in Development

From the Ground up Into the Air: The Evolution of Bitexco in 25 Photos

Between Thủ Thiêm's ambitious new skyscrapers, the planned transformation of Thanh Đa Peninsula and a LEED-standard apart...

in Environment

The Global Waste Trade Fuels the Rise of Waste Colonialism in Southeast Asia

In August 2025, Malaysian campaigner Wong Pui Yi stood outside the UN headquarters in Geneva and made an appeal to Global North nations: “Stop treating the Global South as the rubbish bin for plastic waste you cannot handle.”

in Sports

Pedaling for a Purpose: The Coastal Cycling Challenge Bringing Homes to Quảng Ngãi

During February and March, a group of volunteers from Saigon spent five days cycling up the coast, starting in Thảo Điền and ending up in the mountainous district of Trà Bông, nestled deep in Quảng Ngãi Province.

Michael Tatarski

in Natural Selection

Voọc Cát Bà: The Endangered Primate of Karst Land

Imagine being born one color, and growing up into a very differently hued adult.

in Tech

Vietnamese Indie Studio Skrollcat Announces 'Hoa 2,' Sequel of 2021 Award-Winning Game

In 2021, the first Hoa title came out just in time to soothe our pandemic anxiety. Five years later, will Hoa 2 be up for the job in this new era of fuel crisis and global instability?

in Architecture

The Aesthetic Yet Functional Role of Shade in the Genome of Modernist Architecture

Since the mid-20th century, Vietnamese architecture has started to be made from industrial materials such as concrete, steel, glass, etc. This resulted in Vietnamese modernism, a branch of global modernism.

in Environment

Vietnam's Woolly Bat Is Being Hunted to Extinction to Be Halloween Decorations

With hues of orange and black on its wings and a furry, fluffy face, the painted woolly bat is a stunner. But its beauty has become a deadly liability. People want to hang the bats — dead and stuffed — on their walls, display them as collectibles and even set them in jewelry.

in Natural Selection

In Search of Ba Khía, the Mangrove Crab That Captures the Soul of Cà Mau

The tide is low tonight. The mud flats, enveloped in the mangrove forest’s darkness, are dotted with the sporadic flares of headlamps. On bundles of exposed mangrove roots, shadows cast by black crabs crowd out one another. In my hometown, we call them “ba khía.”

Back Society

in Health

Saigon Sees a Sharp Rise in Dengue Fever

This has been a tough year for dengue in Vietnam. While health officials have been cautioning for months now that the illness, passed by mosquitoes, is on the rise, dengue has reached peak levels in t...

in Development

Hanoi: CAPITAL City Book Wins Bui Xuan Phai Award

Earlier this year, German lecturer Michael Waibel released Hà Nội: Capital City, a beautiful, large-format photo book, in conjuction with Audi Vietnam and the Goethe Institute.

in Tech

Vietnamese Startups Hold Their Own Among Southeast Asia's Top 30 Tech Outfits

Vietnam's tech star is on the rise. These days, startup communities are thriving across the country, new crowdfunding laws are being developed to help burgeoning tech companies get off the ground...

in Development

[Photos] Bitexco Group To Transform Thanh Da Into Urban Wasteland

If you've ever been to Thanh Da, you know that it's practically a rural village stuck smack-dab in the middle of Saigon. Rice paddies and fishing ponds take up most of the peninsula, along with a few ...

in Development

Saigon Metro Lines Face Delays, Cost Overruns

While work on Saigon’s metro line No. 1 chugs along, two of its brothers, metro lines numbers 2 and 5, are facing a slew of delays and cost overruns.

in Development

Agreement Reached on Trans-Pacific Partnership

On Monday, officials from 12 Pacific Rim nations reached an agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest regional trade agreement to date.

in Development

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. 

in Development

[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.

in Development

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.

in Development

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...

in Tech

'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.

in Architecture

[Photos] This Nha Trang Cafe Is Not Your Average Roadside Haunt

Who says the old can't be new again?

in Development

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.

in Health

[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...

in Development

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.

in Development

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.

in Environment

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.

in Architecture

[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.

in Development

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.

in Development

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...