Budgeted To Return A Saigon Canal To Its Former Glory
Hàng Bàng Canal, formerly known as Canal Bonard, will soon receive a massive US$100 million renovation in a bid to return the narrow brackish creek into a clean, manicured waterway.
Medical Musings: Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-transmitted viral illness in the world. It is seen in Vietnam and over 120 other sub-tropical and tropical countries, wherever the Aedes aegypti mosquito is fo...
Google.vn Hacked By "Lizard Squad"
This afternoon, users attempting to connect to the Google.vn homepage were greeted by text, a photo and video courtesy of what appears to be a small collective of American hackers.
[Photos] Da Nang House Inspired by Termite Mounds and Champa Architecture
The Termitary House, recently completed by Tropical Space Architects in Da Nang's Thanh Khe District, gets its inspiration from both intricate termite mounds and the baked-brick towers of the Cha...
