Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

The Simple Pleasures of Having Your Hair Washed at the Hairdresser’s

I get my face shaved by sidewalk barbers; stop at every roving laminator I pass to have ticket stubs, photos, and doodles ...

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon

Letter to the People I Met as We Hid From the Rain Under a Bridge Together

“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”— Vladimir Nabokov.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's Bát Tràng Ceramic Village Turns Historic Craft Into Global Fame

Bát Tràng has been producing ceramics for over 700 years, but it’s the recent decades that interest me most: a period in which this small village has mirrored Vietnam’s rapid economic growth.

in Vietnam

Final Merging Plan Brings Vietnam's Locality Number From 63 to 34

After extended working sessions to gather insights from experts and locals, Vietnam’s state government has announced the final version of the country’s administrative map.

in Saigon

Múa Lân Is Officially Recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage

In Chợ Lớn, every Tết, amid the aroma of burning joss sticks and an onslaught of red-color decorations is the echoing beats of lion dance instruments. For generations of Saigoneer, the presence of múa lân, or lion dance, is a sign of festivity and celebration.

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.

Back Stories

in Stories

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam’s Population Hits 90 Million

Vietnam health official apologizes for death involving cosmetic surgeon [Thanh Nien] Vietnam Motor Show opens in Ho Chi Minh City [SGGP] “Wall Streets” in Saigon [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam’s...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam Beauty Clinic Owner Arrested for Allegedly Killing Customer

Vietnam beauty clinic owner arrested for allegedly killing customer [Thanh Nien] Vietnam: a nation of online gamers dominated by Chinese and Korean games [DW] Saigonese artists featured in...

in Saigon

HCMC Street to be Named in Honor of Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap

Like many other countries, Vietnam uses street names to honor fallen national heroes. As such, it should come as no surprise that both HCMC and Hanoi are planning to name streets after the recently de...

in Vietnam

After Police Chase, 49 Endangered Pangolins Found in Ambulance

In yet another case of shady wildlife smuggling in Vietnam, after a brief chase, traffic police in the northern province of Phu Yen pulled over a suspicious ambulance and found 49 endangered pangolins...

in Stories

Vietnam Airlines Flight Lands in Da Nang Missing a Front Wheel

Have you seen a giant wheel falling from the sky? When a Vietnam Airlines flight landed in Da Nang yesterday afternoon, everything seemed to be normal. But after technicians carried out a routine exa...

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Man Dies in Underground Hole While Committing Gambling Fraud

Vietnam airlines plan fleet boom as roads and rail fail [WTAQ] Vietnam city police to probe utilities for paying excessive salaries [Thanh Nien]  Student keen on conserving ancient HC...

in Saigon

Yesterday's Flooding Breaks Record for HCMC. Today May be Even Worse.

If you were caught in waist-deep water yesterday, you weren’t the only one. The floodwaters reached 1.64 meters, breaking the previous record. But the worst might not yet be over.

in Vietnam

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed

Chinese woman caught with 2.2 kg of drugs at airport [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam gives green light to genetically modified crops [Vietnam Net]  Vietnam's economy regaining growth momentum ...

in Asia

Morning News Roundup: Vegetable Prices Jump After Storm Nari

Government decrees support for atomic energy studies [Nhan Dan] Oil refinery projects erected all across Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam cyber crime rising in 2013 - Vietnam Economic Times ...

in Asia

Typhoon Nari Leaves Path of Death and Destruction Across SE Asia

As Typhoon Nari swept through SE Asia this week, it left a path of death and destruction from the Philippines to Laos. Thousands of homes were destroyed, dozens of lives were lost and it may have even...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Video: Girl Causes Accident, Brushes it off Like a Boss

Even though drivers in Vietnam seem to have mastered driving the wrong way on one way streets, this tactic can still result in accidents. Especially when the offender drives in the middle of the road....

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnamese Want City, Airport, Avenue Named After Gen. Giap

Half of Vietnam’s industrial sewage dumped into rivers untreated [Thanh Nien]  Vietnamese want city, airport, avenue named after Gen. Giap [Tuoi Tre] Vinalines former head guilty of c...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Morning News Roundup: Vietnam's Chief Warns Against Growing Economic Divide, Again

Vietnam Vows Dong and Interest-Rate Stability for Growth [Bloomberg] US alliance says Vietnam software piracy decreasing [Thanh Nien] Dogs in Vietnam: Not just for dinner anymore [Reu...

in Vietnam

Typhoon Nari Devastating Central Vietnam

After wreaking havoc on the Philippines where it killed 13 people, Typhoon Nari made landfall this morning in central Vietnam, causing massive flooding, power outages and destruction of property.

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Mass Evacuations in Vietnam for Typhoon Nari

Vietnam Vows to Boost Political Trust With China During Li Visit [Business Week] Sustainable tourism in Vietnam inspires film [ABC] Killer drunk drivers stalk Vietnam roads [Thanh Nie...

Brian Letwin

in Stories

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed

At Least 21 Dead in Vietnam Firework Factory Blast [Farsnews]  Japan slow to realize nuclear plant export to Vietnam [Global Post] High cholesterol might become top killer in Vietnam&...

in Stories

A Look into the World of HCMC Sex Shops

Even though sex toys and unregistered aphrodisiacs are awesome illegal in HCMC, many sex shops stock these items and are seeing their profits soar. After all, it’s hard to run a business selling condo...

in Saigon

Video: iPhone Thievery

Crime is on the rise in HCMC. The city may be installing video cameras and increasing the number of security personnel, but these won't solve the problem on their own. Thieves are conniving and thrive...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnamese Manufacture Unmanned Aircraft, Submarines, Battleships

Railway planned to link Vietnam metro with new airport [Thanh Nien] Vietnam-Japan trade turnover at US$16.3 billion in first 8 months [SGGP]  Foreign banks lend $100 mln to Vingroup&n...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam Seizes Nearly 2 Tons of Elephant Tusks Smuggled From Malaysia, Labeled as Sea Shells

General Vo Nguyen Giap to be laid to rest at Dragon Cap [SGGP]  A new phase of poverty reduction [VoV] Two hospitals violate regulations, suffer great losses [Tuoi Tre]