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.
Cryptocurrency Use Surges in Vietnam
Despite it not being seen as a legally approved means of payment in Vietnam, ownership of blockchain-based currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are soaring here.
Gojek Launches New Car Ride-Hailing Service
But you'll have to wait to use it.
Major Upgrade Approved for Con Dao Airport
Yay?
[Photos] How One Hanoi Building Turned a Roof on its Head
Have you ever seen roof tiles and thought they would make for a great building?
Air Pollution is Robbing Hanoians of Roughly 80,000 Years of Life
Due to PM2.5 exposure, Hanoi has suffered 2,855 premature deaths, accumulating to 79,933 years of life lost.
Decoding the Language of Vietnamese Modernist Architecture
There is a common confusion between Vietnamese modernism and international modernism that doesn't include vernacular modernist structures in the historical discourse.
How One Group Is Working to Keep Children Mentally Stimulated During Lockdown
During Vietnam’s first COVID-19 wave, the charity organization Saigon Children worked to make sure vulnerable households had access to necessities like food, medicine and drinking water.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cò: The Symbolic Soul of Vietnam's Countryside
Is Chim Lạc based on a real bird?
Japan to Launch Vietnamese Microsatellite into Orbit Next March
To the moon!
[Photos] Multi-Purpose Can Gio Pavilion Embraces Nature
If you were a bird, where would you land?
Now Delivery App to be Rebranded as ShopeeFood
Get ready for a change to your phone screen.
Yin Yoga: Beyond Daily Practice
Like two sides of the same coin, yin and yang cannot exist without the other. It’s about dualism, the interconnected and interdependent nature of the world. To say yang, it must be in the context of s...
Linh Pham in Tech
Say Hello to Sumi, the AI Friend of Vietnam's Gen Z
Sumi, a yellow chick wearing a pilot’s helmet, looks like it belongs on Cartoon Network. However, this character resides on apps like Messenger, Skype and Zalo, and has millions of conversations every...
Landmark New Climate Report Predicts Stronger Typhoons, Flooding in Asia
A major new United Nations report on climate change was released this week, and the news isn't good.
Saigon Told to Control Covid-19 Outbreak by Mid-September
Could September 15 be the day some sense of normalcy returns?
Life on the Last Remaining Ferries in Hoi An
These ferry boat trips may no longer be seen in Hoi An in the future, but they have been reliable partners in daily life and work for years.
[Video] Witness a Heartwarming Moon Bear Rescue Operation
Watch what has been described as "the most challenging operation ever attempted by a bear rescue organization: transporting 101 endangered Asiatic black bears halfway across China."
SOSmap Becomes Virtual Bridge Between Those in Need and Those Who Can Give
After two weeks of expedited development, a new mobile application called SOSmap has become a bridge between those in need and those who can give in Vietnam. So far, the initiative has helped channel ...
[Photos] Stunning Art Deco-Style Cinema in Go Vap Pays Homage to Classic Saigon
The pastel-drenched interior of Beta Cinema finds inspiration in some of Saigon's most famous landmarks and locations.
Tips for Parents Preparing for the First Day of School
Sending children to school for the first time, or to a new school, can be challenging for parents.
