As Infrastructure Lags Behind, Saigon's Poorest Hardest Hit by Worsening Flooding
In April 2023, in the first downpour of southern Vietnam’s rainy season, the narrow rented room where Mã Thị Diệp and her children were staying in Hồ Chí Minh City was inundated by knee-high water.
Khôi Phạm in Environment
What I Talk About When I Talk About Vietnam's Penguin Trashcans
Compared to the average Vietnamese, I might be thinking about trashcans a smidgen too much — not just any trashcan, but the infamous penguin-shaped trashcans that are ubiquitous at every corner of our public spaces.
Linh Phạm in Parks & Rec
House Dance Hanoi Teaches You How to Free the Body
I stood on the top floor of a building on Khâm Thiên Street, feeling grateful for the cold air. I came out here to take a break from the other side of the floor, which was divided into three rooms — three dance studios.
Inside Saigon's Grassroots Carton and Aluminum Recycling Plants
With plastics claiming many of the headlines worldwide and constituting a major issue in Vietnam, scant attention is being paid to other recyclable materials, namely cardboard and aluminum.
How Táo Xanh Forum Created a Safe Space for Gay Vietnamese Before Social Media
Before Vietnamese could hop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our hot takes of the week, there was an era of past cybersphere when online forums were the crucial online space to connect local netizens.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
As Climate Change Threatens, Flood Waters Usher In Sustainable Opportunities for Communities in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is developing faster than Google Maps can keep up with. A stretch of road that was too narrow to accommodate cars and required a transition to motorbikes just six months ago was under construction during our August visit. Gargantuan machines for laying pulverized gravel inched aside to let our 7-seater pass so we could reach the home of Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy to check in on her small fish drying home business.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
In the Vietnamese language, the word “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will. Chó cỏ is the general term for the adorable mutts, usually mixes between Vietnam’s native dog species, born without the prestige of named breeds, while gym cỏ and net cỏ denote the casual gyms and internet cafes in one’s neighborhood. In the same vein of logic, may I put forth a new name for a special genre of Vietnamese fruits: trái cỏ?
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples or the ornate regality of Nguyễn-Dynasty palaces. This time-honored style is widely accepted as the hallmark of Vietnam’s cultural wealth. What’s more fascinating but lesser-known is how this cultural vestige — which distinguished our architecture from that of China and Japan — has also managed to evolve in the new age, finding ways to exist right in the middle of our modern lifetime.
[Photos] Half Roof House: A Marriage Between Old Design and New
A team of Saigon-based architects seeks to attain a harmonious balance between traditional Vietnamese aesthetics and modern design elements in their latest creation, the Half Roof House.
Long Thanh Airport Likely to Be Shaped Like a Lotus
While the traffic nightmare at Tan Son Nhat International Airport continues to wreak havoc on Saigoneers’ travel plans, the design of Long Thanh International Airport is currently being finalized...
Father of Vietnamese Environmentalism Passes Away at 87
Vo Quy, considered the father of environmental conservation in Vietnam, has died at age 87.
Vietnamese Parents Should Decide How Many Children to Have: Health Ministry
Future parents in Vietnam may be able to decide how many children they have, as health officials are currently in the process of revising the country’s loosely enforced two-child policy.
[Photos] Ha Tinh Terraces House Is the Perfect Blend of Agriculture and Architecture
If you've got a green thumb, Ha Tinh’s Terraces Home is right up your alley: the abode integrates residential and gardening spaces to create a bright, well-designed and sustainable living space.
Hanoi Government Starts Providing Daily AQI Readings
For the first time, Hanoi's city government has begun offering daily readings of the capital's Air Quality Index (AQI).
Vietnam’s Young, Up-and-Coming Football Teams Aim for the World Stage
As Vietnam’s U-20 team packs its bags for Germany to prepare for May’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, the future looks bright for the country’s football fans.
Vietnam’s Skilled Workers Are Moving Overseas for Better Opportunities: Report
While Vietnam’s skilled workers are heading overseas to find work, foreign experts have found Vietnam a good location for career development.
Flappy Bird Creator Launches VND1bn Fund to Help Local Inventors
In a surprising move, Flappy Bird creator and Vietnam’s most sought-after app developer Nguyen Ha Dong recently announced the launch of a personal fund to help local students realize their dream proje...
Vietnam's Immunization Program Faces Challenges Due to Reduced Foreign Aid
Having recently attained the status of a middle-income country, Vietnam must now prepare to become self-sufficient in supplying its citizens with vaccinations.
Environmental Problems Likely to Hamper Vietnam's Future Economic Growth
According to a new report by Vietnam's National Center for Socio-Economic Information and Forecast (NCIF), the country's economic growth is being hindered by a host of environmental hiccups, including...
The Highs and Lows of This Year’s Tet Bonuses
As the season of holiday bonuses rolls around, Vietnam’s economic inequality is highlighted once again in the annual gifts doled out by Vietnamese employers.
[Photos] Hanging out at Nha Trang’s Breezy Container Hostel
Anyone who’s traveled Vietnam on a shoestring knows hostels are not necessarily the most glamorous of accommodations. Nha Trang’s Ccasa Hostel, however, goes against this standard with its bright and ...
Mel Schenck in Architecture
How Vietnam Created Its Own Brand of Modernist Architecture
Throughout the 20th century, as Vietnam underwent dramatic historical and political changes, a unique brand of modernist architecture developed in the country, transforming its present-da...
[Infographic] Vietnam’s Recent Grads Least Satisfied in Their Current Jobs: Survey
Compared to their regional counterparts, Vietnam’s recent graduates are unhappiest at their current jobs.
Saigon to Reclaim 7,000ha of Land in 2017
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee just announced plans to clear 7,000 hectares of land in the city to make room for 880 development projects.
[Photos] Welcome to Vung Tau's Leafy Green Dream House
A Saigon-based architecture firm has designed a house that seamlessly merges nature and living space in one.
Vietnamese Read One Book a Year: Industry Insider
Despite the growth of Vietnam’s publishing industry, the country’s national reading rate remains low.
163 New Species Discovered in Southeast Asia: WWF Report
Good news for Southeast Asia's wildlife enthusiasts: scientists just announced that, in 2015, they discovered 163 new species in the Greater Mekong region.
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...
