Saigon Metro Line 1 Announces July Launch Date, Free Rides in Phase 1
Will 2024 be the auspicious year when our legs could finally step on the metro platform for the first time?
Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines
We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
Charting the Flow of the Nhiêu Lộc Canal From Start to Historical Start
When I fall in love with an album, I seek out the artist's first mixtapes and demos. When I come to admire a poet, I hunt down their early poems and chapbooks. I even linger over the old highlight reels of my favorite football players' college games. Understanding where something starts allows me appreciate it more. So it is with the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal.
Khôi Phạm in Society
Nhiêu Lộc Canal Hosted Trudeau's Night Run. Why Is It Not as Famous as Obama's Bún Chả?
You know how much Vietnamese culture revolves around food by the fact that one of the first questions we pose to any foreign visitor is “What’s your favorite Vietnamese dish?” Asking about other aspects of the country could invite honest opinions that some of us might not be prepared to hear. Deep down, more than anybody else, we know that our air quality is subpar and our urban cleanliness leaves much to be desired, but our food is the one thing every Vietnamese can trust to make us proud. What easier way to foster diplomacy than to center the conversation around deliciousness?
In Hanoi, a Family Home Balances Commercial Hustle With Spiritual Haven
If many Vietnamese families often opt to reserve one room in their house plan for ancestor worship, this household in Hanoi decided to dedicate an entire backyard to their family altar.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
An Homage to the Mekong Delta and Its Bag-Wearing Fruits
Rats, mice, mosquitos, snakes, centipedes, caterpillars, snails, beetles and slugs: the more fertile a region is, the more pests inhabit it.
Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms
Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in recent years. Last year, gay dating app Grindr continued the tradition with their own annual insights, and Vietnam managed to claim a spot in the roundup.
On the 12th Day of Christmas Saigoneer Gave to Me: 12 Birdcalls From Across Vietnam
Almost everywhere we go in the world, birdsong abounds.
Brian Letwin in Health
Beware of Fake Beer in Saigon
After words of caution from Oi Magazine about fake alcohol in Saigon, a Thanh Nien expose has revealed that beer is also being counterfeited as well. In an alley in Tan Binh district, a Thanh Nien re...
Brian Letwin in Development
The Sad Story of Da Lat’s Disappearing Pine Trees
Known as “the city of a thousand pine trees,” unregulated deforestation and development have taken their toll on Da Lat’s forests and pine tree population. There was once a time when many of Da Lat’s...
Brian Letwin in Development
Vietnam May Embrace Cars After All
Japanese companies, some of Vietnam’s largest investors, are playing an interesting game these days. For the most part, Japan has taken on the role of older brother to Vietnam, supporting the develop...
Brian Letwin in Health
Chile to Assist Vietnam in Growing Quinoa
Rice has certainly cornered the market in Vietnam but a new pilot program conducted by Chile's Institute for Agricultural Research and Hanoi University of Agriculture hopes to add quinoa to the countr...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Electronic Components Now Vietnam's #1 Export
As electronics companies look for cheaper labor, many are moving their production facilities to Vietnam. Electronics production has grown so quickly that in only 2 years, electronic component exports ...
Brian Letwin in Tech
New iPhone Feature May Deter Thieves (But Probably Not)
Yesterday's WWDC saw some major product announcements, highlighted by an updated Macbook Air, re-designed Mac Pro and new versions of iOS and Mac OSX. Major changes aside, there was one element of the...
Brian Letwin in Development
Hitachi Selected to Build Vietnam’s First Urban Railway
Japanese mega-corporation, Hitachi, has announced their winning bid to build Vietnam’s first urban railway in Saigon. The $381 million project is slated to begin operation in 2018. Under the contract...
Brian Letwin in Health
Botched Penile Implants on the Rise
Well, we started this week with the story of a Quang Nam principal who had his penis inspected by local authorities to disprove rumors of an affair. And now, a spate of botched penile silicone implant...
Brian Letwin in Health
Diabetes Rates Skyrocketing in Vietnam
As Vietnam continues its march to a free market economy, the country is not only importing new brands, but new health problems as well. Even as some begin to embrace organic produce, there are far mor...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Da Nang to Get Free WIFI Network
In the works since 2003, Da Nang’s $2 million city-wide WIFI network is set to come online this September. The system will rely on 400 transmitters, allowing access so 10,000 users at any given time. ...
Brian Letwin in Tech
E-commerce Sales to Hit $1.3 Billion by 2015
VECITA, the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency, released a report last week which revealed that Vietnam’s e-commerce sales will hit $700 million by the end of 2012 and $1.3 billion b...
Brian Letwin in Development
Call for Submissions: Ho Chi Minh MEGA City
If you love Saigon, it’s time to grab your camera and take some shots of the city! The photo book, “TP. Ho Chi Minh MEGA City,” is currently being assembled and the authors are seeking submissions. C...
Brian Letwin in Development
Saigon Announces Plan for Waterway Development
Well, Saigon is really trying to cover all the bases for its 2020 rebirth. Another massive project has been proposed to redevelop Saigon’s 1,000km of rivers and canals at a cost of more than $500 mill...
Brian Letwin in Development
Vietnam to Invest $287 million in a Taller, Stronger Population
It seems like everyone wants to be a little bit taller (and a baller) these days. A recent report revealed that Vietnam’s neighbors are not only taller, but enjoy a faster growth speed amongst their p...
Big Changes for Online Advertising in Vietnam
For Google staff, today should prove to be slightly more relaxing following a week of big announcements. For many of them, the week started with a cup of coffee at the annual I/O developer conference ...
Brian Letwin in Development
City Center Overhaul to be "Harmonious"
For those skeptical about the recently announced changes to the city center, Nguyen Trong Hoa - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Development Studies and one of the plan’s authors – explai...
Brian Letwin in Development
Airport for Mui Ne in the Works
Saigon might not be the only one who’s getting a shiny new airport - developers have submitted plans to the Phan Thiet central government to construct a $270 million regional airport. Russians, rejoic...
Brian Letwin in Development
How Saigon Plans to Avoid the 'Car Age'
“A developed city is not one in which the poor get around by car but one in which the rich get around by public transit” - Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá. It seems like every time I’m stall...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Vietnam Delays Introduction of 4G Service
Even as Vietnam becomes increasing connected by mobile devices, don’t expect 4G service any time soon. According to Vietnam News, the government wants to maximize the existing investments made by...
Asia's Social Media Boom
A macro-economic expert could view social media as a good economic development indicator. Social media fever is fading a bit in the US after the mini-bubble, encouraged by the highly criticized purcha...
