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.
[Infographic] A Guide to Petrol Prices in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
After months of cut-rate petrol prices, it’s no longer particularly cheap to fill up your tank in Vietnam. But are today’s prices higher than ever? Who sets petrol rates and what exactly are we paying...
Vietnamese Farmers Build Solar-Powered Boat
Four farmers in the Mekong Delta have successfully produced a solar-powered boat that can reach speeds of 20kph.
Did You Know Stopping In The Shade Can Get You Fined?
Driving in the scorching afternoon sun, many seek shelter under slivers of shade provided by trees and buildings. However, under Vietnamese law, doing so could result in fines of up to VND500,000.
70 New Species Discovered In Vietnam: WWF Report
According to a report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) last week, 70 new species were found in Vietnam last year, many of which are at risk due to human activity.
Girders Installed On Saigon’s First Metro Line
If you’ve zipped along the North-South Highway in recent days, you’ve probably noticed a girder-laying machine doing its thing just off of Thao Dien Street.
Vietnam to Get 3 New Internet Cables
Following constant ruptures to the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), Vietnamese telecommunication firms and government agencies are planning to build three new cables to ensure that the country's internet u...
[Photos] Saigon House Recaptures City’s Fading Charm
The Saigon House (perhaps located in District 6 due to the presence of Chinese-style shrines out front), seeks to recreate the lost Vuong Hong Sen's dwellings that once dotted Saigon-Gia Dinh.
Vietnam Pushes Ahead With High-Speed Rail Line
While Saigon may soon be getting its eagerly awaited metro and BRT systems, a considerably larger infrastructure project is slowly gaining steam – a north-south high-speed railway.
TPP Deal Could Add 30% to Vietnam’s GDP
At a conference in Saigon last week, Charles H. Rivkin, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, said that if passed, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement ...
WB Approves US$124m Loan For Saigon Bus Rapid Transit System
With the approval of a US$124 million World Bank loan, it looks like things are finally coming together for Saigon’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system.
Vietnam Has Nowhere to Put Its Nuclear Waste
As Vietnam continues on its long, arduous path toward nuclear power, experts have highlighted the need for a sound nuclear waste disposal policy.
Hà Nội: CAPITAL City - Soul Of The Capital City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the Hà Nội: CAPITAL City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos and stories. To...
[Photos] Pollution Kills Tens of Thousands of Fish in Saigon’s Revitalized Canal
Last Tuesday, residents living along Saigon’s Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal woke up to the foul odor of dead fish.
Achieve Sushi Zen At This Minimalist D1 Japanese Restaurant
Local architecture firm, 07Beach, has become the go-to choice for many of Saigon’s best Japanese restaurants. After the completion of the minimalist 4P’s Bar and Ramen Bar Suzuki, the firm’s main...
Vietnamese Tech Firm Unleashes 'the Best Smartphone in the World'
Vietnamese tech company, Bkav has unveiled the Bphone, a smartphone that the firm’s CEO has ambitiously dubbed “the best smartphone in the world.”
Hà Nội: CAPITAL City - Urban Transport
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the Hà Nội: CAPITAL City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos and s...
[Video] What Happens When Vietnamese Try to Use a Condom for the First Time
You know sex education in Vietnam is lacking when a group of 20-somethings struggle mightily to unfurl a condom.
Nha Trang To Be “More Beautiful Than Hawaii," "More Developed Than Hong Kong": Official
Officials have big plans in store for Nha Trang, presenting an urban development plan that they claim would make the coastal city “more beautiful than Hawaii” and “more developed than Hong Kong.”
Report Finds 77% Decrease in Vietnamese Rhino Horn Buyers
It looks like the anti-rhino horn campaigns are finally paying off in Vietnam with a new report finding that there has been a 77% decrease in domestic buyers and a 66% drop in the number of people who...
[Photos] Inside Vietnam's Only Nuclear Reactor
Vietnam has operated a nuclear reactor on-and-off since 1963 when the Americans helped create the Da lat Nuclear Research Institute. There, a General Atomics-built TRIGA-Mark II reactor was installed ...
