in Health

Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines

We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Charting the Flow of the Nhiêu Lộc Canal From Start to Historical Start

When I fall in love with an album, I seek out the artist's first mixtapes and demos. When I come to admire a poet, I hunt down their early poems and chapbooks. I even linger over the old highlight reels of my favorite football players' college games. Understanding where something starts allows me appreciate it more. So it is with the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal.

Khôi Phạm

in Society

Nhiêu Lộc Canal Hosted Trudeau's Night Run. Why Is It Not as Famous as Obama's Bún Chả?

You know how much Vietnamese culture revolves around food by the fact that one of the first questions we pose to any foreign visitor is “What’s your favorite Vietnamese dish?” Asking about other aspects of the country could invite honest opinions that some of us might not be prepared to hear. Deep down, more than anybody else, we know that our air quality is subpar and our urban cleanliness leaves much to be desired, but our food is the one thing every Vietnamese can trust to make us proud. What easier way to foster diplomacy than to center the conversation around deliciousness?

in Architecture

In Hanoi, a Family Home Balances Commercial Hustle With Spiritual Haven

If many Vietnamese families often opt to reserve one room in their house plan for ancestor worship, this household in Hanoi decided to dedicate an entire backyard to their family altar.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Homage to the Mekong Delta and Its Bag-Wearing Fruits

Rats, mice, mosquitos, snakes, centipedes, caterpillars, snails, beetles and slugs: the more fertile a region is, the more pests inhabit it.

in Tech

Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in recent years. Last year, gay dating app Grindr continued the tradition with their own annual insights, and Vietnam managed to claim a spot in the roundup.

in Environment

On the 12th Day of Christmas Saigoneer Gave to Me: 12 Birdcalls From Across Vietnam

Almost everywhere we go in the world, birdsong abounds.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Crickets Are More Than Just Chirpy Reminders of Our Childhood

Cricket song. You read the words and immediately hear the chirping. That thrilling trill of strummed air. Humans have been hearing that quivering echo since we first came into existence. And over time, we’ve attached a variety of meanings to it and the creature that makes it.

Back Society

in Development

Tân Bình Market Set To Be Demolished, Rebuilt

Despite protests from traders, The administration of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tân Bình District plans to move forward with a plan to replace the 50-year-old Tân Bình Market with “a six-story traditional, ci...

in Development

Traffic Jams Cost HCMC $1.2bn Each Year: Expert

We knew traffic was getting worse in HCMC, but we had no idea it was this expensive.

in Development

Vietnam Pushes Back Construction Of First Nuclear Power Plant

At a meeting of the Science, Technology, and Environmental Committee of the National Assembly last Thursday, Deputy Trade Minister Cao Quoc Hung said that the construction of Vietnam’s first nuclear p...

in Tech

iPhone 6 Arrives In Hanoi With VND40 Million Price Tag

The new iPhones have arrived in Vietnam, Apple’s hottest market, with some pretty hefty price tags.

in Development

Detailed Map Of The Entire HCMC Metro System

Saigon’s Bến Thành–Suối Tiên metro line is something of a teaser, the first of 6 that will serve the sprawling metropolis. While it's hard to say how accurate it is given a lack of official infor...

in Health

HCMC Moves To Cut Plastic Bag Use

Following in the footsteps of other large cities around the world, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is pushing HCMC to reduce its reliance on plastic bags, reports Vietnam News.

in Development

Future Saigon: Thủ Thiêm’s Đại Quang Minh Project

The Đại Quang Minh Real Estate Corporation’s project in Thủ Thiêm is a mixed development of high-rise apartment buildings and villas that will include schools, shopping centers, cinemas, sports center...

in Development

[Video] Take A Virtual Ride On Saigon’s First Metro

Saigon’s metro system won’t be inaugurated for another 4 years or so, but while you wait, take a virtual ride on the Bến Thành–Suối Tiên line.

Brian Letwin

in Architecture

[Photos] A Look At The Bygone Era Of “New” Cambodian Architecture

In the 1950s and 60s, Cambodia was developing a unique architectural style, one which blended aspects of the Modern Movement with traditional features found at Angkor. This movement, known as “New Khm...

in Development

Nguyen Hue Street To Add Massive Pedestrian-Only Promenade

It may be hard to believe given the current state of the area, but Nguyen Hue Street’s future is paved with granite sidewalks, 3D art and electric trams.

in Architecture

2 Slim Vietnamese Homes Featured In British Architecture Magazine

2 Vietnamese homes designed by Vietnamese architects have made Deezen Magazine’s list of “10 Super Skinny Houses.”

in Development

Saigon’s Bus Rapid Transit System Set To Launch In 2018

Along with a new metro, Saigon has launched a project to build a $155 million, 6-line bus rapid transit (BRT) system, with the first to be completed by 2018.

in Health

Final Trials Find Dengue Vaccine to Be Highly Effective

Death from dengue fever, which plagues Vietnam and other tropical regions across the globe, may soon be a thing of the past after French drug maker, Sanofi, announced that it had achieved high su...

in Development

[Photos] Inside Thu Thiem’s $87 Million Park

Perhaps Ho Chi Minh City has figured out a way to spark part of its long-stalled Thu Thiem Urban Area project – trade land in exchange for development and infrastructure.

in Health

BBGV 14th Annual Fun Run For Charity

BBGV Annual Fun Run for Charity is an event which allows you to have fun with your fellow co-workers, friends and family but also participate in something which raises money for disadvantaged people t...

in Health

Vietnam Proposes Ban On Sidewalk Alcohol Sales

A new draft decree from the Ministry of Industry and Trade that proposes a ban on sidewalk alcohol sales has come under scrutiny for being “ill-conceived and unfeasible,” according to Thanh Nien.

in Development

HCMC Authorities Push To Fast Track New Airport

With increased air traffic and pressure to accommodate more flights, HCMC authorities are pushing hard to fast track approval for the $10 billion Long Thanh Airport project, reports TTR Weekly.

in Development

Go Vap House Blends Traditional Construction With Contemporary Design

This Go Vap house built by MM++ Architects utilizes low cost materials and combines traditional construction principles with contemporary design for some beautiful results.

in Tech

$189m Plan to Give 300,000 HCMC Students Tablets Draws Criticism

Last week the HCMC Department of Education proposed a plan to equip 300,000 primary students with tablets for the coming school year, reports Thanh Nien. With a pricetag of VND3 million – VND 5 m...

Brian Letwin

in Development

A Look At The Progress Of HCMC's First Metro Line

Now that ground has been broken on the underground stations in District 1, construction of HCMC’s first metro system is in full swing. But with a number of major construction sites across nearly 20km ...