Khôi Phạm

in Tech

Review: Horror Game 'Tai Ương' Exposes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Our Culture

Natural disasters, illnesses, accidents, breakages, or even deaths: when a series of consecutive tragedies engulf a family, it’s often said that tai ương has befallen the unfornate victims. The term is also the name of a recently published Vietnamese horror game that has been making waves amongst gaming communities both nationwide and internationally, thanks to its layered narrative, chilling atmosphere, and meticulously crafted game environment.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

WildAct's Trang Nguyễn Turns to Social Media to Inspire a New Generation to Love Nature

Dr. Trang Nguyễn — a wildlife conservation scientist with a PhD from Cambridge and the founder of WildAct — needs little introduction. She has been recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30, called a conservation “hero” by Sir David Attenborough on BBC’s Planet Earth III, and had her inspiring story, which includes going undercover to bring down illegal ivory poaching rings in Africa after surviving cancer, covered widely. But much of her work has been behind the scenes or at least in corners devoted to conservations. Her recent arrival on the social media scene, amongst memes, music videos, and TikTok challenges, represents a shift in approach.

Phạm Phú Vinh

in Architecture

Vietnamese Vernacular Modernism Is a Local Language Created by the Ordinary People

In the history of architecture, rarely have we seen such a challenging movement as Vietnamese modernism. Not only does it show how a culture evolves and expresses itself across historical epochs through its building practice, from the traditional to colonial and eventually modern period, but the language of Vietnamese vernacular modernism also reveals deeper understandings of human creative potential.

in Architecture

How Saigon's V.A.R Building Epitomizes Vietnam's Architectural Autonomy

Completed in 1973, the V.A.R building at 9 Nguyễn Công Trứ Street in Nguyễn Thái Binh Ward, District 1, is a prominent example of Vietnamese mid-20th-century modernist architecture designed by architect Lê Văn Lắm. It not only represents the Vietnamese architectural identity in post-colonial eras, but also exemplifies its cultural autonomy.

in Development

Quy Nhơn’s Quy Hoà Leprosy Village to Be Relocated for Mega Resort Project

Authorities in Gia Lai Province have approved plans to relocate the Quy Hoà leprosy village from its current ocean-side setting in Quy Nhơn to make room for an ambitious real estate and tourism project.

in Environment

Opinion: Electric Vehicles Are Southeast Asia's Way out Amid the Global Fossil Fuel Crisis

As the Iran war crunches global energy supplies and disrupts prices, Southeast Asian leaders may need to diversify oil and gas supplies in order to protect ordinary people.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Ancient Turtle Named After Bánh Xèo Can Teach Us a Lot About Whimsy in Science

Nước mắm — that ruby-hued elixir; that salty, fish-flesh-sweet open secret in your favorite recipe; that indispensable icon of Vietnamese culture and, by extension, identity — owes itself to Commerson’s anchovies. That’s right, if your fish sauce comes from the central region, where it was first developed, the fish pressed with salt to produce it are Stolephorus commersonnii, a species named in 1801 after Philibert Commerson, a white Frenchman. Picture all the hardscrabble village homes suffering under the yoke of colonialism, where one of the day’s few pleasures was a humble meal made delicious by a carefully rationed dash of fish sauce and an ingredient whose name pays homage to their colonizers. 

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form

Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"

Back Society

in Development

[Slideshow] Amazing Views from The Manor

The Manor Saigon is a luxury condominium apartment complex consisting of two high-rise 30-storey towers in Binh Thanh District. They are located within the midst of a seemingly endless maze of typical...

in Health

[Infographic] Vietnamese Obesity Rate Lowest in Southeast Asia

According to statistics collected by the World Health Organization in 2011, Vietnamese are the least overweight in SE Asia.

in Development

Future Saigon: The One Ho Chi Minh City

It’s been over a year since the row of old shop houses were torn down across from the Ben Thanh Market bus station to make way for The One Ho Chi Minh City. After a period of relative quiet, it looks ...

in Health

WHO Study: Vietnamese Women Outdrink Russian Men

Well, this is a bit of a shocker. While it’s no secret that Vietnam is one of Asia’s leading beer consumers, according to a recent WHO study, Vietnamese women outdrink Russian men.

in Development

Future Saigon: The German House

Earlier this week, Tuoi Tre reported that HCMC and the German General Consulate have agreed on a 99-year lease for a prime piece of real estate in the heart of downtown for the low, low price of VND1....

in Tech

[Infographic] How Fast is Vietnam’s Internet Compared to Other ASEAN Nations?

Yes, we know that Vietnam’s 3G speeds are incredibly low (2G ½?) but how does the country’s internet speed compare to other ASEAN nations? According to a new infographic created by ASEAN DNA, slightly...

in Tech

Vietnam has Emerged as Apple’s Hottest Market

With sales of Apple products in Vietnam tripling in the fiscal first half of this year, a rate 5 times faster than India, the tech giant is finally taking notice and recently “talked up” the potential...

in Health

[Video] Vietnamese Man Gets Shock of his Life When Plugging in Mobile Phone

Sure, mobile phones may give you brain cancer but the devices pose short term dangers as well. The guy in this video learned this the hard way when he went to plug in his mobile phone and got the shoc...

in Development

[Slideshow] Changes Over Time: How Saigon's Skyline has Evolved Since 2003

The 33 storey Saigon Trade Center was completed in 1997 and was the tallest building in Vietnam until the erection of the Bitexco Financial Tower in 2010. On the roof terrace of the building, there wa...

in Environment

A Tale of Two Cities: HCMC and Rotterdam Team up to Battle Climate Change

Both HCMC and Rotterdam are port cities near a coast, surrounded by a river delta that is being affected by climate change with rising sea levels and an increase in severe storms. The two cities ...

in Development

A Complete(ish) Map of HCMC's Metro System

Saigoneer’s resident historian, Tim Doling, is not only enamored with Vietnamese history, but also the country’s railways, having published The Railways and Tramways of Việt Nam. As Saigon gears up fo...

in Development

[Slideshow] Vietcombank Tower Set to Emerge as Saigon’s 2nd Tallest Building

The next big addition to Saigon’s skyline, the Vietcombank Tower, has almost topped out and stands to become the city’s second tallest building after the Bitexco Tower.

in Tech

New App Let’s You Share Wifi Passwords in Vietnam

Ever go into your phone’s wifi settings and wish you could access the dozens of networks the pop up? Well, there’s an app for that – WiFi Chua.

in Environment

Asian Air Pollution Could Be Altering Global Weather Patterns

Air pollution may be posing a serious threat to global public health, but according to a new study, it may be responsible for freak weather patterns in North America, reports CNN.

in Development

Experts: Saigon has Lost 56% of its Historic Buildings in 10 Years

It’s no secret that Saigon has done little to protect its historic buildings in the face of rapid urban development. As a result, the city has lost 56% of its heritage buildings since 2004, according ...

in Tech

[Video] Camera-Mounted Drone Captures Hanoi from Above

For much of the world, drones inspire fear and terror. But for countries that aren’t at the mercy of the CIA, the popularity of these remote-controlled devices have taken off and some have even been f...

in Development

'House for Trees' in Tan Binh District

Vo Trong Nghia Architects, winners of ArchDaily’s ‘House of the Year’ award, is undoubtedly Vietnam’s leading sustainable/green design firm. One of their latest projects, ‘House for Trees’ was complet...

in Health

Color Me Run @ Phu My Hung

From the organizer: Color Me Run is a unique combination of the most colorful run and music festival. For the first time in Vietnam, you can fully experience a 5Km colorful of running, walking and enj...

in Development

[Slideshow] Views from Sunrise City Tower: Massive Suburbanization in District 7

These photos were taken from Sunrise City, a high-rise tower in the new urban area located within District 7 opposite Lotte Mart. Still under construction, Sunrise City will consist of 14 high-rise to...

in Health

Bill Gates to Launch 'Vietnam Health Fund': Report

According to VietNamNet, citing VNEconomy, former Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates will start a match-based healthcare fund in Vietnam, following similar initiatives in other SE Asian nations.