Paul Christiansen

in Sports

Adding Billiards to Saigon's Pantheon of Pastimes

The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?

Khôi Phạm

in Society

In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another

The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.

Paul Christiansen

in Environment

The Role of Sand Batteries in Responding to the Climate Change Crisis

How does a sand battery work? 

Khôi Phạm

in Development

With the HCMC Metro Here, It's Time to Cultivate Saigon's Very Own Metro Culture

One of my least favorite genres of comments on Saigoneer’s social media posts is jokes involving the laggard opening of the HCMC Metro and some random, outrageous year far into the next decades, or even centuries.

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 2: The Vietnamese Diaspora, Unicode and the Ubiquity of Unikey

This is part 2 of our two-part series on the history of Vietnamese-centric typing technologies. Part 1 can be  acces...

Thi Nguyễn

in Tech

Typing Vietnamese, Part 1: Language, Identity and Technology at a Crossroad

My first exposure to the computer traces back to my primary school years when computer classes were conducted once a week. In order to study computers, students had to migrate from their usual classrooms to a multimedia lab — an air-conditioned room filled with computers. Computer classes were generally more popular among us than most subjects thanks to that satisfying cool breeze and the delight of operating something one wasn't privileged with at home.

in Natural Selection

Hoa Sữa, Poetic Icon of Autumn in Hanoi or Nasal Health Enemy No. 1?

It was early in the day. I opened my window to let in the very first rays of the morning sun, just to catch a waft of that distinctive floral aroma lingering in the cold air. This year, autumn came early, and hoa sữa has started blooming where I live.

in Environment

Plastic Waste Is Choking the Mekong River and Every Nation on Its Path

On Son Island in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Le Trung Tin scatters fish feed into his ponds, where dozens of snakehead fish leap through the surface in synchronised bursts. “I taught them how to do that,” he says proudly, tossing another handful of feed at his fish.

Back Society

in Health

Resource: A List Violations and Fees for Motorcycle Drivers in Vietnam

Considering most traffic violations in Saigon consist of a short conversation and ‘tip’ for your friendly neighborhood policeman, we were, admittedly, a bit unfamiliar with the full list of rules and ...

in Tech

Facebook Gets Official in Vietnam

In a bid to increase its ad revenue, Facebook has partnered with a local advertising firm to make some money off of Vietnam’s 20 million Facebook users.

in Development

Saigon House Nominated for Archdaily's 'House of the Year' Award

Green and sustainable buildings are still in their infancy in Vietnam. However the trend is becoming more popular and slowly but surely, Vietnamese architects are entering this arena with great succes...

in Tech

New Site Lets you Search Vietnamese Plane, Train and Ferry Tickets in English

As a foreigner in Saigon, you don’t need to know much Vietnamese to get by. But when it comes to travel, especially by modes that don’t include wings, things can get pretty complicated. Enter Bao...

in Development

Slideshow: A Look Inside Saigon's New Public Toilets

Last Saturday Saigon’s first batch of high-end public toilets (4-5 stars, whatever that means) were opened at Tao Dan Park, 23/9 Park and Le Van Tam Park in District 1. The facilities are part of a p...

in Development

Tet Bonuses Reveal How Teachers are Really Valued in Vietnam

Although Vietnam traditionally revers teachers and those working in education, as Tet approaches teachers working in the state system once again feel their low financial worth.

in Development

Expert: Saigon's Sidewalks a Model for Other Cities

While Vietnam frequently looks to NGOs and international organizations to make policy recommendations on topics ranging from the environment to the economy, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MI...

in Development

[Video] Saigon: Future Megacity

With Saigon's population rapidly expanding, a new set of challanges, both social and environmental have arisen. The city's growing pains have been well-documented and many argue that serious measures ...

in Development

Trend: Vietnamese Factories are Slowly Going Green

Mike Ives of The New York Times published a piece earlier this week on the growing trend of green factories in Asia, using Intel’s chip factory in HCMC as its focal point. According to the article, co...

in Development

Saigon to Add High-End Public Toilets

In what can only be described as exciting news, city authorities have launched a pilot program to add ‘5-star’ public toilets to the busy streets of Saigon. 

in Development

Vietnamese Airlines Order Hundreds of New Planes but There’s Nowhere to Park Them

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Jetstar have all placed ambitious orders for hundreds of new planes to upgrade and expand their aging fleets. But with the expansion of Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat still years ...

in Tech

Vietnamese Teachers Told to Monitor Students via Facebook

In what is being seen as a bizarre move, Vietnamese teachers are being instructed to join Facebook and other social networks in order to ‘manage’ their students more effectively.

in Development

After Massive Auto Tax Breaks, Will Saigon Become a Parking Lot?

It looks like Saigon won’t be able to avoid the 'car age' after all. Under new import rules for 2014, autos produced by ASEAN neighbors will receive a 50 – 60% tax reduction and many fear that Vietnam...

Brian Letwin

in Health

Back to the Basics: The Struggle for an Organic Vietnam

After recent health scares from chemically-laced produce and dubious Chinese imports, Vietnamese consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they don’t know where their food comes from....

in Development

Flower Power: US$190 Million Pledged to Develop Da Lat's Hi-Tech Flower Industry

Da Lat, the flower growing center of Vietnam, is about to get a huge financial boost. The municipal government recently approved a VND4 trillion (US$190 million) credit package in effort to turn flowe...

in Health

The 'Most Interesting Man in the World' Helps Clear Central Vietnam of Unexploded Ordinance

Jonathan Goldsmith, more commonly known as 'The Most Interesting Man in the World' from the wildly popular Dos Equis Beer commercials, recently teamed up with non-profit, Clearpath International to he...

in Health

Behold: The Invisible Bike Helmet

If you’re tired of bulky helmets ruining your carefully manicured style, 2 Swedes have created a product you may be interested in – an invisible bike helmet.

in Tech

$1 Billion High-Tech Park Proposed for HCMC

As part of the continuing effort to modernize Vietnam’s workforce, authorities are reviewing a proposal for a massive science and technology park in HCMC.

in Development

KN House: Blurring the Line Between Inside and Out

While many of the unique homes we’ve written about in the past have been located in the south of Vietnam, we came across this gem in Hanoi. This house, built by Adrei-studio Architecture, was complete...

in Development

US and Vietnam Prepare for Epic Catfish Battle

As many Pacific Rim countries gear up for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP), an unlikely conflict is growing between Vietnam and the US. Surprisingly, it’s neither centered on human ...