in Tech

Ride-Hailing Changed How We Commute. Can Ve Chai-Hailing Change How We Recycle?

Mentions of ve chai might evoke images of uncles and aunties pushing around their cart or perched on bicycles, ferrying a host of plastic bags and scrap metal, and occasionally calling out: “Đồng nát sắt vụn bán nào…” This familiar scene, no matter how nostalgic, might change soon.

in Natural Selection

Đuông Dừa, the Mekong Delta's Unique Squishy Snack and Enemy of Coconut Trees

Towards the deep end of our home, several coconut trees’ fronds started browning and falling off, straight from the bud. For the last few weeks, tiny holes have gradually appeared on the coconut trunk and shoot, from a few to numerous, giving off an unpleasant funk of rotten sap. My dad says that these trees are infested with đuông, and we must chop them all down lest we lose the entire grove.

Oliver Newman

in Society

Chạm Vào Xanh, the Social Enterprise Normalizing Joy for People With Disabilities

Hồng’s parents took her out of school in Grade 5. They weren’t facing financial issues, her grades weren’t bad and she had no behavioral setbacks. It was just because she has cerebral palsy.

in Architecture

Đàng Trong Cafe Marries Gò Công's Nhà 3 Gian Design With Modern Cafe

Major metropolises like Saigon and Hanoi might boast the most concentrated distributions of coffee shops in Vietnam, but a new crop of fresh faces in other up-and-coming towns have emerged in the scene, offering sterling brews, spacious seats, and, in some cases, delightful interior design that blends modern cafe conventions with uniquely local flairs.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

A Folk Symbol and Cash Animal, King Cobras Just Really Want to Be Left Alone

The king cobra, or rắn hổ mang chúa in Vietnamese, has great personal branding. For proof, one need look no further than the recent flower display on Nguyễn Huệ celebrating the Year of the Snake: the largest, most impressive statue bore the telltale hood of a cobra.

in Environment

How You Can Think and Live Sustainably

Frequently touted as environmentally friendly options that help preserve the planet, cotton tote bags require so much energy and freshwater to produce that you must use one at least 7,000 times to make it an effective alternative to plastic bags. Finding out that purchases, habits, and initiatives you thought were good for the planet, such as using tote bags, are in fact not likely to help our current climate crisis can be disheartening. Recognizing how the sustainability movement is rife with performative acts, corporate greenwashing and good intentions thwarted by misinformation threatens to discourage people from the entire concept.

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?

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.

Back Society

in Environment

Inside Saigon's Grassroots Carton and Aluminum Recycling Plants

With plastics claiming many of the headlines worldwide and constituting a major issue in Vietnam, scant attention is being paid to other recyclable materials, namely cardboard and aluminum.

in Architecture

[Photos] A Da Nang House Reimagined as a 'Red Brick' Hostel

Turns out one can break down an old house into a hostel the same way one breaks down a brick of cheese into enticing nibbles.

in Health

Saigon, Hanoi to Discharge 30 Covid-19 Patients Today, Including Case 17

As the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam continues to rise, many patients across the country have also recovered.

in Health

3 Covid-19 Patients in Da Nang Discharged; Dozens More Test Negative

There are 136 Covid-19 patients currently being treated in medical facilities in Vietnam.

in Health

Citizens, Especially Those Over 60, Should Stay Home, Health Ministry Warns

As Covid-19 cases in Vietnam continue to climb over 100, the health ministry has warned people from going out.

Michael Tatarski

in Architecture

From Nature, Vietnam Slowly Forges Its Own Brand of Contemporary Architecture

When it comes to architecture in Saigon, a tiny fraction of buildings receive the vast majority of attention.

in Environment

Mekong Delta Slammed by Worst Drought, Saltwater Intrusion in Decades

While the Covid-19 pandemic has understandably dominated the news recently, a disaster is unfolding in the Mekong Delta.

in Health

Coronavirus Update: 121 Confirmed Cases, Including 3 Medical Staff; 3 More Recoveries

Over the weekend, Vietnam's Covid-19 case total surged past 100, while foreigners were banned from entering the country.

in Environment

Thua Thien-Hue Plans to Build 157-Hectare Bird Sanctuary

The 157-hectare bird sanctuary 15 kilometers outside of Hue aims to attract wild birds back to their natural habitat. 

in Health

Coronavirus Update: 76 Cases in Total, More Flight Routes Halted

In just four days, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has increased by 19 — from 57 cases on March 16 to 76 cases on March 18.

in Health

Coronavirus Update: 57 Cases, Compulsory Masks and Saigon's Nightlife Closures

Despite tightening restrictions on movement and air travel, Vietnam’s number of Covid-19 cases jumped from 39 last Thursday to 57 by the end of Sunday.

in Environment

Vietnam Climate Change Project to Improve Water Security Secures $30.2m Funding

The project deals with improving the resilience of small-scale agricultural production to water security loss due to climate change in the Central Highlands and south-central coast regions of Vietnam....

in Sports

Nguyen Van Duong Is Vietnam's First Boxer to Qualify for the Olympics in 32 Years

With an impressive performance at the qualifiers in Jordan, Nguyen Van Duong has become the first Vietnamese boxer to qualify for the Olympics in 32 years. 

in Health

Coronavirus Update: Vietnam’s Cases Rise to 39; Patients' Health Improves

Nine new coronavirus cases in Vietnam have been confirmed within the last three days.

in Architecture

[Photos] A Bright, Airy House in Saigon That Bridges the Generational Gap

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."

in Environment

Vietnam to Clampdown on Illegal Wildlife Trade Amid Virus Fears

With the scientist community in general agreement that 2019’s novel coronavirus emerged out of a wet market in Wuhan where live animals were slaughtered, governments in both China and Vietnam are taki...

in Tech

Mobile Sensation 'Adorable Home' Adds Vietnamese as Language Option

Considering how much attention the game has received from Vietnamese players, this update seems inevitable.

in Health

Vietnam Unveils Health Declaration App, Website to Aid Coronavirus Containment

As the Covid-19 outbreak rages globally and Vietnam confronts a spate of new cases, a new app and website have been rolled out to aid the monitoring of people's health in the country.

in Health

Coronavirus Update: 30 Cases in Total; 13 New Cases Linked to London–Hanoi Flight

It was a grim weekend for Vietnam as, after three weeks with no new Covid-19 cases and 100% recovery rate, the number of patients who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus ballooned to 30.

in Development

Opera House Metro Station Expected to Open for Public Visits by April 30

Work on the Opera House station of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien line has gone into overdrive.