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

Last Coronavirus Patient in Vietnam Tests Negative

All 16 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Vietnam have now tested negative. 

in Tech

From April, Cars for Ride-Hailing Apps Might Be Required to Install Taxi Signs

In 2016, a pilot for the application of science and technology to support transport management on a contractual basis was issued, allowing ride-hailing services such as Grab to operate without being s...

in Sports

[Video] Meet Ta Anh Dung, Tao Dan Park's One-Legged Martial Arts Master

As one of Saigon’s few remaining green spaces, Tao Dan Park is a choice location for athletic city dwellers to hone fitness skills, catch some fresh air or relish the coolness of the park’s extensive ...

in Architecture

[Photos] A Colorful Kindergarten Among the Misty Hoa Binh Mountains

This is way cooler than your kindergarten.

in Development

Saigon Metro Line 1 Is 71% Complete; First Train to Be Delivered in June 2020

The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line is now 71% complete, its management board says.

in Tech

Vietnam to Install Surveillance Cameras on Buses to Combat Sexual Harassment

A decree recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will make several changes to transportation services including the addition of surveillance cameras to 170,000 transportation vehicles.&nb...

in Education

Saigon Embraces Boarding School Education

For more than 1,000 years, boarding schools have been a popular education model for families in the United Kingdom, and this year the first premium international school in Saigon is bringing the optio...

in Health

Vietnam Continues Nationwide School Shutdown Due to Covid-19

Schools and university campuses were supposed to reopen on February 17 in several provinces.

in Environment

Vietnam, Other Mekong Nations Launch Joint Program to Tackle River Plastic Waste

A regional workshop was recently held to discuss plastic pollution in the Mekong River.

in Tech

Local Engineers Develop Vietnamese-Language Site to Track Corona Cases in Real Time

The online map was developed by a group of five Vietnamese engineers from Kompa Group, a tech company based in Vietnam and Silicon Valley.

in Sports

Coach Park Hang-Seo Fined $5,000 by AFC for Tantrum During SEA Games Final

Coach Park Hang-seo has been fined US$5,000 fine and suspended for four games for the red card he received during the final match of last year's SEA Games.

in Development

Vietnam Moves Forward on New Expressway Linking Bien Hoa, Vung Tau

A new expressway connecting Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau is being considered to relieve traffic pressure on existing roads.

in Tech

Vietnam's Ride-Hailing Market Welcomes 2 New Players, Unicar and Zuumviet

Both services are products of Vietnamese creators.

in Sports

[Photos] Inside the Non-Stop Action of a Muay Thai Fight Night in Saigon

I arrived with eager anticipation on Sunday, December 29 at the Tao Dan Sports Center for the start of the club matches.

in Architecture

[Photos] A Hoi An Family Brings a Touch of Their Hometown to Da Nang

KHE House, designed by K.A.N Studio, captures the nostalgia of a Hoi An family living in Da Nang, just three kilometers from their hometown.

in Tech

Taxi Company Mai Linh Has New Australian CEO After Merger

Mai Linh, one of Vietnam’s top taxi service operators, just announced a new CEO and various changes in its leadership.

in Environment

Vietnam's Economy Among the Hardest Hit by Sea Level Rise: Moody's

A new report from Moody’s Investors Service points to a long-term credit risk from sea level rise in Vietnam.

in Education

How One Woman is Working to Improve Saigon’s Live Music Scene

As the only foreign student studying cải lương at Saigon’s University of Cinema and Theatre, Josefina Fuentes stood out from the moment she arrived here, and her ensuing years in the city have been ju...

in Health

Coronavirus Update: Public Schools Close, 8th Patient Confirmed

Vietnam experienced a dramatic weekend related to the coronavirus spreading out of Wuhan, China.

in Health

Coronavirus Update: Public Schools Close, 8 Cases in Total, 1 New Patient in Saigon

Vietnam experienced a dramatic weekend related to the coronavirus spreading out of Wuhan, China.