Hẻm Gems: At Den the Bar, Making Friends Is as Easy as Finding a New Favorite Drink
At Den the Bar, you first come in for a drink, maybe stay a little longer to chat, then come back to catch up. And before you know it, you've become a regular, made a few friends, and sometimes even end up as part of the next generation of bartenders. For over 10 years, Den has become a place where human connections, creativity, and knowledge sharing matter more than fancy bottles. And behind it all lies a slightly bigger ambition: changing the way bartending is seen in Vietnam.
Phạm Phú Vinh in Architecture
How the General Sciences Library's Design Maintains Cultural Traditions via Modernist Language
Beyond being a fine modernist building with great functionality achieved through clever master planning and microclimatic strategies, the General Sciences Library of Hồ Chí Minh City also encompasses a repertoire of symbolism inspired by Vietnamese traditional culture, expressed in the language of concrete, steel, and wood.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: In Huế, Cơm Hến Bé Liêm Is Breakfast With a Side of Warm Hospitality
One of the small joys in life is having a favorite dish readily available whenever you crave it. Ever since I discovered the little hẻm in Saigon where Cơm Hến O Thu lies, my life has been ever so uplifted by the comfort that, every fortnight or so, I can hop on my motorbike, sit for 15 minutes, and have cơm hến on the table in a blink of an eye for gulping pleasures. Cơm hến is one of my favorite things, so naturally, when I got a chance to visit Huế, the dish’s hometown, there was no way I could miss out on this small joy that packs big flavors.
Is It Possible to Feel Nostalgic for Rest Stops, the Liminal Space We're Supposed to Forget?
If the long-distance bus is a person, there’s a high chance that it’s a character who’s not very well-liked. Perhaps it’s a rude guy who smokes like a chimney and often yells whenever someone overtakes him. If the bus is female, then it’s a moody princess, especially during long holidays. Countless people queue up in hopes of accompanying her on trips, but she only takes the few earliest arrivals, and will give them a hard time with everything.
Experience Cát Tiên National Park's Nature Sounds as Ambient Noises to Relax/Study To
Cát Tiên National Park's calming bird songs, insect cries, and rushing waters are now available as a customizable, uninterrupted soundscape for your listening pleasure.
Bạch Nam Hải’s Documentary Photo Series Captures Sapa's 7 Years of Transformation
From the town to the depths of the misty mountains of Sapa, Bạch Nam Hải embarked on a documentary photographic journey, capturing the essence of local life, the intimate connections between people and nature, and the contrast between the natural landscape and rapid urban development fueled by tourism expansion.
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
The Grotesque Food on AI Slop Signs Ushers in the Age of Flattened Human Experience
The AI slop has arrived, our streets conquered by vibrant, same-same cartoon faces with goofy grins slapped atop gradient-drenched backgrounds, every inch of space smeared with colorful activity that distracts from wonky details: clocks with nonsensical numerals, bánh mì with reptile skin, and passion fruit oozing juice from sinkhole centers.
A Eulogy for My Childhood Along Saigon's Xuyên Tâm Canal Amid Its Cleanup
Along the busy Điện Biên Phủ Street that travels through the former districts 1, 3, 10 and Bình Thạnh is Hẻm 27, located almost next to Trường Sa Street along the Nhiêu Lộc Canal.
Latest
Hẻm Gems: At Den the Bar, Making Friends Is as Easy as Finding a New Favorite Drink
At Den the Bar, you first come in for a drink, maybe stay a little longer to chat, then come back to catch up. And before you know it, you've become a regular, made a few friends, and sometimes even e...
Phạm Phú Vinh in Architecture
How the General Sciences Library's Design Maintains Cultural Traditions via Modernist Language
Beyond being a fine modernist building with great functionality achieved through clever master planning and microclimatic strategies, the General Sciences Library of Hồ Chí Minh City also encompasses ...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: In Huế, Cơm Hến Bé Liêm Is Breakfast With a Side of Warm Hospitality
One of the small joys in life is having a favorite dish readily available whenever you crave it. Ever since I discovered the little hẻm in Saigon where Cơm Hến O Thu lies, my life has been ever so upl...
Is It Possible to Feel Nostalgic for Rest Stops, the Liminal Space We're Supposed to Forget?
If the long-distance bus is a person, there’s a high chance that it’s a character who’s not very well-liked. Perhaps it’s a rude guy who smokes like a chimney and often yells whenever someone overtake...
Experience Cát Tiên National Park's Nature Sounds as Ambient Noises to Relax/Study To
Cát Tiên National Park's calming bird songs, insect cries, and rushing waters are now available as a customizable, uninterrupted soundscape for your listening pleasure.
Bạch Nam Hải’s Documentary Photo Series Captures Sapa's 7 Years of Transformation
From the town to the depths of the misty mountains of Sapa, Bạch Nam Hải embarked on a documentary photographic journey, capturing the essence of local life, the intimate connections between people an...
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
The Grotesque Food on AI Slop Signs Ushers in the Age of Flattened Human Experience
The AI slop has arrived, our streets conquered by vibrant, same-same cartoon faces with goofy grins slapped atop gradient-drenched backgrounds, every inch of space smeared with colorful activity that ...
Branded Content
InterContinental Halong Bay Welcomes Michelin Star Recipient Granata Fabio as New Executive Chef
After establishing restaurants in his Italian hometown that were awarded Michelin Stars, Granata Fabio decided to grow beyond conventional f...
Technology and Versatility Support Lavish Events at Le Méridien Saigon’s Newly Unveiled Ballroom
As part of its ongoing efforts to elevate conferences, corporate events, and weddings in the city, Le Méridien Saigon has officially unveile...
A Resort Within a Resort: Discover Club InterContinental Phu Quoc
Celebrated for its tranquil beachfront setting and effortless island elegance, InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort welcome...
Arts & Culture
Experience Cát Tiên National Park's Nature Sounds as Ambient Noises to Relax/Study To
Cát Tiên National Park's calming bird songs, insect cries, and rushing waters are now available as a customizable, uninterrupted soundscape ...
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Review: Thịnh Suy, Datmaniac Deliver Earnestness in 'Tự,' an Experiment in Spirituality
Following the musical works of Thịnh Suy means always being on alert for sudden song drops, sometimes without even a cryptic social media st...
Nguyễn Bình Phương's Tale of Magical Realism Revels in Absurdity
“Clip-clop, clip-clop.” So goes the sound of the water buffalo hooves pulling a wagon through the highlands against the magenta sky of an un...
Eat & Drink
Hẻm Gems: At Den the Bar, Making Friends Is as Easy as Finding a New Favorite Drink
At Den the Bar, you first come in for a drink, maybe stay a little longer to chat, then come back to catch up. And before you know it, you'v...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: In Huế, Cơm Hến Bé Liêm Is Breakfast With a Side of Warm Hospitality
One of the small joys in life is having a favorite dish readily available whenever you crave it. Ever since I discovered the little hẻm in S...
Feeling Peckish at the End of the Work Day? Have a Bánh Chiên, or Two, or Four.
The rainy season is upon us in Saigon. Bouts of rain from ferocious to gentle have helped tempered the searing heat of summer. At one corner...
Travel
Bạch Nam Hải’s Documentary Photo Series Captures Sapa's 7 Years of Transformation
From the town to the depths of the misty mountains of Sapa, Bạch Nam Hải embarked on a documentary photographic journey, capturing the essen...
Xuân Phương in Saigoneer Getaways
Hà Giang's Thôn Khun Is a Soothing Oasis for the World-Weary Traveler
Located in the heart of a valley surrounded by verdant stretches of forest, the little hamlet of Khun retains much of its pristine natural c...
Adrien Jean in Travel
The Enigmatic Neon-Lit World in the Mist of Sapa
Is there a more atmospheric place in Vietnam than Sapa on a misty night?
Stories
Is It Possible to Feel Nostalgic for Rest Stops, the Liminal Space We're Supposed to Forget?
If the long-distance bus is a person, there’s a high chance that it’s a character who’s not very well-liked. Perhaps it’s a rude guy who smo...
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
The Grotesque Food on AI Slop Signs Ushers in the Age of Flattened Human Experience
The AI slop has arrived, our streets conquered by vibrant, same-same cartoon faces with goofy grins slapped atop gradient-drenched backgroun...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Simple Pleasures of Kite-Flying in Thủ Thiêm
One of the most elegant means to observe the textured heft and untethered strength of otherwise-invisible wind — there is plenty one could s...
Society
Phạm Phú Vinh in Architecture
How the General Sciences Library's Design Maintains Cultural Traditions via Modernist Language
Beyond being a fine modernist building with great functionality achieved through clever master planning and microclimatic strategies, the Ge...
A Eulogy for My Childhood Along Saigon's Xuyên Tâm Canal Amid Its Cleanup
Along the busy Điện Biên Phủ Street that travels through the former districts 1, 3, 10 and Bình Thạnh is Hẻm 27, located almost next to Trườ...
A Huế Family Temple Shelters Traditional Ancestral Worship Inside a Modern Shell
Across the rapidly modernizing urban landscape of Vietnam, Huế stands out as a bastion of traditions, not just in its city layout, rich hist...
Heritage
Tim Doling in Saigon
How Saigon's Lăng Cha Cả Went From Mausoleum to Roundabout
If you’re just off the plane and heading west into the city, it’s hard to avoid the busy six-way Lăng Cha Cả intersection south of Hồ Chí Mi...
A Recuperating Vietnam in 1980, as Documented by Philip Jones Griffiths
Released in 1971, Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths was a career-defining work for the Welsh photographer, whose candid, sympathetic images...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Lycée Chasseloup-Laubat, the Saigon School That Taught Marguerite Duras, Norodom Sihanouk
Lê Quý Đôn High School (Trường Trung học Phổ thông Lê Quý Đôn) at 110 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street is the city’s oldest surviving educational...
Partner News
Namia River Retreat Celebrates Festive Season Inspired by Hoi An’s Merchants Port Heritage
This festive season, Namia River Retreat celebrates the spirit of togetherness through culinary and cultural experiences inspired by Hoi An’...
3,000 Coconut Palms and a Familiar Face: The Story of The Anam Cam Ranh
What does it take to turn a stretch of white sand into a tropical garden? At The Anam Cam Ranh, the answer involves thousands of transplante...
The World’s Smallest Chefs Have Arrived: Holiday Inn & Suites Saigon Airport Unveils ‘Le Petit Chef & Friends’ 3D Dinner Show
Holiday Inn & Suites Saigon Airport is bringing the world-famous 3D dinner show, ‘Le Petit Chef & Friends’ to Saigon. Guests will watch four ...
Saigon Events
ViCo SmartTour x Urbanist Travel: A Cho Lon Story
Come wander through Cho Lon to unwind on a Saturday morning. Hosted by Urbanist Travel, come hang out with us and step back into Cho Lon’s 20...
ViCo Hands-on: Pottery Workshop @ Atelier de Zeynep
Join ViCo and Atelier de Zeynep - Ceramic Studio & Café for a hands-on pottery workshop. Have a warm cup of welcome tea, meet our studio art...
ViCo PizzaMovie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty @ Bibli Library Café
What happens when a daydreamer finally steps outside his own head? Ben Stiller's 2013 film follows Walter Mitty, a photo archivist at Life ma...
