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.
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.
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.
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.
Da Nang to Spend $62.5m on Major Project to Combat Beach Pollution
The US$62.5 million project to improve the water environment in Son Tra District received approval from the central city of Da Nang.
New Cat Lai Bridge Project Linking Saigon-Dong Nai Recently Approved
Once finished, Cat Lai Bridge will replace the Cat Lai Ferry.
Amazon Is in Vietnam, but Not to Sell Products. Not in the Next 5 Years.
Despite the retail behemoth's recent establishment of Amazon Global Selling Vietnam and the hiring of a former-Alibaba top manager to serve as CEO, the company won't start selling to customers in Viet...
How Vietnamese Runners Are Taking on 70km-Long Mountain Trails, and Winning
Ever wondered if you’ve got what it takes to run 70 kilometers? How about scaling 2,300 meters of mountain? Better still, could you imagine doing both of these things at the same time?
Grab to Invest $500m to Expand Operations in Vietnam
In response to what it considers a surging market, the ride-hailing giant has announced plans to invest heavily into its Vietnamese business.
Vietnam's Startup Scene Goes From Regional Laggard to Leader
Vietnam has transformed its startup ecosystem from the second-least active to the third-most active among ASEAN countries, trailing only Indonesia and Singapore.
Paul Christiansen in Sports
On Dreaming of a Time When Vietnam Loves Basketball as Much as Football
How lucrative is being a professional basketball player in Vietnam? To help make ends meet, “some work at fast-food restaurants,” admits Ho Chi Minh City Wings small forward Nguyen Ky Quan.
Online Ticketing Company TicketBox Acquired by E-Commerce Firm Tiki
The deal is part of Tiki’s strategy to complete an “all-in-one” ecosystem and marks its entrance into the entertainment sector.
Surprise! A New Homemade Social Media Platform in Vietnam Is Called 'Lotus'
Following Hahalolo and Gapo, another Vietnamese social media platform has entered the market with a rather "inventive" name.
Michael Tatarski in Environment
Loài Plastic: To Eradicate Plastic Items, Treat Them as Invasive Species
Amid increasing awareness of the environmental and health dangers of plastic, a creative new group has joined the fight against this global scourge.
Girls and Boys in Vietnam Are Equally Vulnerable to Trafficking, Study Shows
A report, titled 'Casting Light in the Shadows: Child and Youth Migration, Exploitation and Trafficking in Vietnam,' was conducted by children's rights research and consultancy institute Coram Interna...
How a Power Couple Built a Dedicated Home for Powerlifting in Saigon
In full "ninja" attire, I braved congested streets under the scorching sun looking for the address. Finally, having spotted a sign that reads 'OldSchool Barbell System’ tucked deep inside Binh Thanh D...
[Photos] In Hue, a Minimalist Tree House for Adults
Climbing trees and crafting a cozy tree house out of scrap materials might be a fond childhood memory for many. This new house in Hue provides its tenants with the same experience, except with the ame...
Michael Tatarski in Environment
How the Mekong's Mangroves Can Survive Against the Threat of Development
While Southeast Asia is known as one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, home to booming metropolises like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur, it also hosts some of the planet’s m...
Who's Really To Blame for Southeast Asia's Ocean Plastic Crisis?
Our oceans are littered with plastics. Indeed, we are regularly exposed to images and stories of whales and sea turtles choking to death on plastic trash. Ocean plastic is clearly a problem, but what ...
Hanoi Health Center to Offer Rewards to People Who Bring in HIV Patients
The health center is positive their new reward system will help increase detection rates for the dangerous virus.
[Video] Waterfall and Indoor Gardens: Inside Long Thanh Airport's Terminal 1
The construction of the airport is expected to kickstart next year to meet urgent air travel demand.
Mobile World Launches New Affordable Phone Chain Called ‘Super Cheap Phones’
Small mobile phone retailers are afraid the move might hurt their businesses.
[Photos] Here's the Winning Entry of Saigon's September 23 Park Design Contest
A new prize-winning design for Saigon’s September 23 Park, reverts the entire park's surface to public spaces and amenities reserved for pedestrians and local residents.
Da Nang Signs Partnership With Facebook to Improve Disaster Response, Warning
This is the first time Facebook is partnering with a local government in Vietnam for a public service campaign.
