Insights, Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum
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- Published on 10 February 2025
- Written by David McCaskey. Photos by David McCaskey. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
When I pitched a review of Hanoi’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.
Cua Cà Mau Consommé Evokes Nostalgic Summer Beach Holidays
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- Published on 08 February 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Saigoneer.
Seafood reminds chef Nghiêm Minh Đức of childhood vacations to northern beaches with his family. But since moving to Saigon, he has been exposed to southern products including cua Cà Mau’s which inspire him to experiment with new dishes.
'The Colors of April' Invites Numerous Generations of Vietnamese to Reflect on War
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- Published on 05 February 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
“If the rain could wash away everything, maybe we could all find peace. For the third generation after the war, what was left behind wasn’t anger or bitterness, but an enduring sorrow that echoed from the heart.”
The Rickety Last Days of Hanoi's Tramway System in the 1990s
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- Published on 04 February 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.
Adding Billiards to Saigon's Pantheon of Pastimes
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- Published on 03 February 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?
In Vietnam, Joss Papers Link Life and Death, Modernity and Tradition
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- Published on 01 February 2025
- Written by Thi Nguyễn. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng. Photos by Thi Nguyễn.
Joss papers and effigies consumed my experiences before I began to even question their meaning. On the anniversary of my grandfather’s death (giỗ), my grandmother routinely set up a large pot in our tiny front yard and burned a stack of replica paper money. It is quite a scene to watch — the fire turned the paper to smoke and ash, and within minutes it was as if the paper never existed.
Every Mùng Một, My Family Organizes Our Own Temple Run to Visit 10 Temples
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- Published on 28 January 2025
- Written by Phương Nghi. Graphic by Dương Trương.
According to Vietnamese traditions, the first, second, and third days of Tết are reserved for one’s paternal family, maternal family, and teacher’s family, respectively.
In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another
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- Published on 26 January 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng.
The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.
Tết Tales: The Many Folk Stories Behind Vietnam's Bánh Chưng, Bánh Tét
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- Published on 26 January 2025
- Written by Thi Nguyễn. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng. .
To me, there's nothing that screams Tết as much as sticky rice cake. However one wants to spice up the usual celebration by replacing some dishes with something new each year, sticky rice cakes remain a must-have in Vietnamese households. Try searching for an image of the Lunar New Year and there’s a high chance that you’ll spot the cakes amongst the first ten results.
On Hội Xuân, the Harbinger of Tết for High School Students
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- Published on 24 January 2025
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Graphic by Dương Trương.
When I was a high school student, Lunar New Year brought with it a lot of excitement. Not only did we get a week-long break, we also got plenty of fun school activities leading up to the holidays. For me, one of my most anticipated events during this period of time was the high school Tết concerts.
I Keep My Connection to My Family's Hanoi Tết Traditions in a Tiny Quất Tree
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- Published on 24 January 2025
- Written by An Phạm. Photo by Bảo Hoa.
I am not a plant person. So when even I notice the abundance of vườn kiểng — a place selling a myriad of plants — it must mean that Saigoneers truly love buying plants. Some of my friends, who are also Hanoians, asked me one day to visit these vườn kiểng and look for Tết plants: “Let’s celebrate Tết the way northerners do, you know?” And somehow, being amongst the plants brought me right back to Quảng Bá Flower Market in Tây Hồ.
The Role of Sand Batteries in Responding to the Climate Change Crisis
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- Published on 24 January 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
How does a sand battery work?
The Tết Board Games That Help Foster (and Destroy) Family Relations
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Illustrations by Hannah Hoàng.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as beating all your siblings and cousins in a heated game of cờ cá ngựa.
With the HCMC Metro Here, It's Time to Cultivate Saigon's Very Own Metro Culture
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Khôi Phạm.
One of my least favorite genres of comments on Saigoneer’s social media posts is jokes involving the laggard opening of the HCMC Metro and some random, outrageous year far into the next decades, or even centuries.
Bored of the Traditional Zodiac? A Case for the Shipworm as a New Con Giáp.
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
From games to sweet treats to flowers to traditional attire, the nostalgic elements of Tết often tug people to the past. Saigoneer writers have reflected on the enticing, acidic aroma of once-legal firecracker smoke; the versatility of tear-off calendar pages; and hours laboring over handmade coconut candies, amongst other fond recollections. However, the holiday has no childhood connections or coming-of-age associations for me. Achieving personal relevance when I was nearly three decades into life, Tết instead offers me an opportunity to look ahead, ponder potential, and imagine what could be.
Re-imagining a Streetfood Staple with Sustainable Ingredients: Cơm Tấm Ốc Bươu with Floating Rice
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Cơm tấm is “all about utilizing, minimizing food waste and, basically, not giving anything away,” explains Chef Trụ Lang of Mùa Sake, as he stands in front of ingredients from the Mekong Delta. “That matches with the ethos of what these crops are trying to do … show a different way of thinking, a different way of agriculture, a different way of using the land, and using the relationship that we have with the land to coexist.”
Charles Phan's Bánh Mì Is Not Here to Take You Down Memory Lane
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- Published on 22 January 2025
- Written by Tâm Lê.
“Charles Phan had more impact on Vietnamese food than any other chef in the country.” — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle.
Between Victory and Sorrow: The Complex Realities Behind Văn Cao's 'Mùa Xuân Đầu Tiên'
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- Published on 21 January 2025
- Written by Vũ Hoàng Long. Graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
Composer Trịnh Công Sơn once wrote: “In music, Văn Cao is as noble as a king. In the field of song composition, I am like a child dreaming that the sun is a paper kite to play with. Brother Văn's music is the music of soaring fairies. I wander among the human realm. He keeps flying and I keep sinking. Flying and sinking in our private destinies...”
Hẻm Gems: Cô Chi Creates a World of Northern Noodles Right in Her Living Room
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- Published on 20 January 2025
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
Bún Cô Chi offers a great introduction to the wonderful world of northern noodles.
From Sticky Rice and Sugar, Bánh Tổ Binds Me With Tết and My Hoa Vietnamese Roots
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- Published on 19 January 2025
- Written by Phương Nghi. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
This Tết, you’re invited to my grandma’s house for a true-blue Tết meal of Hoa Vietnamese, comprising char siu, khâu nhục (braised pork belly), cured duck meat, etc. Then, you can think of the best well-wishing for my grandparents, after which they will give you a red envelope. In my experience, the cleverer and more sincere the wish, the thicker the envelope would be. Before you leave, she would pack up a bánh tổ for you to take home, and store in your fridge to tie you over for the rest of the Tết holiday, as she believes that the core values of Tết are connections and generosity.
