in Development

Saigon Metro Line 1 Announces July Launch Date, Free Rides in Phase 1

Will 2024 be the auspicious year when our legs could finally step on the metro platform for the first time?

in Health

Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines

We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Charting the Flow of the Nhiêu Lộc Canal From Start to Historical Start

When I fall in love with an album, I seek out the artist's first mixtapes and demos. When I come to admire a poet, I hunt down their early poems and chapbooks. I even linger over the old highlight reels of my favorite football players' college games. Understanding where something starts allows me appreciate it more. So it is with the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal.

Khôi Phạm

in Society

Nhiêu Lộc Canal Hosted Trudeau's Night Run. Why Is It Not as Famous as Obama's Bún Chả?

You know how much Vietnamese culture revolves around food by the fact that one of the first questions we pose to any foreign visitor is “What’s your favorite Vietnamese dish?” Asking about other aspects of the country could invite honest opinions that some of us might not be prepared to hear. Deep down, more than anybody else, we know that our air quality is subpar and our urban cleanliness leaves much to be desired, but our food is the one thing every Vietnamese can trust to make us proud. What easier way to foster diplomacy than to center the conversation around deliciousness?

in Architecture

In Hanoi, a Family Home Balances Commercial Hustle With Spiritual Haven

If many Vietnamese families often opt to reserve one room in their house plan for ancestor worship, this household in Hanoi decided to dedicate an entire backyard to their family altar.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

An Homage to the Mekong Delta and Its Bag-Wearing Fruits

Rats, mice, mosquitos, snakes, centipedes, caterpillars, snails, beetles and slugs: the more fertile a region is, the more pests inhabit it.

in Tech

Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in recent years. Last year, gay dating app Grindr continued the tradition with their own annual insights, and Vietnam managed to claim a spot in the roundup.

in Environment

On the 12th Day of Christmas Saigoneer Gave to Me: 12 Birdcalls From Across Vietnam

Almost everywhere we go in the world, birdsong abounds.

Back Society

in Tech

The Story of Giang Nguyen, Grab's First Blind Coder

Saigon native Giang Nguyen was born completely blind, but that hasn’t stopped him from succeeding as a coder for Singapore-based ride-share app Grab.

Thi Nguyen

in Society

Saigon's Coworking Movement and the Rise of the City's Creative Class

I like working in cafes: every visit, I find myself a comfy seat, plug in my laptop, get the WiFi password and camp out for the whole day. But while this sounds nice, it’s only the sugar-coated versio...

in Architecture

[Photos] In D3, an Owner Transforms Her Childhood Home Into an Colorful Tube House

After a recent major renovation, this tube house in District 3 is now a spacious living quarter for a multi-generational family.

in Society

Vietnamese Men Are Most Likely to Favor Good Looks Over Personality: 20-Country Survey

A new survey of people from 20 countries found that Vietnamese men were the only respondent group that's more likely to value their partner's appearance over their personality.

in Environment

Hanoi Starts Cleaning Hoan Kiem Lake 2 Years After Beloved Turtle Died From Pollution

Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake will be cleaned up two years after its famous reptile resident died in its polluted waters.

in Tech

Vietnamese From Rural Regions Are Using Smartphones and Facebook More Than Ever

Thanks to reductions in smartphone prices, these devices are now increasingly popular among Vietnamese all over the country.

in Tech

Sharks, Anchors & Red Tape: Why It Takes Forever to Fix Vietnam's Broken Internet Cables

Are the sharks all to blame, or should other aquatic creatures also be held responsible for Vietnam’s sluggish internet?

in Sports

Vingroup Hires Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes for Football Academy in Hung Yen

Two well-known former soccer players from Great Britain have been hired by a new soccer academy in northern Vietnam in an attempt to create the country's first batch of World Cup-caliber footballers.

in Architecture

[Photos] This Abode in D3 Is a Green Oasis Amid Saigon's Concrete Jungle

A building in District 3 designed by architectural firm KIENTRUC O is using space and openness in a daring new way. The result is a structure that connects the lives of its occupants with the surround...

in Society

Most Foreign Brides in South Korea in 2016 Were Vietnamese Women

A new study by South Korea's national statistics organization has shown that Vietnamese women are now the largest group of foreign brides in the East Asian nation.

in Society

[Photos] Conquering Saigon's Concrete Jungle

The concept of urban exploration certainly isn’t in its infancy anymore: across Instagram and other social media feeds, photographs of masked lunatics dangling from skyscrapers abound. While many peop...

in Sports

The Reunification Game: How a 1976 Football Match Brought North & South Together

In early 1976, shortly after the dust had started to settle in a now-unified Vietnam, Le Buu, general director of the country’s Sports Administration Department, was tasked with heading to Saigon to a...

Khoi Pham

in Tech

A Brief History of the Internet in Vietnam on Its 20th Birthday

My first memory of the internet in Vietnam occurred in an internet café on Tran Hung Dao Street. It was the early 2000s: Walkman players were still a thing, MTV actually played music, and Britney Spea...

Khoi Pham

in Society

Meet Le Duy Loan, the First and Only Female Senior Fellow at Texas Instruments in 87 Years

When Le Duy Loan fled to the US in 1975, she was still a shy and demure girl from Nha Trang who barely knew any English. Today, Loan belongs to the top rung in her field of engineering and remains the...

in Development

Singaporean Real Estate Company Pours $177m Into Residential Project in D4

Singaporean property developer CapitaLand has announced that it is planning to build its latest residential development in Saigon's District 4.

in Tech

Foreign Websites Should Process Payments Locally for Ease of Tax Collection: Ministry

The Ministry of Finance has stated its desire to have foreign digital service providers such as Facebook and Google process payments through a Vietnam-based corporation.

in Tech

Did Bkav Actually Crack Apple iPhone X's Face ID a Week After Its Release?

A group of enterprising Vietnamese "hackers" recently claimed that they had managed to crack Apple's Face ID, the iPhone X's latest form of authentication.

in Architecture

German Architect Unveils Dramatic 'Sky Forest' Tower for Thu Thiem Peninsula

A prominent international architect has unveiled plans for a spectacular skyscraper on Saigon's Thu Thiem Peninsula.

in Health

After Typhoon Damrey, 150,000 Children in Vietnam Are at Risk of Malnutrition: UNICEF

Typhoon Damrey, which struck south-central Vietnam over a week ago, has left tens of thousands of children at risk of health issues, UNICEF reports.

in Architecture

[Photos] Phu Nhuan's Piet Mondrian-Inspired Tube House

With a touch of bright colors as accents, a local architecture firm managed to make this Saigon tube house stand out from its dull and rigid neighbors in the vicinity.