
A Folk Symbol and Cash Animal, King Cobras Just Really Want to Be Left Alone
The king cobra, or rắn hổ mang chúa in Vietnamese, has great personal branding. For proof, one need look no further than the recent flower display on Nguyễn Huệ celebrating the Year of the Snake: the largest, most impressive statue bore the telltale hood of a cobra.

How You Can Think and Live Sustainably
Frequently touted as environmentally friendly options that help preserve the planet, cotton tote bags require so much energy and freshwater to produce that you must use one at least 7,000 times to make it an effective alternative to plastic bags. Finding out that purchases, habits, and initiatives you thought were good for the planet, such as using tote bags, are in fact not likely to help our current climate crisis can be disheartening. Recognizing how the sustainability movement is rife with performative acts, corporate greenwashing and good intentions thwarted by misinformation threatens to discourage people from the entire concept.

Adding Billiards to Saigon's Pantheon of Pastimes
The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?

In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another
The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.

The Role of Sand Batteries in Responding to the Climate Change Crisis
How does a sand battery work?

With the HCMC Metro Here, It's Time to Cultivate Saigon's Very Own Metro Culture
One of my least favorite genres of comments on Saigoneer’s social media posts is jokes involving the laggard opening of the HCMC Metro and some random, outrageous year far into the next decades, or even centuries.

Typing Vietnamese, Part 2: The Vietnamese Diaspora, Unicode and the Ubiquity of Unikey
This is part 2 of our two-part series on the history of Vietnamese-centric typing technologies. Part 1 can be acces...

Typing Vietnamese, Part 1: Language, Identity and Technology at a Crossroad
My first exposure to the computer traces back to my primary school years when computer classes were conducted once a week. In order to study computers, students had to migrate from their usual classrooms to a multimedia lab — an air-conditioned room filled with computers. Computer classes were generally more popular among us than most subjects thanks to that satisfying cool breeze and the delight of operating something one wasn't privileged with at home.

US to Open Southeast Asia CDC Office in Hanoi
The office will allow the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to have an increased presence in monitoring, aiding responses to, and learning from health issues, including COVID-19...

[Photos] The Saigon Factory Whose Walls Are Made of Plants
Sign us up for a job here.

Hanoi, Saigon Report Cases of Rare Poisoning Linked to Vegan Pâté
In recent weeks, Vietnam has recorded more than a dozen cases of botulism, a rare and dangerous disease that disables its victims’ nerves, causing paralysis.

3 Endangered Langurs Were Released Back Into the Wild in Ninh Binh
The trio of critically endangered Delacour's langurs (voọc mông trắng) had been at a conservation center in Cuc Phuong National Park.

Vietnamese Tech Company VNG Sues TikTok for Using Zing Music Illegally
The lawsuit is related to alleged copyright infringement.

New Decree Imposes up to VND100m Penalty on Spam Texts, Calls
Will this stop the barrage of real estate and online game solicitations attacking our inboxes?

Vietnam Plans Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway to Improve Mekong Delta Traffic
The 130-kilometer-long highway would connect the two Mekong Delta cities by 2025.

Plans to Build Hotel Complex on Da Lat's Đồi Dinh Opposed by Experts
Da Lat authorities are moving forward with a master plan to redesign the city’s central area, but the project has been controversial from the start.

Eco-Kindergarten in Vinh Recognized by Australian Architecture Awards
Designing a highly stylized and functional school not only provides kids with a conducive learning environment, it also wins international attention.

Vietnam's Healthcare Workers Infected With Covid-19 to Receive VND10m
The funds will go toward healthcare workers who get infected with the novel coronavirus.

Hanoi Proposes More Runways, Terminals in Future Noi Bai Expansions
If the plan comes to fruition, Noi Bai would get two new runways and multiple new terminals in the future.

A New Mantis Species in Vietnam Was Named After David Attenborough
If you've ever stared into nature and had the calming voice of an elderly British man enter to narrate the scene, you are probably a David Attenborough fan.

[Photos] New House by VTN Architects Blurs Line Between Man and Nature
"What, you want me to live in a house with walls?"

Da Nang Trials Group Testing for Covid-19 to Save Resources
Facing a massive number of tests to be done among residents, Da Nang is exploring more cost-effective ways to do COVID-19 testing.

Vietnam Increases Carbon Emissions Reduction Target in Next Decade
The country is now aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9% by 2030.

New Directive Aims to Strengthen Illegal Wildlife Trade Enforcement
On July 23, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc issued a new directive with the aim of tightening control against illegal wildlife trade and consumption.

Over 20,000 Hanoians Who Visited Da Nang to Be Tested for Covid-19
The mass testing comes as Vietnam races to stem a fresh outbreak of the novel coronavirus centered in Da Nang.

Cà Mau Announces $820m Plan to Fight Climate Change
Cà Mau is among localities in Vietnam most affected by erosion.

The Story of Vietnam's Urban Energy and Aspirations Told via Southern Modernist Architecture
The following article is an edited excerpt from the recently published book Southern Vietnamese Modernist Architecture, presenting the history of the style, and how it contrasts with modernism in nort...

All Saigon Residents Who Visited Da Nang in July Will Be Tested for Covid-19
To reduce risks of COVID-19 infection, Saigon announced yesterday that the city would test all residents who returned from Da Nang recently.