
I Keep My Connection to My Family's Hanoi Tết Traditions in a Tiny Quất Tree
I am not a plant person. So when even I notice the abundance of vườn kiểng — a place selling a myriad of plants — it must mean that Saigoneers truly love buying plants. Some of my friends, who are also Hanoians, asked me one day to visit these vườn kiểng and look for Tết plants: “Let’s celebrate Tết the way northerners do, you know?” And somehow, being amongst the plants brought me right back to Quảng Bá Flower Market in Tây Hồ.

How to Curate the Best Playlist to Listen to While Riding the Saigon Metro
When you get a new toy, it's only reasonable to take it out to play with as often as possible.

Đi Bão Is Vietnamese Culture at Its Most Jubilant, Raucous, and Fervent
Dustbins, tree branches, advertising stands and tarps, leftover Christmas decorations, whatever pot, pan, ladle or utensil left unattended in the family kitchen, and at least one street vendor’s bánh khọt mold: whatever wasn’t bolted down got caught up in the wave of đi bão that filled Saigon’s streets last night.

Life in Saigon's Old Tenements, the Remaining Vertical Villages of Past Decades
Is “out with the old, in with the new” the new motto when it comes to Saigon's real estate scene?

A Merry Memory of a Mid-2000s Middle-Class Christmas in Saigon
As my palm felt the glossy wrapping paper for my Secret Santa gift, I was transported to my early childhood Christmases — filled with warmth, wonder, and the bubbling discomfort of class insecurities.

Watching Snowfall in 'Home Alone' Is My Saigon Christmas Tradition
Christmas is so globally celebrated that even in Saigon, as the coldest time of the year approaches, you can hear Christmas hymms echoing from homes in the alley, and spot houses adorned with Christmas trees, Santas, snowmen, regardless of their cultural relevance to Vietnamese culture. For me, one of the activities that truly embodies this global spirit of Christmas is watching Home Alone (1990).

‘Công tử Bạc Liêu’ Asks: ‘What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?’
They say you don’t buy a lottery ticket because you think you’ll win; you buy one so that you can fantasize about winning.

For Hội An Residents, Learning to Live With Floods Is a Fact of Life
The water reached my shoulders, and when I stepped into the street I suddenly felt the current trying to pull me into its invisible grasp. A familiar feeling that set off an alarm inside my head: “Be careful! It looks like nothing, but don’t get caught in it.”

Six Suffocate in Fish Oil Tank
Well this is a sad story. Yesterday morning, six employees of the IDI Fisheries Factory in Binh Thanh Commun, Dong Thap Province suffocated from catfish oil fumes while taking samples.

Morning Links: Two Drunken Foreigners to be Expelled for Disturbing Acts
- Vietnam expects 6 pct GDP growth in two years [xinhuanet] - Foreign firms in Vietnam complain about deteriorating business climate, consider quitting [Thanh Nien] - ...

Has Da Nang’s Bubble Burst?
After a decade of breakneck development, Da Nang’s luster is starting to wear off. Overly reliant on a once-booming real estate sector, the city’s coffers are drying up as investments slow and large-s...

Morning Links: $2 Million Weasel Coffee Farm in Da Lat
- Cambodian import turns a Saigon staple [Thanh Nien] - Journalist jailed for fatal road accident [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam Stocks to Climb 12% by Year-End on Valuations,...

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- The secrets of Saigon’s night clubs [VietnamNet Bridge] - Vietnam urged to boost retirement age to save pension fund [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam Says New Internet Decree Good ...

Morning Links: Vietnam Battles with Poor Quality Education
- FDI bottlenecks in Mekong Delta [VOV] - Vietnam anticipates US$2,300 GDP per capita in 2015 [VOV] - Bad debts fall from previous month [SGGP]

How Much Does Vietnam's Prime Minister Make? Less Than You Might Think.
With the news that some state officials are making outrageous salaries, the Vietnamese press has started to probe a bit deeper into exactly how much the country’s officials make.

Morning Links: School Mulls Banning Female Teachers From Donning Short Skirts
- Dried shredded squid as elastic as plastic seized [Tuoi Tre] - School mulls banning female teachers from donning short skirts [Tuoi Tre] - Promoting e-government model in ...

‘Flat-Chested’ People May Face Driving Ban
Another week, another interesting law - a 2008 decision which proposed to ban drivers based on height, weight and chest size due to safety issues is gaining steam again.

Crazy Buffalo Up in Flames. Again.
For the second time in two years, Pham Ngu Lao hotspot, The Crazy Buffalo, saw its neon sign go up in flames. At 4pm yesterday afternoon, passersby warned the restaurant that smoke was rising from th...

Morning Links: The Last Farmers in Saigon
- Land subsidence creates hole that swallows bed, woman [Tuoi Tre] - Abusing wage fund, directors pocket $123,000 as yearly salary [Tuoi Tre] - Japanese investors eye Vietna...

Saigon's Old Bridges in Danger of Collapse
Saigon is a city of bridges. They criss-cross the city's rivers and canals, allowing for the flow of goods and people. But time, wars and poor maintenance have not been kind to many of the city's old...

Morning Links: English Teaching: Is White Right?
- Vietnam ministries pass the buck on controversial driving regulations [Thanh Nien] - Phishing increasing in Vietnam [VietnamNet Bridge]

Experts Reject Plan for New Saigon Airport
As plans move forward for Saigon’s new Long Thanh airport, a pair of former aviation officials are questioning the need for such an investment. Associate Prof. Dr Nguyen Thien Tong, former chairman o...

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed
- Coffee bean price continues to plummet [SGGP] - Taxis scheme offers hope for the handicapped [VietnamNet Bridge] - Invaluable fossils in Vietnam [VietnamNet Bri...

Ministry: Shops Must Use Vietnamese Signs
Following last year’s passage of the Vietnamese Advertisement law which requires that advertising content, spoken or written must be in Vietnamese, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently...

Morning Links: Plastic Food Wrappers Found Contaminated with Toxic Substances
- Banks warned not to hide debt [VNS] - Tears at Smile restaurant [VietnamNet Bridge] - Many famous discotheques in Saigon raided [VietnamNet Bridge]

Large Bomb Uncovered in Dak Ru
A massive, 300kg bomb was discovered by a resident of Dak Ru Commune, Dak R'lap District in the central highlands province of Dak Nong.

Morning Links: Vietnam Plans Over 110 Television Channels by 2015
- Vietnam police deny recent memo banning people from filming cops [Thanh Nien] - Bus carrying Vietnamese robbed in Moscow [Tuoi Tre] - Century-old temple inside bodhi...

How Much Do You Make? New Report Finds Growing Salaries in HCMC
Ever wonder what you're worth? The recently released 2013 Robert Walters Global Salary Survey shows moderate growth in salaries for workers in the financial, supply chain, engineering, HR, IT, s...