Hẻm Gems: Indonesia's Ayam Penyet Is a Smashing Celebration of Spices
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- Published on 25 May 2026
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Lê Thái Hoàng Nguyên.
The most straightforward definition by which to explain ayam penyet to the Vietnamese layperson is perhaps “cơm gà Indo.” It’s technically not wrong: the dish has rice and chicken, and originates from Indonesia. But once you've actually sunk your teeth into this special fried chicken, the translation seems unfairly reductive because ayam penyet is so much better than the sum of its parts.
Dispatch From Udine: Vietnam's Cinema Reaches the World Stage While Rooted in Local Culture
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- Published on 24 May 2026
- Written by Hanhee Oh.
Vietnamese cinema experienced a watershed moment at the 28th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Short Story Collection 'Gills' Pieces Together a Raw and Complex Portrait of Saigon
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- Published on 22 May 2026
- Written by San Kwon.
Saigon’s landscape looks dramatically different from how it did three or even two decades ago. As the country’s economic powerhouse, Saigon has seen rapid urban development: new highrises like Landmark 81 and the Bitexco Financial Tower that now define the city’s skyline, new urban infrastructure like the Ba Son Bridge and Saigon’s first metro line, as well as the city’s expansion into areas like District 7’s Phú Mỹ Hưng and District 2’s Thủ Thiêm. If the west has long viewed Saigon under the shadow of war, it is clear that such a rigid frame fails to contain the Saigon of today, whose entropic inner life seems to constantly overflow; with motorbikes onto sidewalks, loud honks through windows, and rainpour over Saigon’s riverbeds.
Whale Worship: Exploring the Role of Whales in Vietnam's Coastal Lore
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- Published on 22 May 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Paul Christiansen. Top illustration by Hannah Hoàng.
In 1799, the ferocious Tây Sơn army forced the first Nguyễn Emperor, Nguyễn Ánh, and his troops to flee to the sea. While making their escape, a great storm engulfed the retreating army. As their ship’s mast shivered and the hull shuddered, threatening to break it into splinters, a great whale rose from the depths. It lifted the emperor's boat and carried him and his men to safety. To thank the animal, Ánh bestowed upon whales the official title of "Nam Hải Cự Tộc Ngọc Lân Thượng Đẳng Thần," which was shortened to Cá Ông, or “Lord Fish.”
Opinion: Electric Vehicles Are Southeast Asia's Way out Amid the Global Fossil Fuel Crisis
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- Published on 21 May 2026
- Written by Putra Adhiguna.
As the Iran war crunches global energy supplies and disrupts prices, Southeast Asian leaders may need to diversify oil and gas supplies in order to protect ordinary people.
A Special 'Doraemon' Episode Taking Place in Vietnam Will Be Released in May
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- Published on 19 May 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
After decades of watching Doraemon and his close friend groups adventure to all sorts of strange lands from the deepest trenches on Earth to fantastical planets, fans of the beloved cat robot in Vietnam will finally see our country in the cartoon series.
Ngõ Nooks: At Bún Bò Huế Thu Thùy, a Broth That Bridges Hanoi Taste and Huế Flair
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- Published on 18 May 2026
- Written by Hà Tạ. Photos by Long Nguyễn.
In only three places have I enjoyed truly sumptuous bowls of bún bò giò heo: in its hometown of Huế, in Hội An and at Bún Bò Huế Thu Thùy in Hanoi.
Grab a Cold One: The Thirsty Colonial History of Ice Production in Vietnam
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- Published on 17 May 2026
- Written by Tom Phạm. Top graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
Walking through Saigon nowadays, you will notice that ice is so omnipresent, it’s part of the scenery. From trà đá, cà phê sữa đá to sinh tố, every drink is consumed with ice in order to combat the intense heat. Before the French brought ice factories to Vietnam, in hot, tropical cities like Saigon, you wouldn’t expect to find ice. Controlling the cold chain is now an important part of our logistics, be it for healthcare or food storage, opening the door for any cuisine to expand with new ingredients. A few centuries ago, however, it was once a thriving business catering to French colonists.
An Ancient Turtle Named After Bánh Xèo Can Teach Us a Lot About Whimsy in Science
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- Published on 15 May 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
Nước mắm — that ruby-hued elixir; that salty, fish-flesh-sweet open secret in your favorite recipe; that indispensable icon of Vietnamese culture and, by extension, identity — owes itself to Commerson’s anchovies. That’s right, if your fish sauce comes from the central region, where it was first developed, the fish pressed with salt to produce it are Stolephorus commersonnii, a species named in 1801 after Philibert Commerson, a white Frenchman. Picture all the hardscrabble village homes suffering under the yoke of colonialism, where one of the day’s few pleasures was a humble meal made delicious by a carefully rationed dash of fish sauce and an ingredient whose name pays homage to their colonizers.
What Does the ‘Tower of Hanoi’ Puzzle Have to Do With Vietnam?
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- Published on 15 May 2026
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
What is the Tower of Hanoi? While this official name might sound mysterious, if you’re an avid consumer of adventure media and role-playing games or just simply a curious former child, it’s likely that you’ve seen or even played this game without knowing what it’s called.
Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form
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- Published on 15 May 2026
- Written by Michael Tatarski. Top image by Simona Nguyễn.
Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"
As Thanh Đa Faces Redevelopment, Writer Dạ Ngân Reflects on What Will Be Lost
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- Published on 13 May 2026
- Written by Dạ Ngân. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
To me, my trip to Cư xá Thanh Đa in summer 1982 was a serendipitous encounter. It was Saigon’s largest-scale residential complex in the first half of the 1970s, with nearly 4,000 separate units housing about 50,000 inhabitants. Cư xá refers to a residential quarter reserved for gainfully employed citizens, with a vision to establish a model community with a high quality of life. Here, in their three-bedroom apartments, civil servants, professors, doctors, and military leaders ranked major or higher lived in pride of being a part of a cư xá like that.
Hẻm Gems: Go Back in Time to Chợ Cũ's Golden Days via Cô Chánh's Hủ Tiếu Mì
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- Published on 11 May 2026
- Written by Đăng Khương. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
In the memory-scape of children growing up in the countryside like me, there always exists the familiar sight of old wet markets and the mornings we spent there, toddling behind our moms on the hunt for snacks, CDs, and lollipops. In the afternoons, I often tagged along with my grandma to buy meat and veggies, sneaking a toy or two inside her basket. Sometimes, if I was particularly sweet, she would allow us to have lunch there instead of at home.
From Kiều's Snowy Skin to K-Beauty's Glow: Delving Into Vietnam's Love for Fair Skin
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- Published on 10 May 2026
- Written by San Kwon. Top graphic by Ngàn Mai.
The preference for light skin is widespread in Vietnam. It is discernible from the mere sight of Saigon’s streets during the day, when the majority of riders are covered up — in hoodies, jackets, jeans, pants, and masks — for protection against UV radiation, but also to prevent tanning under the blistering sun. Especially more so for women, light skin is often associated with beauty and social status, so protection against the sun has become more than a health concern.
An Ode to Saigon’s Chò Nâu Trees
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- Published on 08 May 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng. Photos by Kevin Lee.
It’s too cold for chò nâu to grow where I’m from, but we still gave it an English name: dipterocarp.
Vietnamese Painter Một Quả Tắc Creates an Intimate and Gentle World on Silk
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- Published on 07 May 2026
- Written by Mầm.
Silk is an inherently finicky, demanding medium. Yet from the very first encounter, Quế Hương had chose to embrace its temperament and has devoted herself to it for nearly a decade.
Saigon Commences Metro Line, Major Administrative Hub Project in Thủ Thiêm
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- Published on 06 May 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
Municipal authorities in Hồ Chí Minh City are moving forward with a number of infrastructure projects that will majorly transform the peninsula in the future.
The History of Saigon General Hospital, the Clinic Funded by a Doctor's Generosity
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- Published on 04 May 2026
- Written by Tim Doling.
The Saigon Hospital at 125 Lê Lợi was originally built in the late 1930s as the Polyclinique Dejean de la Bâtie. The French named it after French doctor Théodose Déjean de la Bâtie, who devoted his life to treating members of the Vietnamese community.
How Soy Milk Symbolizes an Imagined Vietnam of My Childhood in France
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- Published on 29 April 2026
- Written by Tom Phạm. Graphic by Mai Khanh.
I still remember vividly the anticipation running through my veins, when I saw a waiter bringing me a glass of sữa đậu nành, every time my family took me to one of the many Vietnamese restaurants of the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the city’s renowned Chinatown. It was a neighborhood I was bound to get dragged to as a French kid with a Vietnamese parent, whether I wanted to or not. For me, this glass represented the quintessence of typical Vietnamese drinks during a good meal: one of the rare glimpses into the daily customs of my ancestors’ culture.
From the Ground up Into the Air: The Evolution of Bitexco in 25 Photos
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- Published on 29 April 2026
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Frederik Wissink.
Between Thủ Thiêm's ambitious new skyscrapers, the planned transformation of Thanh Đa Peninsula and a LEED-standard apartment complex that looks like Marina Bay Sands, Saigon's skyline seems to change every other day.
