Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Kiến Ba Khoang: Not an Ant, but a Harbinger of Dread and Divine Punishment

People’s skin erupted with horrific boils that burst open, spilling stinging pus across vicious rashes. According to the Christian Bible, along with water turning to blood, frogs, lice, gnats, diseased livestock, hail, locusts, darkness for three days and the killing of firstborn sons, the boils were one of the plagues God sent down to ancient Egyptians to compel them to free the Israelites.

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. 

Back Society

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.

in Environment

How Vietnam Is Trying to Save Its Beloved Giant Yangtze Softshell Turtles

Eighty-eight-year-old Le Huy Hoanh stands up from his bench and carefully poured tea in rural Vietnam, and mimes for us how he used to kill gods.

in Tech

Samsung Is Building Its Largest Southeast Asia R&D Center in Hanoi

The electronics giant said that the building will be the biggest such facility in Southeast Asia.

in Environment

Vietnam Considers Scaling Back Plans to Build New Coal Power Plants

The move comes as thermal power plants are increasingly difficult to finance, while their detrimental environmental impacts are impossible to ignore.

in Environment

AirVisual Ranks Hanoi as World's 7th-Most Polluted Capital in 2019

According to a new report released by AirVisual, Hanoi ranked seventh on a list of the world’s most polluted capital cities in 2019.

in Environment

[Video] Rescued Pangolin Gives Birth in Vietnamese Sanctuary

For the first time ever, a baby Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) was born in a captive environment at the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) facility in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam.

in Architecture

[Photos] A Somehow-Spacious Tiny Apartment in Hanoi

Aesthetic pleasure doesn't fall prey to functionality and a dearth of square meters in this tiny Hanoi apartment. 

in Tech

Grab, German Aircraft Maker to Test Air Taxi Feasibility in Southeast Asia

Air taxis are here to help you fly directly into air pollution.