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.
$2bn Thu Thiem Eco Smart City Set to Break Ground This Year
A week after the city unveiled Thu Thiem Empire City, a project that will include Vietnam’s tallest building, a group of Asian developers have announced that they will break ground on its neighbor, th...
Garbage Is Trashing Vietnam’s Natural Beauty
Over on his blog, Vietnam Coracle, Tom just posted an insightful piece about garbage consuming Vietnam’s once pristine natural landscapes.
Transport Ministry: Hanoi’s Wavy Metro Tracks Are Safe
In an attempt to address safety concerns about wavy sections of Hanoi’s new metro line, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has released a statement saying that the project observes technical standards.
Apple Music Launches in Vietnam at Absurdly Low Price
Vietnamese users can now enjoy Apple’s new streaming music service at a significantly lower price compared to the U.S., poising it to steal business away from both Spotify and Vietnamese web-based mus...
Beer Prices In Saigon Among The Cheapest On Earth: Index
According to the 2015 Beer Price Index, Saigon has some of the cheapest been in the world.
Future Saigon: Thu Thiem’s Empire City
Yesterday afternoon, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee held a ceremony to announce the Thu Thiem Empire City development, the crown jewel of the city’s new urban area.
Bphones Recalled Less Than 2 Weeks After Delivery
Two weeks following the release of the Bphone, dubbed “the best smartphone in the world,” by its maker, the company has announced that the handsets are being recalled for a software update and camera ...
[Photos] Vietnamese Solar-Powered, Green-Roofed Toilet Design Wins Architecture Award
A restroom/garden design constructed in Vietnam's northern province of Cao Bang by Hanoi-based H&P Architects has taken home the Social Good Award at the 2015 AZ Awards.
Vietnam Plans to Send 15 Athletes to 2016 Summer Olympics
Following a strong showing at the SEA Games earlier this month, Vietnam has announced that it will send up to 15 athletes to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games next year in Brazil.
Hanoi's National Assembly Building: Rethinking Modern Vietnamese Architecture
Archdaily recently caught up with GMP Architekten, the minds behind Hanoi’s new National Assembly building who, with their design, attempted to answer the question: “What is Vietnamese building cultur...
Long Thanh Airport Project Gets the Green Light
The controversial US$15.8 billion Long Thanh Airport was approved by the National Assembly this morning, ending years of fierce debates about its necessity and high price tag.
[Photos] Photographer Captures China’s Deadly Air Pollution
Vietnam’s cities may have some work to do when it comes to improving their air quality, but compared to the smog-filled skies of China’s urban areas, we live in a relative biosphere.
Saigon Gears Up For The Construction Of Its 4th Metro Line
Preparations have been completed and railway authorities are getting ready to start construction of Saigon’s longest metro route.
[Photos] Saigon's Old Trees Are Being Swallowed by Urbanization
District 10’s Le Hong Phong, An Duong Vuong, Nguyen Chi Thanh and Tran Phu Streets are fortunate to enjoy the shade of hundreds of large trees that were planted more than 50 years ago. However, many o...
[Video] Vietnam Young Spikes Call For Registration
The Vietnam Young Spikes Competition is the pre-selection competition for teams of young professionals to represent Vietnam and compete at a regional level, at Spikes Asia - the most prestigious Festi...
[Photos] This District 3 House Is Every Saigoneer's Dream
We’ve seen plenty of local architects incorporate traditional Vietnamese aesthetics into their designs, from Chapa brickwork to tube houses. But we’ve never come across something quite as stunning as ...
Ministry Proposes 50 Text Daily Cap To Combat SMS Spam
In an effort to combat the scourge of spam texts, the Ministry of Information and Communications is considering limiting mobile phone users to 50 texts per day.
Don't Blame Sharks For AAG Breaks: Experts
While the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) cable is back up and running, we’re only one shark bite away from being cast back into the internet Dark Ages. Or are we?
Meet The Winners Of Vietnam Young Spikes 2014
Why did you apply for VYS 2014? Chuong: I am very new to the industry and would like to see what it would be like to have the freedom to do creative work instead of following the process and dealing ...
Saigon Seeks to Extend Metro Line to Tan Son Nhat
Saigon authorities are looking to expand one of the city’s future metro lines to Tan Son Nhat Airport.
