in Natural Selection

Đuông Dừa, the Mekong Delta's Unique Squishy Snack and Enemy of Coconut Trees

Towards the deep end of our home, several coconut trees’ fronds started browning and falling off, straight from the bud. For the last few weeks, tiny holes have gradually appeared on the coconut trunk and shoot, from a few to numerous, giving off an unpleasant funk of rotten sap. My dad says that these trees are infested with đuông, and we must chop them all down lest we lose the entire grove.

Oliver Newman

in Society

Chạm Vào Xanh, the Social Enterprise Normalizing Joy for People With Disabilities

Hồng’s parents took her out of school in Grade 5. They weren’t facing financial issues, her grades weren’t bad and she had no behavioral setbacks. It was just because she has cerebral palsy.

in Architecture

Đàng Trong Cafe Marries Gò Công's Nhà 3 Gian Design With Modern Cafe

Major metropolises like Saigon and Hanoi might boast the most concentrated distributions of coffee shops in Vietnam, but a new crop of fresh faces in other up-and-coming towns have emerged in the scene, offering sterling brews, spacious seats, and, in some cases, delightful interior design that blends modern cafe conventions with uniquely local flairs.

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? 

Back Society

in Development

TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - The Village in the Mega City

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos. Tod...

in Tech

‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Working on a New Game

To the delight of mobile gamers across the globe, ‘Flappy Bird’ creator, Dong Nguyen, is working on a new game, reports GamesInAsia.

Brian Letwin

in Development

TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Demolition & Vision

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos. Tod...

in Health

[Video] Fatal Head-on Collision Caused by Drunk Driver

While the Vietnamese government has launched campaigns to curb drunk driving, it remains a serious problem across the country. This video, posted by Thanh Nein, shows the deadly consequences of this r...

in Development

TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Housing in the Mega City

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...

in Development

Authorities Push to Meet Deadline for HCMC’s First Metro Line

We’ve been waiting for this news for a while – HCMC autorities are pushing hard to complete the city' first Metro line by early 2018, according to the Bernama.

in Tech

'Flappy Bird' Isn't the Only Hit App Made in Vietnam

Our favorite TechinAsia writer, Anh Minh Do, recently published a guest post on Mashable, telling the world that there’s more to Vietnam’s app ecosystem than just Flappy Bird.

in Development

TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Change Over Time

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...

in Tech

Slow Internet Warning: AAG Cable to Undergo Maintenance Next Week

The notoriously fragile, 20,000km, Asia American Gateway cable - SE Asia’s main internet connection to the West - will undergo maintenance next week so expect “shaky connections” through March 9, repo...

in Development

ADP Approves $60 Million Loan for Sustainable Urban Transport in HCMC

Construction of the $1.3 billion, 20 kilometer Metro Line 2, is expected to go into full swing this year, starting with an underground maintenance and metro station in District 12. To “improve accessi...

in Health

Will New Alcohol and Cigarette Taxes Reduce Consumption in Vietnam?

According to Thanh Nien, the government proposal to increase taxes on alcohol and cigarettes won’t stem their consumption. The proposal under the Ministry of Finance would take effect from July 1, 201...

in Development

TP. Ho Chi Minh: MEGA City – The Mega City From Above

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...

in Tech

Bitcoin Forbidden in Vietnam

Bitcoin may be grabbing headlines across the globe, but the controversial digital currency won’t be making a foothold in Vietnam anytime soon as the State Bank of Vietnam, along with the Government, h...

in Development

TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City Book Launch Event

Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City Photo Book. On Sunday, February 23, there will be launch event for the book at Highland's Coffee on Phạm Ngọc Thạ...

in Tech

Can Vietnam Create its Own Version of Silicon Valley?

According to The Atlantic, Vietnam could be home to the world’s next “tech hub.” The capital recently hosted the country’s first start-up fair, bringing together eager entrepreneurs in the hope of att...

in Health

[Updated] H5N1 Bird Flu Spreading Rapidly in Vietnam

[Update Below] H5N1, the avian influenza, has been making its way across Vietnam with reported outbreaks in 10 localities across the country. According to Tuoi Tre, thousands of animals have been infe...

in Tech

[Infographic] Key Statistics on Vietnam's Internet Population

TechinAsia has been on a roll with infogrpahics lately. Entitled, “Numbers Every Vietnamese Tech Founder Should Know,” this infographic, created with the help of BTIC, illustrates telling behaviors of...

in Tech

[Infographic] The Growth of Vietnam’s Online Advertising Market

This fantastic infographic shows the growth of Vietnam’s online advertising market. Created by Itracker.vn, a digital marketing tracking service, it reveals the top sectors and websites where online a...

in Development

New Restrictions on Female Workers Draw Criticism

Female manual labourers in Vietnam are to be banned from employment in industries deemed too risky and arduous Thanh Thien reports. The new regulation, implemented in December 2013, saw 77 jobs catego...

in Development

VietJetAir Ready for Massive Expansion with Airbus Order

VietJetAir, Vietnam’s favorite budget airline (take that, JetStar) announced yesterday that it has signed a deal with Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers for nearly 100 new jets,...