Chris Humphrey

in Society

The Rustic Beauty of Hanoi's Red River Brick Factories

Living in a city as culturally rich and absorbing as Hanoi, it’s not unusual to discover new secrets in a place you thought you knew completely. The depth of the capital really is astounding. And yet, I wasn’t quite prepared for the striking, rustic beauty of the brick factories on the Red River’s north shore.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

The Ugly Truth of the Life and Impending Demise of the Hoàn Kiếm Turtle

Everyone knows the mythological story of the Hoàn Kiếm turtle.

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 visit my favorite hideout place: a curvy hill near my old high school. Sitting atop the hill and looking down at the city offer a peaceful means to recharge and quiet my mind. The appearance of clouds adds more to the valley’s awe-inspiring nature.

in Environment

I Saw the World's Most Handsome Bird Right in Vietnam's Hidden Backyard

Everywhere I go in Vietnam, I keep my eyes peeled for the incredible birds that call this country home. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. I scan the horizon above low hills for migratory hawks. I stare into breaks in the foliage for passing buttonquail. I peer into rice paddies, fingers crossed for a cryptic snipe. And, of course, there’s Facebook. I refresh Facebook over and over again, waiting for the arrival of the mandarin duck. Its scientific name is Aix galericulata, which one assumes means “prettiest goddamn duck in the world.”

in Architecture

Amid Bảo Lộc Hills, a Wooden Cafe Floats Amongst the Clouds

In the middle of nowhere Bảo Lộc, perched on the side of an alternative national road is the wooden carapace of Nguyen Coffee, a veritable “Noah’s ark” welcoming travelers in for a short break to enjoy its drinks and spectacular view of the Đá Bàn Stream below. 

in Architecture

Amid a Resort, This Thatched Hut Houses a Zero-Waste Water-Bottling Plant

A humble production hut built with recycled bottles, local timber, thatched roof and simple granito concrete floors is used as a bottling facility for drinking water.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Thanh Long: How Dragon Fruit Proves Beauty Is Only Skin-Deep

Of all my accomplishments in life, my greatest may be the creation of The Banana Line. This is a ranking tool, based on the belief that if all fruits were lined up from worst to best, taking into account taste, availability, price, consistency, portability, ease of consumption, versatility, etc., the banana would represent the exact middle; the precise median. The dragon fruit (thanh long) falls well, well below the banana line.

in Architecture

[Photos] Katinat Cafe's Gò Vấp Location Is an Industrial Glass Fortress

Cement, air, water, sand, and gravel: concrete is a simple material. Same for glass, that spread of super-heated quartz sand. 

Back Society

in Environment

Dr. Plastic, the Hanoi Duo Who Give New Life to Single-Use Plastic

Plastic pollution is considered one of the main environmental threats to our planet’s health.

in Architecture

[Photos] Renovation Project Brings Comfy Classrooms to Remote Son La School

It's hard to nourish the mind when the body is suffering.

in Sports

With Just Few Games Left, VBA Cancels 2021 Basketball Season

There is more to life than ball.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Sao La: The Real-Life Unicorn of Vietnam

Disney’s Aladdin, Super Nintendo, digital fingerprint technology: the outside world was familiar with all these by 1992. Sao la, however, remained unknown. 

in Health

Hung Vuong Hospital Opens Care Center for Babies Born to Mothers With Covid-19

As the coronavirus makes its way across Saigon and Vietnam, maternity care has become a particularly serious issue as more and more pregnant residents are getting infected.

in Health

What We Know So Far About Vietnam's Domestic Covid-19 Vaccines

Aside from buying COVID-19 vaccines from elsewhere in the world, Vietnam is also trying to create its own version, with the hope of reaching herd immunity as soon as possible.

in Health

Vietnam to Receive 10m Covid-19 Vaccine Doses From Cuba This Year

The vaccines will arrive from Cuba between now and the end of the year. 

in Tech

Cryptocurrency Use Surges in Vietnam

Despite it not being seen as a legally approved means of payment in Vietnam, ownership of blockchain-based currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are soaring here. 

in Tech

Gojek Launches New Car Ride-Hailing Service

But you'll have to wait to use it.

in Development

Major Upgrade Approved for Con Dao Airport

Yay?

in Architecture

[Photos] How One Hanoi Building Turned a Roof on its Head

Have you ever seen roof tiles and thought they would make for a great building?

in Environment

Air Pollution is Robbing Hanoians of Roughly 80,000 Years of Life

Due to PM2.5 exposure, Hanoi has suffered 2,855 premature deaths, accumulating to 79,933 years of life lost. 

in Architecture

Decoding the Language of Vietnamese Modernist Architecture

There is a common confusion between Vietnamese modernism and international modernism that doesn't include vernacular modernist structures in the historical discourse.

in Health

How One Group Is Working to Keep Children Mentally Stimulated During Lockdown

During Vietnam’s first COVID-19 wave, the charity organization Saigon Children worked to make sure vulnerable households had access to necessities like food, medicine and drinking water.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Cò: The Symbolic Soul of Vietnam's Countryside

Is Chim Lạc based on a real bird?

in Tech

Japan to Launch Vietnamese Microsatellite into Orbit Next March

To the moon!

in Architecture

[Photos] Multi-Purpose Can Gio Pavilion Embraces Nature

If you were a bird, where would you land?

in Tech

Now Delivery App to be Rebranded as ShopeeFood

Get ready for a change to your phone screen.

in Parks & Rec

Yin Yoga: Beyond Daily Practice

Like two sides of the same coin, yin and yang cannot exist without the other. It’s about dualism, the interconnected and interdependent nature of the world. To say yang, it must be in the context of s...

Linh Pham

in Tech

Say Hello to Sumi, the AI Friend of Vietnam's Gen Z

Sumi, a yellow chick wearing a pilot’s helmet, looks like it belongs on Cartoon Network. However, this character resides on apps like Messenger, Skype and Zalo, and has millions of conversations every...