How a Dance Project Is Reframing Deaf Identity in Saigon via Movement Art
Lắng Nghe Điểm Chạm is a project aiming to expand exposure opportunities and application potentials of performing arts into the life of marginalized and minority communities of Vietnam.
I Saw the World's Most Handsome Bird Right in Vietnam's Hidden Backyard
Everywhere I go in Vietnam, I keep my eyes peeled for the incredible birds that call this country home. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. I scan the horizon above low hills for migratory hawks. I stare into breaks in the foliage for passing buttonquail. I peer into rice paddies, fingers crossed for a cryptic snipe. And, of course, there’s Facebook. I refresh Facebook over and over again, waiting for the arrival of the mandarin duck. Its scientific name is Aix galericulata, which one assumes means “prettiest goddamn duck in the world.”
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams
I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush and that one tree in the front yard of our school.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
The Reason to Cry for Cu Li, Vietnam's Deeply Misunderstood Primate
A drop of the animal’s blood renders the soil barren; entire mountains can crumble and collapse where it landed. Be wary of this slow wayfarer of the forest, for if you catch sight of its glowing eyes in the distant darkness, your trip is doomed and should be abandoned immediately. And if someone brings one back to the village, make all efforts to return it to the jungle, lest you invite sorrow and ruin into your home. Don’t let its meagre stature, a mere 500 grams, and slow, cuddly demeanor confuse you; the cu li guards the gates to hell.
The Hunt for Vietnam's Dinosaurs Has Found Nothing Yet, but There Is Hope
Why aren’t there any Vietnamese dinosaurs?
In Hanoi, Waacking Is Not Just a Dance, but a Home for Creativity, Gender Fluidity Too
“I get to express my madness.” That is what Trần Khánh Linh, also known as Lyna, says when asked why she has been waacking for the last 10 years. By day, Lyna is a jewelry and gemstone seller, but by night, she joins her friends at the Soul Waackers, a waacking group based in Hanoi, and practices a dance style that allows her a vibrant way to self-express.
Uyên Đỗ in Tech
There's a Cordial Vietnamese Greeting That Has Been Floating in Space Since 1977
At this very moment, while you're reading these lines, a silver “bird” of human design is hurtling away from the Sun at roughly 60,000 kilometers per hour, slipping past the boundaries of our solar cradle and into the endless quiet of the cosmos.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
How a Self-Taught Documentarian Spreads His Boundless Enthusiasm for Vietnam's Nature
Why “Sticky Discovery”? This was the first question I asked during my interview with the man behind the YouTube series of...
Parkson's Luxury Shopping Centers In Saigon Deserted
Walk into one of the six Parkson shopping centers in Saigon, and it’s likely you’ll be one of a few people walking through a deserted shrine to commerce.
Once Filled With Shrimp And Fish, HCMC Canal Now An Environmental Disaster
At the center of HCMC's modernization plans have been massive upgrades to the city’s canals. Some, like the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe, have received international press for their miraculous turnarounds. Ho...
New Coalimex Building Brings Sleek Architecture To Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Coalimex has set up shop in Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a sleek new building boasting sustainable and green design characteristics.
[Photos] Could Tokyo’s Skinny Houses Become a Model for Hanoi?
While Hanoi may be famous for its impossibly skinny homes, it isn’t the only Asian megacity where residents are forced to make the best of their small plots of land.
Gogoro: Tesla Technology In Scooter Form
Taiwanese startup Gogoro has raised over $150 Million over the past few years developing the world’s first Smart Scooter. Fueled by the same lithium ion cells used in the Tesla Model S, the scooter is...
Hundreds Of Trees In HCMC's Gia Định Park To Be Chopped Down For Airport Road
A new 650 meter road meant to reduce traffic to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport will be built through Gia Định Park, resulting in the removal of hundreds trees.
Vietnamese Scientists Develop Android App To Help Visually Impaired Use Smartphones
Scientists in Ho Chi Minh City have developed a text-to-voice app that allows visually impaired Vietnamese to use smart phones more effectively.
Drone Video Captures Nighttime Traffic In Saigon
Over the past few decades, Saigon has spent a great deal of money upgrading its transportation infrastructure, specifically its roads (we’re still waiting on you, metro line).
Free WIFI Coming To Vietnam’s Trains This Month
Long trips on Vietnam’s rails are set to become a bit more bearable this month as the country’s railway operator has begun to install wireless internet on north-south express trains.
CNN: Vo Trong Nghia Is Next Big Name In Architecture
Vietnamese starchitect, Vo Trong Nghia, had quite a 2014 with a number of his firm’s designs receiving international commendation. It looks like he’s off to a great start in 2015 as American news netw...
[Photos] World Bank Program Transforms Blighted Canals and Alleys
With urbanization rapidly taking hold in Vietnam, its cities have had a difficult time providing the necessary infrastructure to accommodate it. Flooded alleys, dirt roads and polluted creeks all have...
Vietnamese Patients “Wait To Die” After Slashes To Pharma Subsidies
New Vietnamese health insurance regulations which went into effect yesterday will make potentially life-saving medicine out of reach for many low-income patients. And things are only going to get wors...
Future Saigon: Saigon Centre Phase 2
After years of inactivity, construction on the massive plot next to Saigon Center at the corner of Lê Lợi and Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Streets is finally underway.
[Photos] The Striking Differences Between Chinese And Đà Lạt Produce
Fears over the safety of Chinese produce have been increasing over the past few years with stories like the “immortal apple” becoming common in the Vietnamese press.
Hanoi To Move 26,200 Residents Out Of The Old Quarter
Hanoi’s 82-hectre Old Quarter, described by some as “among Asia's best-preserved urban hubs of traditional commerce,” is about to lose nearly 40% of its residents, as city authorities seek to reduce t...
Vo Trong Nghia Unveils Modular, Low-Cost Housing Concept For Vietnam
If you caught the article we featured on Vo Trong Nghia’s “Rebel Architecture” last week, you may remember the architecture firm’s low-cost housing project in development that would cost around $3000 ...
Only 16% Of Wastewater Released Into Dong Nai River Is Treated
In what is yet another environmental challenge to the health of Vietnam’s river ways and its people is the discharging of untreated wastewater from factories and homes.
City Authorities Agree to Save Elements of Saigon’s Tax Center
While there’s no saving the Tax Center which will soon be demolished to make way for a new 40-story tower, elements of the 90-year-old building will be preserved, according to city officials...
Microsoft To Launch Vietnamese Version Of MSN Portal
The Vietnamese version of Microsoft’s MSN portal officially went online Wednesday as the company hopes to capitalize on the country’s growing online market.
New Noi Bai Terminal, Vietnam’s Largest, to Open Next Week
Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport is set to open its shiny new $645.3 million, 4-story terminal next week after three years of construction.
