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.
Work on Saigon’s $326m Underground Trade Center to Begin This Year
While Nguyen Hue Street’s pedestrian promenade is set to open this week, a much larger walking street is in the works for downtown Saigon.
Incredible House In Nha Be District Blends Local Architectural Styles And Modern Design
This brick-based, open-air living space from Vietnamese MM++ Architects taps traditional construction methods to bring this home into harmony with its surrounding environment.
Vietnamese-American Actress Stars In Graphic Video, Visits Vietnam To Save Endangered Species (NSFW)
For many mammals, the world is becoming a harsher place as human’s encroach on the land and hunt them for skins, horns and meat (see this utterly depressing map).
Climate Change Will Put 'Many' Vietnamese Cities Underwater: Official
While residents in the Vietnam's central highlands face the worst drought in years, 400km to the north, three people died last month as a result of “unusual” floods, the likes of which have not been s...
For The First Time, Vietnam Is Recruiting Foreign Scientists To Teach At Public Universities
As Vietnam struggles with a scarcity of qualified local professors, the country is looking outside its borders to reach international university standards.
Hà Nội: CAPITAL City - The Capital City From Above
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...
AT&T Looks To Expand Into Vietnamese Market
American telecommunications giant AT&T is looking to expand its services into Vietnam, but not in the way that you might expect.
Saigon’s Golf Course Is Poisoning Local Residents: Experts
Unlike most golf courses, Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat Golf Course is located in the heart of a densely populated urban area where it poses a serious environmental threat to those living nearby. Local reside...
Uber’s New Service Promises Cheapest Taxis In Saigon, Hanoi
On April 7, Uber launched uberX, a new service that will be at least 25% cheaper than traditional taxi services in Saigon and Hanoi.
Interview With the Author of the 'Ha Noi: CAPITAL City' Photo Book - Part 2
Following the successful release of their photo book which chronicled urban development in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert are back with a similar en...
[Photos] New Tube House in Binh Duong Offers A Twist On Traditional Vietnamese Architecture
Tube houses have been popular in Vietnamese cities for centuries due to their ability to build airy abodes on small plots of land. Though architectural style has been steadily falling out of favor, ar...
Vietnam Begins to Issue Fines for Helmetless Children on Motorbikes
Starting this week, Vietnamese traffic police officers will issue fines to motorbike drivers with helmetless children over six-years-old in tow.
Medical Musings: Would You Like A Side Of Arsenic With That Rice?
In the last several years, there has been some talk about various chemicals found in the food supply here in Vietnam. You may remember bleach in bún and coconuts, MSG in everything, antibiotics in pou...
Interview With the Author of the 'Ha Noi: CAPITAL City' Photo Book
Following the successful release of their photo book which chronicled urban development in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert are back with a similar en...
Vietnam Delays Launch Of 4G Until 2016
Though many have agreed that 2015 is the “prime time” for Vietnam to launch its 4G services, the country’s deputy minister of information and communications announced last Thursday that licenses for t...
[Photos] Every Corner Of This D7 Home Was Designed For Relaxation And Meditation
The 3x10 House, designed by DD concept, can be found in District 7. Built on a 3×10 square meter plot, the small space forced the architects to "carefully consider the conflicts be...
15 Projects That Will Change Saigon Forever: Part 3
The area between Bến Thành Market and the Saigon Opera House is undeniably the epicenter of changes to the city’s urban fabric with the construction of pedestrian promenades, subway stations, a new ad...
Vietnamese Car Sales Skyrocketing In 2015
If you’ve been noticing more cars clogging the streets on your daily commute, you’re not imagining things.
[Video] Chinese Company Builds 57-Story Skyscraper in 19 Days
When one talks about the pace of construction in Vietnam, many would liken it to watching paint dry. Due to a plethora of reasons, many buildings remain partially built (e.g. the building at Ham Nghi ...
Vietnam to Get Its First Solar Power Plant
EVN is partnering up with a Russian energy company to construct the country’s first solar power plant.
