Whales swimming off Bình Định bring good fortune

Việt Nam has a more than 3,000km-long coastline and a tradition of fishing, but it's not our tradition to hunt whales. Quite the opposite, whales are considered sacred animals that help and usher fishermen in distress to shore.

Beware, the vlogger pandemic is upon us

The new tây ba lô may still sport the obligatory tie-dye tees and probably own spandex psychedelic pants, but after two years of pandemic lockdown, the 2022 travellers sole obsession seems to be to narcissistically stare at their own image, recording their experience rather than absorbing the sights and sounds of the here and now.

Please leave Hồ Tây as it is

For the past weeks, Hanoians have been up and talking non-stop about a new project to build a 1,600-seat opera theatre on the site of the famous one-hundred petal Đầm Trị lotus pond.

We should give our misled youth a second chance

While a group of youths' pathetic act of retaliation must be punished, an unwanted involvement with the law could stain the future of these youths when what they need is to learn a lesson and be able to release their anger in a way that is not so damaging to them.

We must thank our healthcare workers

The corruption of some 70 people cannot and shall not break the back of our health sector. We must hold on to our faith, for we shall overcome this challenge.

Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve must not be spoilt

Local residents and environmentalists have been spreading the news that UNESCO Việt Nam has opposed an official letter from the Đồng Nai People's Committee consulting on a contractor's proposal to build a 40km highway with a bridge across the core zone of the Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve.

Plastic surgery: the look and the outlook

Amidst all the travails of the global pandemic that are said to have pushed people to a deeper outlook on life, I was surprised at a recent discovery: More and more millennials and generation Zs are getting into plastic surgery, ignoring or going beyond the “beauty is skin deep” adage.

Youth at the crossroads of life

May is a month of extreme feelings every year: it's farewell to friends, teachers, and school. Students get their summer break and will not see their friends for about 10 weeks, and then they switch to a higher class or a new phase of their lives. Some say goodbye to their adolescence to find a job to support themselves or find a spot at higher education institutions. 

The rise of the savvy Gen Z investor

The latest kids on the demographic block, Generation Z (1997 onwards), have had a lot happen in a short amount of time. This shapes their approach to life.

The power of music

Last week, a new music video There’s No One at All by Sơn Tùng MTP, a pop star, was ordered to be removed from YouTube and destroyed. The artist, popular among youth, was also fined VNĐ70 million for the video's controversial "suicidal content".

Capital finds relief in history

In the past few weeks, the dismantling of an old factory built by the French in the early 20th century on Trần Phú Street in the capital's Ba Đình District has caused controversy.

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