How a Self-Taught Documentarian Spreads His Boundless Enthusiasm for Vietnam's Nature
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- Published on 16 July 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Dính Nguyễn. Top graphic by Ngàn Mai.
Why “Sticky Discovery”? This was the first question I asked during my interview with the man behind the YouTube series of nature documentaries. His name is Dính, given by his paternal grandmother because after Dính’s mother had two miscarriages, she’d hoped Dính (meaning “sticky” in English), would stay put.
In 'Vietnam Retropunk,' a Young Illustrator Dreams of a Cyberpunk Hanoi
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- Published on 15 July 2025
- Written by Phạm Thục Khuê. Illustrations by Đặng Thái Tuấn. Top graphic by Trường Dĩ.
To Đặng Thái Tuấn, the talent behind illustration project “Vietnam Retropunk,” whimsical depictions of robots and animatronics sprouting out from everyday objects and activities embody the space in between the ancient and the futuristic.
A Story of Personal, Political Reckoning in a Singaporean Writer's Fictional Wartime Vietnam
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- Published on 14 July 2025
- Written by Tuệ Đinh.
The Immolation first came to me as a bewildering surprise: at a now-relocated bookshop in Singapore, the book caught the eyes of the 17-year-old me. It was not so much the cover’s pale blue background, or the expression of ennui on the author’s post-impressionist portrait, but rather its dealing with the American War. After all, the title directly referenced the iconic protest by the Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức, who set himself on fire on the street of Saigon.
Street Cred: Dauntless Antiwar Icon Nguyễn Thái Bình and His Tragic Death
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- Published on 11 July 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng.
If one were to see the streets of Vietnam as a tangled network of people whose names they took, every city would resemble a messy collection of historical fragments.
Hẻm Gems: Chè Lâm Vinh Mậu Anchors the Last Remaining Hoa Vestiges of D1
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- Published on 09 July 2025
- Written by Tuệ Đinh. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
Whenever I come back to Vietnam, it is a personal ritual of mine to visit locales of the past. As clichéd as it sounds, as I have been abroad in Singapore for six years, returning to Vietnam is almost synonymous with returning to places that once shaped my past selves, whose presence has been fading in my mind.
In a D7 Residence, Natural Wood Textures Hark Back to Vietnam's Traditional Homes
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- Published on 09 July 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
During a new decade when architecture projects in Vietnam are increasingly looking towards the future and influences outside the national boundaries for inspirations, Memories House decided to do the opposite by integrating old heirloom furniture and elements from the past into the living space.
Tà Năng, One of Vietnam’s Most Beautiful Trails and Best-Kept Secrets
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- Published on 07 July 2025
- Written by Alicia Moran. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Whether we choose to participate or not, most of us are fascinated by Vietnam’s motorbike culture.
Under the Sky, Above the Water: Into the Heat at Ninh Thuận's Salt Fields
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- Published on 06 July 2025
- Written by Xuân Phương. Photos by Xuân Phương.
A 3,000-kilometer coastline is one of nature’s best gifts to Vietnam, bringing about not just ample seafood, but also a motherlode of sea salt.
A Tale of Three Chè Bột Lọc Heo Quay, Central Vietnam's Unique Savory Dessert
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- Published on 05 July 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Top graphic by Ngàn Mai.
Why am I so obsessed with chè bột lọc heo quay?
Searching for the World's Largest Woodpecker Species in Yok Đôn National Park
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- Published on 04 July 2025
- Written by Alexander Yates. Top image by Hannah Hoàng.
You first know she’s approaching by the sound of her wings; her broad shadow flashing across the forest floor. Even from far below, her body looks enormous. At half a meter long, she is roughly five times the size of the woodpeckers seen in the gardens of Europe or North America. She is the largest woodpecker left in the world, and the jewel of Yok Đôn National Park.
Enter the Dreamy Tales Told by the Works of Young Illustrator Thố Đầu • Hổ Vĩ
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- Published on 02 July 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
Being born at the cusp of the Year of the Rabbit (cat) and the Year of the Tiger offers the literal meaning for Hoàng Phúc's artist name, thố đầu • hổ vĩ, but he hopes it carries a metaphorical one, as well: “a humble beginning but a positive end,” he explained to Saigoneer. thố đầu • hổ vĩ’s origins may be humble — he started seriously focusing on illustrations just four years ago when he started university — but he has already reached remarkable achievements, as evidenced by three projects he shared with us.
Street Cred: Pháo Đài Láng, Home of Ông Voi and Where the War Began
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- Published on 01 July 2025
- Written by Linh Phạm. Top image by Bu.
More often than not, a country’s independence is won with guns. The location where the first shots were fired for Vietnam is memorialized to this day.
Ngõ Nooks: Bodacious Bún Riêu Ốc Bò at Hanoi's 25-Year-Old Bún Bình Huyền
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- Published on 30 June 2025
- Written by Xuân Phương. Photos by Xuân Phương.
On the transient days when Hanoi’s weather morphs from winter to summer, the monsoon winds carry with them the drizzles of an in-between time. This cool climate evokes within me a yearning for some warm steam from boiling vats of soup stock, so on a rare chilly morning, I wandered around and stopped by Triệu Việt Vương Street for a distinctly morning treat in Hanoi.
Bask in the Morning Sun in the Green Heart of Huế Along the Hương River
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- Published on 28 June 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Khôi Phạm.
As tourists, it's in our built-in compass to seek out novelties and excitements, if anything, to remind us that our daily humdrum is not everything, and there exists a world out there with multitudes to explore.
More Than Just Prosperity, Ông Địa Is My Personal Patron Saint of Misplaced Things
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- Published on 28 June 2025
- Written by Ý Mai. Photo by Alberto Prieto.
I was maybe seven when I first clasped my hands and whispered a plea to Ông Địa.
The Charming 1990s Nostalgia in the Phim Mì Ăn Liền Cinematic Universe
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- Published on 27 June 2025
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Graphic by Mai Phạm.
If you lurk around online discussions of Vietnamese cinema, you probably have stumbled upon the term phim mì ăn liền, or “instant noodles films.” This popular Vietnamese expression describes local motion pictures with low-effort production value. But the term is not merely a common moniker. It dates back to the 1990s, when a specific type of commercial flick got audiences flocking to the cinema.
Thống Nhất Stadium Offers Unexpected Opportunities to Reflect Upon the Soul
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- Published on 25 June 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
Where do you find revelation?
Buôn Ma Thuột's Thriving Elephant Culture in 1957
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- Published on 23 June 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
In the not-too-distant past, elephants were an important part of highland lifestyles, including use in cultural activities, agriculture.
Xu Xoa, the Sweet, Gingery Dessert Soothing the Heat of Central Vietnam Summers
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- Published on 20 June 2025
- Written by Thu Hà. Illustrations by Dương Trương.
If Saigoneers often turn to sương sâm (leaf jelly) or sương sáo (grass jelly) as refreshments on hot days, the choice of residents of provinces along the central coast is xu xoa. Chunks of translucent, lightly umami jelly swim in the sweetness of a ginger-flavored sugar syrup — a perfect snack that cools the body.
A Collection of Scenes in 1964 Saigon, Bến Tre, Biên Hòa on Film
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- Published on 19 June 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
In 1964, Saigon’s Phù Đổng Roundabout didn’t feature the towering bronze statue of folk hero Thánh Gióng. Instead of the congestion hot spot the intersection is known as today, it was actually spacious and airy, with nary a shop or bubble tea parlor in sight.
