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.
Japan to Help Clean Hanoi's Polluted To Lich River
Hanoi’s To Lich River is known for its heady fragrance and death-black palette, but that could all be about to change.
Female Garment Factory Workers in Vietnam Face Widespread Physical, Sexual Abuse, Study Shows
A new study interviewed 736 female Vietnamese garment workers to gain insights into the extent of abuse these women are facing.
New Strain of Antibiotic-Resistant E. Coli Discovered in Vietnam
Medical researchers have discovered in Vietnam a strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that's resistant to carbapenem, a class of highly effective antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections an...
77 Architects Cosign Request to Da Lat to Reconsider Development Plan
A new development plan, announced not long ago, will bring about major changes to Da Lat's central area.
In Nghe An, Untreated Waste From Artisan Villages Worsens Local Pollution
Artisan villages that make noodles, cakes and seafood in Nghe An Province are creating damaging pollution.
‘Who Made My Clothes’, an Exhibition Exploring the Human Cost of Fashion, to Launch in Hanoi Next Week
‘Who Made My Clothes?’ is a free exhibition as part of the global Fashion Revolution Week (22-28 April). The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the human cost and impact of the fashion industry and...
[Photos] Saigon's Latest 'House for Trees' Is an Urban Garden on a Budget
The latest in the "House for Trees" project, Vo Trong Nghia Architects' new structure fills a tight space with greenery on a budget.
Only 39% of Pet Dogs in Vietnam Are Vaccinated: Animal Health Department
There are 5.4 million dogs registered as pets in 3.5 million households in Vietnam.
Quang Binh Says No to Controversial Son Doong Cable Car Project
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park might be safe from invasive development projects, at least for the time being.
A Japanese Electric Car That Can Float on Water Is Coming to Vietnam
Can the vehicle combat Saigon's water accumulation problem?
[Photos] Vo Trong Nghia's Latest 'House for Trees' Is an Urban Garden on a Budget
The latest in the "House for Trees" project, Vo Trong Nghia Architects' new structure fills a tight space with greenery on a budget.
Don't Buy Vietnam's Cat Ba Tiger Geckos as Pets. They Are Going Extinct.
The exotic pet trade and lack of suitable conservation standards threaten the lizards native to several remote islands in northern Vietnam.
Vietnam Tightens Grip on Pharmacies to Curb Antibiotics Abuse
As the risk of antibiotics resistance increases, the Vietnamese government has started to respond.
Vietnam's National Football Team Valued at $1.9m
How much would you be willing to spend on the national team?
Who Are the Four Vietnamese in Forbes 30 Under 30 List 2019?
The annual 30 Under 30 Asia by Forbes shortlists 300 brilliant millennials from 2,000 entries in the Asia-Pacific region, and four Vietnamese made it onto this year’s compilation.
Banana Leaves Make Glorious Comeback in Supermarkets Across Vietnam
After straws, Vietnam’s anti-plastic movement now has a new target: plastic grocery wraps.
Made-in-Vietnam Portable Bum Guns to Penetrate US Market Next Year
Editor's note: Happy April Fools' Day! This article was part of Saigoneer's 2019 April Fools' Day celebration. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, a...
Quang Binh Company Proposes Cable Car in Space Linking Saigon With Hanoi
Editor's note: Happy April Fools' Day! This article was part of Saigoneer's 2019 April Fools' Day celebration. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, a...
Vietnam Comes to a Halt to Celebrate U-12 Football Victory
Editor's note: Happy April Fools' Day! This article was part of Saigoneer's 2019 April Fools' Day celebration. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, a...
Tam Dao's Bear Sanctuary and the Fight Against Bile Farms
Bear bile farming is a custom that originates from China, having been practiced for thousands of years. The bile, harvested from bears’ gallbladders, is used in various traditional Chinese medicines. ...
