I Know Where the Caged Bird Sings: The Joy of Saigon's Birdsong Competition
One by one, motorbikes arrived, carrying the tell-tale cages covered with cloth and parked in the gravel lot beside the coffee shop where Saigoneer sat listening to the caged birds suspended above a patch of scrabbly grass.
A New Reading Space in Trà Vinh Creates Comfort From Recycled Materials
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us,” according to famed Czech writer Franz Kafka.
Vietnam's Trendiest Way to Flaunt Your Social Status Is a Meme Lychee Tea
Lychee tea can be found anywhere and anytime around Saigon, from street stalls to artisanal cafes. Averaging VND20,000–50,000, it’s a popular choice among Vietnamese youths. However, Thái Công Cafe prices their version of the fruit tea at around VND160,000 on their rather pricy menu. Yet, the drink remains extremely popular at the cafe and even went viral amongst Gen Z-ers on TikTok. The reason behind this virality is actually a meme.
Saigon Powerlifter Lê Văn Công Earns Vietnam's First, Only Medal at Paralympics
Even though Vietnam’s delegation finished the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris without any medals, our Paralympics team managed to clinch one bronze from powerlifting.
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the ta...
This Terracotta Workshop Makeover Sings the Praises of Vietnam's Red Bricks
A Quảng Nam brick kiln that's been operating for over twenty years has received a makeover that allows guests to get a more intimate look at the traditional craft of making terracotta.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
One Nation's Beloved Cá Lóc Is Another Nation's Horror Movie
America has been losing its shit over snakeheads. All summer long my algorithm-led newsfeed has been alerting me to ominous headlines including “‘Horror movie’ snakehead fish that can slither on land invading Missouri amid fourth sighting,” “Voracious, invasive ‘frankenfish’ reeled in from Delaware River at Easton,” and “Snakehead Fish Found in Georgia: ‘Kill It Immediately.’”
Vietnam, Southeast Asian Nations Burst Into the Solar Energy Landscape
Sunny Southeast Asia has made significant strides in solar energy, with solar farm capacity exceeding 20GW across ASEAN c...
EuroCham: Vietnam’s GDP Could Reach 21% With EU Trade Deal
Speaking at the Vietnam Business Forum last week, a senior EU official said that Vietnam’s annual GDP could see an additional 15% boost if it reached a free trade agreement with the EU by the end of t...
Brian Letwin in Development
5 Amazingly Designed Homes in Saigon
While Saigon is known for its ubiquitous rectangular houses, the city boasts some fine examples of unique and beautifully designed homes. Some are topped with trees, others allow for the maximum flow ...
[Photos] Changes to Saigon’s Skyline (2003-2014): Part 2
Due to the popularity of previous articles capturing the physical changes of Saigon’s skyline over the past decade, we’ve managed to cobble together a new set of photos.
Brian Letwin in Development
Future Saigon: The Thu Thiem Marina
While there’s still a long ways to go before the Thu Thiem is completed (or started, for that matter), there are plans to build Saigon’s first marina on the southeast side of the new urban area.
Thu Minh Joins Prince William and David Beckham in London to Support Wildlife Campaign
Vietnamese pop singer, Thu Minh, joined Prince William and David Beckham in London on June 9 in support of the new United for Wildlife Campaign’s “Whose side are you on” project.
99 New Species Discovered In Vietnam
A new World Wide Fund (WWF) study, conducted between 2012 and 2013, found 99 new species of flora and fauna in Vietnam, some just outside of major urban centers, reports Thanh Nien.
Vietnam Has a Major Counterfeit Condom Crisis
Health officials expressed concern after a new report warned that nearly half of the commercially-available condoms in Vietnam are of poor quality.
Businessman: Even Bill Gates Isn’t Qualified For A Work Permit In Vietnam
At an economic forum last Thursday held in Hanoi, attendees complained about difficulties in obtaining work permits for their employees due to “stringent” and “unreasonable” requirements that would ma...
Beat the Heat with This Homemade Air Conditioner
Sure, breaking through a CIA firewall is impressive. But sometimes, life hands you a hacking opportunity that’s decidedly analog.
Brian Letwin in Development
Saigon's Folding Wall House
It’s nice to see someone other than Vo Trong Nghia Architects making progressive home designs in Vietnam. This Folding Wall House was built by Nha Dan architects in 2013 and was designed to allow...
Brian Letwin in Health
Report: Vietnamese Spend $1 Billion a Year on Tobacco
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health reported that Vietnamese smokers spend over VND22 trillion ($1.04 billion) a year on tobacco products, reports Tuoi Tre.
HCMC Schools Burn Millions of Dollars on Unused Electronic White Boards
Schools in HCMC yet again face scandal, allegations of corruption and incompetence, and uncertainty about how best to use technology in the classroom, according to Thanh Nien.
Brian Letwin in Development
[Video] City Planners Release Epic Plans for Future Saigon
And we thought the plan to reorganize downtown Saigon was ambitious. This new video from The Department of Planning and Architecture of HCMC shows what it envisions to be the future of Saigon.
BBGV Inter-Company Football Charity Tournament @ RMIT
BBGV would like to take this opportunity to announce the first BBGV Inter-Company Football Tournament for Charity in HCMC. The event will bring 16 company teams together to compete for the ...
Brian Letwin in Tech
[Video] Apple Taps Into Vietnam’s Beauty for New iPad Commercial
Vietnam is a beautiful country that happens to be obsessed with Apple products. While we’re still waiting for the first legit Apple store to open, the tech giant has picked Vietnam as setting for its ...
Brian Letwin in Development
Future Saigon: the Eximbank Tower
As The One Ho Chi Minh City moves along at a slow pace, behind it, the Eximbank Tower has begun its gradual climb towards the Saigon sky.
Brian Letwin in Development
[Photos] Changes to Saigon’s Skyline (2003-2013): Part 1
Within just a decade, Saigon’s skyline has changed dramatically. This is illustrated through photos taken by Michael Waibel, editor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book, from the Caravelle Hot...
Brian Letwin in Sports
5 of Saigon’s Best Public Swimming Pools
As tempted as I am to jump into the Saigon River on scorching afternoons, taking a dip in one of Saigon's many public pools is a much more logical (not to mention safer) option.
Brian Letwin in Tech
Report: Vietnam has Reached 25 Million Facebook Users
A market research study from Epinion, a Danish marketing agency, has found that 25 million of Vietnam’s 36 million internet users have Facebook accounts, reports VietNamNet.
Brian Letwin in Development
Quang Ninh's Stone House
The Stone House from, you guessed it, Vo Trong Nghia Architects, was built back in 2011 but just caught our attention.
