in Environment

A Botanical Illustrator Captures Vietnam's Flora on Paper, One Species at a Time

When science and art commingle in a botanical illustration, it’s as if a magical world appears, where colors, brushstrokes, and lighting work together to not only replicate but also breathe life into nature’s best creations.

in Environment

Lúa Ma, the Mekong's Ancient Wild Rice Varieties Holding Secrets to Climate Resilience

“It’s been so long I can barely remember. It’s delicious, fragrant, soft but not sticky,” says Trần Văn Lựa, 53, a farmer from Đồng Tháp Province, south-west Vietnam, recalling the taste of wild rice. As a child, he would harvest the grain during flood season, when wild rice flowers. Today, however, it is a rare sight.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Cầy Mực, the Fluffy Bearcat Whose Pee Really Smells Like Popcorn

Vietnam is home to a diverse range of species, from the elusive sao la to Hanoi's pungently fragrant hoa sữa. As an ode to the wondrous nature of the country, we're introducing a new article series, Natural Selection. Each article will feature a species of plant or animal native to Vietnam — starting with the laidback cầy mực (binturong).

in Environment

As Saltwater Intrudes More of Mekong Delta, Durian Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat

Nguyễn Văn Quại, 63, walked slowly on the muddy dirt path in his yard, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped beside a tree split in half, its branches dipping into the stagnant water of a narrow moat, and gestured towards the rest of his leafless crop — their trunks yellow, their bark cracked and brittle.

Khôi Phạm

in Tech

On Vietnam's Internet, You're a Mom, I'm a Mom, Everyone Is a Mom

I am a mom. Well, not in the most conventional meaning of the word — I am childless, and it’s still biologically impossible for men to give birth the last time I checked, but for most of my existence on the Vietnamese cybersphere, I have been using the designation “mẹ” amongst my closest friends.

Khôi Phạm

in Architecture

On Phú Quý Island, a Curious Collection of Modernist Houses From Central Vietnam

From the 1960s towards the end of the 1970s, urban centers in southern Vietnam saw robust and widespread growth of modernist influences in architecture. Still, outside the usual foci of the movement like Saigon, Cần Thơ or Mỹ Tho, how has this unique form of vernacular architectural expression been transformed?

Văn Tân

in Architecture

An Homage to Courtyards, the Heart of Traditional Vietnamese Homes

This time of the year, the giáng hương tree in my grandma’s courtyard is probably blooming with clusters of golden blossoms, enticing the kids in the neighborhood to gather around it and carefully pick off the prettiest petals to create makeshift jewelry.

Mầm

in Parks & Rec

The Young Vietnamese Artisans Breathing New Life Into Animals Carcasses

Skeletons and carcasses are often reminiscent of eerie, spine-chilling scenes in horror movies. But in the taxidermy community, animal corpses are of great value for artisans to create unique works that blur the line between life and death.

Back Society

in Sports

As Covid-19 Batters Region, Vietnam-Hosted SEA Games Postponed to July 2022

Despite early containment success, Southeast Asian countries facing the Delta variant are channeling resources to healthcare instead of sports.

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Trái Vải: The Intoxicating Harbinger of Summer

Is scarcity a source of beauty?

in Health

Street Art: Hanoi Runner Creates Drawings From Routes on Strava

Who said excercise can't be fun or artsy?

Linh Pham

in Tech

Wonder How Much Air-Con Costs You This Summer? A Homegrown App Can Help.

Vietnam is facing a serious electricity shortage, yet we have no idea how much energy we use everyday.

in Architecture

[Photos] A 'Tropical Chalet' in Da Nang for Post-Pandemic Travel Dreams

What comes to mind when you see the word "chalet"?

in Tech

Saigon Releases Update of Map Portal With Local Covid-19 Cases, Vaccination Points

If you still find it difficult to fully grasp the scale and spread of Saigon’s current COVID-19 outbreak, look no further than this new map portal.

in Development

HCMC Proposes Rail Link Between Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh Airports

This is part of the city's suggestions for the Vietnam Railway Authority's railway development plan for 2021-2030.

Mel Schenck

in Architecture

Vietnamese Architects Are Leaders in the Architecture of the Information Age

Over the past few years, Vietnamese architects have been developing a new architecture beyond modernism for small projects such as houses and schools. Architects around the world are taking notice and...

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Mèo: A Complicated Love Affair

Of all the Asian and Southeast Asian countries that use the animal zodiac, only Vietnam has a cat in place of the rabbit. One theory for why is that while Chinese has a word for rabbit, it also has a ...

in Environment

Nguyễn Văn Thái Becomes Vietnam's 2nd Goldman Environmental Prize Winner

He has dedicated his life to fighting wildlife poaching in Vietnam.

in Health

In the Pandemic, Hanoi's Newfound Cycling Love Sends Bike Sales Zooming

Thanks to COVID-19, gyms, yoga studios, and parks have closed, but the need for physical exercise remains.

in Health

Hanoi Engineers Create Air-Conditioned Booth to Help Doctors Combat Summer Heat

As the weather becomes hotter in Vietnam, the jobs of pandemic medical staff have also become more difficult.

in Health

Vietnam's Childhood Obesity Rate Doubles Over 10 Years, Data Shows

Are Vietnamese children spending less time on active recreations and more at home?

in Society

Learning From Stories of Made-in-Vietnam Social Innovation, as Told by 4 Experts

In Vietnam, the term “innovation” is mostly associated with technological and economic development, but what about “social innovation”?

in Architecture

[Photos] A Phu Tho Home Embraces Traditions and Contemporary Design

Oh, to live amongst exposed brick and polished wood.

in Architecture

[Photos] Hanoi Architects Grow Creative Ecosystem Inside Slender Tube House

Completed last year, the VUUV building takes the tube house structure and turns it into a multi-purpose complex filled with dynamic hangouts and creative platforms. 

in Parks & Rec

Saigon's Only Bonsai School Grooms Budding Artisans on a Century-Old Craft

Bonsai has often been regarded as an activity for the elderly, but the local bonsai community is experiencing an unprecedented renewal thanks to the participation of an unexpected demographic: young p...

Paul Christiansen

in Natural Selection

Cây Đa: A Tree That Contains Multitudes

A book, a beer and some shade, what else does one need?

in Environment

Two Illustrated Books by Vietnamese Conservationist to Have Global Release

They tell the story of a Vietnamese woman working to rescue a bear and an elephant.

Elise Luong

in Environment

Living From the Earth at Ninh Binh's Lá Library

A stone's throw away from Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province sits La Library, an education center promoting sustainable living through sustainable agriculture farming, earthen building tec...