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.
Vietnam Burns Through 4.17 Billion Packs of Cigarettes per Year
According to the Vietnam Tobacco Association, the country consumed 4.174 billion packs of cigarettes in 2012. With a population around 90 million, that’s good for an average of over 46 packs a year pe...
Errors Abound in Vietnamese Textbooks
Vietnamese parents are once again up in arms about their children’s education in what looks like yet another example of inconsistency and lack of attention to detail that so many have sadly come to ex...
Celeb. Chef, Bobby Chinn's Crusade for Safer Food in Vietnam
Vietnam may have some of the best food in the world but the country has recently struggled with food safety issues. Over the past few months, stories about tainted noodles and street drinks have been ...
How Saigon's Largest Canal Cleaned up Its Act
You’ve likely observed groups of men fishing along the banks of Saigon’s Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal and wondered how fish could survive in its waters. Apparently it’s a bit cleaner than we may think.&nb...
Students Need Their Sleepy-Sleepy Time
Renowned for their love of sleepy-sleepy time and the obligatory after lunch snoozes, Vietnamese parents are once again up in arms at the hours of a normal school day.
Thrift Shop 2 - Make it a Better Place! @ Saigon Outcast
Saigon Outcast and Work Hard Play Hard got back to collaborate again for their second ‘Thrift shop 2 – Make it a better place’ event. The aims of the event are to raise awareness of “Recycle, reuse a...
[Updated] Ministry Approves Increased 3G Fees
[Update Below] Vietnamese telecommunication companies are awaiting a decision by the Ministry of Information and Communication that would double 3G fees in the country.
Brian Letwin in Development
[Updated] Saigon Bridge 2 Completed Ahead of Schedule, Will Open Tomorrow
[Update Below] After only 17 months of construction, Saigon Bridge 2 was completed yesterday and will open to traffic in early November. The new, VND1.5 trillion (US$70.75 million) bridge, 987.3 mete...
Brian Letwin in Development
US to Provide Vietnam with Nuclear Fuel
Add the US to the list of nations helping Vietnam secure a nuclear future. The country joins Japan, Russia and South Korea as advisers and suppliers for Vietnam's planned nuclear power plants.
Beware of Fake Doctors in Vietnam
Quality is always something to be aware of when living in Vietnam. From motorbike helmets to pho noodles, shoddy products can profoundly affect your wellbeing. Now you can add doctors to this list – p...
Brian Letwin in Tech
[Updated] Vietnam Releases First Domestic Smartphone
[Update Below] Well, we may be a step behind North Korea but Vietnam has just released its first, domestically produced smartphone fittingly named the Lotus.
Brian Letwin in Development
Vietnam Announces Plan for 8 Line, $16 Billion Railway
Taking the train in Vietnam is set to get faster and more convenient by 2020. Last Friday, the Vietnam Railways Administration (VRA) announced plans to change the face of rail in Vietnam with eight ne...
ANH House of Light and Wind
Just past the Saigon Bridge in District 2 lies this lovely house built by Vietnamese architects Sanuki + Nishizawa. Built in the ‘tube-house’ style, the open design allows for fresh air and light to t...
Brian Letwin in Development
Hydropower Plants Breaking Promises to Locals, Destroying Their Livelihoods
When investors approached locals in Quang Nam about building a large hydropower plant, they promised fair resettlement compensation, shared water rights/ownership, infrastructure improvements and envi...
Brian Letwin in Health
New Campaign Seeks to Curb Drunk Driving in Vietnam
Though drunk driving is a well-known problem in Vietnam, it is still prevalent, resulting in not only in the loss of life, but serious economic ramifications. To address this, the National Traffic Saf...
Brian Letwin in Development
What Will it Take for Green Building to Take Off in Vietnam?
Though more and more green buildings have been sprouting up across Vietnam over the last few years, the practice is far established. Subsidized electricity, price gouging and low awareness are major o...
Vietnam’s Challenges with Educational Technology
In yet another example of keeping up appearances and style over substance, many schools around Saigon are calling on parents to fund their further forays into technology in the classroom. All this com...
Brian Letwin in Tech
Going Abroad Soon? You Might Want to Pick up a Couple iPhones.
It looks like Vietnam’s rich may be using some of their rhino horn money to obtain the world’s newest status symbol, the iPhone 5s. Prices of the phones are skyrocketing in Vietnam with the coveted go...
Brian Letwin in Development
Saigon to Implement $155 Million Bus Rapid Transit System
The HCMC Traffic Works Management and Construction Board has just announced plans for six Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRT) to meet growing demand. The first line, which will run from District 6 to Dist...
Brian Letwin in Development
Vietnam’s Rich are Getting Richer
Vietnam’s economy may be slowly recovering but for the country’s rich, things are better than ever.
