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.

in Architecture

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.

in Development

Quy Nhơn’s Quy Hoà Leprosy Village to Be Relocated for Mega Resort Project

Authorities in Gia Lai Province have approved plans to relocate the Quy Hoà leprosy village from its current ocean-side setting in Quy Nhơn to make room for an ambitious real estate and tourism project.

in Environment

Opinion: Electric Vehicles Are Southeast Asia's Way out Amid the Global Fossil Fuel Crisis

As the Iran war crunches global energy supplies and disrupts prices, Southeast Asian leaders may need to diversify oil and gas supplies in order to protect ordinary people.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Ancient Turtle Named After Bánh Xèo Can Teach Us a Lot About Whimsy in Science

Nước mắm — that ruby-hued elixir; that salty, fish-flesh-sweet open secret in your favorite recipe; that indispensable icon of Vietnamese culture and, by extension, identity — owes itself to Commerson’s anchovies. That’s right, if your fish sauce comes from the central region, where it was first developed, the fish pressed with salt to produce it are Stolephorus commersonnii, a species named in 1801 after Philibert Commerson, a white Frenchman. Picture all the hardscrabble village homes suffering under the yoke of colonialism, where one of the day’s few pleasures was a humble meal made delicious by a carefully rationed dash of fish sauce and an ingredient whose name pays homage to their colonizers. 

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form

Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"

Back Society

in Health

[Photos] The Bomb Recyclers Of Quảng Trị

Quảng Trị holds the terrible honor of being the most contaminated province in Vietnam when it comes to unexploded ordinance left over from the American War.

in Development

Stunning Nha Trang Hotel Features Vertical And Indoor Gardens

Nha Trang is a beautiful city but its hotels are typically boring and resemble those found across Vietnam. Despite the name, the recently constructed Hotel Golden Holiday Hotel, designed by Trinhvieta...

in Development

[Photos] Massive Flooding Turns HCMC Streets Into Rivers, And It's Just The Beginning

While much of District 1 was able to stay dry on Sunday night, others such as Districts 6 and 11 were not as fortunate as a storm flooded major streets and knocked out power in some areas.

in Tech

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.

in Environment

Vietnamese Demand for Rhino Horn Drops by More Than 33% in 1 Year

Well, here’s some great news for your Friday afternoon.

in Development

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.

in Development

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, ...

in Tech

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.

in Development

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.

in Tech

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, ...

in Development

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...

in Tech

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...

in Health

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.

in Development

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.

in Architecture

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.

in Development

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...

Brian Letwin

in Health

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.

in Development

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.

in Tech

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...

in Development

Prime Minister Signs Off On Phan Thiet Airport

Saigon might not be the only one who’s getting a shiny new airport.