Xuân Phương in Hanoi
In Suburban Hanoi, With Summer Comes the Red-Purple Cascade of Mulberries
In suburban Hanoi, this is the season when mulberry branches heavy with bright red fruits dangle in the summer wind.
After Saigon Police Bust Major Pet Theft Ring, the City Rallies to Help Care for 400 Cats
After an extended investigation, the Hồ Chí Minh City Police Department has busted a major cat theft and distribution ring that operated across multiple southern provinces.
A Visit to Lê Minh Xuân, a Rare Craft Village Making Incense Sticks Amid Saigon
From inside the workshop, artisans carry bundle after bundle of freshly made incense sticks into the courtyard amid the morning mist. A gentle scent of spices linger in the air.
As Thanh Đa Faces Redevelopment, Writer Dạ Ngân Reflects on What Will Be Lost
To me, my trip to Cư xá Thanh Đa in summer 1982 was a serendipitous encounter. It was Saigon’s largest-scale residential complex in the first half of the 1970s, with nearly 4,000 separate units housing about 50,000 inhabitants. Cư xá refers to a residential quarter reserved for gainfully employed citizens, with a vision to establish a model community with a high quality of life. Here, in their three-bedroom apartments, civil servants, professors, doctors, and military leaders ranked major or higher lived in pride of being a part of a cư xá like that.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
How Saigon's Free Water Coolers Quench Thirst and Spread Kindness
In recent years, stories about climate change's impacts on the lives of Vietnamese people have been increasingly making the news.
Inside the Covid Memorial Park at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Saigon's Brand-New Green Space
As part of Saigon’s latest initiative to increase green space coverage in the city, a number of abandoned land plots were converted into public parks, including a Covid Memorial Park that’s become a beloved destination for Saigoneers seeking a space to jog, reflect, or just simply touch grass.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
All Aboard Bus 146, Home of Plushies, Rubber Chickens and a Side of Humanity
“Cute” doesn’t seem like a fitting descriptor for any mode of public transport, but a bus in Saigon is driving straight into the heart of Saigoneers for being the quintessence of “smotheringly adorable.”
Saigon Set to Make Bus Service Free for All to Cut Congestion, Air Pollution
Saigoneers without private vehicles might be happy to hear that the city is planning to make the municipal bus system free to ride in the near future.
[Updated] Slow Internet? Broken Cable Might Not Be Fixed Until February
[Update Below] If you've been experiencing internet problems since Friday evening, you're not the only one. The $560 million Asia America Gate Way cable, Vietnam's international internet connection, h...
Morning News Roundup: Seven Camping Students Missing at Sea
Vietnam's biggest telcos scam users by embedding services, concealing fees [Thanh Nien] Lexus makes its Vietnamese debut [Vietnam Net] Russia backs Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant [VoV...
Starting Tomorrow: Big Fines for Peeing in the Street, Scolding Your Spouse, Selling Sex
A new decree that goes into effect tomorrow will raise fines for a number of ‘social evils’ already on the books while adding a few new ones.
Morning News Roundup: Nearly 200 Kids Hospitalized for Suspected Poisoning
Annual GDP growth projected to reach 5.42 per cent [Vietnam Net] Paint smell may have caused elephant to attack trainer [UPI] Vietnam ranks third in world for shrimp production [VRI]
Morning News Roundup: Death Sentence for Machete Gang’s Young Boss
Death sentence announced for machete gang’s young boss [Tuoi Tre] First submarine on the way to Vietnam [VoV] Vietnam authorities continue probe into dubious 3G fee hike [Thanh Nien]
Morning News Roundup: Sinkholes, Shaky Building Cause Panic in Vietnam Court
Sinkholes, shaky building cause panic in Vietnam court [Thanh Nien] GDP up 5.42% in 2013 [VoV] Police propose publishing traffic violators’ names [Tuoi Tre]
Vietnam's First McDonald's to Open in HCMC After Tet
Last Friday, international burger giant, McDonald’s confirmed what has been predicted for years – its opening its first store in Vietnam, just after Tet.
Morning News Roundup: 12 Tons of Two-Year-Outdated Beef Found in Saigon Warehouse
Vietnam diplomat briefly held in Germany over $20k [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam decree allows cops to shoot at resisters in self defense [Thanh Nien] Saigon: 12 tons of two-year-outdated beef in sea...
Businesses Raise Alarm Over New Foreign Labor Rules
A November decree on foreign labor in Vietnam has businesses seriously concerned about their ability to fill vacancies for skilled workers. Numerous changes, including the diminished length of work pe...
Morning News Roundup: Vietnam, US Sign Agreement for Clearing War-era Ordnance
EU offers €114 million to Vietnam’s health sector [Tuoi Tre] Fund for natural disaster prevention to be established [Vietnam Net] Middle and Affluent Class in Vietnam and Myanmar Will Doub...
10 Beautiful Photos of Sapa's Majestic Snow
Last weekend's snowstorm in Sapa drew photographers from all over northern Vietnam who jumped at the opportunity to capture some great photos of the town's snow-covered hills, roads and residents.&nbs...
Morning News Roundup: Fuel Price Hike Takes Consumers by Surprise
Fuel price hike takes consumers by surprise [Tuoi Tre] Bankers, fat cats charged in massive Vietnam financial scandal [Thanh Nien] Lao Cai suffers estimated loss of VND5 billon due to frost&nbs...
2 Foreigners Arrested for iPhone Snatching
In a reminder that crime transcends race, 2 foreigners were arrested last Friday for stealing an iPhone from a local woman in District 1. The 2 thieves were identified as Sean Douglas, 17, an Austral...
Morning News Roundup: Prisoner Executed by Lethal Injection for First Time in HCMC
HCMC’s labor market has 265,000 jobs in 2014 [Tuoi Tre] VietJet Air agrees $800 million engine deal with GE's CFM International [Reuters] Another $907 mil in ODA pledged as Japan, Vietnam stren...
[Updated] Scottish Botanist Missing in Sapa's Mountains
[Update Below] On October 30, Scottish Botanist, Jamie Taggart left his Sapa hotel to explore some nearby hills. After failing to show up on his schedule flight back home nearly a month later, his fat...
Rare Snowstorm Hits Sapa
Sapa, which is known to get light dustings of snow from time to time, was hit by a rare snowstorm on December 15 causing a massive 5km traffic jam. The snow, measuring between 5 – 10cm, blocked the O...
What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
Kerry visits Vietnam, focus on trade, security, rights [Reuters] Drug ring gets death penalty in Vietnam [AlJazeera] App breaks record for largest speed dating event [ABS]
Year’s Best Meteor Shower on Display in Vietnam TONIGHT!
Tonight is the best night of the year to catch a meteor shower according to Nguyen Duc Phuong, from the Vietnam Space Observatory Association.
Morning News Roundup: Nationwide Hunt for Owner of Gucci-Milano Store in HCMC
Vietnamese, 2 Malaysians jailed for credit card fraud in HCMC [Thanh Nien] Nationwide hunt for owner of Gucci-Milano store in HCMC [SGGP] Internet business to earn VND100 trillion in 2018&...
Report: 7-Eleven Coming to Saigon in 2014
Like McDonalds, 7-Eleven has been eyeing the Vietnam market for years. Now that Circle K, Family Mart and Shop & Go have softened the market for convenience stores, the ubiquitous brand is set to ...
