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.
Girders Installed On Saigon’s First Metro Line
If you’ve zipped along the North-South Highway in recent days, you’ve probably noticed a girder-laying machine doing its thing just off of Thao Dien Street.
Vietnam to Get 3 New Internet Cables
Following constant ruptures to the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), Vietnamese telecommunication firms and government agencies are planning to build three new cables to ensure that the country's internet u...
[Photos] Saigon House Recaptures City’s Fading Charm
The Saigon House (perhaps located in District 6 due to the presence of Chinese-style shrines out front), seeks to recreate the lost Vuong Hong Sen's dwellings that once dotted Saigon-Gia Dinh.
Vietnam Pushes Ahead With High-Speed Rail Line
While Saigon may soon be getting its eagerly awaited metro and BRT systems, a considerably larger infrastructure project is slowly gaining steam – a north-south high-speed railway.
TPP Deal Could Add 30% to Vietnam’s GDP
At a conference in Saigon last week, Charles H. Rivkin, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, said that if passed, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement ...
WB Approves US$124m Loan For Saigon Bus Rapid Transit System
With the approval of a US$124 million World Bank loan, it looks like things are finally coming together for Saigon’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system.
Vietnam Has Nowhere to Put Its Nuclear Waste
As Vietnam continues on its long, arduous path toward nuclear power, experts have highlighted the need for a sound nuclear waste disposal policy.
Hà Nội: CAPITAL City - Soul Of The Capital City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the Hà Nội: CAPITAL City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos and stories. To...
[Photos] Pollution Kills Tens of Thousands of Fish in Saigon’s Revitalized Canal
Last Tuesday, residents living along Saigon’s Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal woke up to the foul odor of dead fish.
Achieve Sushi Zen At This Minimalist D1 Japanese Restaurant
Local architecture firm, 07Beach, has become the go-to choice for many of Saigon’s best Japanese restaurants. After the completion of the minimalist 4P’s Bar and Ramen Bar Suzuki, the firm’s main...
Vietnamese Tech Firm Unleashes 'the Best Smartphone in the World'
Vietnamese tech company, Bkav has unveiled the Bphone, a smartphone that the firm’s CEO has ambitiously dubbed “the best smartphone in the world.”
Hà Nội: CAPITAL City - Urban Transport
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the Hà Nội: CAPITAL City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos and s...
[Video] What Happens When Vietnamese Try to Use a Condom for the First Time
You know sex education in Vietnam is lacking when a group of 20-somethings struggle mightily to unfurl a condom.
Nha Trang To Be “More Beautiful Than Hawaii," "More Developed Than Hong Kong": Official
Officials have big plans in store for Nha Trang, presenting an urban development plan that they claim would make the coastal city “more beautiful than Hawaii” and “more developed than Hong Kong.”
Report Finds 77% Decrease in Vietnamese Rhino Horn Buyers
It looks like the anti-rhino horn campaigns are finally paying off in Vietnam with a new report finding that there has been a 77% decrease in domestic buyers and a 66% drop in the number of people who...
[Photos] Inside Vietnam's Only Nuclear Reactor
Vietnam has operated a nuclear reactor on-and-off since 1963 when the Americans helped create the Da lat Nuclear Research Institute. There, a General Atomics-built TRIGA-Mark II reactor was installed ...
Fake Rice Made With Plastic Has Allegedly Made Its Way To Vietnam
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about when it comes to local food safety, reports have surfaced that fake, plastic-based rice may have found its way into our food supply.
[Photos] New Renderings Of Binh Thanh District’s Central Park Complex
Between the Saigon and Thu Thiem bridges in Binh Thanh District sits a large plot from which steel skeletons are slowly emerging. If things go according to plan, by 2017, a massive, dense urban area w...
Vietnam’s Internet Speeds Ranked 99th Globally In New Report
The latest “State of the Internet” quarterly report found that while Vietnam ranks toward the back of the pack when it comes to internet speeds, things are looking up.
Future Saigon: The Gold View
District 4’s waterfront is about to get a major addition with a sprawling mixed-use complex across from downtown Saigon.
