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.
Facing Delay, HCMC Pushes To Build Thủ Thiêm Bridge 2 In 2015
The main prerequisite for the large-scale development of Thủ Thiêm is infrastructure - roads, tunnels and bridges that serve as arteries into the new urban area.
GrabTaxi Launches GrabBike, Bringing Xe Ôms Into the Digital Age
With companies such as EasyTaxi, GrabTaxi and Uber, it’s never been easier to summon a car or cab in Saigon. However, xe ôms have been left out of the digital transportation revolution. That is, of co...
[Photos] Behind The Blue Walls: A Look At The Progress Of Saigon’s Pedestrian Promenade
Reddit user, WeAllWantToBeHappy, recently visited a number of spots around District 1 to see what was going on behind the large blue walls where a new pedestrian promenade is currently under construct...
Tim Doling in Development
A Goodbye To Steam At Thái Nguyên Steel Works
Wednesday 22 October 2014 was officially the last day of steam locomotive operations at Thái Nguyên Steel Works. Tim Doling takes a look at the history of this extraordinary industrial plant, which ow...
Authorities Consider Preserving Elements Of Tax Center Following Public Outcry
When news broke in August that Saigon’s historic Tax Center was to be demolished, many experts and locals took to public forums to call for the preservation of certain elements of the building.
Future Saigon: Masteri Thao Dien
To take advantage of the Thao Dien stop on the city’s first metro line, developers are planning to build Masteri, a sprawling mixed-use project which will be integrated with the neighborhood’s above g...
[Photos] The Bomb Recyclers Of Quảng Trị
Quảng Trị holds the terrible honor of being the most contaminated province in Vietnam when it comes to unexploded ordinance left over from the American War.
Stunning Nha Trang Hotel Features Vertical And Indoor Gardens
Nha Trang is a beautiful city but its hotels are typically boring and resemble those found across Vietnam. Despite the name, the recently constructed Hotel Golden Holiday Hotel, designed by Trinhvieta...
[Photos] Massive Flooding Turns HCMC Streets Into Rivers, And It's Just The Beginning
While much of District 1 was able to stay dry on Sunday night, others such as Districts 6 and 11 were not as fortunate as a storm flooded major streets and knocked out power in some areas.
CNN: HCMC Is The World’s Best Emerging City For Startups
CNN recently interviewed Simon Squibb, CEO of Hong Kong-based Nest Investment, who ranked HCMC as the best emerging city for startups.
Vietnamese Demand for Rhino Horn Drops by More Than 33% in 1 Year
Well, here’s some great news for your Friday afternoon.
Hanoi Set To Test Its Bus Rapid Transit System
While Saigon will have to wait until 2018 for its first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, Hanoi will test the first leg of its BRT system in the coming months, reports Vietnam News.
Vinhome’s $1.4B Binh Thanh Project Will Include Vietnam's Tallest Building
Between the Saigon and Thủ Thiêm bridges in Bình Thạnh District sits a large plot of land which is currently home to stacks of shipping containers. If things go according to plan, by 2017, a massive, ...
Hanoi Launches High Tech Traffic Control Center
On October 1, Hanoi officially put its fancy new VND230 billion traffic control center into operation, reports Zing.
Saigon Must Preserve Its Old Buildings: Historian Tim Doling
Resident Saigoneer historian, Tim Doling, was recently did an interview with Vietnam Net where he made a strong case for the preservation of Saigon’s historic buildings.
Haivl, “Vietnam’s 9GAG,” Acquired For $1.5 Million By Local Ad Agency
Haivl, Vietnam’s answer to the massively popular US site 9GAG which entertains users with comical images and videos, has been acquired by a local ad agency, according to the site’s founder and admin, ...
Nguyen Hue Street Closed Until 2015 For Construction Of Pedestrian-Friendly Boulevard
The Department of Transport has announced that Nguyen Hue Street will be closed off between Le Loi and Ton Duc Thang Streets until April 28, 2015 when it will reopen as a pedestrian-only street, accor...
The Most Badass Motorcycle Helmet Ever Made Includes Rear Camera, Bluetooth
Pretend for a moment that money is no object. What would you include in your dream motorcycle helmet? Whatever you have in mind, it’s probably included in the Skully, a futuristic helmet that incorpor...
Tap Water in HCMC Tainted With Antibiotics, Toxins
We knew HCMC tap water had its issues, but we had no idea it was this bad.
Officials Call For Preservation Of Tax Center Interior
While there’s no saving the Tax Center which will soon be demolished to make way for a new 40-story tower, there are those that are calling for elements of the 90-year-old building to be preserved.
