in Development

Saigon Metro Line 1 Announces July Launch Date, Free Rides in Phase 1

Will 2024 be the auspicious year when our legs could finally step on the metro platform for the first time?

in Health

Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines

We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Charting the Flow of the Nhiêu Lộc Canal From Start to Historical Start

When I fall in love with an album, I seek out the artist's first mixtapes and demos. When I come to admire a poet, I hunt down their early poems and chapbooks. I even linger over the old highlight reels of my favorite football players' college games. Understanding where something starts allows me appreciate it more. So it is with the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal.

Khôi Phạm

in Society

Nhiêu Lộc Canal Hosted Trudeau's Night Run. Why Is It Not as Famous as Obama's Bún Chả?

You know how much Vietnamese culture revolves around food by the fact that one of the first questions we pose to any foreign visitor is “What’s your favorite Vietnamese dish?” Asking about other aspects of the country could invite honest opinions that some of us might not be prepared to hear. Deep down, more than anybody else, we know that our air quality is subpar and our urban cleanliness leaves much to be desired, but our food is the one thing every Vietnamese can trust to make us proud. What easier way to foster diplomacy than to center the conversation around deliciousness?

in Architecture

In Hanoi, a Family Home Balances Commercial Hustle With Spiritual Haven

If many Vietnamese families often opt to reserve one room in their house plan for ancestor worship, this household in Hanoi decided to dedicate an entire backyard to their family altar.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Homage to the Mekong Delta and Its Bag-Wearing Fruits

Rats, mice, mosquitos, snakes, centipedes, caterpillars, snails, beetles and slugs: the more fertile a region is, the more pests inhabit it.

in Tech

Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in recent years. Last year, gay dating app Grindr continued the tradition with their own annual insights, and Vietnam managed to claim a spot in the roundup.

in Environment

On the 12th Day of Christmas Saigoneer Gave to Me: 12 Birdcalls From Across Vietnam

Almost everywhere we go in the world, birdsong abounds.

Back Society

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,...

in Tech

Flappy Bird Creator Receives Death Threats After Pulling Game

Apparently Flappy Bird is just about as addictive as drugs. Since it's creator, Dong Nguyen, pulled the game from the iTunes and Google Play Stores last Sunday, citing a constant bombardment from the ...

in Development

Vietnam Nuclear Power Plans Delayed. Again.

Vietnam’s plans to build its first nuclear power plant have been imminently delayed. The 2010 target of constructing 8 power plants by 2025 has seemingly now become a distant memory.

in Development

Vietnam to Launch Urban Bike-Sharing Program in 2015

Following the success of bike-sharing programs from New York to Beijing, Vietnam is planning to launch pilot programs for 5 cities in 2015.

in Tech

We Hardly Knew Ye: Flappy Bird Developer Pulls Hit Game

While players of Flappy Bird spent the weekend trying for double digit scores and smashing their phones in frustration, the game’s maker shocked the world by announcing that he would be pulling the ga...

in Tech

Vietnamese Developer who Made Flappy Bird Pulling in $50,000 Per Day

It’s unclear which is the hottest story trending in Vietnam right now – McDonalds opening in Saigon or the surprising success of Flappy Bird. What is clear is that the story of a Vietnamese programmer...

in Development

Vietnam Mulling Options to Improve Road Safety, Air Quality

Vietnam’s worsening traffic and air quality and are no secrets and these problems are likely to get much worse before they get better. Faced with this reality, Vietnam is exploring ways to combat thes...

in Health

Resource: A List Violations and Fees for Motorcycle Drivers in Vietnam

Considering most traffic violations in Saigon consist of a short conversation and ‘tip’ for your friendly neighborhood policeman, we were, admittedly, a bit unfamiliar with the full list of rules and ...

in Tech

Facebook Gets Official in Vietnam

In a bid to increase its ad revenue, Facebook has partnered with a local advertising firm to make some money off of Vietnam’s 20 million Facebook users.

in Development

Saigon House Nominated for Archdaily's 'House of the Year' Award

Green and sustainable buildings are still in their infancy in Vietnam. However the trend is becoming more popular and slowly but surely, Vietnamese architects are entering this arena with great succes...

in Tech

New Site Lets you Search Vietnamese Plane, Train and Ferry Tickets in English

As a foreigner in Saigon, you don’t need to know much Vietnamese to get by. But when it comes to travel, especially by modes that don’t include wings, things can get pretty complicated. Enter Bao...

in Development

Slideshow: A Look Inside Saigon's New Public Toilets

Last Saturday Saigon’s first batch of high-end public toilets (4-5 stars, whatever that means) were opened at Tao Dan Park, 23/9 Park and Le Van Tam Park in District 1. The facilities are part of a p...

in Development

Tet Bonuses Reveal How Teachers are Really Valued in Vietnam

Although Vietnam traditionally revers teachers and those working in education, as Tet approaches teachers working in the state system once again feel their low financial worth.

in Development

Expert: Saigon's Sidewalks a Model for Other Cities

While Vietnam frequently looks to NGOs and international organizations to make policy recommendations on topics ranging from the environment to the economy, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MI...

in Development

[Video] Saigon: Future Megacity

With Saigon's population rapidly expanding, a new set of challanges, both social and environmental have arisen. The city's growing pains have been well-documented and many argue that serious measures ...

in Development

Trend: Vietnamese Factories are Slowly Going Green

Mike Ives of The New York Times published a piece earlier this week on the growing trend of green factories in Asia, using Intel’s chip factory in HCMC as its focal point. According to the article, co...

in Development

Saigon to Add High-End Public Toilets

In what can only be described as exciting news, city authorities have launched a pilot program to add ‘5-star’ public toilets to the busy streets of Saigon. 

in Development

Vietnamese Airlines Order Hundreds of New Planes but There’s Nowhere to Park Them

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Jetstar have all placed ambitious orders for hundreds of new planes to upgrade and expand their aging fleets. But with the expansion of Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat still years ...

in Tech

Vietnamese Teachers Told to Monitor Students via Facebook

In what is being seen as a bizarre move, Vietnamese teachers are being instructed to join Facebook and other social networks in order to ‘manage’ their students more effectively.