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.
An Homage to the Sounds of Saigon Past That Are Going Extinct
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- Published on 19 June 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Graphic by Mai Phạm.
After someone or something reaches the end of their days, which aspects of their existence in the minds of those who remain would be the first to succumb to the erosive brush of time? Is it sight, smell, touch, taste, or sound?
Chùa Một Cột in Thailand Reminds Me of the Familiar in an Unfamiliar Land
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- Published on 18 June 2025
- Written by An Trần. Photos by An Trần.
On my last full day in Khon Kaen, Thailand, I was on a mission to catch the sunset, although the cloudy and gloomy sky didn’t give me much hope. Instead, I randomly stumbled upon a gate with signs written in Vietnamese. Out of curiosity, I decided to walk in, and the farther I walked, the more clearly I spotted a familiar image from afar: a one-pillar pagoda standing right on the edge of the reservoir.
I Grew up With Print Newspapers and Magazines. Now, They're Disappearing.
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- Published on 17 June 2025
- Written by Minh Phát. Graphic by Dương Trương.
Print media was a crucial part of my childhood and a friend that opened a window into a vivid world of knowledge that was fascinatingly strange in the eyes of young me. But right at this moment when I hit the streets as an adult, the newspaper vendors of those days seem to have vanished, their colorful spread of magazines gone amid the busyness of today. A quiet transformation and farewell has begun.
In Tây Hồ, an Artisan Community Holds Fast to Their Lotus Tea Traditions
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- Published on 16 June 2025
- Written by Xuân Phương. Photos by Xuân Phương.
Every sip of lotus tea encapsulates all the essences of the natural landscapes of Tây Hồ.
New Tarot Deck Uses Traditional Motifs, Legends and Folk Wisdom to 'Speak Vietnamese'
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- Published on 15 June 2025
- Written by Ý Mai. Photos by Nguyễn Hữu Đức Huy.
Tarot decks can feel written in a foreign language.
Pages of Passion Bookstore Epitomizes What It Means to Run a Passion Project
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- Published on 13 June 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
On the sixth floor of an old apartment building on Nguyễn Văn Tráng Street in District 1 stands Pages of Passion, a true haven for book lovers. New and used literature from around the world; non-fiction spanning philosophy, natural science, history, biographies, and psychology, and even some poetry fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves in the inviting space. One could spend time wondering why it took so long for a shop like this to open in Saigon, but those hours are better spent perusing the titles that include best-sellers, classics, and global phenomena alongside overlooked treasures.
Vauban Architecture: The Foundation of Central and Northern Vietnam's Citadels
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- Published on 11 June 2025
- Written by Thi Nguyễn and Brian Letwin. Top graphic by Hannah Hoàng.
In our previous article on Vietnam’s southern citadels, we covered a mix of ancient structures and those constructed just before the dawn of French colonization of Indochina. In particular, we focused on Gia Định Citadel, a hulking structure that once stood in what would become Saigon’s city center. Undertaking a similar exercise for Vietnam’s central and northern regions is less practical, given the sheer quantity and variety of citadels in those regions. So, for the second part of our citadel series, we instead will focus on a unifying feature across such fortifications — Vauban architecture.
