In a D7 Residence, Natural Wood Textures Hark Back to Vietnam's Traditional Homes
During a new decade when architecture projects in Vietnam are increasingly looking towards the future and influences outside the national boundaries for inspirations, Memories House decided to do the opposite by integrating old heirloom furniture and elements from the past into the living space.
Searching for the World's Largest Woodpecker Species in Yok Đôn National Park
You first know she’s approaching by the sound of her wings; her broad shadow flashing across the forest floor. Even from far below, her body looks enormous. At half a meter long, she is roughly five times the size of the woodpeckers seen in the gardens of Europe or North America. She is the largest woodpecker left in the world, and the jewel of Yok Đôn National Park.
Paul Christiansen in Sports
Thống Nhất Stadium Offers Unexpected Opportunities to Reflect Upon the Soul
Where do you find revelation?
Forum Theater Brings Real-Life Situations to the Stage, and You Are the Actors
In Vietnam, a novel form of theater is quietly making an impact, not just on stage, but in classrooms, communities, and people's lives. Known as Forum Theater, this interactive art form transforms audience members from passive viewers into active participants. Developed by Brazilian threater practitioner Augusto Boal, Forum Theater was created as a space to “rehearse for real life,” allowing theatergoers to step into the shoes of others, explore difficult situations, and test out new possibilities.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
The Overwhelming Presence of Nature's Most Inspiring Sound: Cát Tiên's Gibbon Call
What is your favorite sound?
Văn Tân in Natural Selection
Hoa Bưởi's Fleeting but Fragrant Season Teaches Us to Find Beauty in Impermanence
Every year during this time, I can’t help but hanker for a taste of sugarcane infused with hoa bưởi, or pomelo blossom. Only hoa bưởi’s tender aroma can accentuate the flavor of this humble snack several folds.
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.
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.
Saigon's VOH Radio Building, a Marvel of Architect Lê Văn Lắm's Modernist Intuition
In the middle of the 20th century, Vietnam grew to become one of the world’s prominent centers of modernist architecture. Saigon at the time was an economic and cultural heart of the region, with many...
Waste-to-Energy Plants Might Be the Remedy for Vietnam's Struggling Landfills
Lam Van Quyet lives three kilometers from the Tây Bắc waste facility in Ho Chi Minh City, but he knows exactly what time the garbage trucks arrive there.
New Proposal Plans Metro Line Linking Long Thành Airport, Thủ Thiêm
Let the paperwork begin!
Modular Shading, Sliding Doors Blur the Line Between Interior, Exterior at Bà Rịa House
Located 130 kilometers from Saigon, this humble housing project in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is a prime example of living enough rather than living large. Even though the family owns a lot spanning a total area...
Is Dã Tràng Vietnam's Cutest Sand Artist or a Folk Symbol of Fruitless Pursuits?
Strolling along Vietnam’s beaches when the tides are low, one might encounter a number of whimsical patterns created by countless sand pellets. These are the works of a tiny species of crustacean call...
5 Iconic Buildings in Saigon That Showcase Vietnamese Modernist Architecture
Take a stroll along any random street in downtown Saigon, one is bound to bump into a hodgepodge of architectural styles. Sleek but boring international-style skyscrapers, tranquil Buddhist pagodas, a...
I Know Where the Caged Bird Sings: The Joy of Saigon's Birdsong Competition
One by one, motorbikes arrived, carrying the tell-tale cages covered with cloth and parked in the gravel lot beside the coffee shop where Saigoneer sat listening to the caged birds suspended above a p...
A New Reading Space in Trà Vinh Creates Comfort From Recycled Materials
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us,” according to famed Czech writer Franz Kafka.
Vietnam's Trendiest Way to Flaunt Your Social Status Is a Meme Lychee Tea
Lychee tea can be found anywhere and anytime around Saigon, from street stalls to artisanal cafes. Averaging VND20,000–50,000, it’s a popular choice among Vietnamese youths. However, Thái Công Cafe pr...
Saigon Powerlifter Lê Văn Công Earns Vietnam's First, Only Medal at Paralympics
Even though Vietnam’s delegation finished the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris without any medals, our Paralympics team managed to clinch one bronze from powerlifting.
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the tarmac road. This was just a glimpse of the thrifting scene in Vietnam.
This Terracotta Workshop Makeover Sings the Praises of Vietnam's Red Bricks
A Quảng Nam brick kiln that's been operating for over twenty years has received a makeover that allows guests to get a more intimate look at the traditional craft of making terracotta.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
One Nation's Beloved Cá Lóc Is Another Nation's Horror Movie
America has been losing its shit over snakeheads. All summer long my algorithm-led newsfeed has been alerting me to ominous headlines including “‘Horror movie’ snakehead fish that can slither on land ...
Vietnam, Southeast Asian Nations Burst Into the Solar Energy Landscape
Sunny Southeast Asia has made significant strides in solar energy, with solar farm capacity exceeding 20GW across ASEAN countries. Despite this rapid growth and ambitious renewable goals, nations in t...
Elise Luong in Architecture
'Slow/ed/ing Architecture': When Architects Ruminate on Architecture Together
The super cute duo that make up the design studio “Exutoire” are Bùi Quý Sơn and Paul-Antoine Lucas. Life and work partners, they moved back(ish) to Vietnam from Oslo last year, and are currently prep...
Paul Christiansen in Environment
An Octopus? In My Cà Mau Swamp? It's More Likely Than You Think.
Worms live in the ground, birds live in the air, cá lóc live in lakes and octopuses live in the ocean, right? Wrong! Octopus can also live in the river.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
In Awe of the Mekong Delta's Majestic Sluice Gates
A row of impenetrable watchtowers tasked with inflicting ruthless law and order upon a dystopian borderland seething with marauders, bandits and brigands? No. Sluice gates.
A New Company Headquarters Brings a Green Respite to Industrial Đồng Nai
Hammocks, koi ponds and mature trees are not typically associated with industrial parks.
Paul Christiansen in Architecture
The Pedestrian Bridge That Teaches You the Values of Patience
“We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.”
Honda to Cease Production of Super Cub 50cc, Vietnam's Beloved Bike, in November
By the end of 2025, Honda will cease the manufacturing of all motorbikes with 50cc engines, including the beloved 50cc Super Cub, to comply with stricter emission standards.
