school stories — Saigoneer

Natural Selection

The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams

I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush and that one tree in the front yard of our school.

Natural Selection

The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams

Culture

How Choosing My Own Áo Dài Tết Healed My Trauma Over Áo Dài Uniform

High school can be a frustrating time in virtually every culture, as seen from the myriad of coming-of-age movies depicting the range of clichés, stereotypes and expressions of teenage angst we all go through. To a female high school student in Vietnam like me, a unique cultural feature that adds another layer to the growing pains is the áo dài uniform I must wear every Monday.

Vietnam

Vietnam Reports First-Ever Test-Taker Attaining 9.0 for All 4 IELTS Skills

As more institutions and enterprises in Vietnam adopt IELTS results as an official assessment of students' and employees’ grasp of the English language, high IELTS scores have gradually become a sought-after mark of prestige.

Architecture

In Sơn La, Nà Khoang School Serves Both Students and the Local Thái Community

It's a flower's imperfections that make it beautiful.

Saigon

Đàm Lê Đức, Educator Extraordinaire and Matriarch of 218 Lý Tự Trọng, Passes Away at 91

If there’s such a thing as a celebrity teacher, Madame Đàm Lê Đức would be a shining example of Saigon’s educator extraordinaire.

Food Culture

Saijo, Huế's Sister City in Japan, Adds Bún Bò to School Lunch Program

Another step toward bún bò domination has been taken.

Music & Arts

A Local High School Student Gives His Own Textbooks a Sleek Makeover

"I embarked on the project with the desire to help students like me have a more positive and interesting view of textbooks in particular and learning in general, making subjects no longer an abstract concept, but a close friend you can see through sight, feel, and visualize easily in your head," explains project creator Nam Bảo.