Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

A Folk Symbol and Cash Animal, King Cobras Just Really Want to Be Left Alone

The king cobra, or rắn hổ mang chúa in Vietnamese, has great personal branding. For proof, one need look no further than the recent flower display on Nguyễn Huệ celebrating the Year of the Snake: the largest, most impressive statue bore the telltale hood of a cobra.

in Environment

How You Can Think and Live Sustainably

Frequently touted as environmentally friendly options that help preserve the planet, cotton tote bags require so much energy and freshwater to produce that you must use one at least 7,000 times to make it an effective alternative to plastic bags. Finding out that purchases, habits, and initiatives you thought were good for the planet, such as using tote bags, are in fact not likely to help our current climate crisis can be disheartening. Recognizing how the sustainability movement is rife with performative acts, corporate greenwashing and good intentions thwarted by misinformation threatens to discourage people from the entire concept.

Paul Christiansen

in Sports

Adding Billiards to Saigon's Pantheon of Pastimes

The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?

Khôi Phạm

in Society

In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another

The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

The Role of Sand Batteries in Responding to the Climate Change Crisis

How does a sand battery work? 

Khôi Phạm

in Development

With the HCMC Metro Here, It's Time to Cultivate Saigon's Very Own Metro Culture

One of my least favorite genres of comments on Saigoneer’s social media posts is jokes involving the laggard opening of the HCMC Metro and some random, outrageous year far into the next decades, or even centuries.

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 2: The Vietnamese Diaspora, Unicode and the Ubiquity of Unikey

This is part 2 of our two-part series on the history of Vietnamese-centric typing technologies. Part 1 can be  acces...

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 1: Language, Identity and Technology at a Crossroad

My first exposure to the computer traces back to my primary school years when computer classes were conducted once a week. In order to study computers, students had to migrate from their usual classrooms to a multimedia lab — an air-conditioned room filled with computers. Computer classes were generally more popular among us than most subjects thanks to that satisfying cool breeze and the delight of operating something one wasn't privileged with at home.

Back Society

in Development

Design Competition Seeking Your Ideas On How To Make Saigon More Beautiful

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor for Saigon Makeover, a new design competition for graphic designers, artists and young people at large to share their creative vision of how different parts ...

in Tech

Zero Gravity Flights Coming To Asia

Ever wish you could float like an astronaut in space? Soon you may be able to do so without having to leave Asia.

in Development

Hanoi’s Beautiful 'Greenfall Renovation'

Yeah, we know. Vo Trong Nghia Architects seems to get all the press when it comes to unique housing design in Vietnam, but for good reason. They’re constantly pushing the envelope and seem unafraid of...

in Tech

Vietnamese Telecos: Don’t Expect 4G Anytime Soon

Hoping to see the text “4G” atop your mobile phone screen? You’ll have to wait a bit longer. Instead of upgrading their mobile data networks to 4G, Vietnamese telecommunication companies are focusing ...

in Development

Experts Say Saigon Needs A Plan To Preserve Ancient Trees

Saigon residents voiced their displeasure after 51 trees, some 150 years old, were uprooted and axed to make room for the new Saigon Opera House metro station. This sentiment was echoed by urban tree ...

in Tech

Facebook Locks Vietnamese Users’ Accounts, Asks Them To Change Their Passwords

This morning, many Vietnamese Facebook users woke up to a surprising message, notifying them that their accounts had been locked and requesting that they change their passwords, reports VN Express.

in Development

Future Saigon: The Nexus Complex

One of Saigon’s most desirable areas when it comes to real estate is Tôn Đức Thắng Street. Like in any emerging city, locations along the water are ripe in the eyes of developers. Especially when a su...

in Development

[Photos] Views From Vietnam’s Second Tallest Building

At 267m, Hanoi’s new $400 million Lotte Center offers some pretty amazing views of the capital. Recently, Zing sent one of their photographers up to the building's 65th floor where they captured image...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Green Dreams: FPT University Administration Building

Vo Trong Nghia architects are back in the spotlight, this time for their FPT University administration building. It's green checkerboard design is so inviting, it almost makes us want to go back ...

in Health

Tour de An Phu Bike Ride @ The Bike Shop

From the organizer: This is a fun ride suitable for Adult and Teen riders of all levels. As this is an evening event, and we are sharing the road with other vehicles, for safety reasons it is strongly...

in Development

[Photos] Changes Over Time: Saigon's Canals (2005 - 2014) Part III

A major feature of Saigon’s recent urban development has been the implementation of major infrastructure projects including upgrading canals across the city.

in Health

Rooftop Vegetable Gardens Catching On In Hanoi

We’ve always thought that Saigon’s rooftops were the perfect place to grow vegetables, especially given the questions about food safety that have cropped up over the past few years. Though they probab...

in Tech

Da Nang Launches Free, City-Wide WiFi Network

In the works since 2003, Da Nang’s free WIFI network has been officially launched after a successful year-long trial, reports DTI News.

in Development

[Photos] Vietnam’s Second Tallest Building Set To Open

The second tallest building in Vietnam, the Hà Nội Lotte Center, is in its final stages of construction and is set to open for public use on September 2 after 5 years of construction, according to Zin...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Dong Nguyen Brings 'Flappy Bird' Back To Life

Get ready for an uptick in your blood pressure. Flappy Bird is back.

in Tech

M2 Marketing & Media Networking @ Cargo

From the organizer: Join us for August's “M2 – Marketing & Media Network” event for people interested in advertising, digital, marketing, media and technology.

in Development

PM Approves High-Speed Rail and Airport Upgrades in Massive Transportation Overhaul

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has issued a sweeping plan to overhaul Vietnam’s transportation infrastructure through 2020, covering everything from high-speed rail to airport upgrades reports Vietnam...

in Tech

7 Vietnamese Tech Products That Have Become International Hits

TechinAsia recently posted a list of 7 remarkable Vietnamese technologies that have become international standouts. From robots to iOS apps, Vietnam is slowly but surely reaching impressive technologi...

Brian Letwin

in Development

House 81: An Urban Oasis In District 2

This beautiful District 2 home, built by architecture firm, REALarchitecture, has some pretty impressive design elements that erase the distinction between indoor/outdoor spac...

in Tech

Intel Plans To Produce 80% Of Its Processors In Vietnam By Next Year

Yesterday, Intel announced that by this time next year, it hopes to be producing 80% of its semiconductor chips in Vietnam, reports Tuoi Tre.