Paul Christiansen in Environment
Saigon's Weather Dude Is Dedicated to Keeping Saigoneers Dry This Rainy Season
Why is it raining in Saigon? Because it’s the rainy season. Sure, but if you want to be more specific, you can cite conditions in the Bay of Bengal, more than 2,500 kilometers away. It’s there that the wind conditions form that flow across the Gulf of Thailand, sucking up the moisture that drenches Vietnam’s southern metropolis.
In the Era of Constant Rebuilding, We Turn to Vietnamese Modernism for Nostalgic Comfort
For two years now, I've checked the Vietnamese Modernist Architecture Facebook group almost every day. Here, members post ...
How Laos's Dams Are Powering Vietnam, Other ASEAN Nations Despite Mekong Concerns
Following a spate of foreign investment in the 1990s, Laos began producing surplus electricity and looked to export it. Today, around 80% of its energy, largely from hydropower, is sold to neighbors. Electricity exports from Laos generate around US$2.6 billion for what is one of the poorest nations in mainland Southeast Asia. Across the region, neighbors including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia have become reliant on hydropower from Laos. Slowly but surely, however, this is changing.
A Pop-up Night Park Brings the Joy of Playing in the Rain to Phú Mỹ Hưng
A lack of public spaces and activities has been a chronic problem plaguing Saigon’s urban planning since the city experienced its first population boom a few decades ago. If you happen to be near District 7 in the next two months, a pop-up park could be a new option for children, and perhaps some particularly exuberant adults, to frolic in the rain and the evening.
Elise Luong in Environment
Living, Learning, Loving From the Earth at Ninh Bình's Lá Library
A stone's throw away from Cúc Phương National Park in Ninh Bình Province sits Lá Library, an education center promoting sustainable living through sustainable agriculture farming, earthen building techniques and the art of chilling out.
The Saigon House That Swapped Its Front Door for a Moat
Does a house need walls?
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Is the Yeti Vietnamese? This Ancient Ape Might Hold the Answer.
Can you name a Vietnamese animal that hasn’t been hunted to the precipice of extinction or become a commodified item whose flesh, fur, or feathers are only deemed significant in relation to their practical use by humans?
This Suburban Hanoi House Answers 'Yes' to 'How Many Windows Do You Want?'
Do you love the tropical summer? Does bathing in the warmth of the sun spark joy in you? How many windows are enough to solar-power your everyday life? If you, too, are toiling with these existential concerns on a daily basis, perhaps this recent residential project might provide some inspiration.
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...
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.
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.
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...
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.
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...
