Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds
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- Published on 06 January 2026
- Written by Saigoneer. Photo by Jimmy Art Devier.
If things go our way, YouTube’s notorious unskippable ads might be a thing of the past come this February.
A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
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- Published on 05 January 2026
- Written by Marc Dinh. Top graphic by Mai Khanh.
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadliest railway accident in Vietnamese history.
In His Research-Driven Artistic Practice, Quang deLam Maps History, Knowledge Together
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- Published on 04 January 2026
- Written by An Trần.
What if art functions as a visual form for transmitting knowledge and entangled histories, and the artist is a messenger between them and the audience?
From Abroad to My Favorite Bún Riêu: A Brief History of Trứng Vịt Lộn
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- Published on 04 January 2026
- Written by Thái An. Graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
I pride myself on being a child of Hanoi, but only after nearly 20 years, did I realize that trứng vịt lộn is not exactly an authentic topping in Hanoi-style bún riêu.
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
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- Published on 30 December 2025
- Written by Phạm Thục Khuê. Top image by Trường Dĩ.
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the tarmac road. This was just a glimpse of the thrifting scene in Vietnam.
A British Photographer's 30 Years of Forming a Kindred Connection With Vietnam
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- Published on 30 December 2025
- Written by Xuân Phương. Photos by Andy Soloman.
When he boarded a flight from Bangkok to Hanoi in 1992, Andy Soloman thought he would stay in Vietnam for just one month. Little did he know that what seemed like a brief trip would stretch into seven years — the beginning of a bond that has tied him to Vietnam for three decades and beyond.
In the Era of AI Slop, I've Learned to Embrace Saigon's Ugly Urban Clutters
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- Published on 29 December 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Illustration by Dương Trương. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
To live in Saigon is to coexist with clutter. Chaos is perhaps to be expected, when one’s habitat is a gargantuan crowded compressed narrow concretized megalopolis of over 10 million people, but few cities I’ve been to are as cluttered as Saigon.
At Kon Tum's Đăk Đrinh Lake, Life Slows to a Therapeutic Pace
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- Published on 29 December 2025
- Written by Pete Walls. Photos by Pete Walls.
Đăk Đrinh Lake lies in the northern reaches of Kon Tum, where the hills rise in slow, deliberate waves and the pace of life is set by the land. The Ca Dong ethnic communities remain here, maintaining their language, stilt houses, and routines that have shaped this corner of the highlands for generations.
Hẻm Gems: The Spectacular Stink of Bún Mắm Nêm Is My Childhood Aroma
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- Published on 27 December 2025
- Written by Nhi Nguyễn. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Every time I depart from Vietnam to study abroad or travel, on the way to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, I stop by the Bàu Cát area in Tân Bình to stuff myself with at least two bowls of bún mắm nêm heo quay.
Rare Film Photos by Andrew Holbrooke Showcase an Industrious Vietnam in 1991
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- Published on 27 December 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Money cannot buy happiness, but it makes happiness easier to attain.
On Grappling With a Consumerist Christmas in Saigon
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- Published on 26 December 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Growing up in America, Christmas meant arriving at my grandmother's house and immediately devouring a handmade gingerbread cookie drenched in sugar; driving with my Dad to “candy cane lane,” where homeowners took particular pride in stringing colorful lights on their gutters, windows and frontyard pines; and sneaking to our living room’s Christmas tree at 5am to sit in the dark staring at the presents, waiting until my mom said we were allowed to wake up and open them. Christmas began when Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas songs played on the long ride home from Thanksgiving with relatives and continued through snowy Christmas tree lots, studies paused for classroom parties with pizza and soda pop, and the 1966 Grinch cartoon played on repeat.
Grindr Year-End Report Names Vietnam as Country With Biggest Top Shortage
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- Published on 23 December 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Ever since Spotify launched its first global Wrapped function a few years ago, December has turned into an exciting season of stats-driven year-end reviews. “Wrapping” is now a tradition embraced by numerous apps, such as Strava, Duolingo, YouTube, Reddit, and of course, Grindr.
How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be
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- Published on 22 December 2025
- Written by Tim Doling. Top photo by Alberto Prieto.
You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman Catholic institutions.
Waterfalls, Langur, Oysters and Abandoned Colonial Villas: A Lăng Cô Getaway
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- Published on 22 December 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
What lies between Đà Nẵng and Huế?
Đà Lạt’s Indigenous Pine Trees, Tropical Miracles Threatened by Urbanization
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- Published on 21 December 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Illustrations by by Ngọc Tạ.
“The shimmering pine trees stand in silence / Branches and leaves seem to have sunk silently. / How can one distinguish between reality and fantasy!”
Saigon Unveils Plan to Build 2 Pedestrian Bridges Over Tôn Đức Thắng Street
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- Published on 18 December 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Tourists will soon lose one of their favorite “crossing Saigon streets is so crazy!” filming locations when two new pedestrian bridges connecting to Bạch Đằng Wharf are completed.
5 Vietnamese Brands for Christmas Gifts That Celebrate Local Creativity and Culture
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- Published on 16 December 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Top graphic by Mai Khanh.
Even though Christmas is arguably the most important holiday of the year in the west, it is not a traditional special occasion in Vietnam, at least not in the same way Vietnamese go gaga over Tết.
In Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's New Novel, Saigon's Rhythms Hum in the Background
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- Published on 15 December 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
“I’m always homesick for Vietnam. To write is to return home. That's why I had to bring Vietnam alive onto the pages. I had to hear the people speak, I had to listen to the music, to the language; I had to smell the food, see the landscape — that's my way of returning home. Whenever I’m homesick, I just return home via my writing.”
From Cháo Lòng to Teochew Treats: How Vietnam's Regional Cuisines Embrace Offal
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- Published on 15 December 2025
- Written by Thu Hà. Illustrations by Mai Khanh.
In his essay collection Miếng ngon Hà Nội (Hanoi Delicacies), Vũ Bằng raves about one of his favorite snacks: “Though they’re all inside the pig, each organ is tasty in a completely different way: the liver is both savory and bitter, even aromatic when enjoyed with basil; the heart is soft and supply in the mouth; the stomach is clamorously crunchy; the uterus has an incredible bite; while the intestine is just fantastic, chewy at first bite, but then turns tender.”
Slices of Life in Saigon, Huế, Hanoi in 1989 on Film
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- Published on 15 December 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Stefan Hajdu.
What is it about coming across old photos that tugs on our heartstrings so much, even when they depict a time when some of us weren’t alive yet?
