in Society

Insights and Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum

When I pitched a review of Hà Nội’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.

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?

in Environment

Solar Power: Where Economics and Environmentalism Meet

When seeing a reflective row of solar panels situated on a roof in Vietnam, it’s easy to assume that the home, office, or factory belonged to someone who had decided to pay a little more for the sake of the common good. One might think that while solar energy has become more affordable and convenient as technologies continue to improve, it still requires consumers to make a conscious decision to spend extra for electricity because it is better for the environment. This, however, is wrong.

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? 

Khôi Phạm

in Development

With the HCMC Metro Here, It's Time to Cultivate Saigon's Very Own Metro Culture

One of my least favorite genres of comments on Saigoneer’s social media posts is jokes involving the laggard opening of the HCMC Metro and some random, outrageous year far into the next decades, or even centuries.

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 2: The Vietnamese Diaspora, Unicode and the Ubiquity of Unikey

This is part 2 of our two-part series on the history of Vietnamese-centric typing technologies. Part 1 can be  acces...

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 1: Language, Identity and Technology at a Crossroad

My first exposure to the computer traces back to my primary school years when computer classes were conducted once a week. In order to study computers, students had to migrate from their usual classrooms to a multimedia lab — an air-conditioned room filled with computers. Computer classes were generally more popular among us than most subjects thanks to that satisfying cool breeze and the delight of operating something one wasn't privileged with at home.

Back Society

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 ...

Brian Letwin

in Development

First Phase of Metro Line No. 5 Fully Funded

With construction is already in full swing on Saigon’s first metro line, the city is close to reaching its funding goal for the first phase of line No. 5. Most of the funding will come from the Asia D...

Brian Letwin

in Development

A Day in the Life of a Saigon Drainage Worker

As much of Saigon was built on swampland, drainage is vital to the city’s development and progress. Yet with each heavy rain, large swaths of the city become inundated and streets come to resemble sma...

Brian Letwin

in Environment

Environmentalism and Sustainability Gaining Steam in Vietnam

Vietnam is slowly but surely understanding the need for sustainable development and a clean environment. We’ve recently seen the erection of green homes, establishment of green-focused youth clubs and...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Vietnamese Tech Startup of the Month – September Edition: Digi-Gps

Digi-GPS, a local Vietnamese startup, seeks to apply high-technology to our decidedly analog motorbikes. The company has launched two security-minded products to help bike owners feel secure - SmartBi...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Minimalist Nest House in Binh Duong

The Nest house was designed for a middle-aged architecture writer. The house, located on the outskirts of the new city in Thuận An, Binh Duong Province, seeks to blend urbanism with a variety of archi...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Vietnam Set to Become World’s Largest Motorbike Producer

Slowly but surely, Vietnam is becoming the favored location for large scale motorbike manufacturing. If the trend continues, analysts predict that within 10 years, Vietnam will become the global leade...

Brian Letwin

in Development

Why Sustainable Development is Vital For Vietnam's Future

Green building is starting to take off in Vietnam. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a number of ‘green’ homes sprout up across Saigon, using open floor plans, sustainable materials and plants that...

Brian Letwin

in Development

World Startup Report @ Saigon Hub

From the organizer: The World Startup Report is a social project to help understand and connect the different startup ecosystems in the world.

Brian Letwin

in Tech

Free WIFI Coming to Saigon Buses

In a bid to increase the ridership on Saigon’s 270 bus routes, the city will implement free WIFI for passengers.

Brian Letwin

in Development

H&P Completes Bamboo–Earth–Stone Pavilion

Local architects, H&P, have long focused on the use of environmentally-friendly materials for their designs. Earlier this year, they released a set of renderings of low-cost bamboo housing de...

Brian Letwin

in Tech

New Vietnamese Food App Delivers Instant Gratification

Taking advantage of the Vietnamese love of food and photos, Tran Quang Vinh, a former fashion designer, has released iOS app - Foodshot.