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in Vietnam

A Flight Over Đà Lạt in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom

If you’ve taken a trip to Lâm Đồng within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Đà Lạt that’s engulfed by nature.

in Culture

In Ê-đê Villages, Bến Nước Is the Heart Pumping Water Across the Community

Ever since the beginning of time, Ê-đê people have treated water as a respected resource of the community. Water, in their belief, is the life force bringing about bountiful harvests for the villages....

in In Plain Sight

Meet the Saigon Man Whose Home Is an Archive of Traditional Musical Instruments

“These instruments serve our everyday life, or even our spiritual life. For example, they mark the transitions of life. When a baby is born or a person passes away, people play these instruments to we...

in Music & Arts

In Quện's Live Sets, Đà Lạt's Everyday Corners Turn Spontaneous Stages

All attention was aimed towards the same direction, the one where an accident had just taken place. Near 24C, Hoàng Diệu Street in the city of Đà Lạt, two vehicles collided. The shock and chaos attrac...

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: What Bún Cua Gia Lai Taught Me About Vietnam's Bond With Bún

Not being a picky eater was somewhat of a personal point of pride for me growing up. I have my family to thank for this, as their immense patience and open-mindedness have encouraged me to explore as ...

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Vignette: Local Ox Rampages Airport, Stops Flights, Gets Put in Museum in Huế

Name a famous buffalo.

in Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Đà Lạt's Nomadic 'Cafe' Has No Menu, No Store, and One Table

During a recent trip to Đà Lạt, a friend invited me for coffee at 5:30am. The frosty climate of the Central Highlands mornings concerned me, but upon hearing the pitch about a whimsical cafe that oper...

in Film & TV

Review: ‘Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng’ Is a Soul-Searching Mission in the Lâm Đồng Mist

On the pastures of slow cinema where Andrei Tarkovsky, Tsai Ming-liang and Theo Angelopoulos reside, Phạm Thiên Ân's debut feature, Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell), has made its...

in Environment

Learning to Coexist in Peace Is the First Step to Protect Vietnam's Last Remaining Elephants

A trail of enormous footprints, criss-crossing slabs of cracked concrete, lead to a battered ranger station in Vietnam’s Pù Mát National Park. Park staff say the wild Asian elephant that left the trac...

in Film & TV

Cannes Caméra D'or Winner 'Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell' to Hit Vietnam Theaters in August

Following its win at the latest Cannes Film Festival, Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell) will officially premiere in theaters across Vietnam next month.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Ngõ Cafe Houses Big Dreams for Buôn Ma Thuột Beans

A well-known singer from the Central Highlands city of Buôn Ma Thuột, Mai Trang is taking an extended break from show business to focus on her other passion: coffee.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In a Saigon Hẻm Lives a House for Rare Regional Delights

One fine day a few months ago, I embarked on a search for the flavors of faraway lands across Vietnam, all of which are present in a hẻm in the middle of Saigon.

in Parks & Rec

I Went Cloud-Hunting and Found Peace Atop Đà Lạt's Tea Hill

Northern California is blessed with serene nature. Growing up there, pathless trails and cloudy mountain peaks were my safe havens, and when returning home on break from college, it was a tradition to...

in Travel

Đà Lạt to Debut Double-Decker Bus Tours by End of 2022

Following in the wake of popular open-bus tours in some of Vietnam's other metropolises, Đà Lạt will begin the service by the end of the year as part of a pilot program. 

in Environment

Đắk Lắk Receives $2.2m in Financial Support to End Elephant Rides by 2026

To be distributed between now and the end of 2026, the VND55 billion (US$2.2 million) provided by the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) will be used to help tourism centers in Đắk Lắk Province b...

in Music & Arts

How Young Artists Are Bringing Mural Arts to Schools in Rural Vietnam

On their fifth journey off the beaten paths, Tô Đậm is heading to the highland of Ma Bó, Lâm Đồng Province for a new season of lessons, stories, and adventures previously unfolded.

in Environment

In Đà Lạt, Greenhouses Revolutionize Farming, but at What Environmental Cost?

Plastic greenhouses in the city of Đà Lạt may protect farmers from the impacts of erratic weather, but the environmental toll of agri-plastics is building in the agriculture-dependent region.

in Architecture

[Photos] This Buôn Ma Thuột House Is a Cottagecore Dreamland

In recent years, the Central Highlands has slowly become one of the most sought-after regions in Vietnam for young people to travel and live in.

in Vietnam

[Video] Vintage VHS Travelogue Takes You to Đà Lạt in 1992

Get ready for a road trip with nostalgia riding shotgun.

in Environment

Searching for the World's Largest Woodpecker Species in Yok Đôn National Park

You first know she’s approaching by the sound of her wings; her broad shadow flashing across the forest floor. Even from far below, her body looks enormous. At half a meter long, she is roughly five t...

in Food Culture

Pack a Basket, Fill up Your Water Bottle, It's Sugarcane Harvest Season in Đắk Lắk

In March, at early dawn in M'Drắk, long baskets follow farmers to sugarcane farms to bring back wealth. The people here were in the midst of a sweaty and sweet season.

in Ton-sur-Ton

A Gia Lai Entrepreneur Brings Her Hometown's Brocade Art to Modern Jewelry

Vũ Thị Thanh Vân had a simple wish: she wanted to find a well-crafted brocade gift for a friend but the only items she could find were generic, run-of-the-mill fillers sold at tourist sites. Thus bega...

in Vietnam

Da Lat Installs First-Ever Traffic Lights to Stem Road Congestion

A new era has begun for the increasingly busy mountain city.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Voi: From Hai Bà Trưng's Fearsome Companions to Tourism Servants

Does art need a purpose?

in Vietnam

Vietnam Considers Eventually Merging Small, Sparsely Populated Provinces

Any plans to combine sparsely populated locales will, however, not happen anytime soon, as significant research and time for public input is needed. 

in Travel

In Suburban Đà Lạt, With Spring Comes Mai Anh Đào's Breathtaking Pink Tapestry

Mai anh đào, or wild Himalayan cherry flower trees, blooms the brightest and most intensely in Lâm Đồng Province for a few short weeks from the end of January until mid February.

Khoi Pham

in Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Da Lat's Ngàn Cafe Is as Comforting as an Embrace

Walking down Da Lat’s Robin Hill amid emerald pine trees and languid fluffs of cloud, one’s eyes will inevitably encounter a visual disturbance in the form of bright orange plastic maple trees. They a...

in Vietnam

Dak Lak Will End Elephant Rides for Tourists, Official Says

Province officials cite safety concerns and animal welfare as reasons why the tourism activity should be stopped across all of Dak Lak.

in Travel

The Small-Town Charms of Gia Nghia, Vietnam's Youngest Provincial Capital

Set amongst softly undulating hills covered in scenic farmland and coffee trees that slowly give rise to massive, densely forested mountains is a quiet city far off both the domestic and international...

in Environment

Central Highlands Coffee Farmers on Tenterhooks as Lack of Rainfall Dries Region

While the Mekong Delta struggles through a historic drought, the Central Highlands is dealing with its own lack of rainfall.

in Travel

[Photos] In a H'Mong Village, Harvest Time Is When Perseverance Pays Off

Tending to a crop takes dedication. Workers are subjected to early mornings, sore bodies and weary minds. However, after all the trials and tribulations, harvest time — the world over — is usually a t...

in Vietnam

[Photos] An Aerial Perspective of Pleiku and Kon Tum in 1970

In today’s Vietnam, Pleiku in Gia Lai Province is the Central Highlands’ third-biggest city, after Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot.

Thi Nguyen

in Music & Arts

Through Vietnam's Stories of Coffee and Rice, a Trio Finds Where Art and History Meet

Without notice, a gust of July rain swept through the museum of animals and plants' foyer, knocking down several paintings, strewing paper coffee cups and shattering the monitor that had been pla...

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

How Vietnam's Robusta Farms Could Transform Into Vital Carbon Sinks

Coffee is one of Vietnam’s most important agricultural products, a crop that grows so well in the country’s Central Highlands that it has become the world’s second-largest coffee producer.

in Travel

[Photos] Tractors and Cabbages: A Different Da Lat Away From Urban Chaos

Not looking for a fancy destination, I sought out Da Lat for a different perspective that’s comfier, simpler and quieter.

Michael Tatarski

in Environment

Coffee Production in Vietnam Faces Dark Future Under Climate Change

Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns may cost Vietnam 50% of its current Robusta coffee production areas by 2050. Experts agree the situation looks dire, but there is hope that the count...