#cyberculture

Vietnam

Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds

If things go our way, YouTube’s notorious unskippable ads might be a thing of the past come this February.

Tech

On Vietnam's Internet, You're a Mom, I'm a Mom, Everyone Is a Mom

I am a mom. Well, not in the most conventional meaning of the word — I am childless, and it’s still biologically impossible for men to give birth the last time I checked, but for most of my existence on the Vietnamese cybersphere, I have been using the designation “mẹ” amongst my closest friends.

Ẽplain

Vietnam's Trendiest Way to Flaunt Your Social Status Is a Meme Lychee Tea

Lychee tea can be found anywhere and anytime around Saigon, from street stalls to artisanal cafes. Averaging VND20,000–50,000, it’s a popular choice among Vietnamese youths. However, Thái Công Cafe prices their version of the fruit tea at around VND160,000 on their rather pricy menu. Yet, the drink remains extremely popular at the cafe and even went viral amongst Gen Z-ers on TikTok. The reason behind this virality is actually a meme.

Culture

Revisiting Vietnam's Bootleg DVD Stores, the Dethroned King of Local Entertainment

Once upon a time, it was really, really hard to halt the growth of pirated DVD/CD stores in Hanoi. Nowadays, if you take a peek into the window of Hàng Bài Street’s former counterfeit/bootleg DVD stores, here are a few things you will see: CD covers of Taylor Swift albums before her bleached-haired era, a copy of “Now That’s What I Call Music 54,” a Dawn of The Planet of the Apes knock-off, a recording of “Cats” (the musical album, not the film). The entire store is stuck in a not-so-distant past, without any seller or customer. In a bustling Hanoi, the once so-called “Capital of Bootlegs” now lies humbly, nestled quietly in a dormitory’s front corner.

Quãng 8

Something About Xe (Đạp): Olivier Flora's Knack for Fun, Flamboyant Remixes

The saxophone riff in ‘Careless Whispers’ is not only instantly recognizable due the popularity of the original song by George Michael but has since become an internet fixture — a classic meme.

Tech

The People Building a Virtual Vietnam in the Pixelated World of Minecraft

Minecraft is now a modern classic world-building game allowing players to construct elaborate buildings using isometric cubes. Thanks to this endless stream of materials, one can theoretically build anything in the game world if they have enough patience and attention to details.

Tech

Made-in-Vietnam Dating App Fika Secures $1.6m in Seed Funding

Created as a female-focused alternative to Tinder and Bumble, the dating app Fika recently got financial backing from international investors.