
How a Dance Project Is Reframing Deaf Identity in Saigon via Movement Art
Lắng Nghe Điểm Chạm is a project aiming to expand exposure opportunities and application potentials of performing arts into the life of marginalized and minority communities of Vietnam.

I Saw the World's Most Handsome Bird Right in Vietnam's Hidden Backyard
Everywhere I go in Vietnam, I keep my eyes peeled for the incredible birds that call this country home. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. I scan the horizon above low hills for migratory hawks. I stare into breaks in the foliage for passing buttonquail. I peer into rice paddies, fingers crossed for a cryptic snipe. And, of course, there’s Facebook. I refresh Facebook over and over again, waiting for the arrival of the mandarin duck. Its scientific name is Aix galericulata, which one assumes means “prettiest goddamn duck in the world.”

The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams
I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush and that one tree in the front yard of our school.

The Reason to Cry for Cu Li, Vietnam's Deeply Misunderstood Primate
A drop of the animal’s blood renders the soil barren; entire mountains can crumble and collapse where it landed. Be wary of this slow wayfarer of the forest, for if you catch sight of its glowing eyes in the distant darkness, your trip is doomed and should be abandoned immediately. And if someone brings one back to the village, make all efforts to return it to the jungle, lest you invite sorrow and ruin into your home. Don’t let its meagre stature, a mere 500 grams, and slow, cuddly demeanor confuse you; the cu li guards the gates to hell.

The Hunt for Vietnam's Dinosaurs Has Found Nothing Yet, but There Is Hope
Why aren’t there any Vietnamese dinosaurs?

In Hanoi, Waacking Is Not Just a Dance, but a Home for Creativity, Gender Fluidity Too
“I get to express my madness.” That is what Trần Khánh Linh, also known as Lyna, says when asked why she has been waacking for the last 10 years. By day, Lyna is a jewelry and gemstone seller, but by night, she joins her friends at the Soul Waackers, a waacking group based in Hanoi, and practices a dance style that allows her a vibrant way to self-express.

There's a Cordial Vietnamese Greeting That Has Been Floating in Space Since 1977
At this very moment, while you're reading these lines, a silver “bird” of human design is hurtling away from the Sun at roughly 60,000 kilometers per hour, slipping past the boundaries of our solar cradle and into the endless quiet of the cosmos.

How a Self-Taught Documentarian Spreads His Boundless Enthusiasm for Vietnam's Nature
Why “Sticky Discovery”? This was the first question I asked during my interview with the man behind the YouTube series of...

CNN: HCMC Is The World’s Best Emerging City For Startups
CNN recently interviewed Simon Squibb, CEO of Hong Kong-based Nest Investment, who ranked HCMC as the best emerging city for startups.

Vietnamese Demand for Rhino Horn Drops by More Than 33% in 1 Year
Well, here’s some great news for your Friday afternoon.

Hanoi Set To Test Its Bus Rapid Transit System
While Saigon will have to wait until 2018 for its first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, Hanoi will test the first leg of its BRT system in the coming months, reports Vietnam News.

Vinhome’s $1.4B Binh Thanh Project Will Include Vietnam's Tallest Building
Between the Saigon and Thủ Thiêm bridges in Bình Thạnh District sits a large plot of land which is currently home to stacks of shipping containers. If things go according to plan, by 2017, a massive, ...

Hanoi Launches High Tech Traffic Control Center
On October 1, Hanoi officially put its fancy new VND230 billion traffic control center into operation, reports Zing.

Saigon Must Preserve Its Old Buildings: Historian Tim Doling
Resident Saigoneer historian, Tim Doling, was recently did an interview with Vietnam Net where he made a strong case for the preservation of Saigon’s historic buildings.

Haivl, “Vietnam’s 9GAG,” Acquired For $1.5 Million By Local Ad Agency
Haivl, Vietnam’s answer to the massively popular US site 9GAG which entertains users with comical images and videos, has been acquired by a local ad agency, according to the site’s founder and admin, ...

Nguyen Hue Street Closed Until 2015 For Construction Of Pedestrian-Friendly Boulevard
The Department of Transport has announced that Nguyen Hue Street will be closed off between Le Loi and Ton Duc Thang Streets until April 28, 2015 when it will reopen as a pedestrian-only street, accor...

The Most Badass Motorcycle Helmet Ever Made Includes Rear Camera, Bluetooth
Pretend for a moment that money is no object. What would you include in your dream motorcycle helmet? Whatever you have in mind, it’s probably included in the Skully, a futuristic helmet that incorpor...

Tap Water in HCMC Tainted With Antibiotics, Toxins
We knew HCMC tap water had its issues, but we had no idea it was this bad.

Officials Call For Preservation Of Tax Center Interior
While there’s no saving the Tax Center which will soon be demolished to make way for a new 40-story tower, there are those that are calling for elements of the 90-year-old building to be preserved.

2 Vietnamese Designs Take Home Top Awards at International Architecture Festival
A21 Studio’s “The Chapel” and Vo Trong Nghia Architect’s “House For Trees” both took home top awards at last week’s World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore.

Saigon’s Metro Line 2 $784 Million More Than Expected And Delayed 2 Years
Due to inflation and an improved design which calls for the use of more expensive materials, HCMC’s metro line 2 (that will run from Bến Thành to Tham Lương) may be $784 million more than expected, ra...

You Won’t Believe How Many Packs Of Instant Noodles Vietnamese Consume Each Year
Given that Vietnamese munch on 2 billon Choco Pies each year, it may come as no surprise that another mass-produced “food,” instant noodles, are also consumed at an astronomical rate.

Trees On Tôn Đức Thắng Street To Be Cut Down For Bridge To Thủ Thiêm
There’s a price for progress and in Saigon it seems to be trees that are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of infrastructure development.

3 Reasons Why Wind Power Has A Strong Future In Vietnam
Not long ago, I traveled to Vietnam’s countryside, mainly in the Mekong Delta provinces. Along the way, I stumbled upon a number of churning wind turbines, showing that the Vietnamese people are becom...

Prime Minister Signs Off On Phan Thiet Airport
Saigon might not be the only one who’s getting a shiny new airport.

Young H’mong Boy Steals The Show At Sapa Mountain Marathon
The second Vietnam Mountain Marathon took place over the weekend of 20-21 September, with almost 400 runners from 40 nations descending on the mountains of Sapa to take on trails of 10, 21, 42 and a m...

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...

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.