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.
Micronutrient Deficiencies Mainly to Blame for Stunting Vietnamese Children: Experts
Medical experts believe that malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency are the direct causes of Vietnamese adolescents’ low height.
In Bac Ninh, Over 200 Children Found to Have Tapeworms
According to recent test results, no less than 209 school kids in Bac Ninh were found to be infected with tapeworms, with the children then being rushed to Hanoi for treatment.
Vietnam Considers Exclusive Inter-Airport Road Between Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh
Authorities are considering a direct road between Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat airports that's reserved only for inter-airport travelers.
[Photos] In Ben Tre, a Kindergarten of the Future
Who says schools have to be stodgy concrete blocks?
Grab Is Experimenting With 'GrabWheels' Electric Scooter in Singapore
GrabWheels debuted on the main campus of National University Singapore (NUS) in November last year, but a string of accidents have forced new safety measures be put in place as it moves forw...
In New Urban Plan, Da Lat to Demolish, Move Iconic Landmarks
Lam Dong People's Committee recently issued a major development plan for the Hoa Binh area in central Da Lat.
[Photos] In the Central Highlands, a House Doubles as a Playground for Sunlight
Do you need to rethink your understanding of roofs?
Growing Concerns as More Doctors Quit Public Hospitals for Private Sector
If the situation persists, Vietnam's public hospitals could face serious staff shortage in the future.
15-Year-Old Vietnamese Weightlifter Wins 3 Gold Medals, Sets World Records
Do Tu Tung, a 15-year-old bodybuilder from Bac Ninh recently won three gold medals at the 2019 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Youth World Championships in Las Vegas.
Vietnam's Largest Solar Power System Officially Opens in Dak Lak
The 1.2-million-square-meter cluster of solar panels is capable of producing 100 megawatts at its peak.
Cash-Strapped Saigon Metro Project Requests $1.68m From City to Pay Staff
The management team of Saigon's ongoing metro project has requested advance funds from the city to pay employees who have only received partial salaries since January.
From March, Vietnam Requires Hospitals to Digitize Medical Records
Health authorities hope that the change will help cut back waiting times, confusion caused by doctors' handwriting and improve the archiving and managing of records.
Vietnamese Educational App Elsa Secure $7m From Google's AI Fund
Elsa, founded in 2015 by Vietnamese national Van Dinh Hong Vu and speech recognition researcher Dr. Xavier Anguera, is a mobile application that helps English learners hone their pronunciation and ove...
[Photos] Inside Cat Tien National Park's New Bear Sanctuary Made From Wire and Pebbles
The group of buildings inside Cat Tien National Park provides a comfortable home to 40 sun and moon bears that have been rescued from illegal trafficking and the bear bile industry.
South Korean Firm Puts Forth Plans for $3bn Metro Network in Da Nang
The proposed metro system would connect the city's downtown, beach, airport and major roads.
As Measles Hits 43 Provinces in Vietnam, Officials Warn of Potential Outbreak
The number of measles patients is still on the rise, according to health authorities.
[Photos] In Da Nang, a Symmetrical Twin House for Two Close Friends
Have you ever loved a friend so much that you build a house to cohabitate with him and his family?
Vietnam to Build First-Ever Undersea Tunnel Beneath Ha Long Bay
The project has already attracted three investors including Nippon Koei, FECON and Transport Engineering Design Inc.
[Photos] A Communal House in Son La Inspired by Indigenous Headscarves
Inspired by the headscarves worn by ethnic minority women in the area, the Son La Province structure appears to be drifting across the lush landscape on a pollen-sweet breeze.
Thai Football Club Shells out $500,000 for Vietnamese Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam
Following his strong performance as part of Vietnam’s national football team in 2018, goaltender Dang Van Lam has been highly sought-after by other teams in the region. He has now settled with Muangth...
