The Childhood of Côn Đảo's Baby Turtles Caught on Film
In July, I visited Côn Đảo National Park as part of a group of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) sea turtle volunteers to see first-hand conservation efforts aimed at the local sea turtle population.
Ward off Your Monday Blues by Joining Me on Beginners' Skateboard Night
Usually in life, niche topics are commonly associated with unpleasant stigmas and misunderstandings — skateboarding in Vietnam is no exception. Once, I admittedly was influenced by such one-sided assumptions.
Pure Passion Turns Dark: The Unexpected Dangers of the Wild Turtle Trade
Seeking a companion during quarantine, Khánh*, a 25-year-old Hanoian, bought a baby turtle through a Facebook group.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
A Case for the Sweet-and-Sour Tamarind as Saigon's Official Municipal Tree
What is the municipal tree of Saigon? In popular culture, Hanoi is perhaps intricately linked with the paralyzing but often romanticized aroma of hoa sữa, while just over a hundred kilometers to the east, Hải Phòng proudly brandishes the name “the city of red phượng flowers.” Đà Lạt has too many flower varieties to choose just one, and settles for “the city of a thousand flowers.” Down south, Bến Tre’s abundance of coconut trees is famous nationwide. Ask any Saigoneer this question, and you’re likely to get one of two answers: chò nâu (dipterocarp) or me (tamarind).
Requiem for a Bàng Tree That Was Cut Down in Front of My Home
Curiosity drove me downstairs into the downpour. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the municipal workers — clad in orange-and-green uniforms, their clothes soaked — gathering around a crane. Their attention was focused upward. Following their gaze, I looked up, and froze.
How the Ghosts of iPhones Past Haunt Vietnam's Low-Income Communities
The current e-waste crisis in Vietnam is one example of global environmental apartheid.
Keeping Cool in Thủ Đức With This Humble Abode’s Well-Ventilated Design
Thick multi-layer brick walls, shaded areas, water features, and natural ventilation allow this private home to stay cool amidst the city's stifling heat.
Saigon's VOH Radio Building, a Marvel of Architect Lê Văn Lắm's Modernist Intuition
In the middle of the 20th century, Vietnam grew to become one of the world’s prominent centers of modernist architecture. Saigon at the time was an economic and cultural heart of the region, with many official government structures constructed and designed in the style of modernist architecture. They were created with aesthetics and form in mind, laying the groundwork to usher in a new period of growth for Vietnamese creative independence.
[Video] The Fiery Spectacle of Vietnam's Professional Wrestling Scene
In skimpy shorts, menacing facepaint, and sometimes even impressive props, members of the Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW) club engage in energetic “battles” that incorporate flying acrobatics and dynamic ...
Ná Nả: How a Grassroots Initiative Enriches the Lives of Ethnic Minorities
Khang A Tủa is attending university in Ho Chi Minh City, but he took the last semester off to run a project supporting people of the H’Mong ethnic minority.
Vietnam Announces New App to Unify All Previous Covid-19 Apps
One app to rule them all.
The Unexpected Lure of Watching Streamers Drive a Truck Across a Virtual Vietnam
As the months-long lockdown drags on — though with some light at the end of the tunnel — and with in-person programs being canceled or put on indefinite hiatus, demand for virtual entertainment has na...
Khôi Phạm in Tech
Review: Vietnamese Indie Game 'Hoa' Is a Soothing Oasis in the Age of Anxiety
There is an exquisite but hard-to-name feeling that engulfs me every time I finish watching a particularly outstanding movie. It’s a lingering mixture of awe, fulfillment, wistfulness, anguish, contem...
In Lockdown, Saigoneers Draw Strength From an Unexpected Wealth of Support: Each Other
They largely didn't know each other, except for their flatmates. Then the COVID-19 outbreak began, and they got closer. They are now more accommodating, caring and loving.
How Hanoi Residents and Collectives Look out for the City's Most Vulnerable
“He was so happy to be given rice. And he didn’t have a smartphone or anything like that. I felt I had helped someone that really needed help, and I felt very happy about that.”
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Voi: From Hai Bà Trưng's Fearsome Companions to Tourism Servants
Does art need a purpose?
[Photos] D2's Okkio Cafe Is an Architectural Homage to Wong Kar-Wai
Today's architecture feature will be familiar to frequent visitors of Thao Dien.
UNESCO Recognizes Nui Chua, Kon Ha Nung as Vietnam's New Biosphere Reserves
They are in Ninh Thuan and Gia Lai.
Vietnamese Company Buys 50m Doses of Spanish Covid-19 Vaccine
Another vaccine will come to Vietnam in the future.
Love in the Time of Corona: Long-Distance Relationships When You're Just 1km Apart
In an ever-moving world, “long distance” has become a well-established concept in modern relationships. It’s easy to spot couples with one half living in a different time zone among our social circles...
Without Ride-Hailing, Public Buses, Saigon's Taxis Are Thrust Into the Frontline
Through the windows of a taxi cab making its way through deserted Ho Chi Minh City, the once-bustling Vietnamese metropolis is almost unrecognizable as empty street after empty street rolls by.
95% of Hanoi's Residents Over Age 18 Have Received At Least One Dose of a Covid Vaccine
According to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Vaccination Portal, about 95% of resident Hanoians aged 18 or above have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. On Sunday alone, the city administered 573,829 ...
5ha of Coastal Protection Forest Destroyed by Solar Power Project: 'It Was an Accident'
While carrying out site clearance for a solar power project in Binh Dinh Province, workers unlawfully destroyed a large swath of local coastal protection forest.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
Lá Dứa: The OG Queen of Vietnamese Desserts
There’s a 99% chance that a Vietnamese child’s first exposure to lá dứa, or pandan, is in the form of rau câu.
Storm Conson Weakens While Typhoon Chanthu Gains Strength; Both Will Make Landfall this Weekend
As both storms move closer to land, Typhoon Chanthu has stolen energy from Tropical Storm Conson. Chanthu's wind speeds accelerated from 50 km/h to 260 km/h within just 48 hours.
Dr. Plastic, the Hanoi Duo Who Give New Life to Single-Use Plastic
Plastic pollution is considered one of the main environmental threats to our planet’s health.
[Photos] Renovation Project Brings Comfy Classrooms to Remote Son La School
It's hard to nourish the mind when the body is suffering.
With Just Few Games Left, VBA Cancels 2021 Basketball Season
There is more to life than ball.
