in Society

Meet Tâm, a Crossing ‘Guardian’ Protecting Saigon Traffic and Trains From Each Other

In a small kiosk overlooking the crowded Nguyễn Trọng Tuyển Street in Phú Nhuận, Nguyễn Thị Tâm routinely checks the clock and reviews the day’s train schedule meticulously. She’s repeated these tasks countless times, a crucial component of a job that she’s done for two decades as a train crossing attendant.

in Environment

Learning to Coexist in Peace Is the First Step to Protect Vietnam's Last Remaining Elephants

A trail of enormous footprints, criss-crossing slabs of cracked concrete, lead to a battered ranger station in Vietnam’s Pù Mát National Park. Park staff say the wild Asian elephant that left the tracks is as friendly as it is lonely.

in Sports

A Glimpse Into the Epic Underground Shows of Vietnam Pro Wrestling

Back in 2018, Saigon witnessed the birth of Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW), the first and only Pro Wrestlers in the whole of ...

in Development

HCMC Approves VinSpeed, VinGroup's Railway Arm, to Build Metro Line to Cần Giờ

A roughly 50-kilometer-long urban railway route will run from September 23 Park in downtown Saigon to VinGroup's Green Paradise project in Cần Giờ, beginning in 2028 at an estimated cost of VND102.43 trillion (nearly US$3.9 billion).

in Society

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...

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Đà Lạt’s Indigenous Pine Trees, Tropical Miracles Threatened by Urbanization

“The shimmering pine trees stand in silence / Branches and leaves seem to have sunk silently. / How can one distinguish between reality and fantasy!”

in Development

Saigon Unveils Plan to Build 2 Pedestrian Bridges Over Tôn Đức Thắng Street

Tourists will soon lose one of their favorite “crossing Saigon streets is so crazy!” filming locations when two new pedestrian bridges connecting to Bạch Đằng Wharf are completed. 

in Architecture

Inside Quảng Nam's School for Children From Ethnic Minorities, Designed by VTN Architects

Can a school protect against harsh climate conditions and foster productive academic and social activities in a sustainable and affordable way, while paying attention to the aesthetic values of the region?

Back Society

in Tech

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.

in Environment

Vietnamese Demand for Rhino Horn Drops by More Than 33% in 1 Year

Well, here’s some great news for your Friday afternoon.

in Development

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.

in Development

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, ...

in Tech

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.

in Development

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.

in Tech

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, ...

in Development

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...

in Tech

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...

in Health

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.

in Development

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.

in Architecture

2 Vietnamese Designs Take Home Top Awards at International Architecture Festival

A21 Studio’s “The Chapel” and Vo Trong Nghia Architect’s “House For Trees” both took home top awards at last week’s World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore.

in Development

Saigon’s Metro Line 2 $784 Million More Than Expected And Delayed 2 Years

Due to inflation and an improved design which calls for the use of more expensive materials, HCMC’s metro line 2 (that will run from Bến Thành to Tham Lương) may be $784 million more than expected, ra...

Brian Letwin

in Health

You Won’t Believe How Many Packs Of Instant Noodles Vietnamese Consume Each Year

Given that Vietnamese munch on 2 billon Choco Pies each year, it may come as no surprise that another mass-produced “food,” instant noodles, are also consumed at an astronomical rate.

in Development

Trees On Tôn Đức Thắng Street To Be Cut Down For Bridge To Thủ Thiêm

There’s a price for progress and in Saigon it seems to be trees that are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of infrastructure development.

in Tech

3 Reasons Why Wind Power Has A Strong Future In Vietnam

Not long ago, I traveled to Vietnam’s countryside, mainly in the Mekong Delta provinces. Along the way, I stumbled upon a number of churning wind turbines, showing that the Vietnamese people are becom...

in Development

Prime Minister Signs Off On Phan Thiet Airport

Saigon might not be the only one who’s getting a shiny new airport.

in Sports

Young H’mong Boy Steals The Show At Sapa Mountain Marathon

The second Vietnam Mountain Marathon took place over the weekend of 20-21 September, with almost 400 runners from 40 nations descending on the mountains of Sapa to take on trails of 10, 21, 42 and a m...

in Development

Tân Bình Market Set To Be Demolished, Rebuilt

Despite protests from traders, The administration of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tân Bình District plans to move forward with a plan to replace the 50-year-old Tân Bình Market with “a six-story traditional, ci...

in Development

Traffic Jams Cost HCMC $1.2bn Each Year: Expert

We knew traffic was getting worse in HCMC, but we had no idea it was this expensive.