How Táo Xanh Forum Created a Safe Space for Gay Vietnamese Before Social Media
Before Vietnamese could hop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our hot takes of the week, there was an era of past cybersphere when online forums were the crucial online space to connect local netizens.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
As Climate Change Threatens, Flood Waters Usher In Sustainable Opportunities for Communities in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is developing faster than Google Maps can keep up with. A stretch of road that was too narrow to accommodate cars and required a transition to motorbikes just six months ago was under construction during our August visit. Gargantuan machines for laying pulverized gravel inched aside to let our 7-seater pass so we could reach the home of Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy to check in on her small fish drying home business.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
In the Vietnamese language, the word “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will. Chó cỏ is the general term for the adorable mutts, usually mixes between Vietnam’s native dog species, born without the prestige of named breeds, while gym cỏ and net cỏ denote the casual gyms and internet cafes in one’s neighborhood. In the same vein of logic, may I put forth a new name for a special genre of Vietnamese fruits: trái cỏ?
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples or the ornate regality of Nguyễn-Dynasty palaces. This time-honored style is widely accepted as the hallmark of Vietnam’s cultural wealth. What’s more fascinating but lesser-known is how this cultural vestige — which distinguished our architecture from that of China and Japan — has also managed to evolve in the new age, finding ways to exist right in the middle of our modern lifetime.
Uyên Đỗ in Society
On Grappling With Our Complicated Bond With Single-Use Raincoats
Like many Vietnamese, I have owned more crumpled raincoats than I can count. They're the disposable kind, cinched with a few rubber bands, folded into a misshapen rectangle, then stuffed unceremoniously into a scooter’s under-seat compartment or a desk drawer.
Elise Lương in Architecture
To Teach Children the Importance of Play, First Bring Playgrounds Back to Hanoi
In rapidly developing urban Hanoi, finding engaging outdoor play areas for young children is near impossible. But since 2014, the social enterprise Think Playgrounds has colored public spaces across Vietnam with wildly unique and legitimately sustainable designs, engaging with local communities to give children back their right to play.
As Wind Power Struggles to Thrive in Southeast Asia, Vietnam Leads With Early Momentum
Countries in mainland Southeast Asia have stark differences in renewable energy strategies, balancing them with ample but controversial hydropower and entrenched interests. While solar power has become accessible and cost effective, many of these nations have struggled to make wind power an essential part of renewable energy strategies, despite having locations with high potential. Meanwhile, others have become regional wind power leaders, such as Vietnam. In this explainer, we explore how various mainland Southeast Asian countries are engaging with wind power development.
How a Dance Project Is Reframing Deaf Identity in Saigon via Movement Art
Lắng Nghe Điểm Chạm is a project aiming to expand exposure opportunities and application potentials of performing arts into the life of marginalized and minority communities of Vietnam.
In a Schoolyard, a Close-Knit Community Spearheads Saigon's Archery Scene
Laser-focused gazes, shiny bows, colorful targets, and looking cool as hell: these are the components of a picture-perfect post one might find on the Instagram of any budding archer. But social media ...
Meet the High School Students Leading the Fight Against Hanoi’s Food Waste
High school pupils are perhaps not who you’d expect to see running an established volunteer organization in a capital city. When it comes to tackling food waste and shortages, however, a group of youn...
How International School Saigon Pearl Ensures Student Safety
When sending their children to school, parents must be confident that they are physically, emotionally and mentally safe.
Local Architecture Projects Win Awards at 2021 Architecture MasterPrize
The winning designs include family homes, a health center, office buildings, and hotels built across Vietnam.
Uyên Đỗ in Environment
A Factory Where 'Dead Plastics' Are Reborn as Contemporary Furniture
Saigoneer arrived at PLASTICPeople’s factory on a Friday afternoon after a long-winded ride on National Highway 1A. The sides of the road we took there were casually strewn with unpruned bushes, depos...
[Photos] VTN's Stunning Bamboo Restaurant on the Edge of Cúc Phương National Park
Floating on emerald water amid lush foliage-covered hilltops, the structure could pass for the setting of a fantasy novel.
How Students at The British International School HCMC are Preparing to Transition Back to In-School Learning
In recent weeks, Saigon has experienced a return to relative normality in many regards, and schools may soon resume in-person classes.
Online Study, School Fees Most Affect Student Mental Health During Pandemic, Study Says
It has been a disruptive two years for Vietnamese students due to lockdown regulations, so it’s unsurprising that many are struggling with their mental well-being.
Tiki Receives $258m in New Investments for Further Growth
The funding pushes the company close to unicorn status.
Into the Storm: Saigon's Outbreak Through the Eyes of a Frontline Volunteer
“The best way to overcome fear is to face it,” 33-year-old Hương Nguyễn thought when she decided to volunteer as a frontline worker during Saigon’s most deadly weeks of the pandemic.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
Lêkima: The Flower Worthy of a National Heroine
Don’t you find it bewildering when you have existed for centuries, and are suddenly thrust into stardom due to a small cameo in a nationalist saga?
Transport Ministry Hopes to Begin Building Hanoi-Saigon High-Speed Rail in 2028
We'll believe it when we see it.
[Photos] A D4 Cafe Inspired by a Bird's Nest Cradled by Wind
Birds sleep in nests in trees, and humans relax with coffee in houses and shops. But what if the two were mixed?
Conservation Project Seeks Local Filmmakers to Make Bear Documentary
FOUR PAWS Viet Wildlife Conservation Center is looking for a Vietnamese filmmaker to create a documentary about the stories of their rescued bears at the Bear Sanctuary Ninh Binh.
Kit Humphrey in Society
Q&A: Blue Dragon Co-CEO Skye Maconachie on How the Pandemic Affects Vietnam's Most Vulnerable
Saigoneer talks to Skye Maconachie, Co-CEO of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, a respected, Hanoi-based NGO known for rescuing victims of human trafficking and supporting street kids in the capital....
Two People, 54 Ethnic Groups, One Photo at a Time
Through their photography project, Vietnam the People, Alden Anderson and Nguyễn Thị Yến Trinh have documented most of the 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam.
Da Lat Forges Ahead on 10-Story Hotel Atop Governor's Palace Hill
The ten-story luxury complex proposed to replace the historic Dinh Tỉnh Trưởng (Provincial Governor's Palace) will include hotels, conference halls, commercial areas, restaurants and botanical gardens...
Boxer Nguyễn Thị Thu Nhi Becomes Vietnam's First WBO Belt Holder
In a heated bout that lasted all ten rounds, Nguyễn Thị Thu Nhi bested Etsuko Tada and walked away with the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title in the mini-flyweight division.
Spending Lockdown With Your Parents: Does Familiarity Breed Contempt?
The recent periods of social distancing have not only created opportunities for families to spend plenty of time together, but also created a lot of mental pressure when members scramble to find perso...
Vietnamese Photographer Clinches 2nd Prize in UK Biology Photo Competition
Trương Hoài Vũ's 'Hòn Yến marine ecosystem' nabbed the honor of runner-up in the 2021 Royal Society of Biology’s photography competition in the Photographer of The Year category.
