in Architecture

Built for a Painter, This Huế House Brings the Art Gallery Into the Home

A recurring problem in home decor for art lovers is finding enough wall space to display paintings and art pieces in the best way to showcase their beauty. As a painter, the owner of the Nala House project in Huế is well-acquainted with this concern, and set out to rectify it right from the beginning by bringing the gallery into his home.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

Saigon's Weather Dude Is Dedicated to Keeping Saigoneers Dry This Rainy Season

Why is it raining in Saigon? Because it’s the rainy season. Sure, but if you want to be more specific, you can cite conditions in the Bay of Bengal, more than 2,500 kilometers away. It’s there that the wind conditions form that flow across the Gulf of Thailand, sucking up the moisture that drenches Vietnam’s southern metropolis. 

in Architecture

In the Era of Constant Rebuilding, We Turn to Vietnamese Modernism for Nostalgic Comfort

For two years now, I've checked the Vietnamese Modernist Architecture Facebook group almost every day. Here, members post ...

in Environment

How Laos's Dams Are Powering Vietnam, Other ASEAN Nations Despite Mekong Concerns

Following a spate of foreign investment in the 1990s, Laos began producing surplus electricity and looked to export it. Today, around 80% of its energy, largely from hydropower, is sold to neighbors. Electricity exports from Laos generate around US$2.6 billion for what is one of the poorest nations in mainland Southeast Asia. Across the region, neighbors including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia have become reliant on hydropower from Laos. Slowly but surely, however, this is changing.

in Architecture

A Pop-up Night Park Brings the Joy of Playing in the Rain to Phú Mỹ Hưng

A lack of public spaces and activities has been a chronic problem plaguing Saigon’s urban planning since the city experienced its first population boom a few decades ago. If you happen to be near District 7 in the next two months, a pop-up park could be a new option for children, and perhaps some particularly exuberant adults, to frolic in the rain and the evening.

Elise Luong

in Environment

Living, Learning, Loving From the Earth at Ninh Bình's Lá Library

A stone's throw away from Cúc Phương National Park in Ninh Bình Province sits Lá Library, an education center promoting sustainable living through sustainable agriculture farming, earthen building techniques and the art of chilling out.

in Architecture

The Saigon House That Swapped Its Front Door for a Moat

Does a house need walls?

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Is the Yeti Vietnamese? This Ancient Ape Might Hold the Answer.

Can you name a Vietnamese animal that hasn’t been hunted to the precipice of extinction or become a commodified item whose flesh, fur, or feathers are only deemed significant in relation to their practical use by humans?

Back Society

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Thanh Long: How Dragon Fruit Proves Beauty Is Only Skin-Deep

Of all my accomplishments in life, my greatest may be the creation of The Banana Line. This is a ranking tool, based on the belief that if all fruits were lined up from worst to best, taking into acco...

in Architecture

[Photos] Katinat Cafe's Gò Vấp Location Is an Industrial Glass Fortress

Cement, air, water, sand, and gravel: concrete is a simple material. Same for glass, that spread of super-heated quartz sand. 

in Education

How to Recieve a Tuition Scholarship for Australian International School

To “just have a go” is a very Australian way of encouraging a person to put forth their best effort and try something new. Ben Armstrong, the secondary school principal at Australian Internationa...

in Environment

The Nocturnal Thrill of Capturing Vietnam's Elegant Fauna in Wildlife Photography

For most people, walking in the jungle at night would sound like a bad idea. A lack of knowledge and many misbeliefs, unfortunately, create bad assumptions about the wilderness after dark. And snakes,...

in Environment

The Mekong Delta Loses Sand Too Fast Due to Extraction, It's Time for a Sand Budget.

Many people will be familiar with the dread when your income no longer covers your expenses; when you’ve exhausted your savings and are sinking ever deeper into debt. In the Mekong Delta, a similar do...

Michael Tatarski

in Tech

How Going Digital Could Help Vietnam's Farmers Take Their Produce to the Next Level

In this digital age, farming, especially in developing countries like Vietnam, has maintained a general perception of being an analog, hands-on practice. 

in Architecture

On a Hill in Huế, a Glass-Filled Home Welcomes Natural Light With Open Arms

Are hills simply mountains that lack ambition?

in Environment

Đắk Lắk Receives $2.2m in Financial Support to End Elephant Rides by 2026

To be distributed between now and the end of 2026, the VND55 billion (US$2.2 million) provided by the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) will be used to help tourism centers in Đắk Lắk Province b...

in Education

How a Simple Dream for a Daughter’s Education Flourishes 25 Years Later at BIS HCMC

Saying Saigon has changed a great deal in the last 25 years is quite an understatement and the rapid development the city has experienced is not only evident by sprouting skyscrapers and large infrast...

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Khỉ Vàng: The Shit-Stirrer, Snack Thief, and Petty Criminal of Vietnam's Forests

I’m not a fucking idiot — That’s what I thought while looking at the sign hung from the door of my hotel room in Đà Nẵng.

in Education

Envisioning a Student’s Potential at Australian International School’s Open Day

An Open Day involves far more than simply letting people onto the school grounds to look around. Teachers, students, senior leadership and support staff all work together to welcome families of prospe...

in Parks & Rec

Losing Myself (and My Work Stress) in the Wacky World of Jazz Dance

Since I started my foray into jazz dance, the most common question I’ve gotten has been “What, you can dance to jazz?”

in Tech

What Creating a Sign Language App Taught Me About the Hardships of Vietnam's Deaf Community

In neighborhood communities, deaf children are often bullied by their hearing friends, according to my classmate Nguyễn Tài Minh.

in Architecture

Award-Winning Open Home in Hanoi Invites Generational Connections

CH House, a multi-generational abode that fosters harmonious family connectivity amidst Hanoi's discordant din, recently won the Dedalo Minosse International Prize for clients commissioning a house in...

in Architecture

Biên Hòa Cafe Embraces Industrial Design for a Transient Existence

If your dwelling is temporary, how much care do you pay to your surroundings?

in Development

Hanoi Is Not Building Dragon-Inspired Longest Structure in the World, Official Says

A 700,000-square-meter dragon-shaped building will remain a futuristic fantasy in the capital's Tây Hồ area, but it might be fun to indulge in its flashy design for a moment. The structure, meant...

in Environment

Xanh Hà Nội Aims to Plant 1m Trees to Improve Hanoi's Living Environment

Amidst glooming effects of global warming, Xanh Hà Nội’s efforts since 2017 have played a crucial role in trailblazing a community-reliant framework for keeping Vietnamese cities green.

in Environment

Saigon Students Win Science Contest Silver Medals for Bodhi Tree Leaf Teabags

Sustainable teabags made from bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) leaves earned Ngô Trần Thảo My and Nguyễn Thiên Ngân silver medals at an international event that fosters global awareness of environmental i...

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

The Prehistoric Permanence of Cá Sấu, Vietnam's Farmed Predator

I’ve always hated cá sấu. Not because they’ve threatened my safety or had any real impact on my life whatsoever, but simply because they survived. When a meteor cratered into Earth 66 million years ag...

in Architecture

In Sơn La, Nà Khoang School Serves Both Students and the Local Thái Community

It's a flower's imperfections that make it beautiful.