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.
Dong Nguyen: ‘Flappy Bird’ May Fly Again
Rolling Stone recently secured an interview with elusive ‘Flappy Bird’ maker, Dong Nguyen. In the long article, which is well worth reading in its entirety, Nguyen hinted that his epically popular gam...
Future Saigon: Renderings of Lavenue Crown
You may have noticed the quiet parking lot next to Diamond Plaza in District 1 that seems destined to become something more. This is the site of the proposed Lavenue Crown, one of the many victims of ...
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Urban Transport in the Mega City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos. Tod...
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - People in the Mega City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. It is split into 8 chapters, each covering a major theme related to ...
Massive Electric Trolleys Proposed for HCMC
VNS reports that the HCMC Transport Department has submitted a proposal for a pilot program that would add 50 electric trolleys to provide better transportation services in the city center.
300 Years to Clean up 800,000 Tons of Unexploded Ordinance in Vietnam: Official
At a conference on unexploded ordnance in Vietnam, an official announced that it may take up to 300 years to clear the country of the deadly war remnants that are still inflicting casualties to this d...
Should Smart-Phones and Tablets be Allowed in Vietnamese Classrooms?
With rapid growth of the availability of technology in Vietnam, especially smartphones, tablets and phablets, teachers and authorities are starting to question their use by students in the classroom, ...
UK Tapped as Development Partner for Thu Thiem
Last Thursday, David Puttnam, the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Vietnam, met with the HCMC mayor’s office to discuss “cooperation with the city in developing its new Central Business District,” rep...
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - The Village in the Mega City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos. Tod...
‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Working on a New Game
To the delight of mobile gamers across the globe, ‘Flappy Bird’ creator, Dong Nguyen, is working on a new game, reports GamesInAsia.
Brian Letwin in Development
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Demolition & Vision
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you an overview of the book's fantastic photos. Tod...
[Video] Fatal Head-on Collision Caused by Drunk Driver
While the Vietnamese government has launched campaigns to curb drunk driving, it remains a serious problem across the country. This video, posted by Thanh Nein, shows the deadly consequences of this r...
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Housing in the Mega City
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...
Authorities Push to Meet Deadline for HCMC’s First Metro Line
We’ve been waiting for this news for a while – HCMC autorities are pushing hard to complete the city' first Metro line by early 2018, according to the Bernama.
'Flappy Bird' Isn't the Only Hit App Made in Vietnam
Our favorite TechinAsia writer, Anh Minh Do, recently published a guest post on Mashable, telling the world that there’s more to Vietnam’s app ecosystem than just Flappy Bird.
TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City - Change Over Time
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...
Slow Internet Warning: AAG Cable to Undergo Maintenance Next Week
The notoriously fragile, 20,000km, Asia American Gateway cable - SE Asia’s main internet connection to the West - will undergo maintenance next week so expect “shaky connections” through March 9, repo...
ADP Approves $60 Million Loan for Sustainable Urban Transport in HCMC
Construction of the $1.3 billion, 20 kilometer Metro Line 2, is expected to go into full swing this year, starting with an underground maintenance and metro station in District 12. To “improve accessi...
Will New Alcohol and Cigarette Taxes Reduce Consumption in Vietnam?
According to Thanh Nien, the government proposal to increase taxes on alcohol and cigarettes won’t stem their consumption. The proposal under the Ministry of Finance would take effect from July 1, 201...
TP. Ho Chi Minh: MEGA City – The Mega City From Above
Saigoneer is proud to be the media sponsor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book which was formally released on February 19. The book, edited by Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert, was produced...
