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.
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.
Brian Letwin in Tech
Vietnamese Students Win 2 Awards at Intel Science Competition
2 Vietnamese high school students received awards for their projects at last week’s 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) held in Los Angeles, California held May 11-16, r...
Brian Letwin in Development
[Photos] Changes Over Time: Saigon's Canals (2003 - 2014)
A major feature of Saigon’s recent urban development has been the implementation of major infrastructure projects including upgrading canals across the city.
Brian Letwin in Tech
‘Less Addictive’ Version of ‘Flappy Bird’ Coming This August
Get ready for an uptick in your blood pressure. ‘Flappy Bird’ is about to re-enter the world in a ‘less addictive’ form, according to the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen.
Brian Letwin in Environment
Frenchman Swims the Length of the Mekong River to Highlight Pollution
While many of Saigon’s canals have been scrubbed and cleaned, the Mekong River is in bad shape. To highlight the polluted state of the region’s most important waterway, one which is used simultaneousl...
Brian Letwin in Development
Future Saigon: Lim Tower 2
You may have noticed the large building going up on the corner of Vo Van Tan and Cach Mang Thang 8. This Lim Tower 2, a project being developed by CotecCons with financing from the JSC investment corp...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Vietnam Reverses Ban on Local Online Gaming Companies
Vietnamese authorities have reversed a 4-year-old ban on the development of local online games after acknowledged that it has not only failed to limit their usage, but has allowed foreign firms to dom...
Brian Letwin in Health
7 Reasons Why Vietnamese Food is Good for You
While you may have to watch out where you’re buying your produce in Vietnam, the cuisine itself is about as healthy you can get. The Huffington Post recently talked to the Vietnamese owners of Pho, a ...
[Photos] Looking Back at the Development of Phu My Hung (2003-2005)
Saigon South, the largest new urban area in Vietnam got its start in the mid-1990s through a joint-venture between a Taiwanese development company and a city development agency. The Phu My Hung New Ci...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Why Twitter Won't Take Off in Vietnam
As the world’s largest social network, Facebook, continues its massive expansion in Vietnam, many have wondered why Twitter, which ranks second, is ignored. One of our favorite tech writers, Anh-Minh ...
Nearly Gone But Not Forgotten: 213 Dong Khoi
The magnificent art deco apartment building at 213 Dong Khoi has nearly been reduced to a pile of rubble to make way for a 14-story City Administration Center.
Brian Letwin in Health
It's Harder Than You Think to Find Safe Produce in Vietnam
Mind the VietGAP. According to a recent report in The Guardian, Vietnam’s sole safety certification mechanism is at best ineffective and, at worst, pulling the wool over the eyes of Vietnamese consume...
Brian Letwin in Development
Sustainable Home Design for Vietnam's Low-Income Earners
It’s all about the green. Earlier this week we looked at a sustainability-focused kindergarten by Vo Trong Nghia Architects. While that project seeks to educate Vietnam’s youth, in the same compound, ...
