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.
Dubai Developer Signs on to $1.34bln Thanh Da New Urban Area
The urban wasteland planned for Binh Thanh District's Thanh Da peninsula has a new developer.
Saigon Is Building One of the World's Most Expensive Metros
With construction of the Saigon Metro system well under way, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPS) recently touched upon an unsettling truth about the cost of its forthcoming six-line network:...
Vietnam's Internet Speed Is 102nd in the World
Assuming you got this page to load on your computer, I'm afraid we've got some bad news: Vietnam's internet is pretty terrible.
What the COP21 Climate Change Deal Will Mean in Vietnam
As news outlets around the world pick apart the pros and cons of last week's landmark climate change deal, Vietnam seems to have a few reasons to celebrate.
Southeast Asia Is Responsible for Over Half the Ocean's Plastic Pollution
As much as 60% of plastic pollution in the ocean comes from only five countries. Unfortunately, Vietnam is among them.
Viettel's 4G Trial Service Starts Today in Vung Tau
Just as Japan wraps up testing on its brand-new 5G network, the 4G service Vietnam has been talking about since 2013 is finally here.
Vietnam Delays First Nuclear Plant Until 2020
Vietnam's much-discussed nuclear power plant will be delayed yet again, as officials announced last week that the construction of Ninh Thuan 1, the first of two nuclear power facilities planned for th...
Saigon's Rifle-Wielding Urban Hunters Are Killing Off the City's Wildlife
The Ho Chi Minh City Forest Ranging Department is struggling with an unusual issue these days. According to the exasperated forestry arm of Saigon's municipal government, local residents are visiting ...
[Images] Construction Starts on Thu Thiem's Fancy New Exhibition Center
If you've taken a drive along the Saigon River lately, you may have noticed some construction on the other side of the water in District 2's Thu Thiem.
Future Saigon: Binh Thanh May Get Another Massive Skyscaper With Sky Tower
Feast your eyes upon this massive skyscraper, dubbed Tan Tao Sky Tower (or not...more on that later), that may soon go up near the intersection of Nguyen Huu Canh and Dien Bien Phu Streets in Binh Tha...
Food Panda is Closing its Vietnam Operations: Report
Food Panda, one of the major players in Vietnam's online ordering space, has announced that it is shutting its doors this month due to a “financial situation” and “many difficulties.”
Japanese Firm Successfully Tests 5G Network
Japan always seems to get the best stuff first – the cure for Agent Orange, rice paddy art, train cars where you can sleep off a night of sake (or cat wine) drinking and now, 5G internet.
Saigon Needs Another $50m+ to Revive Historic Canal
Saigon has been working hard to revive the Hang Bang Canal with the project currently entering its third and final phase. But, like many other large-scale public infrastructure projects in the city, a...
Vietnam’s Air Quality Among the Worst in the World
We’ve known for a while that air quality in Vietnam is less than stellar. Based on recent readings, we know for sure that breathing in Saigon is a risky proposition, but new statistics released by Yal...
Rent in Saigon More Expensive Than Dubai, Bangkok
Hanoi may be the most expensive place to live in Vietnam, but commercial rent in downtown Saigon ranks amongst the most expensive in the world, according to recent statistics compiled by commercial pr...
Mel Schenck in Architecture
New Facebook Group Highlights Vietnamese Modernist Architecture
Facebook has proven to be a capable tool for those looking to raise awareness for the preservation of Saigon's historic buildings.
Vietnam Car Imports Nearly Double in 2015
Last month, we all groaned in collective agony when we discovered that nearly 900 new vehicles are registered in Saigon everyday.
Phu Quoc Is Finally Building a Waste Treatment Plant
The days of a pristine Phu Quoc are long gone. Its coral reefs are dying; the island is starting to clear forests and farms to accommodate an ambitious master plan for 2030; and untreated waste is bei...
2.5 House: A Modest Dream Home in a Tan Binh Alley
Given the expenditure often required to build out a well-designed home, most of those featured on Saigoneer are anything but modest. That’s why we were particularly stoked to come across this small bu...
Japan Tech Could be The Key to Scrubbing Agent Orange From Vietnam
Agent Orange contamination, along with unexploded ordnance (UXOs), have proven to be the two most harmful legacies of the American War in terms of public health. While experts say it could take an est...
