Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cò: The Symbolic Soul of Vietnam's Countryside
Is Chim Lạc based on a real bird?
Michael Tatarski in Natural Selection
Voọc Cát Bà: The Endangered Primate of Karst Land
Imagine being born one color, and growing up into a very differently hued adult.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
Trái Thị: The Fruit of Heavenly Smell and Infernal Taste
If you had to pick a national smell that represents Vietnam, what would it be? There are a host of strong contenders: durian, lotus-scented green tea, fragrant pandan sticky rice, that enticing aroma ...
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Trái Vải: The Intoxicating Harbinger of Summer
Is scarcity a source of beauty?
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Mèo: A Complicated Love Affair
Of all the Asian and Southeast Asian countries that use the animal zodiac, only Vietnam has a cat in place of the rabbit. One theory for why is that while Chinese has a word for rabbit, it also has a ...
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cây Đa: A Tree That Contains Multitudes
A book, a beer and some shade, what else does one need?
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Thạch Sùng: A Muse in Every Home
“I dream of lost vocabularies that might express some of what we no longer can,” wrote poet Jack Gilbert.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cầy Mực: A Critter With Popcorn Pee
Vietnam is home to a diverse range of species, from the elusive sao la to Hanoi's pungently fragrant hoa sữa. As an ode to the wondrous nature of the country, we're introducing a new article series, Natural Selection. Each article will feature a species of plant or animal native to Vietnam — starting with the laidback cầy mực (binturong).
