Opinion: Electric Vehicles Are Southeast Asia's Way out Amid the Global Fossil Fuel Crisis
As the Iran war crunches global energy supplies and disrupts prices, Southeast Asian leaders may need to diversify oil and gas supplies in order to protect ordinary people.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
An Ancient Turtle Named After Bánh Xèo Can Teach Us a Lot About Whimsy in Science
Nước mắm — that ruby-hued elixir; that salty, fish-flesh-sweet open secret in your favorite recipe; that indispensable icon of Vietnamese culture and, by extension, identity — owes itself to Commerson’s anchovies. That’s right, if your fish sauce comes from the central region, where it was first developed, the fish pressed with salt to produce it are Stolephorus commersonnii, a species named in 1801 after Philibert Commerson, a white Frenchman. Picture all the hardscrabble village homes suffering under the yoke of colonialism, where one of the day’s few pleasures was a humble meal made delicious by a carefully rationed dash of fish sauce and an ingredient whose name pays homage to their colonizers.
Michael Tatarski in Environment
Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form
Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"
Saigon Commences Metro Line, Major Administrative Hub Project in Thủ Thiêm
Municipal authorities in Hồ Chí Minh City are moving forward with a number of infrastructure projects that will majorly transform the peninsula in the future.
From the Ground up Into the Air: The Evolution of Bitexco in 25 Photos
Between Thủ Thiêm's ambitious new skyscrapers, the planned transformation of Thanh Đa Peninsula and a LEED-standard apart...
The Global Waste Trade Fuels the Rise of Waste Colonialism in Southeast Asia
In August 2025, Malaysian campaigner Wong Pui Yi stood outside the UN headquarters in Geneva and made an appeal to Global North nations: “Stop treating the Global South as the rubbish bin for plastic waste you cannot handle.”
Pedaling for a Purpose: The Coastal Cycling Challenge Bringing Homes to Quảng Ngãi
During February and March, a group of volunteers from Saigon spent five days cycling up the coast, starting in Thảo Điền and ending up in the mountainous district of Trà Bông, nestled deep in Quảng Ngãi Province.
Michael Tatarski in Natural Selection
Voọc Cát Bà: The Endangered Primate of Karst Land
Imagine being born one color, and growing up into a very differently hued adult.
Despite Heavy Investment, HCMC Flood Prevention Projects "Ineffective"
As the city continues to sink and tides reach historic highs, flooding is one of the greatest natural threats to HCMC. But at a meeting last week, city officials admitted that their heavy investments ...
Hanoi Liquor Producer Closed, Staff Arrested After Deaths
After 6 people died last week from drinking methanol-laced rice wine from a Hanoi liquor producer, the distillery has been closed and its director has been arrested:
Vietnam’s Wild Elephants Are on the Verge of Extinction
“Vietnam will probably be the first country in Asia to lose its wild elephant.” This was the dire prediction from Barney Long, Director of the Species Program at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) when speaki...
Video: Moronic Bike Racers Cause 2 Accidents in a Matter of Seconds
With traffic deaths and injuries on the rise in Vietnam, authorities have gone as far as to propose bans on motorbikes in the country's cities. But, as illustrated in the video below, reckless drivers...
Report: The Saigon River Is Dying
A recent report found that the Saigon River, the city’s most important waterway, is severely contaminated and urgent steps must be taken to save it. Given the almost daily stories of untreated human w...
Vietnam Ponders Ban on Motorbikes in Large Cities
Vietnam may be the land of motorbikes but some government officials have put forth a plan to ban them in the country’s urban areas to increase safety and reduce pollution. While the plan is being prai...
Can Saigon Stop Sinking?
While this season’s heavy flooding has been blamed on large storms and high tides, some experts have been pointing to unchecked urbanization as the culprit. A recent Thanh Nien article took a closer l...
Saigon to Add 11 New Piers to Spur Waterway Development
Saigon seems to stepping up its waterway development game. After cleaning and refurbishing large swaths of the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal, the city has just announced plans for 11 new piers to be built ...
$110m Pledged for Vietnamese Startups
It looks like Vietnamese startups are about to get a boost in funding. The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced a $110 million program called FIRST, designed to breathe financial life into...
Vietnam Urged to Plan for Climate Change
Vietnam must develop more climate-resilient cities and implement policies that will limit the impact of extreme weather on urban communities, according to three studies presented at last month’s Vietn...
A Complete Map of the HCMC Metro System
Saigon's first metro line may be under construction and its 5th line fully funded, but it's often hard to grasp what things will look like when all 6 are complete.
As Domestic Demand Falls, Vietnam’s Motorbike Producers Look to New Markets
Even though Vietnam is the land of motorbikes, a struggling economy and market saturation have resulted in drop in domestic sales. As motorbike manufacturers expand their production facilities in Viet...
4K Turkey Dash For the Orphans @ The Crescent
On November 17, come down to the Crescent to join Transcend People’s 4k Turkey Dash for the Orphans and Operation Smile in Vietnam.
Report: Vietnam in Top 10 for Worst Air Pollution
Break out the face masks - Vietnam is in the top ten countries with the worst air pollution in the world. The ranking comes from the recently released, 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) whic...
Brian Letwin in Development
Video: What Will it Take to End Poverty in Vietnam?
A recent video produced by the World Bank tells the story of two brothers born in a poor family, one living in the mountainous area, one migrating to the city, to respond to the question: What will it...
Vietnamese Architects Unveil Awesome Modular Bamboo Home Design
Vietnam is a land of floods and storms. While Vietnamese have long accepted this reality, mother nature has had profound impact on individuals and the country as a whole. Though some look for ways to ...
Report: Vietnamese Online Shopping Market Climbs to $2.77 Billion
3 reports on Vietnamese online shopping trends have been released recently with drastically different numbers. But no matter which is correct (one has to be correct, right?), it’s clear that web purch...
Trend: HCMC Students Getting High on Cough Medicine
Drugs may be incredibly illegal in Vietnam, but according to a recent report, like their western counterparts, some teenagers have discovered the magical powers of cough medicine. The difference is, i...
FALSE: Street Vendor Caught Using Rat Meat in His Soup
Last week, a report entitled, “The shocking truth about hu tieu street vendors,” wherein a hu tieu vendor was caught using rat in his soups, spread like wildfire across Vietnam's social media networks...
Start Your Engines! Vietnam Motor Show 2013
Whether we like it or not (for the record, we don’t) cars are becoming increasingly popular in Vietnam. To showcase their newest models, 15 auto brands have set up shop at the Saigon Exhibition and C...
