In Đồng Nai, a Rustic Abode Emerges Under the Canopies of Cashew Trees
A clear directive was issued before construction of the home: all 26 cashew trees occupying the 100-square-meter plot must be preserved.
Meet Tâm, a Crossing ‘Guardian’ Protecting Saigon Traffic and Trains From Each Other
In a small kiosk overlooking the crowded Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển Street in Phú Nhuận, Nguyễn Thị Tâm routinely checks the clock and reviews the day’s train schedule meticulously. She’s repeated these tasks countless times, a crucial component of a job that she’s done for two decades as a train crossing attendant.
Learning to Coexist in Peace Is the First Step to Protect Vietnam's Last Remaining Elephants
A trail of enormous footprints, criss-crossing slabs of cracked concrete, lead to a battered ranger station in Vietnam’s Pù Mát National Park. Park staff say the wild Asian elephant that left the tracks is as friendly as it is lonely.
A Glimpse Into the Epic Underground Shows of Vietnam Pro Wrestling
Back in 2018, Saigon witnessed the birth of Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW), the first and only Pro Wrestlers in the whole of ...
HCMC Approves VinSpeed, VinGroup's Railway Arm, to Build Metro Line to Cần Giờ
A roughly 50-kilometer-long urban railway route will run from September 23 Park in downtown Saigon to VinGroup's Green Paradise project in Cần Giờ, beginning in 2028 at an estimated cost of VND102.43 trillion (nearly US$3.9 billion).
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the ta...
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Đà Lạt’s Indigenous Pine Trees, Tropical Miracles Threatened by Urbanization
“The shimmering pine trees stand in silence / Branches and leaves seem to have sunk silently. / How can one distinguish between reality and fantasy!”
Saigon Unveils Plan to Build 2 Pedestrian Bridges Over Tôn Đức Thắng Street
Tourists will soon lose one of their favorite “crossing Saigon streets is so crazy!” filming locations when two new pedestrian bridges connecting to Bạch Đằng Wharf are completed.
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 ...
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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
[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 ...
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...
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.
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 ...
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.
After Massive Auto Tax Breaks, Will Saigon Become a Parking Lot?
It looks like Saigon won’t be able to avoid the 'car age' after all. Under new import rules for 2014, autos produced by ASEAN neighbors will receive a 50 – 60% tax reduction and many fear that Vietnam...
Brian Letwin in Health
Back to the Basics: The Struggle for an Organic Vietnam
After recent health scares from chemically-laced produce and dubious Chinese imports, Vietnamese consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they don’t know where their food comes from....
