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Saigon
Now one of the few surviving heritage buildings in District 4, the ornate colonial edifice at 243 Bến Vân Đồn was constructed in 1922 as the second Saigon office of the famous Phan Thiết-based fish sauce manufacturer, Société de Lien-Thanh (Liên Thành Thương Quán or Công ty Liên Thành).
Vietnam
Over 160 die from traffic accidents during Tet holidays [SGGP] Foreign firms to show off GMO corn in Vietnam [Thanh Nien] Czech botanists find new kind of vanilla in Vietnam [Prague Monitor]
Music & Arts
There are very few people that you encounter accidentally in your lifetime with whom you can strike a spontaneous four hour conversation as if you have known each other for a very long time. Usually when that happens, you are left with a sense of peacefulness, energy and a feeling of belonging because these people are letting you into their world, they are sharing their energies with you and, while most of us just pretend to be, they ‘simply are’.
Saigon
The colonial villa at 141 Võ Văn Tần, next door to the Estar office building, is the house where acclaimed French writer Marguerite Duras (1914-1996) spent her last year in Sài Gòn.
Tech
In a bid to increase its ad revenue, Facebook has partnered with a local advertising firm to make some money off of Vietnam’s 20 million Facebook users.
Vietnam
Highway, railway traffic paralyzed as truck plunges off mountain pass [Tuoi Tre] City invests over US$40 million in industrial zones [SGGP] Vietnam city to examine visitors for new bird flu virus [Thanh Nien]
Food Culture
Though the French occupiers are long gone, elements of their culture still exist in both Vietnamese language and society. One of the most obvious examples of this is Vietnamese cuisine which has a number of dishes that can be traced back to their French origins. Theculturetrip.com recently published a list of these dishes and provided a bit of background as well.
Music & Arts
18-year-old Saigon native, Landon Nguyen is an aspiring artist living in California. Though he has been a creative-type all his life, it wasn’t till he moved to the US that he realized his artistic potential. Nguyen has ambitions to one day become a creative director of an international cultural magazine that, “engages in world affairs and bridges the gaps of global diversity” to inspire creativity and show the importance of art in daily life in Vietnam.
Development
Green and sustainable buildings are still in their infancy in Vietnam. However the trend is becoming more popular and slowly but surely, Vietnamese architects are entering this arena with great success. Local sustainable architecture pioneers, Vo Trong Nghia Architects, are responsible for some of the country’s most beautiful green designs and have been nominated for Archdaily ’s ‘House of the Year Award’ for one of their projects in Binh Thanh which we’ve featured in the past .
Tech
As a foreigner in Saigon, you don’t need to know much Vietnamese to get by. But when it comes to travel, especially by modes that don’t include wings, things can get pretty complicated. Enter Baolau.vn , a new site which lets you search and purchase plane, train and ferry tickets online and in English.
Vietnam
Modern rural market facilities prove expensive for vendors [VNS] Road Construction Slow Due to Lack of Funding [SGGP] Foreign capital into real estate is increasing [Vietnam Net]
Development
Last Saturday Saigon’s first batch of high-end public toilets (4-5 stars, whatever that means) were opened at Tao Dan Park, 23/9 Park and Le Van Tam Park in District 1. The facilities are part of a pilot program organized by the HCMC People’s Committee and Transport Department which calls for 11 of these toilets to be constructed.
Vietnam
Fireworks to sparkle nationwide on Lunar New Year’s Eve [Tuoi Tre] Research on ancient ceramics wins int't award [VNS] VietJet Air Expands Fleet To Meet Rising Demand [Bernama]
Food Culture
What happens when you put together amazing food, great wines, excellent customer service and a fantastic host? Well the answer is that you feel in heaven, and that was how most, if not all, of us felt when we attended the Australia wine dinner organised by the Wine Warehouse and Yalumba, and hosted at Lubu in District 2.
Saigon
Art deco is by far our favorite architectural style, one which luckily, Saigon has in spades. However, with each passing day, these buildings are being torn down to make way for modern structures which, some argue, are necessary to accommodate Saigon's massive growth.
Saigon
While McDonalds’ entry into the Vietnamese market has been getting a ton of press, another American fast food chain just made its Vietnam debut – Dairy Queen .
Vietnam
Vietnam’s state companies get fat on privileges [Thanh Nien] Five Hospitals to be Expanded in HCMC, Hanoi [SGGP] Vietnam’s Middle Class the Fastest Growing in Southeast Asia [Vietnam Briefing]
Saigon
If you’re tired of getting out of the shower cold and shivering we’ve got some good news - Saigon is set to warm up with the arrival of Tet.
Culture
Western New Year passed us by, towing an old sensation in its wake. It was a strange celebration, or if not completely strange then slightly out of joint. The Ball was stationary, and around its would be equator white faced clocks were placed at regular intervals, each one marking a time zone and a city therein.
Vietnam
Rescue teams sent to stop oil spill threat in Saigon River [Vietnam Net] Vietnam hots up for Muslim travellers [TTG] Vietnam bonds up on banks' liquidity, low inflation [Reuters]
Music & Arts
It may be played on repeat in tourist bars across Vietnam (and much of SE Asia) but reggae music has yet get traction in the local market. Hanoi-based journalist, Marianne Brown recently talked to artists such as JGKid who are looking to change this trend and put a Vietnamese stamp on the most prolific music genre to come out of Caribbean in the past 50 years.
![[Updated] Hydrofoil Goes up in Flames on Saigon River. Operators Were Warned About Safety Risks](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/AZCAkIpb.jpg)
Stories
[Update Below] Yesterday afternoon a hydrofoil traveling from Saigon to Vung Tau caught fire near Phu My Hung. Even with unclear evacuation instructions, the boat’s 80 passengers were able to safely escape without any serious injuries. Prior to the accident, experts had warned about lack of safety standards on the Soviet-era boats.
Travel
Another week, another set of subjective travel ratings, this time from National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The publication just released their 2014 list of “Best Winter Trips” in which Phu Quoc ranked 3rd after Paris, France and Whitefish, Montana (really?).
Stories
Vietnam reports first bird flu death in nine months [Global Post] Vietnam wins $3.75 billion int'l court case [Vietnam Net] 4 arrested for Samsung factory riot in Vietnam [Thanh Nien]
