Văn Tân

in Natural Selection

Hoa Bưởi's Fleeting but Fragrant Season Teaches Us to Find Beauty in Impermanence

Every year during this time, I can’t help but hanker for a taste of sugarcane infused with hoa bưởi, or pomelo blossom. Only hoa bưởi’s tender aroma can accentuate the flavor of this humble snack several folds.

in Environment

A Botanical Illustrator Captures Vietnam's Flora on Paper, One Species at a Time

When science and art commingle in a botanical illustration, it’s as if a magical world appears, where colors, brushstrokes, and lighting work together to not only replicate but also breathe life into nature’s best creations.

in Environment

Lúa Ma, the Mekong's Ancient Wild Rice Varieties Holding Secrets to Climate Resilience

“It’s been so long I can barely remember. It’s delicious, fragrant, soft but not sticky,” says Trần Văn Lựa, 53, a farmer from Đồng Tháp Province, south-west Vietnam, recalling the taste of wild rice. As a child, he would harvest the grain during flood season, when wild rice flowers. Today, however, it is a rare sight.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Cầy Mực, the Fluffy Bearcat Whose Pee Really Smells Like Popcorn

Vietnam is home to a diverse range of species, from the elusive sao la to Hanoi's pungently fragrant hoa sữa. As an ode to the wondrous nature of the country, we're introducing a new article series, Natural Selection. Each article will feature a species of plant or animal native to Vietnam — starting with the laidback cầy mực (binturong).

in Environment

As Saltwater Intrudes More of Mekong Delta, Durian Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat

Nguyễn Văn Quại, 63, walked slowly on the muddy dirt path in his yard, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped beside a tree split in half, its branches dipping into the stagnant water of a narrow moat, and gestured towards the rest of his leafless crop — their trunks yellow, their bark cracked and brittle.

Khôi Phạm

in Tech

On Vietnam's Internet, You're a Mom, I'm a Mom, Everyone Is a Mom

I am a mom. Well, not in the most conventional meaning of the word — I am childless, and it’s still biologically impossible for men to give birth the last time I checked, but for most of my existence on the Vietnamese cybersphere, I have been using the designation “mẹ” amongst my closest friends.

Khôi Phạm

in Architecture

On Phú Quý Island, a Curious Collection of Modernist Houses From Central Vietnam

From the 1960s towards the end of the 1970s, urban centers in southern Vietnam saw robust and widespread growth of modernist influences in architecture. Still, outside the usual foci of the movement like Saigon, Cần Thơ or Mỹ Tho, how has this unique form of vernacular architectural expression been transformed?

Văn Tân

in Architecture

An Homage to Courtyards, the Heart of Traditional Vietnamese Homes

This time of the year, the giáng hương tree in my grandma’s courtyard is probably blooming with clusters of golden blossoms, enticing the kids in the neighborhood to gather around it and carefully pick off the prettiest petals to create makeshift jewelry.

Back Society

Brian Letwin

in Development

US to Provide Vietnam with Nuclear Fuel

Add the US to the list of nations helping Vietnam secure a nuclear future. The country joins Japan, Russia and South Korea as advisers and suppliers for Vietnam's planned nuclear power plants.

in Health

Beware of Fake Doctors in Vietnam

Quality is always something to be aware of when living in Vietnam. From motorbike helmets to pho noodles, shoddy products can profoundly affect your wellbeing. Now you can add doctors to this list – p...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

[Updated] Vietnam Releases First Domestic Smartphone

[Update Below] Well, we may be a step behind North Korea but Vietnam has just released its first, domestically produced smartphone fittingly named the Lotus.

Brian Letwin

in Development

Vietnam Announces Plan for 8 Line, $16 Billion Railway

Taking the train in Vietnam is set to get faster and more convenient by 2020. Last Friday, the Vietnam Railways Administration (VRA) announced plans to change the face of rail in Vietnam with eight ne...

in Development

ANH House of Light and Wind

Just past the Saigon Bridge in District 2 lies this lovely house built by Vietnamese architects Sanuki + Nishizawa. Built in the ‘tube-house’ style, the open design allows for fresh air and light to t...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Hydropower Plants Breaking Promises to Locals, Destroying Their Livelihoods

When investors approached locals in Quang Nam about building a large hydropower plant, they promised fair resettlement compensation, shared water rights/ownership, infrastructure improvements and envi...

Brian Letwin

in Health

New Campaign Seeks to Curb Drunk Driving in Vietnam

Though drunk driving is a well-known problem in Vietnam, it is still prevalent, resulting in not only in the loss of life, but serious economic ramifications. To address this, the National Traffic Saf...

Brian Letwin

in Development

What Will it Take for Green Building to Take Off in Vietnam?

Though more and more green buildings have been sprouting up across Vietnam over the last few years, the practice is far established. Subsidized electricity, price gouging and low awareness are major o...

in Tech

Vietnam’s Challenges with Educational Technology

In yet another example of keeping up appearances and style over substance, many schools around Saigon are calling on parents to fund their further forays into technology in the classroom. All this com...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Going Abroad Soon? You Might Want to Pick up a Couple iPhones.

It looks like Vietnam’s rich may be using some of their rhino horn money to obtain the world’s newest status symbol, the iPhone 5s. Prices of the phones are skyrocketing in Vietnam with the coveted go...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Saigon to Implement $155 Million Bus Rapid Transit System

The HCMC Traffic Works Management and Construction Board has just announced plans for six Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRT) to meet growing demand. The first line, which will run from District 6 to Dist...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Vietnam’s Rich are Getting Richer

Vietnam’s economy may be slowly recovering but for the country’s rich, things are better than ever. 

in Tech

Vietnam as Seen From Space

If it were up to us, the majority of America's $700 billion annual military budget would be funneled to NASA (Neil Degrasse Tyson would likely agree). While this may be a pipe dream due to America's s...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Facebook Enjoying Massive Growth in Vietnam

A few years ago, it was not always an easy task to log into Facebook in Vietnam. Changing DNS settings, installing HotSpotShield or using a VPN were your best bet to log onto the site. My, how times h...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Is Saigon Losing its Soul?

In a recent article for Metropolis Magazine, Carl Robinson reflects on the massive changes to Saigon’s urban character over the last 15 years. He found that the city’s colonial buildings, designed wit...

Brian Letwin

in Society

Street Signs: Xô Viết Nghệ-Tĩnh

In this edition of Street Signs, we’ll tackle Xô Viết Nghệ-Tĩnh, which, in our humble opinion, is one of Saigon’s coolest streets, at least in name. And if you think Xô Viết is the Vietnamese version ...

Brian Letwin

in Health

Lead Dust Choking Vietnam's Cities

Break out the facemasks. A new report has found that lead dust pollution is on the rise in Vietnam’s cities and is currently 2 – 4 times higher than accepted levels.

Brian Letwin

in Environment

Rhino Horn: Instant Status Maker

Even as the illicit rhino horn market gets more and more negative press, it’s not stopping status-seeking Vietnamese from consuming the horn’s powder. In a recent piece in Times Live, a New Zealand-ba...

in Health

The Toxic Legacy of Agent Orange

As the US government claims to be worried about the use of chemical weapons all over the world, one question is still waiting for an answer in this country. Although the major issues causing tension b...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Crowdsourcing Startup, Flitto Seeks to Make Google Translate Obsolete

Whether you’re a native English or Vietnamese speaker, chances are, you’ve used Google Translate at least once. The tech behemoth’s translation service, which relies on an algorithm, is notorious for ...