Listen to the Unique 'Dialects' Found in Regional Vietnamese Modernist Architecture
“It was my uncle who came up with the design. There are no drawings left; everything was improvised back then,” the owner of a modernist homestay in Ninh Thuận told me. No architect, just an idea and a craftsman to pour it into concrete.
How Overreliance on Pesticides Traps Thai Farmers in a Vicious Circle of Debt
As the sun rises over the village of Ban Wichit Pattana in north-east Thailand, 62-year-old Chuchart Srithachum does his morning exercise, walking as best he can on his prosthetic leg along the street outside his home.
Khôi Phạm in Architecture
Illustration Project 'Con Ốc Nhỏ' Archives Southern Vietnam's Diverse Architectural Facades
Riding a motorbike is the most popular mode of transport in Vietnam. Albeit convenient and fast, being on a bike, merging in and out of the ever-flowing, hurried traffic, might not afford you the slow pace needed to fully appreciate the urban landscapes and their hidden gems. Vietnamese artist Bờm Sketcher, on the other hand, is fully in support of walking as the best way to document the most fascinating corners of local streets onto his pages.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Kiến Ba Khoang: Not an Ant, but a Harbinger of Dread and Divine Punishment
People’s skin erupted with horrific boils that burst open, spilling stinging pus across vicious rashes. According to the Christian Bible, along with water turning to blood, frogs, lice, gnats, diseased livestock, hail, locusts, darkness for three days and the killing of firstborn sons, the boils were one of the plagues God sent down to ancient Egyptians to compel them to free the Israelites.
Khôi Phạm in Tech
Review: Horror Game 'Tai Ương' Exposes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Our Culture
Natural disasters, illnesses, accidents, breakages, or even deaths: when a series of consecutive tragedies engulf a family, it’s often said that tai ương has befallen the unfornate victims. The term is also the name of a recently published Vietnamese horror game that has been making waves amongst gaming communities both nationwide and internationally, thanks to its layered narrative, chilling atmosphere, and meticulously crafted game environment.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
WildAct's Trang Nguyễn Turns to Social Media to Inspire a New Generation to Love Nature
Dr. Trang Nguyễn — a wildlife conservation scientist with a PhD from Cambridge and the founder of WildAct — needs little introduction. She has been recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30, called a conservation “hero” by Sir David Attenborough on BBC’s Planet Earth III, and had her inspiring story, which includes going undercover to bring down illegal ivory poaching rings in Africa after surviving cancer, covered widely. But much of her work has been behind the scenes or at least in corners devoted to conservations. Her recent arrival on the social media scene, amongst memes, music videos, and TikTok challenges, represents a shift in approach.
Phạm Phú Vinh in Architecture
Vietnamese Vernacular Modernism Is a Local Language Created by the Ordinary People
In the history of architecture, rarely have we seen such a challenging movement as Vietnamese modernism. Not only does it show how a culture evolves and expresses itself across historical epochs through its building practice, from the traditional to colonial and eventually modern period, but the language of Vietnamese vernacular modernism also reveals deeper understandings of human creative potential.
How Saigon's V.A.R Building Epitomizes Vietnam's Architectural Autonomy
Completed in 1973, the V.A.R building at 9 Nguyễn Công Trứ Street in Nguyễn Thái Binh Ward, District 1, is a prominent example of Vietnamese mid-20th-century modernist architecture designed by architect Lê Văn Lắm. It not only represents the Vietnamese architectural identity in post-colonial eras, but also exemplifies its cultural autonomy.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Tech
The Story Behind Google's First-Ever Made-in-Vietnam Ad
Director Bao Nguyen explains the story behind Google's first-ever TV commercial made for Vietnamese audiences.
Saigon Approves Expansion of Can Gio Tourism Project
Last week, city officials approved an additional 480 hectares of sea area for the Saigon Sunbay tourism development in Can Gio.
Saigon Is Getting a New People's Committee Building
The area around Nguyen Hue has undergone a major transformation in the last year or so. In keeping with these drastic changes, there will soon be another upgrade to the walking street, as one of the c...
[Photos] Check out the Fancy New Hanoi-Hai Phong Highway
Making the trip from Hanoi to Hai Phong will be much easier come December, when a brand-new high-speed road between the northern cities is complete.
Check Out Google's New 3D Rendering of Hong Kong
Have you ever sat at your computer on a slow-moving afternoon and wished you could see Hong Kong the way birds do?
Saigon May Chop Down 150-Year-Old Trees in Tao Dan Park for Metro Line 2
Tao Dan Park, the green lung of downtown District 1, is about to get a little smaller, as the city's People's Committee may soon approve a plan to repurpose 2,100 square meters of the space for metro ...
Check Out the Revamped Honda NX200 That Runs on Water
Saigon is developing at a breakneck pace. As the number of motorbikes in the city continues to climb, air pollution reaches dangerous levels in urban Vietnam, making it hard to imagine a city free of ...
[Photos] Innovative Design Sets This Da Nang Garden Villa Apart
If you're the type to spring for a beachfront resort on holiday, you know that nobody wants to stay in the garden villa. It's almost a tease, being led so close to those sweeping ocean views only to h...
Check out Vietnam's Top 15 Most-Funded E-Commerce Startups
Just like mobile games, e-commerce is a booming industry in Vietnam.
[Photos] Meet Tan Phu District's Breeze House
Saigon is full of surprises. Whether it's a theme park in District 9, a hidden temple in the heart of downtown or a high-end fashion shop in Binh Chanh, things in this city crop up exactly where you l...
Netflix Is Coming To Cambodia In 2016
No matter who you are, this is a sight you've seen at least once in your life:
Tan Son Nhat to Be Expanded...Again
Last Friday, local officials announced further plans to expand Tan Son Nhat International Airport as part of an ongoing effort to ease passenger overcrowding.
Health Officials May Require 'Rape Verification' For Certain Abortions
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health may require rape victims seeking an abortion for a fetus older than 12 weeks to verify that they have been sexually assaulted.
German Firm Wins Design Contest For Hanoi's National Conference & Exhibition Center
After a two-month contest, Vingroup has selected a winner to design its upcoming development project, the National Conference & Exhibition Center in Hanoi's Co Loa area.
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...
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.
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...
[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 ...
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.
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.
