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.
Dengue Vaccine Gets Green Light As Cases Soar in Central Vietnam
In the midst of a dangerous dengue epidemic in south-central Vietnam, medical professionals are giving the go-ahead to a preventive vaccine for the deadly virus.
New 30km Overpass to Link Saigon With Mekong Delta
In the midst of its usual traffic woes, Saigon may be getting glimmer of hope in a 30-kilometer flyover project, which will help to alleviate traffic on the notoriously busy Highway 1A.
Vietnam Hopes to Send 15 Athletes to Rio Olympics in 2016
As the 2016 Summer Olympics approach, Vietnam has high hopes for its athletes.
[Photos] Vo Trong Nghia Adds Bamboo Buildings to Five-Star Da Nang Resort
As if its stunning day spa – modeled after the hanging gardens of Babylon – wasn't enough, Da Nang's five-star Naman Retreat just got an impressive upgrade.
The Demise of the Mekong Delta
When it comes to climate change, there's no shortage of bad news these days. On the one hand, Saigon is facing its longest drought in 60 years; on the other, several Vietnamese cities may be unde...
Homegrown Ride-Sharing App Launches in Vietnam
As traffic in Vietnamese cities continues to get worse, one group of local graduates is using the power of technology to help alleviate the influx of motorbikes on Saigon's streets.
Da Nang Theme Park Unveils Flashy New Monorail
Between the Disneyland-esque entertainment complex planned for Ha Long Bay and Phu Quoc's ever-increasing number of larger-than-life attractions, Vietnam seems to have a thing for amusement parks...
[Photos] Majestic Banyan Tree Spared in Hanoi Road Project
It's safe to say Hanoi doesn't have a great relationship with trees.
[Photos] Dong Nai Students Invent Vehicle That Runs on Alcohol
Eight students from Dong Nai province's Lac Hong University recently created a car that is able to join in one of Vietnam's favorite pastimes: getting drunk.
Bkav Doubles Down: Will Launch Bpad, Bwatch in 2016
When Bkav, a local network security company, unveiled its Bphone earlier this year, company CEO Nguyen Tu Quang called it "the best smartphone in the world". The device, however, ultimately proved to ...
Hanoi Official Pushes for Plan to Reduce Private Vehicle Use
During a meeting between the central and local governments on Monday, Hanoi People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung urged the capital to craft a plan to reduce the number of private vehicles on i...
Da Nang May Get an Underwater Tunnel
Da Nang is considering the construction of a six-lane underwater tunnel crossing the Han River.
5 Buildings That Will Rise Above Saigon in 2016
Though change has always been fast in Saigon, 2015 was a big year for the city's development, as new skyscrapers, shopping malls and infrastructure projects sprouted all over town. While some structur...
The Dangers of Saigon Street Coffee
You might want to think twice before buying your next cà phê sữa đá on the street. If you can call it that, really: “industrial chemicals” is not a phrase you want to have associated with your morning...
[Photos] Local Architect Puts Modern Spin on Traditional Saigon Shophouse
In many ways, this narrow shophouse-style structure designed by MM++ Architects is just like any other. The house, not unlike its neighbors, stands four stories high and occupies a slender plot o...
Mai Linh Taxi to Purchase up to 20,000 Electric Cars
Vietnamese cities are about to get a little more eco-friendly, as Mai Linh Taxi and French car producer Renault have announced a five-year deal to import thousands of electric vehicles into the countr...
What Google CEO Sundar Pichai's Visit Means for Vietnamese Tech
If his recent visit is any indication, Sundar Pichai is alright in Vietnam's book.
[Photos] Inside the Metro Station Beneath Saigon's Opera House
The further the Saigon Metro progresses – or doesn't progress – the more we hear about escalating costs, construction hiccups and the project's Japanese contractors seeking compensation...
Construction Begins on New Downtown Saigon Skyscraper
Earlier this month, developers broke ground on the Saigon Me Linh Tower, adding yet another skyscraper to District 1's riverside Me Linh roundabout.
Flappy Bird Creator Releases Infuriating New Mobile Game
Mobile gamers had good reason to rejoice last week, as Flappy Bird creator Nguyen Ha Dong and his company DotGears Studio debuted a flashier second version of the original Swing Copters game.
